The Rev. Brandon Lewis, pastor of The Bridge Wesleyan Church in Pierre and Fort Pierre Congregational Church , says this community reminds him of Mayberry.
And he should know: He was a pastor in Mayberry for several years before moving to Pierre nearly five years ago. Or Mount Airy, North Carolina, the hometown of the late Andy Griffith and the model for Mayberry in his beloved TV show, although reportedly Griffith always denied what everyone else saw in the comparison.
He talked to Capital Journal Reporter Stephen Lee about his faith and life and work. This is an edited version of the interview.
Q: So what was it like to be a pastor in Mayberry?
A: It was a great little town to live in. It was about the same size as Pierre and just really good people> I was there for four years and thoroughly enjoyed it. A good family town, a lot of trees and a park.
Q: A lot of tourists must flock to that town to see the “real” Mayberry.
A: We would have visitors there all the time, there were festivals all the time. They bring in a couple hundred thousand people in the summer. They have been doing Mayberry Days for many, many years. And there’s an Autumn Leaves festival on October. Most of the people with the TV show had gotten too old to come back by the time I got there. So my last year there, they had just Betty Lynn, she was Thelma Lou, Barney’s girl friend on the show. (Now 92, Lynn moved to Mount Airy in 2006 and still greets fans in town, according to online sources)
Q: So how are the mean streets of Pierre and Fort Pierre treating you?
A: In a lot of ways, Pierre is very similar to Mount Airy. It’s got kind of a small-town feel and is a very welcoming community. The premise of Mayberry was that people sat on their front porch and didn’t lock their front door, those kinds of things. When I moved to Pierre, I was blown away by how many people here don’t lock their front door. I’ll tell someone I have something to drop off and if they are not home, that I will drop it on their front step. And they say, No, just go right in and drop it on the table. There’s no serious crime. So in many respects, I get that same kind of feeling of Mount Airy and Pierre. But there is definitely a Midwest region and that was the Deep South. Everyone thinks I have an accent and I think everyone else has an accent.
Q: So it’s a North Carolina accent?
A: Yeah. I grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina and went to high school there. I went to college at Southern Wesleyan University in central South Carolina.
Q: Did you go to seminary?
A: Yes, to Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.
Q: You and your family live in that big house down the block from The Bridge?
A:Yes. My wife, Olivia, and I have four kids. Our oldest daughter is 7, and goes to Jefferson, our son is 5, he’s in preschool at Faith Evangelical Lutheran. And our twin girls are 18 months old.
Olivia is a Registered Nurse and she works the night shift at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital as the house supervisor, so she’s kind of the nurse in charge of the whole hospital at night.
Q: Your church is just a couple of blocks from Faith Lutheran on Grand Avenue, right?
A: Yes, when I tell people we are The Bridge Wesleyan Church at 107 E. Seventh St., they say they aren’t familiar with that church.. But then I say ‘We’re just behind the donut shop.’ And they know where that is.”
Q: What is your church service like?
A: It’s really casual church, very laid back. People are friendly, kind of wear what you want, come as you are, have some donuts, drink you some coffee and worship with us and see if it’s your cup of tea. We are a young church, the median age is about 38.
Q: You have Bibles, a Living Word translation in the pews, but no hymnals?
A: We have a projector that puts the lyrics up on the wall.
Q: How many members in The Bridge, and in Fort Pierre Congregational?
A: We have probably 100 members in The Bridge. About 35 or 40 in Fort Pierre Congregational.
Q: What does the term “Wesleyan,” mean about your congregation?
A: It refers to the teachings of John Wesley and his Methodism. We believe we have the free will to choose faith in Christ. We are committed to the inerrancy of scripture. We bring a message of hope and holiness; that we can be holy as Christ was holy and there is hope in that redeeming message. Our main theme, or focus, is to love God and love people. That’s at the center of everything we do.
Faces of Faith is a new feature running on Fridays in the Capital Journal. Send in suggestions to Stephen Lee, stephen.lee@capjournal.com; 605-224-7301, ext. 130.
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