GEORGE HENRY, STAR Writer

The Reverend Conrod Pitkin has been serving as a minister of religion for the last 35 years.

Pitkin is pastor of the Assembly of God Church, Montego Bay. He has also held positions in Portland and Falmouth, Trelawny.

He said his journey as a Christian started out of a divine call from the Lord. However, according to Rev Pitkin, pastorate was never where he wanted to be when he got saved. He wanted to be an evangelist after he committed himself to the Lord in 1966.

"I thought that that was the direction where I wanted to go but God had other plans for my life, so I accepted the call to pastorate duties in 1975 and went full-time 1976," he said.

Pitkin said there is a sense of satisfaction doing the work of God. He was quick to point out that there have been moments when he has experienced rough times as a pastor. But, because God has always been with him, he has been able to overcome.

"It took me a while to say yes to full-time ministry, because I had a full-time job, and when the call came very strongly, at that time two pastors retired and they both recommended that I took the church they were pastoring," said Rev Pitkin.

difficult decision

That was a rather difficult decision to make, but Pitkin said he sat in his office one day and pulled a small red Gideon Bible from his breast pocket and started reading.

"I do not read scriptures abstractly. I do not like it because I do not think it is proper. But for some reason it opened to St Mark 8, verses 35 and 36, which says, 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me, and that has been my sustenance over the years. That scripture has been my foundation and motivator. I knew God called me and the purpose for which he called me," Rev Pitkin said.

Pitkin said he has had thoughts of throwing in the towel on occasions; and that he walked with a letter of resignation for one month to hand to the general secretary of his denomination, but the scripture he read in St Mark helped him stay the course.

The pastor for the Faith Temple Assembly of God Church in Montego Bay also serves as general superintendent for the Assemblies of God Church in Jamaica. He adds that he loves working at his St James church than as a superintendent for his denomination.

"I am not one of those persons who look for leadership. I do not run for leadership; I run from leadership. My working as pastor at Faith Temple gives me the opportunity to sit with people one to one, to minister to persons where they are," said Rev Pitkin.