Eric Moore is getting settled into his new role as pastor at College United Methodist Church in Warrenton. The church is located at 701 E. Main St. and serves about 170 worshippers each weekend. …
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Eric Moore is getting settled into his new role as pastor at College United Methodist Church in Warrenton.
The church is located at 701 E. Main St. and serves about 170 worshippers each weekend.
“Getting to know that many new friends all at once, as well as several newcomers each month, is without a doubt the biggest challenge I face as the new guy,” said Moore. “I long to know my new church family well, and I’m doing all I can to do just that.”
Moore started at the church in July and is planning to grow relationships. In the coming weeks, he will be a part of some “get-to-know-you conversations” with small groups at congregation members’ homes.
Moore entered the ministry because he had a life-long calling to serve others.
“Ever since I was a child, I longed to find a vocation where I could make a difference in the lives of others,” he said. “I started out in college with aspirations to become an elementary schoolteacher. It was during college that I felt a call to pastoral ministry, and my emphasis of study shifted.
“I am the child of a longtime teacher and know firsthand both from my growing up and from serving so many congregations filled with teachers what amazing dedication and commitment educators give,” he said. “I like to think I am the kind of pastor who has a teacher’s heart, someone who is dedicated and committed to making a difference in the lives of others.”
Moore attended Central Methodist University in Fayette, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and political science. He earned his Master of Divinity from Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City.
For more than 20 years, he has served in the United Methodist Church. All along, he has remained in Missouri, in St. Charles, Columbia and Fayette. He comes to Warrenton from California, Mo., a position that altered his personal life.
“Five years ago, I arrived in California, a suddenly single dad of two amazing daughters (Norah and Josie), and departed five years later a newlywed to Kari and a parent again,” he said. “Upon marrying Kari, Kari’s daughter Allison and I chose to claim one another as daddy and daughter, and though she was a high school senior at the time, we formalized her adoption last fall.”
The church reassigned Moore to Warrenton just when the family needed it.
“Earlier this spring, our younger two daughters moved in with their mom and stepdad to Hillsboro, south of St. Louis. Hillsboro to California is about a six-hour round trip, and my bishop knew that I could not be the kind of daddy I long to be to our girls living so far away from my girls. God just seemed to create a way that led us to Warrenton,” Moore said.
The church holds two different worship services on Sundays. At 9 a.m., members gather for a contemporary worship service with a praise band. A more traditional worship service is at 10:30 a.m. and features piano, pipe organ and a choir.
“I preach the same message at each service, although it never ceases to amaze me how the ambiance of each service makes the message feel different to me,” Moore said.
Moore said he and the church receives assistance from church volunteers.
Since he’s been in Warrenton, he has learned about the church’s history as well as the Warrenton community.
“College United Methodist Church has a long, rich history,” he said. “It has been a vibrant presence in Warren County long before I or any of our congregation were alive, and we pray it outlasts us all.”
A brief history is written in the church directory. It says the church’s roots in the area date back before the Civil War.
In 1864 the church, then called the College Methodist Episcopal Church, was established to provide spiritual guidance in Warrenton along with the Western Orphan Asylum and Educational Institute.
Church members met in different areas of those buildings until the first church, the Jubilee building, was built in 1887. The chapel where it sits now was built in 1912.
The orphanage and education centers were closed in 1941 after years of economic loss and culture strife during the early part of the last century. The church congregation, however, continued its mission to serve. The church sanctuary is home to donation boxes to be gifted to schools and organizations.
Moore follows that tradition and many others of his faith.
He said his plans as pastor are to help the congregation grow deeper in its faith; closer to God and to one another.
“I believe our faith calls us to be a loving, caring presence in our community, serving our neighbor,” he said. “I am grateful that love of neighbor is such a big part of our church’s DNA.”
Eric Moore is the new pastor at College United Methodist Church in Warrenton. Here, Moore is pictured in the church sanctuary Sept. 20. Record photo/Kate Miller.