Pastor Phil Thrailkill was born on July 26, 1953 in Florence, South Carolina and is the oldest of three brothers and one sister. He married his college sweetheart, Lori Furches, on August 7, 1976 and they have two children: Daniel (age 29, a banker) and Ellen (age 27, a dentist). He received his B.A., with honors, from Wake Forest University in 1975 and his M. Div., with honors, from Candler School of Theology at Emory University in 1979/1984. He was Ordained as a Deacon in the South Carolina Annual Conference in June 1977, and as an Elder in the South Carolina Annual Conference in June 1984.

PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT :

I believe that Jesus Christ, presented to us in the Four Gospels, is alive with God's own life because of the resurrection. Secondly, that he has been freed from space and time by the power of the Holy Spirit to touch and transform life towards the Father's kingdom. Thirdly, that his presence and power are as available to us now as they were during his earthly ministry. Therefore: I will strive with all that is in me to be a fully-alive disciple of Jesus Christ.

I will allow a disciplined response to grace to infuse the various goals and roles of my life and its stages and transitions. I will live faithfully within my covenants as husband of Lori and the father of Daniel and Ellen. I will be a loving leader and faithful servant of my family. The covenants of baptism and ordination give shape to my vocation. I will remain open to God's surprises. I will tithe and aim at keeping a regular Sabbath as a living reminder that all I have is from the Lord and that life is more than work. I will value and seek to understand my temperament (ENTJ: Myers Briggs), infirmities, birth order, stage in life, as well as the natural talents, learned skills, life history, and spiritual gifts I have. I desire to turn them all for good for myself and others. I will care for my body and treat is as a gift for which I am accountable. I desire to pursue an inward journey of regular prayer, meditation, and occasional solitude that will enable me to listen to the Lord and find inner healing. I will know God through immersion in the Scriptures and look for God's work in the world around me.

My mind will always stay alive to God's truth as reflected in the humane and humanizing disciplines. I will be faithful to the classic ecumenical faith and give confident witness to its intellectual depth and spiritual power. I desire to be used for the renewal of the church through biblical preaching/teaching, writing, and pastoral leadership. The catholic, evangelical, and charismatic aspects of the faith are all mine, and I claim their richness.

I desire to grow in love, wisdom, and forgiveness so that others will sense more and more of Christ in me. I will work hard, listen and rest deeply, laugh often, and cry without shame or fear. I will resist sin and evil within and name them without. At the end of my life I want to hear these words, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord."

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