Around a Courthouse square, one more time Jeff Pruett © June 28, 2014 I want to drive around another Courthouse Square, a different time and a different place though. Many of you know I served as a missionary for about a year in Louisiana building houses after Hurricane Katrina. My time there was to be longer, but through the work of some talented people from Solid Rock Carpenters of Chicago, things moved much quicker. Suffice it to say, I worked myself out of a job. Since United Methodist pastors are generally appointed to serve a community and congregation in June or July, I had to do something between December and June to care for my family. First, I went on Family Leave for those few months to rest from long days of coordinating the construction of nearly 14 houses in about a year. Secondly, I needed a job to support my family. A company from Collierville, TN was kind enough to help with that. I opened up a new territory, selling doors, windows and trim to lumberyards across south Mississippi. I was in and out of small towns, like connecting the dots from one place to the other. Making cold calls was the primary way of getting new customers. This was about the time of the turn-down in the housing market and there wasn’t a lot of new construction; so, I had to be able to offer something that basically took business away from other suppliers. To accomplish this, I had to show how we could provide quality and quantity at a price point that was good for all involved. Also, since I was the new kid on the block, I had to build a rapport with new, potential customers. Then, it was my desire to show our products and how we could deliver in a timely manner with good service after the sale. Many of my potential, new clients would ask questions about products, as if to test my knowledge of the building trade. And there were some good ones too. I never knew what I was going to be asked. Rarely did I sell anything on the first visit. Sometimes I wrote orders on the second visit. Usually it was after six or eight visits that someone would “give me a try.” This was understandable, as most potential customers were currently receiving good service from their current mill work supplier. To help with the possible sale, I kept notes on the questions I was asked and I tried to read the interest of the person who could “pull the trigger” on the sale. This way, I could share brochures or samples to help with future sales. I had to live by the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared! Each week, I was adding another stop to my route. From one town to the next, the odometer would turn, miles upon miles. One of those weeks, I added Columbia, MS to my route. I was ready for a barrage of questions. I knew that most of the time, it was like a game to play, a form of bantering to see if “the new kid” could be confused or frustrated. In Columbia, there were two lumberyards. The first one wouldn’t talk to me, as they were very satisfied with their current supplier. The second is where I went around the Courthouse square just one more time. I came to Harry Taylor’s Building Supply. It was owned and operated by a man named Wendell Holland. Generally, I knew I would be asked about products; but specifically, I didn’t know what I would be asked. At Harry Taylor’s, I was welcomed in by Wendell himself. He’s pretty good at reading people and he seemed to know I was new to selling doors and windows. After a brief conversation filled with pleasantries, he took me around to meet several people in the store. I met the bookkeeper, the yard supervisor, the salesmen, and his son, who also worked in the store. With my sales materials in hand, he invited me to a counter at the back of his store. On the way there, he turned to me and asked, “Can I ask you a question?” I was prepared for questions about door jambs, hinges, single or double hung windows and the like. “Sure,” I said. His question wasn’t about doors or windows. His question: “Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” Truly, I wasn’t expecting that question. But I could answer it with a “Yes!” There were bolt bins to my left and floor coverings to my right. In my mind I said, “I am in a lumberyard . . . and I have just heard a question about my faith, right?” I didn’t tell Wendell that day that I was a United Methodist minister on leave. He talked about the importance of faith in his life and he felt compelled to ask others about their relationship with Jesus. We visited a good while about faith, forgiveness and following Jesus. I don’t remember even showing any building products that day. It wasn’t important. This was a Thursday afternoon when it happened. It was one of my best days on the road, driving around courthouse squares. As the next week began, I looked forward to visiting with Wendell again at Harry Taylor’s. The anticipated Thursday’s conversation would make the miles easier. The second week, I said to Wendell that I needed to share something with him. I told him I was a United Methodist pastor on leave for a while. It was in the course of that week’s conversation that he talked about being in Harry Taylors for a purpose. He told me that he believed God gave him that opportunity to use the store for more than just selling products. He would state the purpose simply: “To share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who walked through the doors.” I have known many churches that cannot succinctly state their purpose as clearly as this lumberyard on the Courthouse square. Wendell took selling lumber and other building materials as a means to touch the lives of folks with the grace of God. And he did it with ease. There are churches all over Columbia, of every kind and flavor. It’s easy to see the steeples rise above the horizon, reminding folks that “church” is here. But “church” doesn’t just happen in the shadow of a steeple. It happen in the most unexpected and unusual places, even in lumberyards, on the Courthouse Square. I must say that I experienced grace upon grace through the conversations of a humble man, a carpenter, a salesman of lumber, a witness of the Gospel, Mr. Wendell Holland. The authenticity of Wendell’s witness was inviting. It was also a tug at my heart, reminding me of my purpose which was and is to be a communicator of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (By the way, one of those weeks, I did sell Wendell some doors and windows.) When the time came for me to return to the local church as a pastor, my life was enriched by those months on the road, visiting with hard working, real people, most of who didn’t know I was a pastor. I was given the privilege of being able to hear some difficult life-situations. My title as reverend didn’t get in the way; Most just knew me as a peddler of building materials, doors and windows. I was reminded again and again, that folks are going through some “stuff” most of the time and are in need of grace. I too find myself in need of grace and for a season I experienced it at a counter on a loading dock, often looking over charts of window sizes and styles, while in conversation with a man of faith, Wendell Holland. As I made my way each week to Columbia, I drove down some quiet streets of well-maintained homes. I meandered through the business district where folks were about selling their wares and offering their services. The little lumberyard on the Courthouse Square was more than a distributor of 2x4’s and gallons of paint. It was a place where the Gospel of Jesus Christ was offered, and there was no steeple on the building. Harry Taylor’s was a witness in the midst of commerce. That’s pretty cool to me. Changing gears and time passes: Most of you know I went through a battle with colorectal cancer in the last years and I still live with the aftereffects. When it came time to go on medical leave, we wanted to be close to our son. This was a way of being prepared just in the off case something happened to me; Grant would be close to Christy. Grant has chosen to live in Columbia. We believed we would make Columbia our home; so when it came time for this move, I told Christy that I knew someone else in Columbia, someone I knew I could count on. I had been telling her about Wendell Holland all along. As we were looking at property on which to put our home, I was standing in the road when a pickup truck stopped and the window rolled down. To my surprise, it was Mr. Wendell Holland. His truck was the first and only vehicle I saw that day. Happen stance? Probably not. He’s got a grin and smile that reflects a joy in his heart. He told me he lived about four houses away. That was the clincher. We bought the property because Wendell Holland is a neighbor. I felt I could rest easier with Wendell a neighbor, just down the road. If Christy was alone and needed something, Wendell would help for sure, not only because he knows and understands carpentry and plumbing and many other things; but because he’s a Christian who lives his faith simply and authentically. Nearly every day, I see Wendell go down the road going to help someone building a house or remodeling job. He waves as he goes by. That tells me a lot. I don’t have to drive around the Courthouse in Columbia; now, if I need something, I can drive just down the road and Wendell is there. I give thanks to God for the conversations at a counter about the Christ of the Cross with a brother in the faith, Wendell Holland.
Posted on: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 21:05:38 +0000
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