“I like getting to know people and talking to them to learn more.”
The call into ministry may come differently for some than others. Some may receive the call from God at a young age, or may not receive it until the later parts of their lives.
The Rev. Charles Anderson, the leader of Saint Paul’s UAME Church in Palmyra, received the call in 1982. Anderson referenced his time in the hospital for gallstones and prayed to the Lord to get him out of surgery.
“I prayed to God and asked him that if he got me out of surgery, I would serve him in whatever way he wanted,” Anderson said. “It’s been 35 years since then and I haven’t underwent surgery.”
Anderson, a Clayton resident, was born in Newark and spent a lot of his life moving around the world. His father was in the military and was constantly moving due to work.
Originally before his call, Anderson was a reactor operator at Salem Nuclear Plant and was going through constant training for that career. Following the call into ministry, Anderson studied at a slew of institutions and universities.
“I spent time at Glassboro State and the University of Maryland,” Anderson said. “I later went to the Boulden Seminary in Delaware and Palmer Seminary in Pennsylvania.”
Anderson’s first call was at Bethel UAME Church in Stone Harbor where he served six years before the church closed. He also served at St. Luke’s in Camden, Chestnut Street UAME in Camden and Spencer UAME in Woodstown. He began his time in Palmyra in 1997.
Other than his daily duties of being the religious leader at the church, Anderson enjoys many hobbies.
“I enjoy writing and reading,” Anderson said. “I used to draw a lot when I was younger, and I still do from time to time. Also, I love spending time with my grandkids when I can.”
When asked about his inspiration growing up and even in his adult years, Anderson praised the importance of his father on his life. Anderson said his father was “his rock and his biggest inspiration.”
“I remember when we lived in Washington, my father took myself and my sister to the movies,” Anderson said. “We didn’t have a car, so when we walked home, he put me on his shoulders and carried my sister all the way home. That’s how he was.”
Since taking over at Saint Paul’s, Anderson has noticed the church’s love and caring nature toward all visitors, including ones who may not walk through the doors.
“They are a good group of people that care about others all the time,” Anderson said. “I receive letters and donations from non-members of the church, because someone from our congregation reached out and sent them a card or prayed for them.”
Anderson is one of two family members he knows of who went into the ministry. His grandfather on his mother’s side was the leader of a Baptist church in Columbia, S.C. The reverend stated he never met him, but he did get to see his church on a trip one year.
Even with the world changing daily, Anderson turns to the Bible and knows the time is coming.
“I stay positive by reading the good book,” Anderson said. “There is nothing that has happened that hasn’t already been foretold, and when I see events taking place, I know that the time is coming.”
For more information on Anderson or Saint Paul’s UAME Church, check https://www.stpauluamepalmyra.org.
