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Otmj over the mountain journal u otmj.com
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Thursday, july 14, 2016
Boundaries of Faith Photo courtesy Dawson Memorial Baptist Church
Dawson’s Dr. Gary Fenton Reflects on a Career Served Across the Globe
By Emily Williams
W
hen Dr. Gary Fenton was a junior in high school, he felt what he describes as a divine pull down an academic path that would lead him straight to the pulpit, where he has remained for 46 years.
Twenty-five of those years were spent speaking to the congregation of Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Homewood. But come Aug. 28, Fenton plans to take a seat in the crowd as he retires from his position as senior pastor. Fenton grew up in small-town Missouri, spending Sundays at his local Church of the Nazarene. He
attended a Nazarene college in Bethany, Oklahoma, where in his senior year he felt it was time to make a change to the Baptist faith. He pursued a master in divinity at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. “My experience in seminary was really a pleasant surprise, because I went in with low expectations… See faith , page 11
inside R eac hin g Out UAB Benevolent Fund extends its reach into the community. Life page 12
Olympic C allin g Trinity pastor to counsel U.S. athletes in Rio. People Page 8
Jam Session Food Network crew visits Blackwell’s Pub. food Page 22
The Famil y Guy Samford AD Martin Newton likes a full house. home Page 26