The Rev. Whittaker V. Middleton
Erskine Seminary Student, Former
College Vice President, Heads Historic Congregation
Canaan United Methodist Church, near the town of Cope,
was probably one of six churches comprising the Edisto Fork Circuit
back in the 1870s when Wesleyan circuit riders journeyed on horseback
from church to church. Leading this historic congregation into the
21st century is an Erskine Seminary student, the Rev. Whittaker V.
Middleton, who was called to Canaan in 1998, after building a career
as a vice president at Claflin College.
Featured in a Nov. 12, 1999, article in the Orangeburg
Times and Democrat, Whittaker told staff writer Thomas Brown,
"We measure everything we do as a church by our mission statement:
Calling individuals to become disciples of Jesus Christ by studying
the scriptures, teaching and witnessing to the grace of God through
our outreach." The mission statement is printed on every bulletin
that is passed out in the church.
As he works toward the Master of Divinity degree, Sunday
by Sunday and each Wednesday evening Middleton leads "a lively service
where people praise God in song and word." He has entered fully into
the life of the congregation, and says he and his wife Lillie feel
right at home.
Middleton is proud of his congregation, which once faced
the possibility of merger with several other small churches. "This
is a church with a lot of character and pride," he said. "This is
a loving congregation that cares about its members. They are like
a big family. That's the kind of attention they give each other. That's
the kind of help they offer each other."
Canaan is Middleton's first pastorate— he says
he experienced a call to the ministry back in 1991, but did not act
on it at first. While he continued his career at Claflin, he said,
"Other ministers told me they felt that I would pursue the ministry
one day." And then, Middleton recounted, "One night I had a vision
of preaching. When I awoke, I was in a cold sweat. I told my wife
that I had to start preaching. When I made that decision, I felt like
a weight was lifted from my shoulders."
Today, preaching is one of Middleton's favorite activities.
"I love to preach. I see that as my primary responsibility. I get
a joy out of it. And it feels so good to be making a contribution,
making a difference."
