L2 A Mega Methodist
Tim McRae takes pride in his church and denomination, and he has the volunteer track record at Jacksonville UMC to prove it.
He’s helped with fundraising, built wheelchair ramps, served as chair of Finance, chair of Trustees, and now serves as chair of the Church Leadership Committee (CLC) of Jacksonville UMC. By day, Tim McRae is the managing partner of a local car dealership. In his spare time he can be found stretching his leadership muscles in a variety of ways. “I find church service to be enlightening and I wish more people would give it a try,” says this longtime Jacksonville UMC volunteer. “Volunteering is really not as time consuming as people may think,” he adds, “and I don’t think they realize the sense of fulfillment they are missing.”
Being a longtime leader gives Tim a bird’s eye view on the church timeline and a glimpse at what lies ahead. “Every assignment I have tackled has been a bit of a stretch out of my comfort zone,” he admits, “but very rewarding just the same, and a good exercise in being selfless.” Tim has been instrumental in several additions to the campus of Jacksonville UMC and is grateful that the church is blessed with property to keep expanding as the community grows. As CLC chair, Tim interacts with the pastor, committees and the leaders of the “Go Team” that represent church values to Go, Gather, Grow and Give.
“My favorite part, honestly, is working with such exceptional people at the church,” Tim says. “I am awed by them and aspire to be more like them. I like to be around my fellow leaders and hear their input because these relationships inspire me to be better and do more.”
Although he thoroughly enjoys working with the adults, Tim gets more animated about working with the youngsters. He loved teaching kindergarten Sunday school, and is thankful his children grew up in the nurturing environment of Jacksonville UMC.
“Our ‘Mini-Methodist program and after school program draw over 100 children,” Tim shares, “so many that the organizers had to split off the sixth and seventh graders and start a ‘Middle Methodist’ group on another day.”
Tim says that his community has really come together over the Harvey relief effort. “Jacksonville UMC opened our facility up for refugees escaping Hurricane Katrina years ago, and we will be doing the same for Harvey. We are helping people from all walks of life in our midst,” he says.
One important role he is playing is trying to raise funds for Harvey through a local car dealership. “The people of God really comes together when there is a crisis. We continue to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.”