LEARNING AND LEADING

Most college students spend their weekends exploring, hanging out with friends, and maybe doing a little studying. Jason Cox of Missoula travels to Sanders County each weekend to shares lessons and experiences with two different churches.

Cox became the pastor of the United Methodist Churches of Plains, Paradise and Whitepine. It's unusual for someone to become a pastor before they are ordained. The Sanders County Methodist churches had been looking for a new pastor. John Daniels, the pastor at Cox's home church of First Methodist in Missoula, was asked if he knew of anyone who would be interested. He approached Cox about a job within the church. Cox said he had envisioned becoming a pastor five or six years down the road, but that he was happy to take on the challenge.

The Sanders County churches will have Cox for just a year. He will graduate in May from the University of Montana with a degree in religious studies, then plans to attend seminary before pursuing prison ministries. He said that he's happy to have a chance to lead the Sanders County churches.

"There's a lot of personal benefit," Cox, 35, said. "Religious classes don't have a faith aspect, so it's wonderful to have this personal experience" as he continues his studies.

Though the congregations operate as one, they have two separate services each week, and there are three churches. The Plains/Paradise congregation meets the first and third Sundays in Plains, and the second and fourth Sundays at Paradise, while the Whitepine church holds a service each Sunday.

Cox comes to Sanders County on Saturdays, leads a small contemporary service in Plains on Saturday evening, then Plains/Paradise first thing Sunday, then travels to Whitepine for their noon service before heading back to Missoula. Though Cox will be with the local churches just a year, they have made an impact on him, and him on them.

Both Plains/Paradise and Whitepine have recently voted on reconciliation, which means they welcome everyone to their church. Cox explained that when churches vote on reconciliation, the primary focus is to accept LBGT people, but that his congregations are focusing on accepting everyone. "You who take your coffee black or who prefer a latte. ... You who are a hard drinker or a champion of sobriety, a suffering addict, or who have found recovery. ... We are the United Methodist Churches of Plains, Paradise, and Whitepine and YOU are welcome here!" the church's new welcome statement reads. The Methodist church, which Cox said is the only church on all seven continents, will vote on reconciliation as a whole during a special world conference in February.

"We are the church where you belong, and where you are wanted," Cox said. He said that all of his churches have embraced the welcome statement. He said everyone is welcoming of new members and guests, and that everyone was very welcoming to him when he came to lead the congregation in July. He said he didn't change anything when he came to the churches. "This is me. This is who I am. It's been a tremendous fit," he said of transitioning from a student to a pastor.

Cox's personality and enthusiasm for what he does is evident when you sit in on a Sunday sermon. He leads in an informal manner that his congregation responds to positively. During a recent advent service in Whitepine, Cox confessed to a mix up in which he talked about the wrong topic during the sermon the week before. Everyone in the church shared a laugh, and Cox went on to share about Mary in his sermon.

"I've been the victim of church services many times," Cox said. "I'm more effective as a pastor when I can connect with people and be real." He said he likes for people to participate in his services.

Leading multiple services and keeping a full class load is quite the feat. Cox loves what he does and the people he serves though. He also gets a little boost from energy drinks. "I have yet to make it through a Sunday without a Red Bull," he laughed.

Cox keeps a fun, relaxed atmosphere at the pulpit, but he is also vulnerable and open with his congregations. "They need to know who I am, and I need to know who they are," he said. The church members agree. "He listens to us, and we listen to him," Maureen Morkert of the Whitepine congregation said recently.

That recent Sunday in Whitepine was the anniversary of the death of one of Cox's friend. He shared a very personal moment with his congregation as he lit a candle for his friend. Cox said he never preaches or talks about things he doesn't believe, or that he hasn't experienced. That applies to the new welcome statement as well. He shared that he struggled with addiction for 15 years before getting clean in 2012. Cox said that while his addiction made him isolated, his family and his church were always supportive. "Even in addiction, I went (to church) every Sunday." He has been in recovery for six years, and he said that when he went into rehab, he knew where to find God because of his faith." I know there's a God because I'm still alive, and I know he has a sense of humor because he called me to be a pastor," Cox said.

Cox said that it wasn't his recovery that made him want to become a pastor. He said heard the call to become a pastor when he was younger, but "it was definitely louder" after he was clean. "I had loyal friends through it all," Cox said of his recovery. "God gave me all the blessings to get through it."

The congregations have supported Cox in many ways. "I got a hug before I got a handshake," Cox said of coming to Sanders County. "That's been the whole experience."

They have helped him gain knowledge and experience, and they have helped in a homeless ministry that Cox's mother started. He calls them blessing bags, and members of his churches have donated items such as socks, deodorant and toothbrushes to help homeless people. Cox keeps a box of blessing bags in his trunk. He said he used to keep them in the back seat, but by keeping them in his trunk, he has to pull over, get out and make a connection with the homeless people to whom he gives the bags of supplies. Cox said he and his mother have been doing blessing bags for more than a year. One day he mentioned it to his churches during a sermon, and church members ran with it and embraced it, bringing in various donations.

Though Cox will leave his position at the Sanders County Methodist churches in July, he knows he has a church family for life here. The churches struggled to find a pastor before finding Cox, but "these churches have been self-sufficient for a long time," he said. "It's comforting to know they can survive without me."

Cox said attendance at all of the Plains, Paradise and Whitepine services is growing. "And we're stronger because of it."