Fulcher
LAURINBURG — The Rev. Elijah Fulcher III is celebrating his one-year pastoral anniversary at Star of Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Laurinburg.
In 1989, Fulcher realized he had been called by the lord. As a result, Fulcher began preaching in 1990 and has been preaching since. Before becoming the full-time pastor for Star of Bethlehem, Fulcher served as the interim pastor for two months starting December 2020. He would become the lead pastor of the church in February 2021. A month after accepting the role, the pandemic would start presenting new challenges for both Fulcher and the church at large.
With only a month as pastor under his belt, he had established a small rapport with the church members but knew he would need to find additional ways to connect with the members of the congregation. The initial challenge the pandemic presented for Fulcher was getting to know the members of the church while physically distancing. As a result, Fulcher turned to technology. An essential worship team was coordinated to ensure all of the technological mediums operate smoothly on the church’s days of worship. The church reserves Tuesdays for “church check-ins,” which allow members of the church to express themselves through prayer, singing, testifying, and more via free conference call lines. Through Zoom video conference calls, Facebook live streaming, recording Sunday sermons for DVD, the church has been able to consistently connect despite the restrictions presented by the pandemic.
The founding pastor of Star of Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, the Rev. JC McLean, passed away on Feb. 5, 2018. The church had been without a pastor for nearly three years when Rev. Fulcher assumed the role of interim pastor.
Joanne McNair, a member of the church for 17 years, said, “He came in with a heart to move the church forward. He hasn’t missed a beat! With pastor teaching our Sunday school, bible study, he’s instituted different things for us during the week, and I’m excited about where he’s taking our church.”
McNair hopes that, as 2021 progresses, “we can get back in the house of worship as a body of Christ.”
With the successful transfer to remote sermons, Sunday school, and Bible study, the Rev. Fulcher expressed his contentment with technology through the pandemic.
“I think the reward has been using the internet and DVDs to minister in ways we’ve never had to in over 35 years,” he said. “Star of Bethlehem has always been a great resource for worship where the people come together with a dynamic pastor, Dr. JC McLean, and they’ve always had good choirs.”
Another aspect the Rev. Fulcher expressed gratification for was the wide array of church members regardless of age, utilizing technology to be apart of the services.
The Rev. Fulcher is also a fifth-grade teacher at South Johnson Elementary School. Fulcher sends his appreciation to his fellow “Gators,” Principal Tonya McLean and his fifth-grade co-workers for their continued support of Star of Bethlehem through the pandemic.
To celebrate the Rev. Fulcher’s pastoral anniversary, the church has organized a drive-through event.