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(Lorrie Ross • Clay County Progress) Pastor Bryan Wilson was ordained into the WNC Conference of the United Methodist Church in June 2021 at Lake Junaluska, N.C. After the ceremony, he posed with Hayesville First UMC Pastor Kirk Hatherly, center, who mentored Wilson and Pastor Nikki Baten, whom Wilson helped mentor as she attended seminary.
Fort Hood, Texas may seem like a long way from Clay County. Yet Rev. Bryan Wilson and his family will soon be leaving Hickory Stand and Oak Forest United Methodist Churches to call the Texas town home.
Wilson has moved farther. For example, the Tennessee native served two tours of duty in the Middle East after joining the Marine Corps. It was partly those experiences which drew him to seek a military chaplain role after serving 13 years as a pastor in the Methodist Church.
Wilson and his wife, Stephanie, have been discussing the possibility of him rejoining the military as a chaplain for several years. “Stephanie actually suggested it first. We thought being a chaplain would be a good fit with my combat background, my faith and desire to serve,” Wilson said. “When at Duke, I looked into the Navy Chaplain’s program. It is a two year very intense application process.”
Wilson continued. “One of the things which sealed the deal was I went to a reunion with my platoon,” he said. “These guys were in Falluja, too. The ones who had faith were doing really well, but those without an active faith were not. There has been a lot of research showing faith and spirituality are a greater buffer for mental health than medication or clinical treatments can offer.”
In early May, Wilson will preach his last sermons at Hickory Stand United and Oak Forest. Then he will help his family settle into a family home in east Tennessee as he heads to Fort Jackson, S.C. After four weeks of basic training for officers’ school — which he called “lightened, not as intense basic training, — he will have eight weeks of chaplain’s training. Once the training is complete, Wilson will officially be part of the Army Chaplain’s Corp. Home base for the Wilsons’ will become Fort Hood, Texas.
Even though Wilson is leaving Clay County as pastor, he remains an ordained minister with the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. “I even check in with the bishop and attend annual conference when I am able,” Wilson added. “Mine will be an extension ministry position being sent out to the military for the western North Carolina Conference.”
Wilson said he was involved in church as a youth. “I was often told I should be a pastor,” he explained. As many young people do, he ventured away from his faith and the church for several years. Some life-changing events helped him turn back to God.
“Right as I got out of the Marines, I returned to my faith and I got sober through my faith,” he said. “I got a girl pregnant and the baby died.” The child born three months early, only lived one month. Initially, he felt led to be a missionary. “As the last thing I had to do for my commissioning, I had to give a sermon,” he said. “That is when I knew I wanted to preach.”
He served some small community churches in Pulaski, Tenn. for three years. Then he pastored Lee’s Chapel UMC four years while at Duke University.
Seven years ago, he and Stephanie were sent to Clay County to pastor Hickory Stand and Oak Forest. Along with them, they brought baby Patrick who is now seven years old. The Wilsons’ have had two more children since they arrived. Lydia is now five and Alistair is nine months old.
Wilson said the children are excited about the move. “I am not sure they completely understand,” he laughed. “They know they get to stay with their grandparents for a few months. Then they get to move to Texas, which seems fun to them.”
When his children are older, he will address questions they have about his decision this way. “Families all over the nation are making great sacrifices every day,” he shared. “These young men and women are in incredibly high stressed jobs and we want to support it with faith, especially the Wesleyan Christian faith.”
Wilson believes this is what he should be doing. “I’ll understand what they have been through. Deployment, how it stresses the individuals and the families, substance abuse and toxic relationships,” he said. “Plus, I have the training to help to lead them back towards faith. All of my experiences will be invaluable. I can say I have struggled with this kind of thing — to lose people to combat or suicide and to lose someone who is not supposed to die because they are too young.”
Wilson hesitated briefly. “I can say, ‘Look I’ve been there and I made it to the other side. I know tools to help.’”
Wilson said he and his family will miss the beauty of the mountains, but there are many other things they will miss. “I love that our churches are willing to try something new. Some of my favorite things have been feeding the community at the pig-pickins’, the farm ministry, baptisms at the farm, the Live Nativity and live music events,” he said. “Stillwaters Landing Farm ministry has been a high point. The men’s’ group has challenged me to be a better husband, father and a better Christian.”
Wilson reminded. “I am leaving as an extension of Oak Forest and Hickory Stand. I will take the kindness and great faith of those churches into the military. I hope they see it as extending their ministry past Hayesville to the men and women of the Army.”
Wilson asked for prayers for him and his family. “I will be away from my family for three months. Thank you to the community and the churches from all of the Wilsons. Thank you to Keith and Kathy Gibby for opening their land for community farming.”
Wilson ended. “This is what keeps me going when I am thinking of the possibility of deploying or I am helping those who are being deployed. It reminds me not to fear.”
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world, John 16:33.