Pastor – Bible Treasures for Today

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

(1 Corinthians 15:58) Every time I read this verse, I can’t help but think of my Father-in-Law, Perry Mayton. He lived out this verse in his daily life before his family, and every person who knew him.

Perry Mayton was born January 3, 1919 in the small city of Harriman, Tennessee. God was preparing Perry’s heart to serve Him through two tragic events in his childhood. His dad died when he was six years old and his mom died when he was a teen. These tragic events would help give Perry a compassionate heart as he ministered to people throughout his life.

Harriman was a city filled with gospel preaching churches. As a result, Perry accepted the Lord as his Savior during his teenage years. For a few years he didn’t grow in his faith, but God was preparing him for future ministry. After leaving the army, Perry began working in one of the mills in Harriman. During that time, he met his future bride Iva Olmstead. In 1948, they married. Soon after the wedding, Perry believed that the Lord had called him into the ministry. He demonstrated this calling by his faithfulness in serving the Lord for over fifty years.

There are several things that stand out in Perry’s life and ministry. One thing that always impressed me was his tireless service for the Lord. During most of the years of his ministry, Perry also had to work a day job. This meant that he would work all day and then take on the demands of a pastor during the evening and Sunday. I never heard him complain because he found great joy and peace in serving the Lord.

I was also impressed with Perry’s knowledge of the Word of God. He never had much formal Bible training, but he knew the Word of God. He understood the doctrines of the Bible as well as any person who had formal training. He loved to study His Bible. His passion for God’s Word is expressed by the Psalmist in Psalm 119:16: “I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.”

Perry also had a compassionate heart towards others. He showed concern for any person in need. He had a special compassion for the lost. A few times, I would go with Perry when he did his weekly radio broadcast. His passion for the lost was clearly seen as he would plead for the lost to repent of their sin and turn to the Lord as their Savior. He had the unique gift of having both the heart of an evangelist and a pastor.

The fourth thing that impressed me about Perry was his great spirit of humility before God and others. I never heard him talk about any of his accomplishments. He did God’s work and didn’t think about the praise of men. He sought to please God alone. This humility was obvious to any person who had Perry as their pastor.

The greatest impact that Perry had upon my life was through his daughter, Sharon. Perry did a great job of preparing his daughter for being a wife and mother. Sharon understands to this day what it means to minister in a local church. Her father also taught her how to love the Word of God and minister to people with a heart of compassion.

Perry was quite well-known in the Harriman area because he had been the pastor of several local churches. I never heard anybody say a bad thing about “Brother Perry”. He was beloved by the people in his churches and he loved them. He would continue to minister via the radio and preaching in churches until his health kept him from doing what he always loved.

On September 1, 2003, Perry would enter into the presence of His Savior. The funeral visitation was a great testimony to his over fifty years of ministry. The line to greet Perry’s widow, Iva, went outside of the doors of the funeral home. Many people told us how God had used Perry in their lives. The outpouring of love was a testimony to Perry’s faithfulness in his service to the Lord.

Yes, Perry is missed by his family, friends and many of those to whom he ministered; however, his testimony lives on in the lives of many people. The words of Matthew 25:23 apply to the life of Perry Mayton. “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant;” Perry has finished his labors here on earth, but his legacy lives on through his family and many others who were blessed by his ministry.

“He praised the Lord-then went to Heaven! PASTOR DIED IN A PULPIT!” This front page headline was printed in the Daily Sun, the largest daily newspaper in South Africa.
Pastor John McKay had entered the pulpit to preach on a January morning in 2010. He had introduced his topic as “The Sermon that Must be Preached”.. After the introduction, he entered into the presence of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Two days later, I would hear the news about death of my friend, John McKay. He was sixty-six years old. Six weeks after John’s death, I would serve the Lord’s Supper and preach the Word of God at the Maraisburg Family Fellowship Church, which John McKay had started several years ago. I enjoyed the time with his family and church; yet John was greatly missed in my visit there.

I had met John McKay in 1983. Sharon and I had recently arrived to minister in a church in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. I had a desire to start an Awana youth program in the church. At the time, The Evangelical Bible Church of Bosmont had an Awana program. I decided to visit their Awana club. Their Awana Club was impressive, but I also met their pastor, John McKay. His love for the Lord and the Word of God was very clear to me. From this first meeting, our friendship grew rapidly.

God used John McKay in my life in many ways. One blessing was that he introduced me to several other pastors who were like-minded in the faith. We would gather each week for a Bible study and then a meal. I found these times of fellowship extremely helpful. Even to this day, I have never enjoyed being with a group of pastors as much as I did with these South African pastors.

John McKay also came to my rescue in a very difficult time in my ministry. In 1987, our family planned to return to the States to fulfill our furlough responsibility of visiting our supporting churches. A recent Bible College graduate had agreed to minister in the church for the year I was away. Two weeks before we left, he said he was unable to minister in our church. John came to my rescue as he assured me that he would oversee the church. I scheduled many of our pastor friends to preach as well. John did a great job of caring for our people. The church was ready for its next growth spurt when I returned. His help was a very sacrificial gift because he had his own church as well.

John was also a blessing when he invited our church to have joint baptismal services with his church. Our people in Hillbrow always looked forward to these joint services. The singing at the Bosmont church was very uplifting for our people. John and I would baptize each person together. These services created an even closer bond in our friendship.

My beautiful picture — John McKay and I doing a joint baptismal service.

In 1990, we would leave South Africa to minister in Portugal. In 1996, we returned to the States to minister. During those years, John and I didn’t do much communication with one another. In 1999, Sharon and I visited South Africa. We were glad to renew our friendship with John and his family. At this time, John and I participated in the ordination council for Grant Hoyland, whom God greatly used in the Hillbrow church until his death three years later.

This is at the Farewell Dinner for us in 1990

John made his first visit to see us in June of 2003. This was a difficult time in my life. My mother was in the hospital living out the last couple weeks of her life. John went with me on the one hundred sixty kilometer trip to visit my mother. It was an encouragement to have my friend with me for several days during this very trying time. Our church in Charlotte also enjoyed hearing John preach.

The last time, I would see John was in 2005. He invited me to preach a series of messages at his church. John was excited because his church had been able to purchase their own church building. I remember his joy as he showed me each part of the church. Little did I know that this trip would be the last time I would see him.

In the Daily Sun article, John’s son, Marlin (who is presently the pastor of the Maraisburg Family Fellowship Church) said these words. “My father wanted me to become a pastor…but it gives me goosebumps to think that I could fill his shoes. He was an incredible man–we will miss him. It (John’s death) was not a mistake that God took him.”

Yes, John is with the Lord. He is not only missed by his family, and his church, but he is also missed by the many people he had greatly influenced. I am one of those lives. I thank the Lord for the privilege of having known John as my friend in the ministry. “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)

Note: This is number five in a series of posts on the people who have greatly influenced my life.

Tag: Pastor

Perry Mayton: A Faithful Pastor (My Father-in-Law)

John McKay (1943-2010) My South African Friend in the Ministry