By Staff
JOYS AND SORROWS n Rev. Nick Nicholson stands in front of Central United Methodist Church. He has served the church for the past five years and has been a Methodist minister for 43 years. He will retire June 10. Photo by Paula Merritt/The Meridian Star.
By Sheila Blackmon/The Meridian Star
Feb. 14, 2001
After more than four decades of experiencing the "joys and sorrows" of the ministry, Rev. Nick Nicholson says the time has come to scale back.
Nicholson, in his 43rd year as a Methodist pastor and his fifth year as pastor at Central United Methodist Church in Meridian, is retiring from the active ministry. His last Sunday at Central United will be June 10.
Nicholson and his wife, Dimple, will be moving to Lake Junaluska, N.C. They plan to travel and Nicholson said he has some hobbies he'd like to pursue. He said he wants to be involved in a church not as a clergy or staff member but he wants to be involved "in the life of the church."
With the exception of three years in Georgia both as a student at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta and as a pastor for two years Nicholson's service has been in Mississippi.
Nicholson has also served as pastor at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Ocean Springs, First United Methodist Church in Columbia, and Eastlawn United Methodist Church in Pascagoula. He has also served the Utica Charge serving more than one church and the Redwood Charge, both in Mississippi, and the Emerson-Cassville Charge in Georgia.
His first charge was the Carter-Goodhope Charge in Mississippi, which he served while attending Millsaps College, where he received his bachelor of arts degree in religion in 1958. He then graduated with a master of divinity in 1961 at Candler.
The Bishop of the Mississippi Conference and his cabinet members will appoint the new senior pastor, who will begin his tenure as Nicholson retires.
Brad Huff, chairman of the staff parish relations committee for Central United, said the entire congregation holds Nicholson and his wife in highest regard.
Sheila Blackmon is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail her at sblackmon@themeridianstar.com.