Kent Gravley’s upbringing wasn’t always centered on religion.
Although his south-central Oklahoma family was active in the church when he was a kid, Gravley says other things sometimes took priority — including season tickets to Dallas Cowboys football games.
“If the Cowboys were playing in town on Sunday, we were in Dallas, we weren’t in church,” he says with a slight southern drawl. “So it’s not like we were a super-religious family at all.”
Still, the pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Hoquiam says he was just 12 years old when he knew he had a future in ministry.
Gravley celebrated his 25th anniversary with the church at Sunday night’s service. The city of Hoquiam declared Feb. 8 to Feb. 15 of this year “Pastor Kent Gravley Week” to honor “his 25 years of passionate service to the Immanuel Baptist Church and all of Grays Harbor,” according to a proclamation Mayor Jack Durney read at Monday night’s City Council meeting.
Gravely grew up in the oil business, an industry he likens to the work of loggers in Western Washington. An athlete throughout his upbringing, he went to Oklahoma State University on a football scholarship and played all four years.
Knowing his future belonged with the church, Gravley went to Dallas Theological Seminary immediately after. He was among 20 of his Oklahoma State teammates to take on a career as a preacher.
Even without a deeply religious upbringing, Gravley says his family still played a role in fostering his interest in the church. His church’s guest speakers would often stay at the Gravley home, where they would mentor him.
“My mom and dad exposed me to good things and exposed me to good people,” Gravley says. “Genuinely, I felt that God had said, ‘Kent, I’m calling you to be a preacher.’ I can’t say it any other way, it was pretty clear.”
Gravley met his wife Jan in college, married her in 1977 and graduated from seminary school in 1982.
Gravley’s first taste of the Northwest came with a move to Bellevue, where he worked at Crossroads Bible Church for four years before returning to Dallas to work as a pastor for another four years.
Immanuel Baptist Church reached out to Gravley in 1990, and he passed up their offer on three separate occasions. Still, the church insisted Gravely attend its conference and give a presentation on ministry. During his visit, Gravley says, he had the same kind of feeling he’d had when he was 12.
“God clearly spoke to my heart,” he says. “There’s not a shadow of doubt.”
Since his tenure in Hoquiam, Gravley facilitated the church’s move to a new building eight years ago. Inside the beige landmark near the Hoquiam River in Hoquiam’s north end is a large auditorium and commercial-sized kitchen, both of which serve for many as testaments to Gravley’s dedication to improving the church and serving the community. He helped build Sonshine Park, which is open to the public, right next door.
Jan Gravley, a teacher at Harbor High School, said her husband’s dedication comes from knowing the church’s role on the Harbor.
“I think it’s really believing that that’s the job of the church — it’s not to exist in a building,” she says. “It’s to kind of be the light to flavor the world that’s around you. He really believes and is committed to the fact that to read your Bible and to sit alone in a room is not being what the churches ought to be.”
That involvement served as Durney’s motivation to name this week after Gravley.
“He’s just a real thoughtful, good guy,” Durney says. “I think sometimes the churches don’t get recognized for what they do in times of need for people. They don’t like to toot their own horn particularly and I thought it was worthy to give some recognition to a fine pastor and a great congregation.”
For Gravley himself, the honor was unexpected.
“It was a total surprise, and I’m pretty humbled by it,” Gravley says. “The city of Hoquiam’s always been supportive of the things we’ve done, so I was kind of blown away by it.”
Moving forward, Gravely said he doesn’t know much about what the future holds, but says he wants to continue learning how to be a better “lover of people.” For him, that feeling has been reciprocal. “I’ve never felt anything but loved here,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment