FPC’s McCormack set to retire

First Presbyterian Church pastor Carl McCormack is preparing his final sermon as he is set to retire June 30.

McCormack came to Graham from Rogers, Ark. June 1, 2015 to serve as interim pastor replacing the retiring Randy Branson.

“The church had put together a search committee for an interim minister, they interviewed several including me,” McCormack said. “It was sort of like a blind date, but I was impressed with the members of the committee and apparently they were impressed enough to bring me here and get to know Graham. So, they hired me.”

He was installed as the full-time pastor May 8, 2016.

“(The church) formed a search committee to find their permanent pastor and they came into my office and asked me and long story short, I accepted,” McCormack said. “They knew I would be retiring and they knew it wasn’t going to be a 15, 20 or 25 year commitment. But, they were willing to go ahead and commit.”

McCormack said he was not always a pastor and owned a heating and air conditioning company in Corpus Christi before he was called by God to make the switch.

“I’m what they call a second career pastor,” McCormack said. “I had a couple of career decisions, but felt the call later in life and I entered seminary at the age of 42 and graduated and ordained as a minister in 1995.”

His wife Terry, who is a hospice nurse, said she had always felt the decision to make the switch was a family call.

Graham was the fifth stop for McCormack since becoming a minister.

“Each call has been different and special in its own way,” she said. “I think this call has definitely been, to me, the best call yet. All the churches we’ve served have been good churches, but this has been special.”

For the rest of the story, see the Saturday, June 15 edition of The Graham Leader.