St. Paul's mayor calls for partnership with faith communities

St. Paul's mayor asked for prayer for the city's east side and Payne Avenue EFC, BUMP's partner for more that 20 years, was featured in a WCCO news report. Watch the video.

Pastor Larry Willman and Othalee McDonald are both featured in the story. Last year, we sat down with the two of them to hear the story of how Payne Avenue EFC and BUMP helped Othalee find his way to to God and the church in a new way...

When Othalee McDonald moved from his Mississippi childhood home in 1977, he never imagined a journey that would lead him to BUMP at Payne Avenue EFC in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Payne Avenue EFC’s vision of “Loved. Set Free. Changed.” perfectly describes McDonald’s path after growing up in the days of Martin Luther King Jr., “making a lot of people unhappy,” as McDonald put it. He and his brothers worked all day, frequently absorbing racial epithets, and so hatred became a natural outflow of the times. 

The pay his mother received for their labor would be whatever the employers felt like; anything but fair wages. He never wanted to work picking cotton, or whatever crop was in season, knowing how he would be treated. “I can’t talk about it. It makes me sad,” McDonald said at the emotional memories.

Moving to Minnesota

Moving north brought freedom from the segregation of Mississippi and McDonald vowed never to return. In 2006, he and his family purchased a home on St. Paul’s Eastside, just blocks from Payne Free Church. ABUMP site since 1997, students went door-to-door inviting everyone in the St. Paul neighborhood to the weeklong Vacation Bible School (VBS). They visited with McDonald and left him a flyer. He and his wife were looking for something for the kids to do and decided to bring their children.

While dropping the kids off, McDonald met Larry Willman, pastor of Payne Free Church, and a few other church members. Months later, the McDonalds were looking for a church home in their new neighborhood, and remembering the BUMP connection, they decided to give the church a try. McDonald never left.

McDonald’s involvement isn’t limited to Sunday attendance. For the last several years, he and Willman have been meeting weekly to study the Bible. McDonald said Willman was an answer to his prayer for help understanding the Bible and growing in knowledge rather than just reading it. McDonald was also baptized at Payne Free.

“I have blossomed with my knowledge and understanding,” he said. “It makes me smile and gives me goose bumps – from connecting with God’s Word.”

His joy is evident.

Finding Family

In addition to growing in his spiritual walk, McDonald has a multiethnic church family he can’t wait to see every Sunday.

“My brothers and sisters at church are amazing! I can’t wait from one Sunday to the next to see them!” He said. “They are always welcoming – no one is left alone. The warmth is part of the church DNA.”

If you stop by Payne Free, there’s a good chance McDonald will be the first to greet you, making sure you know how wonderful the church is.

“They opened my eyes on another level about the love people can have to people of another race,” he said.

Loving others also works in McDonald’s life outside of church as he is developing relationships of love and trust with his neighbors on an ethnically diverse street. It is not simply through words, but through actions. One way he shares the love he has for God and Payne Free, is by leading an adult class during BUMP week, giving parents a reason to stay while their children attend VBS.

“BUMP has been wonderful for me to see the kids come back every year.” McDonald said. “By mid-week, the parents begin to stay. We’re trying to get them to see the spiritual side of what we’re doing there. I invite them to start reading God’s Word. Some come back – not as regular as we would like – but they do.”

He is also part of a weekly small group where relationships are deepened to a more personal level and they care for one another.

Spreading Joy

His grandson, Tyshawn, now age 12, came to live with them when he was in kindergarten and regularly attends church with McDonald. In and out of foster homes at a young age, Tyshawn has found stability in the McDonald’s home and Payne Free Church. Willman explains that Tyshawn is his “right-hand man” when it comes to setting up for Sunday school and will be included in their next outdoor baptism service. During the 2014 BUMP, he was one of the church’s youth helpers.

Willman is encouraged by walking with McDonald on his journey. Suffering through nine back surgeries and other health issues, McDonald’s life is filled with daily, physical pain.

“Pain is second when I go to church, from the happiness of seeing my brothers and sisters,” he said.

“He’s the real deal,” Willman added. “He’s been through a lot but God has made up for the past with real joy.”

The partnership of BUMP and Payne Free Church provides opportunities for the church’s vision statement to take root. A week-long mission trip truly can plant the seed that helps neighbors know they are loved, find the key to being set free and lead to lasting change.