The Rev. Geoffrey Lentz was born into First United Methodist Church. He returns as pastor

December will mark the 200th anniversary of First United Methodist Church of Pensacola, the oldest Methodist church in Florida. At the helm of the historic church, however, will be a new reverend.

Sitting in the Wesley Wachob Library at First United Methodist Church last week, the Rev. Geoffrey Lentz reminisced about his time growing up in Pensacola, to which he recently returned.

"I was born and raised in this church," Lentz said. "And when I was 5 years old, coming to church on a Sunday morning, I told my mother, 'Mama, I love Jesus so much I want to be a preacher like Preacher Henry (Roberts).'"

And that's what he did. Lentz went to the University of West Florida for his undergraduate degree, graduated seminary from Duke Divinity School in 2005 and received his doctorate at Drew College. Even with a love for science and psychology and looking into the mind and brain, the calling to be a pastor never faltered.

Lentz was able to come back to Pensacola and serve under the Rev. Henry Roberts for a year. Afterward, he became the associate pastor at First United from 2005 to 2012 under the leadership of the senior pastor, Wesley Wachob.

The lessons Lentz learned from both reverends has been instrumental in his journey as a pastor. Roberts taught him how to be in ministry, building a community by forming relationships in the church and city. While Wachob taught him the importance of reading and studying scriptures and how to teach and preach it in a way that saves lives.

'An opportunity to see God': Bay County churches struggle 3 years after Hurricane Michael

Leading from the pulpit of former mentors is not common, and so the opportunity to come be a preacher at his old church and for his community was a blessing, Lentz said.

Lentz spent the last decade at First United Methodist Church in Port St. Joe. While there, he witnessed Hurricane Michael in 2018 completely devastate the community, destroying his homes and others, and even his sanctuary. During the traumatic time, he found new strength in his faith and his self-identity, which has helped him become a better leader.

Returning to Pensacola, he wants to bring the same type of leadership to a community undergoing its own trauma.

"With the fallout from the (COVID) pandemic and Hurricane Sally, there's still a lot of recovery in our community that needs to occur from Hurricane Sally and in our church plant here," Lentz said. "We have a number of buildings that have yet to be repaired fully, and so I hope to bring that kind of stabilizing healing presence into the midst of the trauma in our community."

Lentz wants to bring a new type of energy to the church, which he calls "practicing resurrection," which is a theological way of talking about new life. COVID has been a challenge for all faith communities and resurrection is a way to face these problems and look ahead for the future.

First United Methodist Church has a history of being an ally for the community, from being anti-segregation during antebellum America and all the way up to the 1920s, to being a strategic point in the community during the Civil Rights Movement.

Lentz wants to build off of that history and sees the church as a family table where everyone is invited and welcomed, like a Fourth of July cookout. Lentz looks forward to reaching out to other churches and community members to build the Pensacola community.

"It's those kinds of connections that cause us to function and to be whole," Lentz said. "And the more bridges we can build and relationships between churches, and between other ministries and civic organizations, the healthier we'll be as a loving community."

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: First United Methodist Church of Pensacola brings Rev. Geoffrey Lentz