Like many college students, Ronald Purser originally had no intention of following his religion.
“I grew up in a Presbyterian church and was somewhat active – I attended Sunday school through high school and went to services – but I was never part of the youth program, and I didn’t get too much involved beyond that,” he said.
Ronald Purser, an Edgewater resident, has been a pastor at the Little Home Church by the Wayside United Church of Christ in Wayne, Ill. for the last 12 years. Purser is also a religion, ethics, and philosophy professor at Elgin Community College. (Photo provided)
However, one philosophy teacher inspired Purser to change his career path from pre-law to that of philosophy and religious studies, and his religious career was born.
“I just kept going. He encouraged me to get into the seminary, and I did, but my interest was teaching until the seminary pushed me into going to a church, and here I am 40 years later,” he said.
“I have always been interested in social studies, history, and political science, of which I have degrees in as well, but [the switch to religion] was just a natural move. It moved me in a different direction, and I just kept going in that direction from that day forward,” Purser added.
Now 66, Purser has dedicated the past 40 years of his life to the seminary without reservation, though he has had several occasions where he questions what he is doing with his life.
“Those do come up when times get tough,” he said, laughing. “In the ’90s, I took a leave of absence to start teaching, something I have always wanted to do. But I have since rededicated my life to the church. I still teach part-time at the college level.”
The four-year Edgewater resident has found a home in the Little Home Church by the Wayside United Church of Christ in Wayne, Ill. for the past 12 years, but teaches comparative religion, ethics, and philosophy classes at Elgin Community College part-time.
“My experience has been a fortunate one,” Purser said regarding the strength of the institutions he has been a part of. “That they’ve been able to hold strong or even grow.”
Prior to that, Purser joined the United Methodist Church in 1972 and transferred his credits to join the Wayne church in 2001.
Purser does not pursue much aside from his teaching and religious duties right now, but has served on various boards and agencies in years past.
In the Edgewater community, Purser does not utilize his religious strengths much, since the majority of the time is spent at the church, but he has taught a three-part series on comparative religion
“It was kind of a mixture between my role as a minister and my role as a teacher,” he said.
Purser said being the sole minister for his church – the only one physically located in Wayne – has helped create relationships with the townsfolk as well.
“It’s a very small town, and I get involved with a lot of the other families involved through the church, even if it’s in a smaller way, like a wedding or a funeral. You kind of take over that role as a minister to a whole village, and I’m kind of used to it after all these years,” Purser added.
One of his favorite memories, of which he said “there are too many to count,” is helping create a new church development – starting a church from scratch and building it up, including the physical building, the church’s affiliation, and the staff involved.
He also highlighted his work with the youth groups as something he is particularly proud of.
“Being involved with these groups for the better part of 40 years now, I have a lot of people ask me ‘Are you crazy?’ for continuing to directly deal with that group, but I’ve just loved what I’ve done over the years,” he said.
For now, though, Purser will remain a minister for the church. “I haven’t really thought about what I’m going to do years down the road. I’ve been doing this since 1972, and I think I probably have a couple of years or so left, depending on the health of the church and myself.”
