On a typical Wednesday night, the parking lot at Cork United Methodist Church on Sam Allen Road in Plant City is host to only a few cars. The Rev. George Hatmaker, Cork United’s newest pastor, isn’t dissuaded.
Hatmaker had his first Sunday as pastor at the church this month. The church has just over 90 people on its roster, and only about half regularly attend, but Hatmaker already has plans to bring more Hillsborough County residents through the doors on Sunday mornings.
“This is a great church, great people,” Hatmaker said. “This church has been here a long time, and I see some great possibilities. It’s going to grow. The only way to go is up.”
Hatmaker and his wife of 23 years, Ana, moved to Lakeland in December 2014 before being appointed to the church in June. Although only a part-time pastor right now, Hatmaker hopes to become full-time in the future. He was raised by his father, a Methodist pastor, but did not join the ministry until 1996.
MILITARY MAN
Hatmaker’s first pastoral appointment was at Opa-locka United Methodist Church in Miami as a lay supply pastor. He has served in the ministry ever since.
But the church is Hatmaker’s second career. Before finding his calling, Hatmaker served in the military for 22 years, including serving in Vietnam.
“I am very patriotic,” Hatmaker said.
He wore his military dress blues on his first day of worship at Cork United, in honor of Independence Day.
Hatmaker decided to join the Marine Corps during Vietnam, having been raised in a family with a strong military background.
“[It is] our responsibility to stand up for people who can’t stand up for themselves,” he said.
In 1967, when Hatmaker was 19 years old, he was serving in the Mediterranean. One year later, he was in the jungles of Vietnam where he was medically evacuated. After being released from the hospital, Hatmaker decided to make the Marine Corps a career. He has expertise in law enforcement, having worked for multiple agencies in both Florida and Texas and in the Medical Corps Criminal Investigation Division.
In 1992, Hatmaker was a sworn police officer in the Miami Beach Police Department and also worked as a security manager. It was then, he says, that God called him back to the church.
“I didn’t make Christ a part of my life,” he said. “God called me into a relationship with him. I knew that I had been living my life the wrong way. I knew right from wrong, I just wasn’t living it.”
BACK TO HIS ROOTS
Despite being raised in a religious household, Hatmaker had resented being made to go to church as a child and teenager. Now he is grateful for being given the foundation for his beliefs.
“If young adults don’t have that strong foundation to come home to, they’ll be lost forever,” he said.
After finding his religion again, Hatmaker went to a visitation at Cutler Ridge United Methodist Church in Miami.
“When I walked into that church, it was like coming home,” Hatmaker said. “That’s where God wanted me.”
While attending Cutler Ridge, Hatmaker became a worship leader. He was attending a retreat when the head pastor at Cutler Ridge gave him an application for candidacy, which brought him to Opa-locka in Miami.
Hatmaker remained at Opa-locka for five years before leaving in 2001. The five years of service came as a surprise to many members of the congregation. Before Hatmaker’s appointment, it was likely that the church would be closed. In 1996, when Hatmaker was first appointed, the church had only nine people in attendance on Sunday mornings.
In order to help grow the congregation, Hatmaker reached out to families with children by offering cookies and orange juice on Sunday mornings. By the time Hatmaker left the church, there were almost 80 members at Opa-locka.
“Those kids are still active in that church today,” Hatmaker said.
Hatmaker began to climb the ranks in the ministry after leaving Opa-locka. In 2001, he moved to Virginia with his wife and became the assistant pastor at Timberlake United Methodist Church, with a congregation that boasted over 800 people. While living in Virginia, Hatmaker completed his seminary and then became a pastor at Mead Memorial Methodist Church in Lynchburg, where he stayed for 10 years. Hatmaker’s most recent appointment was at Payneton United Methodist Church in Chatham, where he served from July 2013 to December 2014 before moving to Lakeland.
Hatmaker was appointed to Cork United Methodist Church as a part-time pasor in June. He also works in social security administration in Tampa.
“I made a commitment,” he said. “I don’t intend to leave there until I can be full-time here.”
Like he has done with many of his previous churches, Hatmaker has high hopes for Cork United. He plans to increase attendance and also wants to incorporate Sunday school for adults before Sunday services.
“I hope to be at this church a long time,” Hatmaker said. “I’m hopeful … to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in the community around us.”
SHARING THEIR FAITH
Hatmaker and his wife, Ana, are dedicated to missions. The couple frequently travels to Peru, where Ana is from. Ana, who runs her own cleaning service, is from Lima. She and her husband would like to make another trip to Arequipa by next year. There, they assist at an orphanage that has 450 children.
“We buy supplies, school supplies,” Hatmaker said. “We bought them washers and dryers, and mattresses.”
The couple has helped to bring food and supplies to the children and teenagers that live at the orphanage to last them for as long as possible. While there, they also bought fresh fruit and vegetables. Otherwise, Hatmaker says, the children will look for food in the trashcans of Arequipa’s farmers markets.
Hatmaker and his wife have been to Arequipa four times in the last six years. They have made friends with the Methodist church in Peru, and they are hopeful that a small church will be established in Arequipa.
These trips are a large part of the couple’s busy lifestyle. In addition to the church and his job in Tampa, Hatmaker teaches group fitness at Anytime Fitness in Lakeland, as well as a spin class four mornings a week. Ana, who is bilingual, has previously worked as a medical malpractice paralegal. Since moving to Lakeland, she has started her own cleaning business called Amen Cleaning. The couple also has six grown children and five Yorkshire Terriers.
Even with their hectic lives, the church remains a top priority to them both, and living their lives the best way they can.
“Someone who doesn’t know Christ will be observing the way you live your life,” Hatmaker said. “If not living to portray Christ, they might say, ‘Why do I want to be a Christian?’”
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.