Faith feature: Rev. Buddy Moore serving as interim pastor in Portales

PORTALES - Rev. Buddy Moore said he first heard the call to the church when he was 17, but he turned instead to a life in the armed service and later a job in the oil and gas industry.

Moore said he then had a powerful religious experience that led him to recovery - now 27 years sober - and then to answer that call that he heard decades earlier.

Moore, 73, went back to school to earn his degree in religion and philosophy and is now serving as the interim pastor at First United Methodist Church in Portales.

Moore conducted his first service with the church on Jan. 6 and will serve as interim pastor for six months, filling out the term of former interim pastor Rev. Roland McGregor.

"I love it here. It's a nice town, it's a nice church, wonderful people, I'm really enjoying the community," Moore said on Monday.

Moore's path to the church was a bit of an unconventional one, not beginning his ministry until he was 49. He said there was a bit of a culture shock moving from a six figure salary working as a human resource manager to $14,000 a year as a minister.

"I gave away almost everything I had except my son and my wife. I had the house on the hill, the country club membership, I had a great job, and God called me to the ministry and a lot of people would like at me like I was crazy because I actually did it," Moore said.

Given his path to the church, Moore was active in the Life Recovery program at his previous church, Community United Methodist Church in Ruidoso. Moore said he will offer a similar recover program in Portales if the congregation is interested.

Moore is joined by his wife Susan in Portales, who he said is his partnery in ministry.

Donny Massey, who said he's been attending the church for at least 20 years, said Moore will be a welcome addition during the time he spends in Portales.

"I think he's going to fit in here just fine," Massey said.