Whisenant (left) with McElroy

ETCC's McElroy sharing time with new minister

By Michael Butler

After 25 years as minister at East Tallassee Church of Christ, Mike McElroy is not quite ready for his proverbial ride off into the sunset, yet he has begun lightening his workload.

McElroy is now doing "half time" as he calls it, sharing responsibilities from the pulpit with newcomer Mike Whisenant.

"We're excited to have a co-worker with us," said McElroy. "I guess after enough years go by you think (of) maybe somebody with some newer ideas and a lot more energy, but we've really missed time with the grandchildren."

McElroy and his wife Suzanne have three grown children and seven grandkids now.

"We're ready to go a little slower and have some time to be away that we have not taken through the years."

Tallassee has been home to the McElroys since their arrival here in 1998.

"I guess you're home when you buy your cemetery plots here," he said. "We love ths community. They've been so good to us."

As for Whisenant, he and his wife Meagan have a nine-year-old daughter and are currently building a home in the Redland area.

"We've said, 'this feels like home.' It's got a hometown feel. She grew up in Hayden. I grew up in Arab. She started her job at Alabama Christian Academy as the head softball coach. We love the area and love the people."

Whisenant, a Faulkner graduate, was most recently in Florida. In addition to the ministry, he spends some of his spare time officiating sports.

"I do football, basketball, softball and baseball," he noted. "It's a lot of fun. It's a calling. It's not always the easiest of jobs."

For McElroy, with some extra time forthcoming, he intends to have more time to write.

"I'm going to step up and try to finish this project that I've had going for years where I have an essay about every chapter of the Bible," said McElroy. "Today's count is about 1,029 or 1,038 out of the 1,189 chapters. We're going to start publishing books. The New Testament came out years ago and Psalms is coming out in the next couple of months; then Genesis."