Special to the Tri-State Defender

Rev. Walter Peggs is the pastor of Fullview Baptist Church in Bartlett, TN.

Tri-State Defender: How long have you been in the ministry?

Rev. Walter L. Peggs Sr.

Rev. Peggs:  I have been preaching for over 37 years. I accepted my call to preach in February 1973 and was ordained in 1974 under the late Rev. J.K. Pickens Sr. at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church-Pillow St.

TSD: How long have you been a pastor?

Rev. Peggs: I have been a pastor for 28 years; for two of them I was interim pastor at the House of Hope Baptist Church while it’s pastor, Rev. James Ross Winston, was ill, and 26 years at Fullview Baptist Church.

TSD: What is the main focus of your ministry?

Rev. Peggs: Our main focus in ministry is to win souls for Christ and then to equip them for service in the Kingdom of God.

TSD: What do you feel is your greatest asset in your ministry?

Rev. Peggs: I believe my greatest asset to ministry is love for the people.

TSD: What do you want to be said of you as a minister of Christ?

Rev. Peggs: I would like to be known as an honest and kind servant leader.

TSD: How do you see yourself as a minister?

Rev. Peggs: I see myself as God’s servant trying to do God’s will.

Walking the talk – a case study

Rev. Walter Peggs Sr. first encountered MIFA in Binghampton in the 1970s. He was a mail carrier, and he saw volunteers delivering meals to their routes while he was out on deliveries of his own.

“It was incredible to see,” Rev. Peggs said. “These volunteers were taking meals to people they didn’t even know.”

Years later, when Rev. Peggs became pastor of Fullview Missionary Baptist Church, his congregation, along with seven others, began collecting for MIFA at their Thanksgiving and Easter community worship services.

When gas prices peaked and MIFA Meals volunteers could no longer afford gas to deliver their clients’ meals, an article in the daily newspaper prompted Rev. Peggs to appeal to his congregation again. But a one-time donation wasn’t enough to solve an ongoing problem, so he continued to ask that his parishioners give one dollar every Sunday. Over the past 20 years, Fullview has given nearly $14,000 to MIFA.

Rev. Peggs’ giving is an investment in his community, and MIFA is not the only recipient of his congregation’s aid.

“It’s not how much you give – it’s why you give,” said Peggs.

(This article by Ellen Whitten initially was written for MIFA’s Hope in Action magazine and is reprinted with permission.)