50 Years in the Ministry for Pastor C.L. McKinnies of the First United Pentecostal Church in Du Quoin

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Rev. C.L. McKinnies of the First United Pentecostal Church in Du Quoin admits that pastoring a church and selling used cars at his homegrown City Motors in Cambria made strange bedfellows in the eyes of some, but it's the way he provided for his family of seven--a wife and six children-- as he grew the church from the dozen members it had back in 1962 to the nearly 300 it has now.

"Sam Macaluso was dropping off bundles of newspapers on a route all across Southern Illinois before he became manager of Cousin Fred's. He asked me if I wanted to take it and I turned it over to my 16-year-old son," Rev. McKinnies remembers. "I found myself replacing his car with another used car every three months or so," he said "and I'd have to look for more cars."

Along the way he decided he was good at this and started City Motors. That allowed him to stay in the ministry at the outset of his work at the fledgling First United Pentecostal Church at the corner of Winters Street and North Line. "We did real well with it in the 1970s and 1980s and it allowed me to give to the church and buy many of the things we needed for the church."

"It's been a short life," he says humbly of a ministry that has lasted for 50 years--arguably the longest ministry in Du Quoin. A life well-lived will be celebrated this Sunday during a special 2 p.m. 50th anniversary service at the church.

"My longest walk was between the ages of about six and 16," he says of his childhood. "The years all flew after that."

They included two years in the Navy onboard the U.S.S. Shenandoah and ownership of a service station and a market. He admits to not having a church when he grew up. "I came into the church in 1954, spent four years studying in Flint, Mich. and was ordained in 1961. I was 32 when I was ordained. He said in the Pentecostal Church you earn a local "license", then a general license then are finally ordained as the last step. "I've had a license since 1956. I could choose where I wanted to go."

He said he has never thought about leaving the Du Quoin church. "I don't know of a better church--anywhere," he said.

It has always supported he and wife Wilma and their children Lavonna, Kenneth Charles, David, Daniel and their two deceased children, Johnny--who died in a car accident--and Connie, who died last year.

"I got married as a teenager (he and wife Wilma have been married 66 years) and came to Du Quoin in July 1962. "I had been in Centralia for four years and spent a weekend here. Then I came back and spent another weekend," he remembers. " I couldn't make up my mind," he said, "and then I decided to accept it."

"We had 12, maybe 15 members," he said as he unpacked his faith in the small wood-framed church at the corner of Winters Street and Line Street on Du Quoin's east side.

Despite three building programs that have now found him in one of the most beautiful churches in Du Quoin, he said his first year in Du Quoin was probably the most rewarding. "I had five weeks of revival between July of 1962 and January 1963 and during that time I baptized 47 people. "That was the greatest influx of people into this church. We've had growth from the time we got here," he says, but he adds that the number of active members comes and goes.

The Pentecostal Church has an international following. "I was first elected to the state board in 1973 and served from Du Quoin to Cairo, remembering a time when he had to find pastors for 14 months at the Cairo church during a vacancy problem. Nine years ago he retired as Presbyter of that board and has been honorary Presbyter since.

When he turned the Du Quoin church's pastorate over to son Dan years ago, he stepped back to become bishop--or elder--of the church, but still preaches. "The church takes care of both of our families and I am very grateful."

"When people ask what church our members belong to, they say 'Rev. McKinnies' church," he says with a great deal of pride.

He is proud of the church's three building programs--a 1962 expansion of the Line Street church ("we built over the old church"), construction of the new church on Rt. 51 South in 1976 including the addition of a gym and reconstruction of the church after a 2003 fire.

"When I came we needed to remodel the Line Street Church and I went to Ken Cook at the Du Quoin State Bank. He gave us what we needed over a handshake and we paid him back," he said. When the 1976 church was built the loan was for 15 years and repaid in six.

"When our church burned, we had insurance, but every church sent us money," he said. An electrical fire in the furnace room was blamed. "It was my whole life," he said. Getting through the fire and rebuilding was "tough." He said, "It bothered me as much as anything that has ever happened to me."

"We have watched our money and this church has never had a financial problem," he said. "Nobody suffered."

"Most of the people who built this church are gone. I'm one of the few left."

He said his wife and family are the most important things in his life. He and Wilma were married in 1945 after he got out of the service. Son Dan pastors the church now and two other sons are interested in the car business.

"I am going to run on until the good Lord takes me home. I'll be ready. I still feel good," he said. "I can say we have really enjoyed the journey."