Michael Barry became the associate pastor at Jesse Lee United Methodist Church on July 1. The former Air Force engineer served 21 years in the military before he entered the ministry. —Dave Albrecht photo
Faith — learned, practiced, and challenged — isn’t much different from preparing for a test in school.
Sometimes the outcome is successful — an ‘A’ grade or a commitment to a struggling family member; and sometimes that success is denied by a failed test or a career-changing injury.
Pastor Michael Barry Jr., who was appointed as the new associate pastor of Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church on July 1, understands that life has inevitable ups and downs and knows it requires a person to have perseverance as well as love from others.
“If I was worthy of God’s love and grace after all the misdirection in my life, then anyone is afforded that same love,” he said. “If God would choose me, then everybody has a chance; if I was worthy, then I could share with young people and people of all ages that God still loves them and God’s love is always available despite whatever hardships are happening in their life.”
Pastor Barry, who is also the head pastor at Stevens Memorial United Methodist Church in nearby South Salem, has had an unusual path to the ministry.
He was born and raised in Warwick, N.Y., where his grandparents encouraged their family to be a part of the Orange County community.
While attending Warwick Valley High School, Pastor Barry decided to pursue a career in the military and joined the United States Air Force in 1990.
He served 21 years as an aircraft electro-environmental specialist at nearby Stewart Air Force Base in Newburgh, and reached the rank of master sergeant before retiring due to lingering health problems.
“I had three goals when I entered the military — I wanted to retire as an upper level manager, and I wanted to do that before I turned 40 and I wanted to retire as a college graduate — and I was able to meet everyone of them,” he said.
He received a bachelor’s degree in cultural studies with a major in religion from SUNY Empire — the first member his family to ever graduate college — in 2010 in only two years.
Despite reaching his goals, his career was re-routed in 2002, when he suffered injuries from a ATV racing accident.
He was rushed to the emergency room, where doctors discovered a six-inch, cancerous tumor on his kidney and decided to immediately operate to remove it.
“There’s a likelihood I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for that accident,” he said. “I had physical issues after that and the military deemed me ‘no longer worldwide deployable’ and retired me in November 2011.”
The diagnosis and surgery was compounded by an equally-or-greater health development in his family around the same time — his son Matthew was diagnosed with an extremely rare brain disorder which is part of the Leukodystrophy family and the prognosis was that he “probably wouldn’t make it through his teens.”
“I asked God to take me instead of Matthew and just let my son be OK,” he said. “God did take me, but not in the way I thought.”
Matthew, now 18, is wheelchair-bound for the most part; however, he is a survivor and through his survival has continued to strengthen the Barry family, who moved to South Salem in July.
Pastor Barry’s daughter, Jennifer, 16, is a sophomore at John Jay but already knows she wants to be a special needs physical therapist when grows she up.
“She’s already begun that pursuit, which is incredible,” Pastor Barry said. “She loves her brother and that reaffirms my belief in family and love every day.”
He and his wife, Kelley, whom he refers to as “Saint Kelley,” celebrated their arrival to the area with their 20th wedding anniversary in July.
While he’s now looked upon to lead two separate communities, his faith hasn’t always been resolute.
Before enlisting in the Air Force, around the time of his 16th birthday, Mr. Barry recalls distancing himself from church.
“I was born and raised Methodist and I was very active until I was confirmed when I was 16,” he explained. “Like other kids my age, I began to distance myself from the church after that and then I left altogether without looking back.
“My grandma would call me every Friday night to go to church with her on Sunday when I was in the military,” he remembers. “I didn’t want to go back — it was part of the whole mindset that ‘I’m young, I know everything, I don’t need to go to church.’ I felt that I believed in God and that I had faith, so what do I need church for?
“Looking back now, I really wish I had seen things better because I lost out on many years that God could have done things in me and through me.”
He returned to church in 2003 and began his road to the ministry at his home church, New Milford/Edenville United Methodist Church in New Milford, N.Y. In 2005, he left for Grace United Methodist Church in Newburgh, where he served as a youth pastor for two years and was appointed as the associate pastor for three years.
Through his struggle with faith, he has a newfound appreciation that enables him to connect with troubled and dissatisfied youth.
He says what makes him a good pastor is his ability to listen and to relate to every personal struggle he hears.
“I tell them my story and that opens up the conversation a lot and from there I just listen,” he said.
However, listening isn’t enough.
One of the ongoing lessons he has to learn and practice, and which challenges him greatly, is maintaining the church’s relevance among young people.
“Young people definitely struggle to find relevancy in the church,” he explains. “There isn’t always connecting point for them and that’s something we need to try and find — something to carry them over to the next chapter of their lives.
“We may not have that answer yet, but we are certainly working hard to find it.”
When asked what’s the universal message he tries to spread to believers and non-believers alike, he hesitates for a moment, reflecting on his experiences and how they’ve changed him.
“We’re all God’s children no matter how we identify ourselves and no matter where we go,” he said. “Christ called us to love and wrap our arms around each other and in do so hearts can be changed, expanded and opened.”
In short, love conquers doubt and propels faith forward.
This message wouldn’t be heard by anyone if it weren’t for Pastor Barry’s “meet Jesus moment” in 2002 when his own health, along with the life of his son, was in jeopardy.
“I realized I had a lot more faith than I thought I did and that was when I had my moment of transformation,” he said. “My faith has grown every day since.
“It’s amazing the things God does in your life when you allow God in.”