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Correction: The Church celebrated its 178-year anniversary on Sunday, August 11. Also, Pastor Radford meets with the young adult church group periodically.

Pastor Moses Radford is the longest serving pastor at the First Baptist Church in Nicholasville. 

The second Sunday of August marks the church’s 178-year anniversary and Radford’s 33rd year as pastor of the church. 

“It feels great having made history here at the church,” Radford said, and that it’s been rewarding. The first pastor of the church, Reverend Peter Johnson, served for 23 years, with other pastors serving smaller terms, 20 years at most. 

Sundays these days, Radford gets to the church several hours early to meditate, to be with the lord, and to pray over the empty seats of everyone– which he has memorized– in the congregation before anyone arrives.

A few of his greatest joys, on a long list, is teaching and preaching and being able to watch people grow in grace and in the “knowledge of Christ.” and holding onto this joy has given Radford strength– “Now, there’s been some ups and some downs. There’s been moments I’ve been frustrated, bent out of shape, but I’m still joyful. I didn’t lose the joy,” Radford said.

Born in Cerulean in Trigg County, Kentucky, he started in 1991 as the 24th pastor of the church in Nicholasville. “I was young then, y’all probably weren’t even born,” he correctly approximated to me and my intern at the time. 

“I’ve seen a lot happen in Jessamine County in 33 years. Good bad and ugly going on in this county and still is. But to continue to serve and help people is my goal,” Radford said. 

Jessamine County was established in 1798 from land in Fayette County, and the church was organized in 1846, before the Civil War. According to Rev. Radford, the church’s first members worshiped down the street at the African Church where different African American congregations met. Members moved into the current 200 S York street location in 1911. 

According to the Jessamine History Walks podcast Episode “Nicholasville History Walk,” the First Baptist Church, its pastors, and members were active in the civil rights struggle. In the current day, the church’s members’ core values include service, of which a glimpse can seen by the actions of the church’s Widow’s Ministry reported in the Jessamine Journal. 

As a published author of eight books, Radford is also highly educated– he did not graduate highschool, but he got his GED in 1986 thanks to encouragement from his wife, Calvonia Radford. He then earned his bachelor’s, masters, and doctorate degrees from Andersonville Theological Seminary. 

“If (Calvonia) had not been so supportive, I really doubt that I would have made it this far,” Radford said. “I know my life would have been totally different in a bad way if it had not been for her. The Lord put her in my life and kept her in my life.”

The two met in 1978 in Paducah, Ky or in 1977 in Hopkinsville, Ky depending on who you ask. In a 1978 class that Calvonia’s pastor’s wife, Mrs. Grinstead was teaching, Radford walked in late one day. Radford was 17, and Calvonia 15.

Mrs. Grinstead asked him to lead the class in prayer, and Radford said his wife recalled being annoyed, thinking, ““why would she ask him to lead us in prayer, he was late!’ But, after hearing him pray, later said she had “never heard a teenager pray like that.” 

They’ve been merriest for 42 years this past March. Radford said his “daddy used to say a preacher’s wife can make you or break you,” and that Calvonia has made him. 

“She has been very very very very helpful, instrumental in my ministry, very supportive. I don’t think a preacher or pastor could ask for a better supporter. She listens to my cries, my complaints, my moments I wanted to give up and give in. She also rejoiced with me when I’m rejoicing over these years. Same way with our kids. They’ve been very helpful, very supportive over the years. Of course they wanted to fight some people sometimes cause their daddy wasnt treated right by some folks, and i’d say ‘no,’” he said. 

The two have three children “grown and gone,” and a goddaughter. They also have 12 grandchildren and one great grandchild. Although it seems like a big family, Radford had 17, now 12 siblings total, with 20 years from the oldest to the youngest. Although it’s difficult to keep up with even a handful of family members, Radford said he and nine of his siblings have been able to reconnect and get together at least once a year. 

Reflecting on his time as pastor, including all of the burials, funerals, baptisms, services, and group activities he’s been a part of, Radford said he has learned and grown. “By serving here this long, I’ve learned a lot of lessons,” he said. “I’ve learned what my congregation says i’ve taught them.” 

Radford expressed gratitude for the “love, care, and concern” he said he and his family have received from the congregation and members of the public, particularly the church’s senior community which he said have “poured out love on top of love for us. They really have been godly examples to the younger generation.” 

His time as pastor has also taught him how to “talk to people and not at people,” and how to be there for people “not only at First Baptist, but in this community.” he said. “When I first got here at 30 years-old, I would say whatever and think about it later if I thought about it then. The older one gets, I believe, we become more God-conscious about what we say and how we say it.” 

In his 33 years, Radford has also been involved throughout the community outside of the church. He has substituted for instructors at Jessamine Career and Technology Center, and now substitutes mainly for highschool teachers. One year, Radford said he worked over 50 days at East Middle School, and he joked that school officials said they need to give him a parking space. 

He has served on various boards in Nicholasville- The YMCA, the Senior Citizens Center, and he is presently serving at the Youth Service Center at East Middle School, the Jessamine County Food Pantry Board, and is the chairman of the Jessamine County Homeless Shelter Board. 

Being involved in these various organizations has lead Radford to “learn a whole lot,” he said. “I’m picking up a whole lot of info by being involved like all these years I’ve been here to see how things are operating. With the homeless shelter, you become more sensitive to people’s needs and it makes me want to be there for people to help and assist them.” 

Radford created a noon day bible study in which mostly senior citizens attend. “They’ve really been a joy. I think when I started off with the day class we probably had four or five people coming. Then that number kept growing cause we started in a small room,” he said, group members would hardly want to read. 

Today, Radford says the noon group averages 12-15 people every visit. “Now, People are now running over each other to read publicly,” Radford said he noticed great improvement in group members’ reading skills and conversations every meeting. Radford also hosts through the church a bible study at nights for working adults, a youth and children’s ministry that feeds and entertains school kids once a week, and a young adult group for 19 to 35 year olds whom he meets with periodically, all of which has been “a great joy,” to Radford. 

The church’s anniversary was held Sunday, August 11 during service and Radford’s anniversary celebration will be held during a special service on a sunday in October, when one of Radford’s nephews will be visiting as a guest preacher.