Nathan Key

Mack Jarvis III gave up a successful career in a business he started to further his professional life in the corporate world. And yet, there still was a tug for him to do something more with his life.

As Jarvis soon found out, that tug was coming from God.

Jarvis discovered the Lord was calling him into the ministry, and after wrestling with the decision for about a year, he finally relented and gave in to the Lord's will, heading full steam into the ministry and a career change that has been very rewarding for him.

Now, Jarvis has the chance to return home to Caldwell County where he once lived and flourished with his former business, Mast Discount Drug on Connelly Springs Road. Jarvis, the pastor at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Rowan County since 1995, returns to the county today to begin revival services at First Baptist Church of Hudson. He will be the featured speaker for the revival, which lasts until Wednesday, Sept. 30.

Jarvis, 47, went to pharmacy school in Chapel Hill. He graduated in 1985 and started Mast Discount Drug, now known as Cajah's Mountain Discount Drug, the next year, staying with the business and the pharmacist's position he loved through 1988 when he left to work for Mast Drug Co., relocating then to Henderson in eastern North Carolina. Jarvis said he enjoyed the corporate world but soon discovered he was being led in another direction. Why he left for the ministry remains somewhat of a mystery, other than he simply was answering God's knock at his door.

"That's one of those million dollar questions," he said of his reason to go into the ministry. "There's really no way to describe it except it was simply God changing the direction of my life. I could sense that God was calling me to serve in the ministry, but I was not really willing to surrender then. I was successful, loved the pharmacy, loved my job. I wrestled with it for over a year, asking, 'God, is this really who You want?' It was a process of surrender for me, and finally I realized this was what God wanted."

In 1992, Jarvis and his wife Lori, a high school sweetheart to whom he has been married 25 years, moved to Lynchburg, Va., where he enrolled in the Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. From 1992-95, Jarvis worked on his master's in Lynchburg, a place he said the couple very much enjoyed.

He was offered his first pastorate at Cornerstone, located in Cleveland, a town of 500 people located between Statesville and Salisbury. The church was a little more than a year old at the time when Jarvis took over Sept. 1, 1995, preaching to a membership of 42 people.

The decision to enter the ministry has paid off for Jarvis.

"It's been more than I ever thought it would be," he said. "It's the most incredible journey I could have imagined. We've built up the church and seen people come to know Christ through our ministry. We've been successful at reaching a lot of people and seeing them saved."

How successful? Well, the membership of Cornerstone has grown to nearly 500 members, and that's in a town of 900 people.

"This journey has been very challenging, but very rewarding, very fulfilling," Jarvis said.

As he preaches revival at First Baptist of Hudson, Jarvis will get to share his experiences and rewards with many people he has known throughout his life. He attended the church for some time when he was younger, and his parents - Mack II and Janet, are members at nearby Fellowship Baptist Church. The pastor who helped found Fellowship, Jim Hamby, is serving as interim pastor at First Baptist right now.

"I've known him since I was 12 years old when we moved to Hudson." Jarvis said of Hamby. "He has played an instrumental role in my development as a pastor."

And now, Jarvis gets to share his ministry with the people who live in the place he once called home.

"I'm really excited about this opportunity," he said. "I'm looking forward to seeing people I've known in the past, to renew acquaintances and friendships. I'm excited about what God possibly could be doing there. It's a great home and privilege to come be part of what is taking place.

"It's always good to get to come home."

Jarvis will be preaching at 7 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday at First Baptist Church of Hudson, located at 345 Main St. in Hudson.