Personality Portrait ~ He's A Versatile Minister

Personality Portrait

He’s A Versatile Minister

(Editor's note: This is the fifth in a series of personality portraits on area clergymen appearing weekly on the religion pages.)

By Marti Churchill

“The ministry is a varied experience.”

A minister has to be versatile, according to the Rev. Emmett Green, pastor of Second Baptist Church, 216 Beakes St.

Because the church has only one full-time and a part-time staff member, Green does a variety of things every day — everything from performing marriages to fixing appliances.

"I see this office as a kind of versatile workshop,” says Green. “You might see us with a hammer and saw putting something together and then in a counseling session.”

0ne of Green’s favorite church activities is the day care center. When he first came to Ann Arbor from Roanoke, Virginia, almost seven years ago, he was attracted by the opportunities here for educating children.

“I set it up when I first came here as a minister,” he comments. “We take care of children of working parents, or ADC (Aid to Dependent Children) or children from disadvantaged families.”

The non-profit, self supporting program runs year around for children 2 1/2 to six years old.

Children in the center learn to put keys in locks, finger painting, playing with blocks, reading and writing, according to Green. They also get three meals and regular health care. Records at the day care center show when a child needs immunizations.

“They are often given shots and health care, brought to the children at the nursery through the voluntary help of physicians and interns at the University,” says Green.

Green is also proud of his church’s Nurse Corps. “It’s to teach basic health information and work with community health group,” he explains. “When we’re giving blood, they work with the blood clinic.”

"We’ve opened our doors to the clinic on alcoholism. Twice a week there are clinics, at which time antabuse is distributed to alcoholics. An opportunity for counseling is provided at that time,” he says.

The Washtenaw Council on Alcoholism was conducting the clinics, but now the district court is responsible for them under Judge S. J. Elden.

“We like to cater to this type of thing in the community,” he adds.

Another project Green began when he came to the Second Baptist Church is a federal credit union. “I began the federal credit union so our people can learn to save and borrow at a lower rate of interest,” he says.

Green’s favorite hobby, doing repairs on electrical and other appliances, is quite useful around the church and at home. “I like handicraft stuff — woodwork, primarily. Carving, leatherwork, for instance. I’m quite mechanical, so I like to repair things and take them apart.

" I work with television, radio, clocks — I don’t have time to do many of those things. But if I really had a choice and the time, I’d get into electronics.”

But Green admits that he doesn't always finish the projects he starts at home. “I have a lot of unfinished projects — my family calls them ‘set-aside projects'.”

Green and his wife, Marjorie, have four daughters. The oldest, Cynthia Baldwin, is married, Paula is just finishing her degree in communications at Michigan State University, and Alene is a sophomore at Western Michigan University. She’s living at home with her parents over the summer, along with Darylin, a 10th grader at Huron High.

The Greens live at 6 Manchester Ct., right next to Buhr Park. On the Fourth of July, Green says he watches the fireworks from his house. “I can sit in the living room. It’s sort of a front row seat,” he says.

Living next to Buhr Park has other advantages. “I used to play tennis every morning at seven,” he comments. “But I was injured last fall, so I don’t do rigorous exercise. That’s why I’ve taken more to swimming.

“It seems to be on the mend, though, so I expect to be back on the tennis courts next summer.”

Green also belongs to the YMCA. “I sneak in to get some swimming in a couple times a week.”

What does Green usually do in the evenings after an eight-hour day at church every day? “I eat and get ready to come back for some program. There are meetings of boards and committees, some classes, and a mid-week service. I come back to the church for different kinds of religious occasions, too.” Green has served for six years as a member of the County Board of Social Services, and two years as president of the board of the Washtenaw County Council of Churches.

“And of course you get on these other kinds of boards, like Visiting Nurses or Red Cross ..."