Rev. Channer to retire after 36 years

After nearly 37 years at First Presbyterian Church in Breckenridge, Rev. Andrew Channer is retiring to Abilene. A longtime resident of the city, as well as a busy member in the community, Channer said his stay in Breckenridge has been one of love.

“Breckenridge is my home,” Channer said. “I love this place.”

He has kept himself occupied during his time in the city. While he is in the Ministerial Alliance, he has also served a large role in the Salvation Army, where he was the Associate Unit Chairman and has been the Unit Chairman since the early 1990s.

He has also been a member of the Housing Authority Board, and assists Meals on Wheels.

Finding God

Channer was born in Amarillo, Texas on March 8, 1949. He grew up in Hereford, Texas. He lived there until he went to college in 1966, where he attended Amarillo Junior College. After completing that, he attended the University of Texas in Austin, where he graduated in 1970 with a degree in history.

Channer said he had always knew about the Lord, but it wasn’t until he was 14 he truly found him. Channer said he was invited to a prayer group one evening. At the group, he listened to attendees talk about the scripture and Jesus.

“[They] talked about him in a way that they really knew him, they didn’t just know about him,” Channer said. “And he made a real difference in their lives. And I realized that’s what I needed more than anything else. So I gave my heart to the Lord that night and I’ve never been the same since.”

Despite finding the Lord as a teenager, Channer said he never intended on becoming a pastor or reverend. He said he was never an outgoing person who liked to listen to himself talk. Originally, Channer wanted to go into mathematics, as that was what he loved. He said things were going well until at UT he took a class called abstract algebra, where he said he did not get a single problem right the entire semester. He made a deal with the professor that said if he memorized the theorems he would get a D rather than a F.

He said all this was God working in his life. At one point during this time, he said he found himself in a chapel on the UT campus pouring his heart out to God, having a sudden realization that math was not his path. Looking for guidance from God, he said God spoke to him and said, ‘You don’t really want to work math problems on the board in front of people for the rest of your life, do you?’

“I not only heard those words, I saw them, and the ‘in front of people’ was in italics,” Channer said. “I said ‘No, Lord, I don’t.’”

It was after this he said God told him he wanted him to pursue the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and work on becoming a pastor. Channer said it was never something he was looking to do or thought he could do. After three years of studying here, he did some clinical pastoral education in Houston for a year. The next step in his journey was in Arkansas. Fast forward to his first sermon he preached, where he said he told them everything he knew.

“It took 10 minutes,” Channer said. “And when it was all over with …. I thought to myself, ‘I just told them everything I know, and I’ve got to do this every week?”

Family man

During his time in Houston, he was going through the process to learn more about the craft as well as himself. He knew he was going to be out in the field somewhere preaching, but he didn’t want to do it alone. This was when he began praying about a wife.

After a few months of praying, he decided on a Sunday he was going to attend a Presbyterian church for Sunday school. Being the first one there, the class began to fill up around him. At last, there was one seat left in the room, right next to him. This was when, a woman, who he called a ‘vision in orange,’ walked in.

“She was wearing orange,” Channer said. “That was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. There was no place for her to sit except by me …. Here she walks in the room and the minute she walks in and I look at her, I hear these words: ‘there she is.’”

He thought in that moment he had to get to know her. He asked her to sit with him in church and never looked back. Her name was Teresa, and they were married for 40 years until her passing about four years ago. He said while he still gets emotional over it, God has helped him heal. He added he is just grateful for the time he had with her.

“We have no idea how much God intervenes in our lives,” Channer said. “We don’t recognize it as such. We think it’s good luck or just coincidences. But there are no coincidences.”

They met in 1973 and were married July 6, 1974. In 1977, they had their first child, Jennifer. He has three other girls as well, named Laurie, Carrie and Kristy.

Living in Breckenridge

Channer came to Breckenridge in August 1982, where he began preaching at First Presbyterian Church. He said his journey here seemed to be something else God had his hand in. After eight years in Arkansas, he said he felt it was time go. He had interest from two churches in Texas. But he didn’t know what to do and really wanted guidance from God. He said late one night, he went to his study in the church to pray about it.

“As I walked out the door, I told Teresa, ‘God knows I want to go where he wants me to go,’” Channer said. “‘All he has to do is tell me. Call me up on the phone. Anything.’ And I left.”

He said while he was in his study, sitting in the dark, he got a phone call at about 9:30 p.m. It was from the First Presbyterian Church, asking if he’d be interested in checking out the church. He said God has never called him away from the church since.

Channer spoke highly about Breckenridge, saying he admires the work done in the community and the way residents help each other, despite little assistance from outside forces. He spoke about how unique the Salvation Army is in the town, as providing what they do could not be possible without the people of Breckenridge.

“This town supports the Salvation Army in a way that is just incredible,” Channer said. “We always have enough that we can help people with their utilities and the urgent needs.”

In the end, Channer said he has no regrets. He has some personal accomplishments he never achieved, such as winning the Memorial Day Golf Tournament. But he is grateful for all he has gotten to see and know in Breckenridge. His last day at the church will be April

30.

‘It’s an amazing town, it really is,” Channer said. “To live here is a privilege.”