The Interview: Pastor Fred Wolfe

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Fred Wolfe said he was called to pastor his first church when he was just 20 years old. Now, 50 years later, he said he was called to lead a new congregation of "scattered sheep.”

LEADING “SCATTERED SHEEP”

Affectionately called Brother Fred, his new ministry at Luke 4-18 Fellowship has broken ground on its first sanctuary, a first for Wolfe. 

Recently, he spoke with FOX10 about his newest venture and his 25 years at Cottage Hill Baptist, one of the Gulf Coast's first mega churches. 

Wolfe said, "I've never been happier. I'm fulfilled at what I’m doing. I am fulfilled, and here I am at 74 having the time of my life, being a pastor and preaching the Gospel. It’s the greatest thing in the world." 

HIS JOURNEY

Fred Wolfe has spent 55 years serving God and his people in ministry. He said his journey started during his freshman year in college, when he was called to preach.

"When I went home and told my mother. I said, ‘It’s going to shock you.’ She just laughed. She said, ‘No, no.’ She said, ‘I prayed if God would give me a son, I would give him back to be a preacher.’ I said, ‘What? She said, ‘Oh, I knew you were going to be one all along.’  I said, ‘Why didn't you tell me?’ She said, ‘I wanted God to tell you," Wolfe explains.

While still in college, he was called to pastor a church of about 30-members in South Carolina. In 1972, fourteen years later, Cottage Hill Baptist church called him to Mobile.

"I hoped one day I would pastor a church maybe running 7 or 800, I am absolutely amazed at what God did. We went from 800 to, we were having on an average Sunday 3,000 people. We had 15 staff members,” Wolfe said.

He said he still marvels at the experiences he’s shared while serving his congregation.

"I had the privilege of baptizing over 5,000 people. We had Golgotha, a special Easter program.  We'd have thousands at Easter, sometimes 20-30,000 folks would come over, and that touched a whole community. We ended up having over 13,000 people join that church, Cottage Hill Baptist, in 25 years.  I look back on it, and I say, ‘God, it was awesome what you did.’"

Brother Fred said when he was nearing 60-years of age, he was at home in his study praying for vision for Cottage Hill, and God gave him Barnabus, a ministry to pastors.

"You know, preachers aren't supposed to struggle. But, guess what? They do. They need encouragement; they do. And I was able just to do that.  So, it really it wasn't so much me leaving Cottage Hill, but He called me to do that, and frankly it would have been much easier to stay at Cottage Hill.   I had 11 years of Barnabus, and I was able to minister to thousands of pastors," shares Wolfe.

Almost five years ago, a missionary heading to Africa gave Brother Fred a word after praying for him at a church in Mississippi.

"She's 92 years old.  She's an unusual woman of God. She said God is fixing to take your feet places they've never been before. I thought to myself, ‘Lord, I'm 70 years old. Where have my feet never been?  Later back home in Alabama, God spoke to me and said, and these are his exact words. He said, ‘I want you to start a church for scattered sheep.’ I started crying. I was weeping. I said, ‘God, I've never done that before. He said, ‘I know,’” Wolfe said. "I had no intention of ever starting a church, never and basically made that publicly known.   Well the rest of it is history. We're 4 years 4 months old, and we have about 600 or 700 members.  And, we just broke ground Sunday for a new building that will seat 850.  It’s just been an awesome journey.”

CONTINUING TO LEAD

And, Brother Fred's journey is not over, the energetic 74-year-old is extremely concerned about people and his nation.

"The church is, it’s almost insignificant in its influence in America, which is tragic. Sixty-five percent of American people do not believe in moral absolutes. So we're back in the days of the Judges where everybody does what's right in their own eyes; not God's word. There are no moral absolutes. Situation determines if it’s right or if it’s wrong," said Wolfe. "There's no such thing anymore as a Southern culture. It’s a world culture, and our young people are growing up in a world culture.”

Wolfe said he faces challenges when choosing political candidates, too.

"It's the hardest time in my life time politically, too. From what both of the candidates President Obama and Mitt Romney are saying, it’s hard for a Christian. Boy, God needs to turn it around. He does, and I'm praying He will,” he said.

Wolfe said this is also probably the hardest election Christian voters have ever faced.

Brother Fred had open heart surgery earlier this year, but he said he's feeling better than ever, with renewed energy.

Luke 4-18 Fellowship is currently meeting Sunday's at Davidson High School's auditorium.  The congregation plans to move into their new sanctuary on Sollie Road next June of 2013.