Rev. Tori Butler, Associate Pastor

Phone: 713-666-2167 x124

About

I am passionately in love with Jesus Christ. I want to honor him in everything I do. I want to be Christ’s hands and feet in the world. My sincere prayer is that God will use me as a prophet, teacher, preacher, evangelist, activist, counselor, shouter, and dancer all for the glory of God.

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I Was Born… in Baltimore, MD… You know the saying it takes a village to raise a child, well I have quite a few people who were part of my village.  My Mother, of course, was the chief of the village in addition to aunts, cousins, church members, neighbors, friends of the family, teachers and mentors.  My village kept me encouraged and motivated to maintain a standard of excellence, and I will appreciate that for the rest of my life.

On the way to church the other day… I thought–as I watched this little kid hang upside-down from the monkey bars–what a joy it must be to see the world through the eyes of a child.

My biggest challenge is… impatience–whether it is in ministry or in life.

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.” Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, “Now I have put my words in your mouth.  

I was young in age and young in Christ when I accepted my call to ministry. These verses assure me that God has called me to preach to all of his people and to not be fearful because God is with me.

The one thing I want people to realize when they come to Bellaire UMC is… that the Holy Spirit is in this place and moving throughout this church.  The Spirit’s presence is evident in our worship, our caring and our serving.

My favorite children’s book is… Many Thousand Gone: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom by Virginia Hamilton.  It was a tangible illustration of what it meant to overcome adversity and injustice.  I learned a lot about my history and what type of person I wanted to become from this book.

My last meal would be… a buffet.  It would include my Mom’s pancakes and fried potatoes with onions and green peppers, my Aunt Marvina’s fried catfish and sweet cornbread, some Jamaican curry chicken with rice and peas, plantains, and a cream soda, specialty sushi rolls, seafood gumbo and for dessert a peanut butter torte from The Paper Moon Diner in Baltimore… Hey, I’m a Methodist and I love good food.