The congregation at Brookhaven Church of God will celebrate the retirement of Pastor Herbert Barnett with a special Sunday morning service including lunch and a reception to follow in the fellowship hall.

Herbert and wife Frances Barnett have served as pastors at Brookhaven Church of God for more than three decades, celebrating their 30-year anniversary last summer.

Deborah Bowman, Brookhaven resident and the youngest of the Barnetts’ four daughters, said the event is an opportunity for the community to recognize and show appreciation for the long-time pastor and his impact.

Barnett, an ordained bishop of the Church of God, said the time felt right to hand off the reins.

“After 50 years, it was time to let someone else have the opportunity;” he said. “[My wife and I] want to enjoy whatever time we have left being with our children and grandchildren.”

Barnett started pastoring in Itawamba County in 1965 and led five churches in Mississippi throughout his 50-year tenure before making Brookhaven home. Bowman said her father, a carpenter by trade, is a hardworking man who improved each church he led.

“When we were growing up the churches he pastored were small, so he would work,” Bowman said. “He would either renovate a parsonage or add on to a church, or build a new structure altogether. At each church he built something that he could leave behind, he always left it a better place.”

Bowman said this persistence and dedication to improve and positively impact all he can is a characteristic of Barnett’s that has served him well as a pastor. Barnett concentrated on reaching out to people, Bowman said, helping anyone who might need him.

“He has always been a very encouraging, open and loving person. He focused a lot on enduring,” she said. “That we don’t quit, and we don’t give up because God is always faithful and will always come through.”

Barnett said he has cherished his time as pastor and is looking forward to being very involved in the congregation from the other side of the pulpit.

“It has been a wonderful church to pastor, and I’ve got a good group of people in my congregation that I’ve really learned to love and appreciate and have really been good to me,” Barnett said. “[My wife and I] want to let the congregation know how much we have enjoyed being their pastors. Even after I retire, I hope I can still be a blessing to the congregation.”

While a new pastor has not yet been named, Barnett said he is looking forward to worshipping and working with whoever fills the position.

All are invited to join the celebration, which will begin with a special Sunday service at 11 a.m. at the Brookhaven Church of God, followed by a lunch in the fellowship hall and ending with a retirement reception from 2 to 3 p.m.