Reverend Garry Knowles is someone any young Believer would feel comfortable ‘rapping with’ as he speaks their language: a lover of videogames – be it online or on a game console; an anime fan, whether comics or series; and a movie and TV series buff. If those qualities weren’t enough, he also enjoys cooking.
Aside from his favourite hobbies, Knowles, pastor of the Toll Gate Circuit of Baptist Churches, is a firm believer in “practice what you preach.”
Expressing his concern, he said too many don’t practise what they believe. “We sometimes find it much easier to get caught up in the thrills and the “spiritedness” of it than with the “livity” of our Christian walk. What a difference it would make in Jamaica if our walk matched our talk,” he expressed.
Rev. Knowles, who hails from Trelawny, was drawn to ministry while he was a student at university. He joined the University and Colleges Christian Fellowship, and while there, he had the opportunity to lead and share in the organisation.
“It was in these moments that I sensed God’s call for deeper service. It was in my final year at university that I made the decision to enter into ministry full-time,” he revealed.
Serving and ministering has its ups and downs, as Rev. Knowles will admit, and being a pastor has its challenges, such as being disciplined in choosing God’s will over his own.
As he explains it, “my will (desires) is an ever-present factor in my life, and many times, it looks and sounds like God’s way. There is also the distraction of what the world wants and its desires that pull at you for attention and fulfillment. So as a pastor, I am constantly seeking to discern His will and purpose above and beyond others,” he points out.
Unfortunately, being a pastor causes many in Christendom to misjudge them or form their own opinions on what their roles are supposed to be.
For Knowles, one of the biggest misconceptions he has come across is that there are many people who do not have a clue or are misguided about what pastors do.
“There was one person who told me that he thought that all I did was preach on a Sunday morning, so I had no need for a vacation,” he mused.
Rev Knowles, who is married to a pastor as well, Rev. Stacey Lalor Knowles, and blessed with two children, says it is important to strike the right balance between church and family.
“There are those who believe that it is God first and then family. However, I have learned that it is not as clear-cut as that. Striking the balance for me is learning to hear from God in each moment so as to choose His will. For me, sometimes it may be the family, and at other times, it may be the ministry,” he shared.
Recognising that his vocation can be highly stressful at times, Rev. Knowles said he has learned how to prioritise and place emphasis on self-care. Also, having a fellow colleague or nonclergy friend to share with is helpful.
“So as a pastor, self-care is a must,” he concludes.