Note: “Get to Know Tori Butler” was written by Jamia Harris and included in the October 20, 2010 FUMC newsletter.
Several of us have had the pleasure of befriending Tori Butler since her June arrival to Orange as FUMC-Orange’s new Director of Outreach & Discipleship Ministries. But it wasn’t until I sat at her kitchen counter while she graciously made chicken and waffles for our lunch that I really got to know my new friend.
Tori was born and raised by her mother Coretha “Coty” Corry in Baltimore, Maryland. Coty taught Tori that education is of great importance and would be the passport to her future. “My mom said books could take me wherever I wanted to go.” An avid reader, her favorite book as a child was Many Thousand Gone by Virginia Hamilton, which chronicles African-American history from slavery to freedom. This early introduction to history gave way to a love of history which led her to study and major in history at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland, where she also minored in International Relations. Her favorite historical periods include the Civil Rights Movement, Antebellum and the Civil War. A Key to My Neighbor’s House by Elizabeth Neuffer is her current favorite book. It chronicles personal stories from the Bosnian-Serbian and Rwandan conflicts.
Tori’s personal history involving her church journey began early. “I was praying for the whole congregation when I was three and gave my first sermon when I was 11. I knew I loved God.” When it came to choosing a career path, she never thought she’d be a minister. “I thought I’d be many different things: a teacher, a lawyer, an actor. Before seminary I thought I’d be a lobbyist for Latino or African American issues, preferably in education.” But God had other plans for her. The desire to travel and practice her Spanish led Tori to Argentina for a college semester abroad and after college to Brazil for a ministerial internship. She would like her next travel adventures to take her to South Africa and Italy.
When asked what her hope is for the future of God’s people, she said she wants to plant a church that supports a multi-cultural and socio-economically diverse ministry to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, and care for the widows. She’d like the church to have a counseling center, a health clinic, day care, a homeless ministry, offering full-services to the needy. The timing of this goal rests in God’s hands and “right now He is working on molding and shaping me as I grow as a minister at FUMC-Orange.”
During her time at FUMC-Orange, she wants to help the church become a bold presence in the local community; i.e. praying in the projects, hosting neighborhood clean-ups, partnering with other churches such as Salem United Methodist, offering mentoring programs, and plant a community garden. She wants to help the church be a place that offers holistic ministry that is concerned with the mind, body, and soul of the individual and its neigbors.
“With God, all things are possible.” And she absolutely believes it and lives it.