By Emily Enfinger | The Selma Times-Journal

Fredrick Douglas Reese — a man of many hats: teacher, principal, superintendent, activist and pastor — will deliver his last sermon Sunday before he retires.

Reese has been serving as pastor at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church for a little more than 50 years, beginning on March 21, 1965.

“He walked the first leg of the successful march from Selma to Montgomery and returned back to the church to answer the call to pastor,” said James Perkins Jr., pastor at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church and former mayor of Selma. “He has been pastoring ever since.”

Reese said he was called to lead others after his experiences.

“It has been quite a pleasure to have had the experience of meeting people and trying to lead people and letting people know how good the Lord has been, not only to me, but to all those people that I’ve had the experience to have lead, Reese said.

Carolyn Robinson, Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church secretary, said that she has known Reese since she joined the congregation at age 13.

“He performed the marriage of me and my husband 41 years ago, baptized all of our children, and performed marriages for my daughter and granddaughters so he has been a very important part of our lives for a long time,” Robinson said.

Robinson said Reese’s retirement is well-deserved because he has always been there when people needed him.

“He has been our 24-hour pastor,” Robinson said. “Some of the members laugh and make jokes about that you can call him after midnight, 1, 2 in the morning, your house on fire, he’d show up in a full suit with neck and tie. He is always well-dressed and a caring person.”

Reese will be delivering his retirement sermon at the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday, Dec. 27. All are invited to come.

“I will be talking about how good the Lord has been, not only to me and my family, but to the whole community and how we should always look to him for guidance and direction,” Reese said.

Perkins said Reese has been given the honor of pastor emeritus and even though Reese is retiring, this isn’t his final sermon. They expect that Reese will give more in the future.

“He tends to tell it like it is, and that’s what we expect him to do during his retirement message,” Perkins said.

Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church holds Intercessory Prayer at 8:45 a.m., Sunday school at 9 a.m., and worship at 10:30 a.m. every Sunday.