NATCHEZ — It has been said that the Lord works in mysterious ways, and Jacob Howington would agree.

The 24-year-old is one of nine children raised in a family that always attended church, and was involved in music and ministry.

Now, he is the new pastor at Trace City Baptist Church.

“My dad took us hunting, and there was a church near Lake Providence called Melbourne Baptist Church where we would sing,” Howington said. “We all got food poisoning and were going to skip singing there one night, but we decided to go anyway, and that is when I met Jerry Spears and his wife.”

Spears contacted Howington about coming to preach a Sunday here and there as they were without a full-time pastor.

“The first Sunday I came, it was a great service and a few weeks later they asked me to come back. I did that off and on for about six months,” he said. “This past April they asked me to come back and keep coming back every Sunday, and I said sure.”

The church soon asked Howington to become the interim preacher.

“My wife and I prayed about it a lot because we had been asked to go to another church in East Tennessee and fill the position of youth minister,” Howington said. “I told them I would help them until they found someone else, but every week God grew my heart for this church and its people.”

Howington started as the full-time pastor of the church in August.

“I was called into the ministry when I was 13 and that was the same year I got saved,” Howington said. “I got married at 19 and we moved to New York where I went to work with young people. Two years later we came back to Louisiana. Then, we were in Arkansas for a year and then back to Louisiana for two years, and now we are here.”

Howington believes the path he has been on and the other positions he has held at other churches served as preparation for what he is doing now.

“We are excited about being here, and we see growth in the church,” he said. “There is a great energy here and the Lord is working here.”

Howington’s wife, Maecy Howington, said they love the family feeling at Trace City, and they are doing more to invite families and young people to participate.

“We had a back-to-school bash and more than 40 kids were in attendance,” Maecy Howington said. “We will have a Fall Fest on Oct. 24, and we are planning a glow-in-the-dark family night in November. We want to promote a family atmosphere here, and when people come in to feel welcome.”

Howington said he feels a genuine hunger from the congregation every Sunday to know more about Christ. He invites anyone who may be looking for a church home to visit.

“The Lord is our primary goal, but we focus on families,” Howington said. “We want people to come in and feel comfortable, and worship with us and not worry about anything else. We are not a refuge for the rebellious, but a hospital for the sick.”

Trace City has weekly services. Sunday school begins at 10 a.m. and worship at 11 a.m. The church also has Sunday evening services at 5 p.m. Wednesday night services begin at 6 p.m.