New Minister Is Welcomed At United Methodist Church

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By Linda Kor
    The United Methodist Church in Holbrook is now under the direction of a new pastor. Reverend Robert Cutlipp began work at the church July 1, replacing Reverend Evelene “Tweedy” Sombrero.
    As a native Arizonian, Cutlipp was raised in Phoenix and graduated from Alhambra High School.
    “I received the call to the ministry when I was a sophomore in high school, but didn’t answer it at the time. I had gone to a Billy Graham Crusade and came to understand what it meant to be a Christian,” he related.  “But then I put it off, thinking it was the hype of the experience, like someone wanting to be a fireman or a police officer when they grow up. I decided it was more responsible to go into the corporate life.”
    Cutlipp went on to community college in order to decide where to go with his future.
    “I’m pretty sure I went to almost, if not all, of the community colleges in the state,” Cutlipp recalled with a grin. He finally decided to go into sales and marketing, and ended up as a food broker for 20 years. “I sold groceries to grocery stores,” he explained.
     In 1981 that all changed. Cutlipp decided to answer the long awaited call and went back to school. After receiving his degree at the University of Arizona, he moved to Texas to attend seminary school for two years at Perkins School of Theology in Dallas.
    While in Texas he served two churches, then came back to Arizona to spend five years in Page, five years in Kingman and then five years in Show Low before coming to Holbrook.
    Cutlipp will not only be serving as the pastor for the church here, but he is also working for White Mountain Counseling Services as a pastor in its Show Low facility. “I’m working part-time in both places, and I’m really hoping to work myself out of a job here and see the church have a full-time minister,” He stated.
    Cutlipp and his wife Judy live in Show Low, where she works for the City of Show Low in the finance department. They have two children, Brian, who is a sophomore at Arizona State University, and Katie, who is a freshman at Show Low High School.
    Cutlipp will be commuting to Holbrook three times a week to minister to his congregation and be of service to those in need.
    “I’ve worked for the past 10 years in crisis ministry, and have served as chaplain for the Department of Public Safety and Show Low Police Department. In that capacity I hope to make myself available to the Navajo County Sheriff’s Department if they need me,” he noted.
    Cutlipp’s main objective at this point is to get to know the people in Holbrook.
    “I could sit here all day and wait for people to come to me, but I know that it’s me that needs to go to them, so I’ll be knocking on doors,” he acknowledged. “I need to get a feel for the community and see what God has in mind for me in order to further the work of Christ.”
    The congregation currently consists of approximately 70 to 75 members, very few of whom are young families or youth.
    “I know that the people here would like to see what we can do to make the congregation grow. We need to bring in young families, and reach out to the youth and develop a calling for them. They need to have a reason to come,” Cutlipp stated.
    According to Cutlipp, church attendance is not something many people make a habit of.
    “Sometimes people view church as fire insurance. When times are tough they know where to find it when they need it. They need to see the joy of fellowship, of being together through the good and the difficult times,” he said.
    Services at the United Methodist Church, located at 118 W. Arizona St. in Holbrook, are held at 8:45 a.m. each Sunday. Rev. Cutlipp will also be available at the church for most of the day on Tuesdays and Thursdays to visit with anyone in need of ministering.