The Rev. Louie O'Bourke, president of The Carter County Ministerial Association (CCMA), believes the organization has a positive impact on the community.
  "The men who come are really godly men who want to see God bless all the churches in Elizabethton and want to work together to accomplish that," said O'Bourke, who serves as the pastor of Elizabethton Alliance Church.
  Those who attend the CCMA meetings "are men that are willing to do things together to cooperate. They are men who are not jealous of other men or their ministries, but they are men who come to give and to pray for one another and be concerned for one another. I appreciate the fact that they are not men who have a territorial attitude about their ministries. They feel that this is not about them or their particular church, but about the church of Jesus Christ as a whole in Elizabethton and Carter County."
  The CCMA can help pastors to grow spiritually, thereby enhancing their ministries. "One of the good things that happens as a result of getting together and getting to know each other is that we form relationships that, in turn, go deeper outside of the meetings themselves," O'Bourke said. "There is a support that comes. Special friendships are potentially able to be formed there. Pastors need support from other pastors, because they are the ones who really know what some of the struggles of the ministry are. There's no one like another pastor who can understand what we're going through to offer good support."
  O'Bourke says he has been blessed by his friendships that have been cultivated through the CCMA. "I have felt very supported," he said. "I know that there are men who pray for me on a daily basis, and that means a lot."
  CCMA and similar organizations can provide effective ministry to a community, according to O'Bourke. "I think the great thing about the CCMA is that the pastors from different denominations get to know each other, trust each other and really care for each other," he said. "That develops a type of bond where, when it comes time to do an event that would involve the whole community, people are willing to cooperate because there's already an existing relationship there."
  Events like the National Day of Prayer observance and the Community Thanksgiving Service "are a real blessing to those who participate," O'Bourke said. "We would always wish for greater participation, but I believe the ones who come are affected in a real positive way by the fact that there are people from all denominations getting together, either praying together or in the case of the Thanksgiving service being grateful to the Lord together for the many blessings that He gives us."
  O'Bourke would like for the CCMA to impact the community to such a degree that there would be "a more effective carrying out of the Great Commission. That's what I think all the pastors would like to see, that we might be able to somehow work together so that people would come to know Christ and be disciples."
  The CCMA meets at 11:30 a.m. at the Coffee Co. on the first Wednesday of each month during September through May. O'Bourke describes the atmosphere at CCMA meetings: "I think our atmosphere is laid back, it's friendly, it's accepting. We take some time to pray for one another, to share different resources that are helpful to all. I think it's a real comfortable setting. I enjoy talking to the men and eating together. It's something that somehow brings us closer together. It's an informal atmosphere." Representatives from various organizations within the community speak during some of CCMA's meetings.
  O'Bourke previously participated in ministerial fellowships in Wisconsin and Florida. "All those experiences have been very enriching," he said.
  For more information about the CCMA, call (423) 543-3322.