A pastor and his trumpet bring new energy to High Point church

Rev. Darryl Donnell fell in love with jazz while learning to play the trumpet. A music career beckoned after high school. God had something else in mind.

A condensed story appears in the Foundation’s newly published Annual Report …and God Does the Rest. The theme alludes to doing our part with the full assurance that faith brings.

“I used to tell my mom that God wanted me to be a musician, and I thought that was my path,” says Darryl, a Greensboro native. “But I began to feel God stirring. Playing with the choir was an avenue between music and the church.”

Jazz is now a regular part of worship at Memorial UMC in High Point, where Darryl, 33, brings a youthful spirit and style to preaching the Word. On Sunday mornings every so often, the pastor reaches for a trumpet to enliven traditional hymns.

“Playing jazz reminds me of that collaboration with God,” he says. “Because we might solo and have our chance to improvise. But then we come back together to make music for Christ.”

• Read the Foundation Annual Report.

Proclaiming the good news

Located just east of downtown, Memorial traces its roots to the 1972 merger of St. Mark and Brooks Memorial Methodist churches.

The latter was named for Rev. Daniel Brooks (1837-1933), a respected minister and advocate for public education. Rev. Brooks helped acquire land around 1893 for High Point Normal and Industrial Institute, which later became William Penn High School. Among the alumni are jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane.

A renewed sense of energy has lifted the church since Darryl arrived in 2023. The church’s relationship with the Foundation is flourishing, too. Strong investment returns generate more resources for ministry.

Darryl’s “personality and interactions with everyone are so positive and encouraging,” says lay leader Rosalind Gilmore. “I always get a lot out of his sermons because he can speak modern-day lingo — it makes it easier to relate.”

Darryl previously served a two-point charge at Camp Springs and Garrett’s Grove UMCs north of Greensboro. He earned his Master of Divinity from Hood Theological Seminary in 2023.

A recent Bible study reflects Darryl’s emphasis on practical teaching. Participants examined God’s call to budget wisely.

“Getting your finances in order so you can tithe that 10 percent to Christ,” said Jessie Henderson, church historian. “Then it’s easier to take that off the top and know that God’s going to provide.”

A jazz musician might be an unlikely catalyst. But God put Darryl in the right place.

“Our United Methodist men’s group is starting back, the Women in Faith started back, and our youth group is coming together,” he says. “There’s a lot to look forward to.”