Faithful follower: 90-year-old member of same church his entire life
— Evening News photos by BRYAN BOSCH Norman Selfe, 90, and his wife, Janette, pray (above) during Sunday morning service Nov. 13 at Morocco Church in Ida Township.
Norman Selfe has been going to church for 90 years.
For those who live to be Mr. Selfe’s age, that fact might not be that unusual. However, Mr. Selfe has been attending the same church since the day he was born.
The Temperance resident is a member of Morocco United Brethren Church, known as Morocco Church, at Morocco and Jackman Rds. in Ida Township.
“Well, it’s just right here only a half-mile down the road from me,” Mr. Selfe, 90, said of the church. “My dad moved here in 1919 and I was born in 1921, and we’ve always gone to this church.”
Pastor Todd Greenman, who has been pastor at the church for 15 months, said it is unusual for someone to attend the same church his entire life.
“It’s very unusual because people nowadays move around a lot.”
Mr. Selfe said he enjoys the small, family feel of the church, which has about 60 members.
“It has a good sense of community,” he explains. “I’ve made lots of friends there.”
Pastor Greenman said many of the churchgoers belong to three family units, which helps foster the sense of community.
“The atmosphere here is rarely seen at some of the larger churches,” he said.
Jokingly, Pastor Greenman added, “A lot of people at this church are related, so you have to be careful what you say.”
Faith has played a major role in Mr. Selfe’s life, which is one of the reasons he has stayed in church.
“For the last 30 years, my wife, Janette, and I have driven down to Florida, and God has given us a safe journey each and every time,” Mr. Selfe said. “Faith has a lot to do with that.”
The couple, married for 70 years, have two children, Peggy Oliger and Marilyn Zimmerman. Their third daughter, Norma Jobe, died at 49. The women were all baptized at Morocco Church, and Mr. Selfe’s extended family attends services regularly.
For years, Mr. Selfe was a song leader on Sundays, but he said “the younger crowd” has taken over such responsibility.
“My wife and I are just kind of in the background now,” he said.
The couple attends services each Sunday — and did so even when Mr. Selfe worked as a farmer until 1970.
Some of his favorite services come during Christmas time.
“My wife and children, we always made the Christmas service a big part of our lives,” Mr. Selfe said.
During his 90-year tenure as a church member, Mr. Selfe has seen a number of pastors and does not really have a favorite.
He thinks of the church fondly.
“I have a lot of memories there,” Mr. Selfe said. “That’s why I’ve been pretty faithful at going to church.”
