Home alone in Madison, Mississippi, one Sunday after church not long ago, Rev. Steve and wife Betsy Potter realized that the rest of their family were together, but over in Newton County! It didn’t take long to remedy that. With their family connections here, Bro. Steve learned of a pastoral opening, preached for the congregation, and was soon invited to become the pastor. His first Sunday as Pastor of Decatur Methodist Church was June 1, 2025. Betsy Potter will serve as a kindergarten teacher at Newton County Elementary School beginning this August.
Bro. Steve, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Betsy from Newton, Mississippi, both being skilled and experienced in cheerleading, met at a Christian summer cheerleading camp in Atlanta in 1996. Married in 1998, their first child Mollie, Mrs. Kam Partridge, studying to be a physical therapist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, was born in 2001. She and her husband, a baseball coach and teacher at West Lauderdale, live in the Stratton area. Born three years later, Hannah is a junior and cheerleader at Ole Miss University. Caleb, born in 2007, lived last year with his Uncle Micah Harmon and family in Hickory, attending NCHS, playing baseball, and is now a senior at NCHS. Born in 2010, Bailey, a ninth grader at NCHS, loves theatre and plays soccer. Bro. Steve had graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University December 1996, with a degree in Christian Ministries, and Betsy received her degree in Elementary Education and Special Education from Mississippi College in 2000.
Steve Potter was born November 11, 1969, to Don and Linda Potter, who is now Mrs. Art Kollias. His father was a Cedar Rapids policeman and his mother primarily a stay-at-home mom. Steve, attended Hillside Wesleyan Church on weekends with his father, and a Lutheran elementary school. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1988, where he had played several sports, was a member of the yearbook staff and of show choir. When he was five, his aunt asked him, “Do you want to give your life to Jesus?” His mother and maternal grandmother were strong Christians, so he knew what that meant. He said, “Yes,” to his aunt and to Jesus. He told me, “In ninth grade, at a summer camp, Cedar Springs Wesleyan Camp, I surrendered to the ministry.”
Betsy Harmon Potter was born September 17, 1976, to Frank and Nancy Harmon of Newton. Her father, pastor of First Baptist Church in Newton for eighteen years. He married his daughter to Steve Potter on August 15, 1998. Betsy’s mother taught at Newton Middle School also for eighteen years. Her father passed away January 15, 2025. Micah Harmon, Vice-President of Trax-Plus, married to Nicole Bridges of Newton, is Betsy’s brother. Betsy graduated from Newton High School in 1995, where she was a cheerleader. She sang in choir at church, and was in a musical at school. When she was about ten, she was saved at a revival preached by Rev. Gene Henderson and later baptized by her father.
After meeting Betsy in 1996, Steve served as a youth minister at Springfield Baptist Church in Morton, while coaching cheerleading and tumbling, and doing lawn care. He went on to Brandon First Methodist in 1998 to serve as youth minister for 5½ years. For ten years he was youth minister at Christ United Methodist in Jackson, and five years as marriage and family pastor. Betsy had taught at Rankin County first then at Madison-Ridgeland Academy eight years, while Steve was the Middle School Spiritual Director there from 2019 until May-2025. In 2002, Betsy left public teaching to care for and homeschool their children, continuing later to teach at Christ Covenant School and MRA until now.
Concerning the move to Decatur, Bro. Steve and Betsy agreed, “The church people have been very, very kind and welcoming to us and very helpful.” Betsy added, “They helped me find a job!” In answer to my query as to his hope for the future, Bro. Steve said, “We hope to work toward the strength of the church and how God would use us as a church to reach out.” We pray for the future of Decatur Methodist Church and all the churches of the area.
People, get ready! Jesus is coming soon!
You may contact me at lagnesrussell@gmail.com or 601-635-3282.
