July 15, 2002
Baptists visible in Kempner
___By John Hall
___Staff Writer
___KEMPNER--Mayor Roger Fancher laughed as he declared, "The Baptists are running Kempner."
___He may be joking, but it is close to the truth. Fancher also serves as pastor of First Baptist Church in Kempner. The city secretary and a city councilman are members of his congregation as well.
___Despite having just moved from Refugio, where he resigned his mayoral duty to become pastor at the Kempner church, he was elected the first mayor of the newly formed city outside Copperas Cove in 1997.
___"He was the only one with experience, so we really needed him here," said Frances Spinney, the city secretary who has worked with him the past five years.
___Although he was elected, Fancher hesitated to take the position. He made it clear to the public that he came to be a pastor, not a mayor.
___"I did have some reservations," he said. "I know people always get mad at the mayor. The mayor may not be able to vote, but he's always the scapegoat when something goes wrong."
___The pastor did not want people to associate his political actions negatively with his church. He said he knows politics can be a delicate topic and does not want to lose potential members because of his mayoral actions.
___"It would affect your church," Fancher said. "I've seen businessmen in Refugio; when someone would get mad at them, they would stop shopping there. The same could happen at church."
___Despite his concerns, Fancher accepted the position and has been mayor since. He has faced the challenge of building the town from the ground up while focusing on his congregation.
___"We're growing," he said. "Putting together a city is a lot different from being mayor of an existing city. It's taking a lot of my time. I don't want it to take away time from my church."
___So far, he has not faced any large conflicts between his church and city, he said.
___Spinney said Fancher has been successful in both positions because he is a personable man who shows he cares by simple conversation. "He listens to our suggestions. We get along really well."
___Because he is mayor, he often meets the new people in town and has the opportunity to share his faith with them. He invites them to his church when appropriate.
___In his mind, his primary duty remains the pastorate, he said. "I believe the Lord's called me to be a pastor first and foremost."
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