By Gabriella Scozzafava
Herald Intern
Pastor Elias Gideon Caffey Sr. has spent over two decades serving church members in Sanford, but his impact extends far beyond the church walls. The Sanford community recognizes Caffey for supporting community members through various life struggles.
Caffey, who has spent the last 12 years serving Providence Missionary Baptist Church and previously served at Zion Hope Missionary Baptist Church for 10 years, said he felt he was called on by God to do the work of a pastor in Sanford. As a child, Caffey remembered kneeling around his mother’s bed with his 10 siblings to thank God for something every Sunday morning.
When he became a pastor, Caffey said he felt called to address togetherness in the church and to bring the youth closer to God through the gospel. Caffey is dedicated to accomplishing these goals in the church, but he also strives to be a community leader for anyone who needs his help, congregation member or not.
“I don’t care what color they are or race or whatever,” Caffey said. “If they need my help, they are one of God’s children, and I have to reach out and do whatever I can.”
Caffey meets people wherever they are in life, and one of the places where he has impacted people is the fish creek. Charon Howard is a friend of Caffey’s whom he met while fishing. She did not know he was a pastor initially, but connected with him instantly while talking about God and scripture.
Howard said she has watched people who have known Caffey speak very highly of him and his ability to be a role model in the community. In one instance, Howard was on the phone with a young man who was having a breakdown and talking about ending his life. Caffey stepped in and talked to the man, prayed for him, and gave him encouraging advice, Howard said.
“You don’t find too many pastors these days, you know, that live up to the expectations of this man,” Howard said.
Willie Willingham is another friend of Caffey who he also met at the fish creek. He said he has seen Caffey go above and beyond for people in crises through actions not limited to feeding the homeless, helping single parents and even paying rent without expecting anything in return.
Willingham said he remembered a mother of five who was put out on the street that Caffey helped take care of.
“They didn’t have nowhere to go,” Willingham said. “And he took it upon his heart like that to find them a place to live, and he paid the rent up for about five months.”
Caffey has experienced countless instances like these and changes over his years of service from helping community members through grief to leading his congregation through COVID challenges. As he watches the city of Sanford and its community continue to grow from the “little farm town” he initially remembered it as, Caffey hopes his legacy to people remains clear.
“I hope they say that he was a humble man that was born out of sincerity, and God was the one who clothed him in apostolic authority to point people to Jesus Christ,” Caffey said.
