A Higher Calling

Georgia waste hauler Rodney Upton preaches more than effective septic system maintenance. He’s studying for a second career in the ministry.

The drivers he passes on Georgia highways between septic pumping jobs may be surprised at what Rodney Upton is listening to in his truck cab.

There’s no country or rock music or talk radio coming from Upton’s speakers. The 28-year-old owner of Hero Septic Inc. is more likely listening to Greek lessons on his MP3 player. That’s because in addition to pumping, Upton is answering an even higher calling … He wants to become an ordained minister in the Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States and someday lead his own congregation.

“I’m not able to study as much as I would like right now,” Upton says. “But my hope was to start the business and, as it grew, step out of the way and eventually just manage it from an office.”

That’s when he hopes to shift his ministry from after hours to prime time.

“Right now I’m doing correspondence courses,” Upton says. “It will probably take me three or four years of study. Then I have to pass an ordination examination, which is a pretty tough exam that lasts a couple of days and is almost completely oral.”

In addition to learning Greek and Hebrew, Upton is deepening his knowledge of the denominational doctrine by memorizing the Westminster Confession of Faith, including the 107 questions and answers that make up the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which his wife and two oldest children are learning with him. Though this particular Presbyterian Church was established in 1983, the doctrine dates back to 1646, making memorization an interesting challenge for this 21st century family.

Upton has always known he wanted to be a pastor, but married at 17 and soon had a family to support. Today, that family has grown to include his wife, LaRae, 10-year-old Andrew, 8-year-old Augusta, 6-year-old Isaac, 4-year-old Emily Grace and 20-month-old Josiah. LaRae is also pregnant with the couple’s third daughter.

“It’s always been my assumption as far back as I can remember that a minister was something I would be some day,” Upton says.

He grew up in Pennsylvania, the son of a traveling preacher, and moved to Atlanta when he was 16. He and LaRae met at a church function when they were both four years old.

“And I’ve been in love with her ever since,” Upton says.

STARTING THE BUSINESS

Before striking out on his own in June 2007, Upton worked as a subcontractor for an Atlanta septic company. He decided owning his own company would give him the flexible schedule he needed to pursue his goal of becoming an ordained pastor.

“I had to be freed up from the job I had,” he says. “I had to have a lot more time and freedom. When you own a business and have regular customers, you have to keep them happy. But I have more time at home and more time for studying than when I worked as a subcontractor.”

He says he expected to ease into the business, which serves customers within 60 miles of both Atlanta and Athens, Ga. But the first year was busier than anticipated.

“The average has grown to three tanks a day,” Upton says. “That’s a lot of driving and pumping. I generally work 10 hours a day, five to six days a week, and I hired a guy a few months ago to work with me.”

Hero Septic does installation and repair work as well as pumping. Upton owns a 2001 International 4900 truck with a 2,500-gallon tank built by Abernethy Welding & Repair Inc. It is equipped with a Masport Inc. pump. He advertises primarily through his Web site, linking to it through local advertising on search engines Google and Yahoo.

Upton also has an Internet presence on YouTube, thanks to an educational video he made. He says while his after hour’s time is usually reserved for faith and family, he spent some time last summer with his oldest son making a short video on how to locate a septic tank. He also has a 30-second commercial for Hero Septic on YouTube.

“The commercial is short, telling people where to call,” he says. “And I did the video as an experiment. It’s had a few hundred views, but whether or not they were local I don’t know. It’s hard to judge if it has had impact. But it was fun to do.”

THE LORD’S DAY

Some of Upton’s sermons can also be found online at sermon audio.com. Upton is already active in his local church, Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church in Covington, Ga. — between Atlanta and Athens — and has done some preaching there.

“I’m on call there,” he says. “We have one pastor and one ruling elder, and since I’m a ministerial candidate, any time they need me to preach they’ll call on me. Last year I preached a lot more; this year I’ve only been asked to preach once every couple of months so I can focus on my studies.”

Upton has taught catechism class at his church, too, but his job and studies keep him too busy for that now. But don’t get the impression that Upton is working seven days a week.

“On my Web site, on the bottom of the page it says, ‘Closed Sunday (the Lord’s Day)’,” he says. “I just wanted people to know that if they had a problem on Sunday they’d have to call someone else, because I do not work on the Lord’s Day. But people frequently comment on it and it actually gets me a lot of business.”



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