The ladies of Welti-Cumberland Presbyterian Church have conspired against their retiring pastor, the Rev. Ray Lathem, to make his send off as memorable as possible.

The women are hosting a reception Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m.

Church member Doris Patterson said Lathem has been in Cullman for about 11 years. She lauded his volunteerism.

He is a volunteer at Peinhardt Farms ,which is a living history farm, he is a volunteer chaplain with the Sheriff’s Office, he is a volunteer at Woodland Medical Center and Cullman Regional Medical Center, said Patterson.

“And he’s just real involved in the community,” she said.

Lathem, who is 66 years old, plans to work part-time for Cullman Heritage Funeral Home following his retirement Sunday and will also continue his volunteer work as a chaplain with the Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Tyler Roden said Lathem is one of eight ministers who volunteer at the Sheriff’s Office. Ministers assist in a variety of ways. They ride with deputies and help them deliver death notifications.

“Law enforcement are often tasked with notifying family members a loved one has been killed,” said Roden.

Ministers assist deputies to do that, he said.

“They also help us on crime scenes with family members who are distraught and traumatized by the loss of a loved one,” said Roden. “We have asked them to come out on crime scenes and counsel those individuals allowing us to concentrate on our work.”

Woodland Medical Center Marketing Director Anna Higginbotham said Lathem has been an asset to WMC, it patients and their families for many years.

“He is kind and compassionate and approaches the most delicate situations with the utmost grace,” she said.

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church was born in the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee in 1810, according to Lathem.

“It was an outgrowth of the Great Revival of 1800 — one of the most powerful revivals that this country has ever witnessed,” he said.

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church founders had some disagreements with the Westminister Confession of Faith, said Lathem, including: there is no eternal condemnation, Jesus died for all humanity, infants are saved and through Jesus’ atonement and the action of the Holy Spirit, everyone is accountable to God.

“Today, we believe and teach that the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice,” said Lathem.

Lathem’s father was a Cumberland Presbyterian minister in central Mississippi.

Following graduation from high school in Carthage, Miss., Lathem enrolled at East Central Junior College with plans to become a pharmacist.

“However, God had other plans for my life, and I transferred to Bethel College — a Cumberland Presbyterian College — in McKenzie, Tenn.,” said Lathem.

After graduation, Lathem enrolled in the Memphis Theological Seminary. He graduated in 1964 and has only served in five churches in the past 48 years.

Two of the congregations were in Kentucky, one in Mississippi and two in Alabama — the Springfield Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Rogersville and the Welti Church from 1996 to July 15, 2007.

Lathem recently oversaw the addition of a vestibule to the church. He said his church has 160 members, 120 who attend regularly.

“The church is most unique in the fact that members come from four and five generations that have been members of the Welti Church because once they graduated from college, they could find jobs in the area so they haven’t left here,” he said.

Church member Jerry Weathersby praised Lathem’s service to church members and the community.

“Rev. Ray Lathem has provided spiritual counsel and comfort to the Welti Church and Cullman community since beginning his ministry here over 11 years ago,” said Weathersby. “His presence at our church will be greatly missed, but his influence will continue in Cullman as he and his wife, Jeanne, make their home here.”

Church member Gail Neal said Lathem has been a wonderful example and a dedicated servant to church members.

“He has celebrated the marriages of our children, the births of our grandchildren, and helped us through the loss of loved ones,” she said.

Neal said Lathem’s leadership and understanding have been important to members.

“We wish Bro. Ray and Jeanne a wonderful retirement because they are so deserving to have this time together after living their lives for others for forty-eight years,” said Neal.

The Lathem’s have three children and eight grandchildren.

He said of his ministry, “It’s been my life. I love it.”

He will be replaced by the Rev. Jimmy Teyton, 38. Teyton and his wife, Andrea, and two children are coming from Cedar Hill-Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Greenville, Tenn.