The Rev. Stanley Searcy still sometimes thinks of himself as a &uot;little country boy.&uot; But the Natchez native, who now pastors New Hope Missionary Baptist Church on Morgantown Road, is one of only about 10 U.S. ministers who have been named bishops in an international organization of Christian churches.

&uot;To have one from Natchez is, I think, a pretty neat thing,&uot; said Searcy, who was ordained last month in the International Communion of Charismatic Churches. &uot;I’m so privileged, for a little country boy like me.&uot;

The organization, formed in 1982, represents a coalition of national and international ministries whose goal, according to the ICCC Web site, is &uot;to promote dialogue and unity between the historical and renewed churches.

Searcy said the ICCC has more than 9,000 churches of different denominations — from Baptists to Catholics.

&uot;Any church that you think about, it’s there,&uot; Searcy said.

Charismatic churches are noted for their emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which members believe can be expressed in such forms as healing or prophetic utterances, along with emotional expressions of worship.

The ICCC’s goal, Searcy said, is to spread the gospel in a unified manner.

In addition, ICCC members invest in helping communities with such projects as building schools and digging wells in impoverished countries, Searcy said.

For the new bishop, being a part of the international organization is also exciting because it represents the kind of fellowship he is trying to establish in Natchez.

&uot;The exciting thing about it is it’s interracial, not just interdenominational,&uot; Searcy said.

What Searcy is also trying to establish in Natchez is a pretty ambitious development for a three-and-a-half-year-old church.

New Hope, with the help of backing from a finance group, is building a 5,000-seat church next to the current church.

It’s a far cry from where Searcy started when he moved back to Natchez after stints in Kentucky and Alabama. He bought the current church, the old Washington Baptist Church, from Katherine Seals.

How many people did the now 1,700-member church serve in those first days?

&uot;It was me and her,&uot; Searcy said, laughing as he pointed from himself to his wife, Brenda. &uot;And Mrs. Seals had to hold the check for us for three weeks.&uot;

Searcy expects construction on the new church, which he hopes will attract national and international evangelists to speak, to begin in the next six months.