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Most comfortable in blue jeans and a T-shirt, the surprisingly soft-spoken minister said, "I didn't become a Christian until my adult life, so I am used to hanging out with just normal folk. I understand and hopefully can answer the questions a non-Christian faces."
In fact, he is so good at answering questions that he hosts a weekly Tuesday morning radio program called "Ask Bill."
"I question my faith more than most people do. That's why I'm not blind-sided by questions on the radio,"said this minister, who is valued by many for his quick response and right-on-target answers.
"We have to remember that the day is coming when we won't be the ones asking the questions. It won't be us asking, 'God, why didn't you give me everything I asked for?'
"Instead, God will ask the questions like, 'What did you do with the gifts I gave you?' Now that's the one question I really think about," Serjak said.
Serjak said he is concerned about a recent trend in Christianity. "When did it get to be that we want God to make things right for us? When did we start thinking we are more important than God? We've got it backwards. God is not our servant. We are here to serve Him, and we need to put Him above ourselves."
Friend and church member Livingston Kelley said, "I like the way Bill convincingly tells us we are all sinners in need of salvation. He presents Christianity in a realistic manner, with no pretense.
"Bill begins each of his church services with the following: We welcome you to a community of sinners. If you look around, you will find fault with each one of us, especially the minister, because he is more visible.
"But the purpose of the Church of Jesus Christ is not to point you to ourselves either to our own goodness or to our own sinfulness but to point you to Jesus Christ, because it is in Him that we find forgiveness and in Him that we find newness of life.
"If you've never looked at Christ or his claims on your life, it would be my privilege to talk to you personally at your convenience about those claims," Kelley quoted.
For most devout young people, college is a time of testing that faith. For Serjak, it was the time of finding his. The thought-provoking pen of author C.S. Lewis helped... so did the personal friendship of Ben Haden. At the University of Miami Serjak worked with Campus Crusade for Christ and attended Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church where Haden pastored.
"Ben, who began the 'Changed Lives' radio and TV program, really changed my life. At the University of Miami I met Sandy, and we were married by Ben at the Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church just before I began seminary at Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta,"Serjak said.
As associate minister at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Hollywood, Fla., Serjak journeyed to the mountains for retreat and fell in love with Western North Carolina.
"I decided to send out my resume´ and lo and behold Paul Holt, who was chairman of the search committee, called me to come for an interview at Sylva Presbyterian. When Sandy and I came, we didn't know anybody here."
A lot has changed in those 25 years. While most churches change ministers with regular frequency, Sylva Presbyterian opted to hold on to Serjak.
In the local presbytery from Murphy to Gastonia, Serjak, who began work Sept. 15, 1976, has been here longer than any other minister.
"Tom Allman, a high school sophomore in the church, told me that he doubted that I would still be at the church when he graduated from high school,"Serjak said. "I did not know how long I would be here. I guess I am a little surprised to have stayed this long, but my family and I love it here.²
As well as impacting spiritual lives, Serjak impacted physical improvements to the church, beginning with the sanctuary and church grounds.
"The first project was only about $20,000 in total cost, but it looked very large at the time. In 1988, we completed major improvements in the church and manse, also with the church grounds. That cost was about $400,000, but it was also paid off well in advance of the time required by the mortgage,"a pleased Serjak said.
The church is currently remodeling the former manse for a recreation area and meeting rooms.
"I think one of (Serjak's) greatest appeals is how well he relates to the youth of our church,"said member Linda Kelley, mother of two young adults. "He has coached 13- to 15-year-olds in basketball, and he helped broadcast Smoky Mountain High School football games."
Serjak also travels on mission trips with the youth. He's led 10 mission trips to Jamaica with the senior high Son Servants youth group and three mission trips to Miami following hurricane Andrew. In addition, he led three trips to West Virginia, four to Cranks Creek, Ky., and one each to Beverly, Ky., and Bristol, Tenn. Plus, he's made many trips with the youth to various youth conferences.
"I like Reverend Bill because he is not a flashy, evangelistic, sales-type preacher. He just tells it like it is in a straightforward manner,"said one of those youth. That "telling-it-like-it-is"manner sets Serjak apart from most "tell-them-what-they-want-to-hear"people.
"I seek to be a loving minister,"Serjak said, "but not the way the world defines love. Most people consider love as total acceptance. I'm not willing to totally accept. If I think someone is doing something wrong or they are going in the wrong direction and not right with God, then I tell them."
In today's world, Serjak said, "many consider an ideal person as one who can surf the trends of the world. I'm a total stick in the mud against that. God is my Father. I have a close, personal relationship with Him and I stay in His house. I don't surf around."
Ask him what he considers the biggest problem today for Christianity, and Serjak quickly responds: "Superficiality."
"I think it's a problem when religion doesn't penetrate the mind and make us think deeply. Religion isn't some surface thing that's just fun, like youth trips or church dinners. And it's more than just an hour on Sunday. It's a deep, total, all-the-time lifetime commitment."
To help your mind achieve that penetrating state, Serjak recommends reading the works of C.S. Lewis. When he's not reading Lewis, Serjak finds time to serve the Presbyterian denomination in various capacities. He's moderated the Asheville Presbytery, served on the councils of Western North Carolina Presbytery and moderated the Western North Carolina Presbytery Council.
"I have also been the moderator of the permanent judicial commission of the Presbytery of WNC and am currently serving on the permanent judicial commission of the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic,"said Serjak, who was elected as a commissioner to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in 1976, 1985 and is currently elected to serve in 2002.
In the local community he served as the president of United Fund and also as Rotary Club president. For more than 15 years, he has delivered meals for the home-bound elderly.
"Right now I am enjoying the continuation of my ministry at First Presbyterian Church where I have served for 25 years, and the continuation of my marriage in which Sandy and I have just celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary on Sept. 8.
"I have also been blessed with a fine daughter, Lynn, a son-in-law, Andy, and two grandchildren, Berkley, who is 16 months old, and Gage, who is 3 months old. Just last year the church made it possible for Sandy and me to purchase our own home. We have a mortgage on it that I am due to pay off when I am 87,"said the ever-optimistic Serjak.
"This is a good start for my life. I am looking forward to what the Lord will bring in the future."
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As well as building souls for God's kingdom, the Rev. Bill Serjak built this replica 1953 MG TD, which sports his license tag "IBUILTIT.""It was a personal, spiritual experience for me,"said Serjak, who will celebrate 25 years at Sylva First Presbyterian this Sunday, Sept. 16, with a special reception at 4 p.m. "Time after time I had to figure out the problem and then the solution. It wasn't like there were any directions, kind of like in life. No kit tells you how to give it life, how to wire it and build the transmission. I'm a terrible procrastinator and lots of times I wanted to give up, but that driving force - faith - sustained me."