Called into the ministry at the age of 19, I “pulled a Jonah”!
I was terrified of the thought of trying to preach and had no one that I could turn to for advice. So, I went to on to college and in to the secular job market. After spending 39 years in various leadership roles within the telecommunications industry, I realized that I was still never able to shake the knowledge that I was still not doing what God had called me to do. So, I took advantage of an early retirement opportunity and put the rest of my life into God’s hands…I assumed that the “preaching ship” had sailed, but I hoped that He could find a place for me to serve.
And did He ever!
My wife, Judy, and I felt that God was calling us to Grove, Oklahoma and this time I did not want to say NO!
In July of 2012, we sold our house in Atlanta and left friends and family behind in search of His will for us.
Shortly after arriving, we found the remarkable people of Trinity Baptist Church. We knew that this was where God wanted us to place our membership, but He had much more in mind! After preaching for them one Sunday, the church asked me to be in prayer to come in view of the call to pastor the church.
After 39 years in the secular world, I wasn’t sure if I was the right person for this immense responsibility. But we had come this far and it would have been insane to now say no to the Lord.
So after intense prayer, I answered the call and took my place as the first full time pastor for Trinity Baptist Church of Grove.
To say that this has been the greatest blessing in my life is a huge understatement!
God has continually blessed us and the church. We’ve seen strong growth over the past six years. We’ve gone from a tiny group of people meeting in the basement of a member to now occupying an historical church building in the heart of the downtown area!
We’ve seen His mighty hand at work in so many wonderful things over the past six years!
Serving as Pastor for Trinity Baptist Church and being actively involved in our community has been amazing, and I look forward to the future and seeing what God has in store for us!