My Call to The Ministry
As I look back on my call to the ministry, I know God had been working to point me in that direction long before I became aware of or was willing to accept His call for me. But in the month of February 1971, I recoginzed a clear call from God to preach the gospel. It would be almost a year before I would stand before my home church and announce my calling. When I made that step in January 1972, it seemed like I was the only one who was not already aware of what God was calling me to do! There were a lot of congratuations and comments of, "I knew you would some day....." or "I was wondering when you would get around to this day." One week later, I preached my first sermon at Mtn. View Baptist Church of Bostic, NC. My home church was packed out that night. I saw several preachers present, which made me somewhat nervous, to say the least. But by God's grace, He spoke through me the message He had given me. We had a great service. The following Sunday, I preached for a good friend, pastor Hubert Street, at nearby Wilson Baptist Church. The third Sunday I traveled about 50 miles to Hickory, NC to preach at Faith Baptist Church, where my brother Mal was a deacon. That Night, I preached at Forest Lake Baptist where my friend Jack Upton was pastor. So having preached four times in three weeks, I was off and running in the preaching ministry. Over thirty seven years later, I have never doubted my call and continue to preach the Word of God where ever I get opportunity. I want to finish well as I continue to preach the Word until He comes or calls me home.
