My Childhood
I was born February 3, 1944, on a small farm near Bostic, NC as the last of 8 children of Clifford T. and Gazzie Lovelace. I grew up in a Christian home with parents that loved God. My father and mother never allowed us to go to bed at night without first calling the family together to read the scriptures and pray. We could not eat a meal without first thanking God for what was on the table. Our family never had a lot of worldly goods, but had the necessities of life, and most of all the spiritual direction that later would prove priceless for me. My dad passed away when I was 13, and the only child still at home. My mother was left behind to raise and provide for me until I graduated from Sunshine High School in 1962. She aslo continued to provide the spiritual guidance and Christian example that would later have a tremendous impact on my life.
Early in my life, my family was one of the founding families of Mtn. View Baptist Church, on the Bostic-Sunshine Highway, near Bostic, NC. The church was the center piece of our activities as I grew up. We were always there for every service and my parents very much involved. My dad served as music director and my mother played the piano. Both taught Sunday School as well. I will be forever grateful for my spiritual heritage.
