While at Logan Road, we experienced many mountain tops and many valleys. Mountain top experiences included being embraced (even though we were definitely not the typical pastor's family), Chas having the opportunity to baptize David, who had accepted Jesus some years before, but had been afraid to be baptized, opportunities to be able to go and speak at motorcycle events, seeing people work to do things for the kingdom, The visit of our beloved HBW family, relationships built that have and will continue to stand the test of time, and MOST of all, the love of our Father, who provided for us and saw us through much.
Valley experiences were such things as seeing some of the very ones who once boasted of having a 'long-haired pastor' turn 180 degrees, seeing many great people of God lose a battle on this side of Glory and go on before us. The greatest loss in that regard was our beloved Youth Pastor, Hugh. Chas and I had met Hugh and Rhonda at college and the Lord saw fit to bring them on staff with us. They had been with us about three years when Hugh began to experience some stomach issues. What was first thought to be a bowel obstruction was soon found to be stage 4 colon cancer. We were shaken with the diagnosis, but hopeful that a miracle would occur. Hugh went through surgery and chemo. The chemo took so much out of him. He eventually decided to discontinue treatments. I remember very clearly having Hugh spend the weekend with us as we had a youth fund-raiser. He stood outside our house talking to us as we grilled dinner and told us that he 'just might not beat this thing.' This was NOT what I wanted to hear or accept. We loved Hugh, Rhonda and the boys....still do. That was in about May. Hugh continued to travel to the church from Graceville and even carried the youth to youth camp that summer, as well as YEC. We went to youth camp, partly for Chas to be able to share daily devotions, and greatly to be there for Hugh and Rhonda. We admired their faithfulness and resolve. Hugh remained enrolled in college, doing much of the work from home in the fall. Rhonda began to come and fulfill many of Hugh's responsibilities at the church when he was unable to make the trip up. I can not even put into words how our hearts hurt for and with them. We had hoped for a miracle, but Hugh told us he would win this battle one way or the other. We went to see him and Rhonda in September of that year. The purpose for the visit was for them to tell us their wishes regarding Hugh's funeral. Again, this was not supposed to be a conversation we were supposed to be having with a 34 year old man with whom we served and loved so greatly. When we left that night, Hugh stood and hugged us. He and Chas wept on each other's shoulders. A day or so later, on my daily phone call to check on him, he told me that he cried so that night because he felt as if he and Chas were like David and Jonathon saying good-bye. Still, words I did not want to hear, but at the same time, words that have brought peace and comfort since. One morning in mid-September, Chas and I were in morning staff prayer time/meeting at the school we were on staff at when the church secretary, the pastor's wife from there, walked in with a pained look. She told me that Desiree' had just called....our friend had been healed and was no longer in pain. We were devastated. We immediately went and got our son, David, who was in the youth group and loved Hugh dealy, took him to the principal's office and told him. We then tearfully excused ourselves and headed to Graceville. Two days later, when Chas stood in the pulpit to preach the funeral of our loved one, he gripped the pulpit, cleared his throat and gathered the strength to do the most difficult funeral ever. Later, the associationl secretary, Lisa, told me that she didn't think in the early moments of the service that Chas would be able to get through it. She said that she was thinking that the best thing Chas could do was to ask someone to pray and just sit down, but that she was pleased that he was able to garner the required strength to share what our brother had meant to so many. That day, Logan Road had more people than ever before. There were family, friends, professors, college administrators, associational staff and a lot of broken hearts. Hugh's youth served as honorary pallbearers. My dear sister, Rhonda was such a rock, just as she had been for the entire year of this battle. I will ever love and respect her. The message was truly an oddity for Chas. He is one to alliterate all of his messages, while Hugh was a word-builder. That day, my Chas shared a message in Hugh-fashion...he built a word.
It was decided that we would express to Rhonda the desire to have her continue to work with the youth and come on staff as your youth minister. She did and moved onto to the field after graduation in December. She served with us until the following late spring/early summer. At that time, she left. Personally, I think she just simply needed to rest in Jesus' arms for a while and find who and what He wanted her to be.
Just a few short weeks after Rhonda left, this kid was brought to VBS by her dad. They had just moved to the area. They were neighbors of our friend & member, Debra. She invited them to come & bring their daughter, Regan to VBS. At the time, Debra and I were co-directors. It was our habit to pray each night with the workers before activities began. Before the end of the week, Darryl, Regan's dad, was joining us for prayer time. Oh, did I mention that Darryl had been a Youth Pastor and Missions Pastor? Yup, you guessed it. It was not long until they were regular visitors and we were extending a call to be Youth Pastor. We have had the awesome opportunity to serve with them since then. As God grew our relationship with Darryl and Karyn, He moved on their hearts to get a motorcycle. Can you see where this is going? Yes! We rode many rides together, spent a lot of time behind bars with them and they voiced a desire and calling to be a part of LAHBW! Well, at that point, Cliff and Diane had determined to ride the fence, no longer desiring to be attached to any one ministry and returned their colors. Doobie and Desiree' were busy with their kids, much as we had been for a little while, and were becoming inactive. At the time of this posting, Darryl and Karyn are an active part of LAHBW and Doobie and Desiree' have gotten rid of their bikes and will be turning their colors in until a later time, if the Lord so desires.
Also during our years at LRBC, we were able to finally see three Biker Sunday Services. We had patiently waited on the Lord. He had sent Darryl and Karyn and was slowly sending a few bikers. We never tried to make Logan Road a biker church. We only strived to make it possible for anyone who came to feel welcome. During that process, Chas preached a revival at a church several miles away. During that week, the Lord brought Bob and Elaine Culp into our lives. They were bikers and we gelled. The Culps began to attend LRBC and have been such a blessing to us. Other bikers who became a part of the LRBC family were Moe and Gloria McAda. We have been blessed by these families beyond belief.
Oh, one other event that was somewhat of a valley as well as a mountain top was the VBS at which I was bitten by a cottonmouth snake. I had picked up attendance and was conducting my normal evening walk-through. I opened the fellowship hall door and began to step out the door when my ankle on my right foot felt as if I had just been stung. Almost immediately, I experienced excruciating pain. I looked down and an obviously angry, aggressive adult cottonmouth had bitten me, not once, but twice. I yelled to the teenagers who were setting up for recreation to come kill it. I then limped around the building and entered the end door near our offices. I went in and shut my computer down, packed it up and walked to the fellowship hall to have them get Chas. Long story short here, but I was taken to the hospital, given eleven vials of anti-venom and spent 2 days in ICU. I had sever nerve damage and had to go to physical therapy for three weeks. Praise the Lord, VBS continued and I have almost full range of motion in the foot, with no loss of tissue.
I could sit here all night sharing mountain top experiences and valleys, but I will not do so tonight. Irony is that as of today, we have resigned. We have loved the Lord and the people of Logan Road Baptist Church. However, when a divisive spirit is allowed by two or three to attempt cause a rift in the body, sometimes the best action is simply to step back and turn them over to their desires. Having said that, it was and is our great love for the Lord and for the majority of the people at the church that Chas, along with Darryl tendered their resignations to a congregation of tearful (with the exception of 3) congregation who came to us asking, 'what will we do now?' As we step away form Logan Road, it is with anxious anticipation that we look to the future and all that our Great an d Mighty Lord has in store. In the words of StevenCurtis Chapman, 'We've got a trail to blaze through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace. (We're gonna) follow our leader into the glorious unknown.... AND we pray our Lord's blessings on those people who where so saddened today that they might know Him more and be drawn closer to Him.