My Salvation Experience

After returning home from Vietnam I was very confused about my life and purpose. I was attending funerals of many high school friends who were killed in action while serving in Vietnam. I was considered a baby killer and so I sought refuge in the bottle. From 1966 to 1969 I spent most of my time drinking and trying to run from the reality of life. I was very confused and lacked real purpose. In October of 1969 I met a young women who invited me to church. I was reluctant and decided I would go just to make her happy. It was a revival service being held at Immanuel Baptist Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The guest speaker was the late Rev Ray Sadler. After my first night I knew that I was lost and I was not willing to admit it to anyone. Through the pressure of this young lady I continued to go and on Thursday night after a tremendous sermon on hell I gave into the will of God and received Christ as my Lord and Saviour. This was the beginning of my new life in Christ. I had been working in a bar room and that night was the last night of life in bars or drinking or even living a reckless life with no purpose.  From that night on I had purpose in life. Little did I know that I would be called to the ministry. The young women I met would become my wife four moths later.

Our Calling to the ministry

In 1969 Susan and I met while she was visiting Florida. She later moved to Florida where after two months we knew that we had looked far enough and we were married at Hollywood Baptist Church.  Now for  almost thirty four years we have been together serving the Lord.  We began our ministry in 1970 in a small church Immanuel Baptist Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. There I helped with the youth and Susan assisted me. In 1972 we joined Margate Baptist Church where I became the choir director and in the spring of 1973 I surrendered to full time ministry.

Going off to college was a big move with three Children

In the fall of 1973 we moved to Lynchburg, Virginia where I started attending Lynchburg Baptist College. It is here that I received my grounding and training to do the work that the Lord had called us to. Susan attended sign language and I went to the college and the Bible Institute. From 1974 to 1978 I helped several churches and did evangelistic meeting across the nation. In the fall of 1973 I established His Word of Truth Ministries. Working my way through college and Bible School was not easy with three little children. Today our children are grown.