The Passing of a Faithful Servant:

I received news yesterday that a fellow pastor died from a heart attack.  Rev. Wallace Smith and I graduated together from Appalachian Bible College.  I rememberWallace reading one of Elihu's speeches, from the Book of Job, in speech class.  There was a period of a few weeks when it seemed like every discussion in one of our Bible classes included a reference to Josephus from Wallace the young scholar.  He had just gotten a new set of the ancient historians books.

In the middle of our senior year Wallace started pastoring a little church in Covington VA.  The congregation had just come through a time of turmoil.  Their former pastor had turned out to be somewhat wolf-like.  During our last semester Wallace finished his college studies while commuting to Covington to sheperd the flock.  After graduation Wallace and his family moved into the church's parsonage.  For about two years he preached God's word here and loved and guided that group.  He supplemented the family income by working at his old trade of iron worker.  He was part of the crew that built part of our local paper-mill that remains a local landmark.

 

When I finished another couple of years of education and received a call to be the next Pastor of Covington Bible Church, Rev. Smith drove a truck to Pennsylvania to help Kathy and me move down.  Our few possessions fit in a pickup-truck.  They helped us move into the parsonage, here.  In fact while they finished the arrangements that led to Wallace becoming the pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church in Princeton WV, we lived on their furniture.  We helped them pack up.  They said it was because they didn't need it, but I think it had more to do with the fact that we definitely could use it, at any rate we appreciated the few pieces of furniture that they gave us.  

Wallace faithfully led the congregation at Maranatha until failing health compelled him to retire a short time ago.  He and Beulah were planning to visit us here at CBC this past summer.  Sickness and schedule conflicts prevented the visit.  We will get together.

 

I'm looking forward to sharing a cup of Celestial Blend coffee with Wallace.  I figure Johhny Price, Mason Fisher, and Rag Meyers will join us.  I'd like to think that Lester Pipkin, Bill Hanmer, John Van Pufflen and others who poured their lives into us will stop by and say they didn't waste their time.  I fully expect to hear my Lord,

Our Lord, say to my colleague, Wallace, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Until then, I say, "Thanks, friend, for modeling faithfulness.

It's STTA.