In May of 1960 my family began a trip that would change our lives forever. We were moving from Globe, Arizona to Chicago, Illinois. Below is the true story of my life:

Chapter 1
The Beginning of a Long Story

My Dad was a Pastor and he had just resigned the Church he was Pastoring. He was moving his family to Chicago so he could attend Moody Bible Institute. He packed all the belongings he could in the back of his pickup and a trailer that he would pull behind it.

After all was packed our family began our trip as we left the small town of Globe, Arizona. We traveled in two vehicles, a pickup truck with a trailer which my Dad, older sister, and dog rode in and our family car which was driven by my Mother. In the back seat my Dad had put a mattress so my two brothers and I could lie down and sleep during the trip.

We stopped at a gas station just after they crossed the border of New Mexico and Arizona and made plans to stop at a restaurant somewhere down the road and eat. My brothers and I decided to sleep until we got there. I was the oldest of the boys. I was 7 years old and was going to be 8 in July; my brothers were 5 and 3.

We were following a Greyhound Bus and we had somehow lost track of my Dad, who had gotten ahead of us.  My Mother had lost track of his truck and couldn’t see his truck anymore. Because the Greyhound Bus was traveling slower we were getting farther behind and my Mother decided to try and pass.

When she began to make her pass around the bus she didn’t realize that there was a dip in the road and coming out of that dip was another car coming straight as us. We hit that car head on. The Greyhound Bus stopped and the driver got out and was trying to help us.

The State Police and Rescue Squad came on the scene and began to get us out of the car. The Rescue Squad broke the rear window out of the car and pulled my brothers and me out to safety. The ambulance began loading the injured and the Rescue Squad was working to get my Mother out of the car. My brothers and I were put in the front seat of the ambulance with the driver and my Mother was put in the back. As we rode to the hospital we talked with the driver and I asked him if my Mother was okay but he wouldn’t tell me one way or another.

We arrived at the hospital in Lordsburg, New Mexico where they rushed my Mother into the hospital and they took my brothers and me in to be examined. We only have a few cuts and bruises and they dressed them and then took us to the waiting room.

The State Police took me aside and began to ask me questions and I told him about my Dad and sister being in a pick-up truck ahead of us. They dispatched another officer to try and find my Dad and sister. A nice lady stayed with my brothers and me while we waited in the waiting room.

Soon my Dad and sister got to the hospital. My dad was taken immediately to the other room and my sister and we boys stayed in the waiting room. While we were waiting my youngest brother was playing and he fell on the newly waxed floor. They took him into the other room after he fell and later the brought him out with a cast on his leg.

Finally my Dad came out and my sister and I asked how our Mother was doing but he didn’t tell us anything he just said that we would have to wait until the morning before we could do anything. A nice lady who lived near where the accident happened had come to the hospital and she offered to let us stay at her house for the night. We all went home with her and stayed there overnight.

The next day we were taken back to Arizona to my grandmother’s house in Chandler, Arizona. I tried so very hard to cheer up my grandmother but she wouldn’t quit crying. I told her that my Mother would be okay but it only made her cry more.

The next thing I remember is being taken to this big building and at the front was a casket. At the time I didn’t know what it was and I was wondering why my Mother was sleeping while all the people were milling around. I went over to the casket and tried to wake her without success. I was told she went home to be with Jesus. I said, “No she can’t go I need her to take care of me.  The next thing I remember they were taking my brothers and me back to my grandmother’s house.  At the time I didn’t really know what was going on but the next day was the funeral and my sister, my brothers and I stood as they lowered the casket. Then we each tossed some dirt into the grave. It was at that point that I realized that my Mother was gone. I began to cry and I don’t really remember much that happened after that except a few days later my two brothers boarded a train with my other grandmother (my Dad’s mother) and she took them up to Gary, Indiana.

My sister and I rode with my Dad and the dog in the truck up to Gary, Indiana.  I don’t remember much as I think I slept most of the way.  We did stop one time that I can remember and Dad slept on a picnic table while my sister and I kept the dog quiet.

When we arrived in Gary, Indiana my Dad found an apartment and enrolled us in school. The apartment he found was located in Griffith, Indiana and so I went to school in Griffith.

Because my Dad was gone most of the time working he found a housekeeper and babysitter for us. She was a sweet black lady that we learned to love. My Dad’s mother (my grandmother) move in with us and helped take care of us. At the time she was a school teacher. I forget what school system she was teaching in but my Aunt was teaching at Black Oak Elementary in Gary, Indiana.

During my fourth grade I was heartbroken about the lost of my Mother and I began to skip school. I use to hide out in the woods near our house where I had gotten a big cardboard box that I made into a fort. I think it was a refrigerator box but I can’t remember for sure. I would sit in the box and daydream until late in the afternoon and then go home and pretend I was at school all day. Our housekeeper/babysitter never knew that I wasn’t at school.

I went to school about 2 out of 5 days and before long I got caught. My Dad was summoned to school and my teacher told him that I was failing. She told him that she didn’t see anyway I could pass. My Aunt (the teacher I referred to earlier) suggested they put me back in 3rd grade and make me work hard to get back into the 4th grade. Well, I got on the ball and did all my school work because I didn’t want to get farther behind. By the end of the year I was doing a bit better in school but my heart was still broken over the lost of my Mother.

I don’t remember the exact date but the First Baptist Church in Griffith, Indiana extended a call to my Dad and he became their Pastor. (This Church was a SBC church.) So we moved into the parsonage on Broad Street. At the time my Dad went to the Church it was located on Broad Street across from the school. The last time I was in Griffith it was the Bible Baptist Church which was where Pastor Mike Poole was the Pastor.

My Dad pastored there and the Deacons encouraged him to remarry. A Pastor friend of his introduced him to a lady whom he began dating. Later they married and she became my step-mother. My grandmother moved out and we no longer needed the housekeeper/babysitter.

The Church grew and prospered and they built a new parsonage out on H Avenue. (I think that was the name of the street.) They were going to build a new Church out there but something changed their plans. I am not sure about the details because I was so young and not involved in them.

It was while at this Church that I realized I was a sinner. One of the Deacons said to me, “You are the Pastor’s son are you sure aren’t saved?”  Well, I might have been the Pastor’s son but I was as lost as the drunks at the Gary Rescue Mission. (That is another story I will tell you later.  Well I got saved in July 1961 and was baptized shortly after. My Dad led me to the Lord.  I truly saw my sinful condition and my need for a Savior and I ask Jesus Christ to be my Savior and I ask Him to forgive me of all my sins. Praise God He did. I was baptized the next week after my Dad talked with me and made sure I understood the decision I had made. I will never forget my baptism as the water was cold. Even though it was summer it was cold. I thought I was going to die of frost bite.

My Dad continued to Pastor this Church for several years and then he left before they built their new building. When they built their new building after my Dad left they built it on N. Colfax. My Dad then went to the County Line Baptist Church in East Gary, Indiana. (It was at this Church that I decided I want to give up my nickname and that was a real battle. I was growing up and I wanted to be treated like the older kids.)

It was during my Dad’s Pastorate at East Gary, Indiana that he finally decided he must go back to school and so we moved to Chicago, IL.

My Dad had decided to move to Chicago, IL and continue his education at Moody Bible Institute. We moved to an apartment or what we call a duplex today. It was on Sacramento just down the street from Audubon Elementary School. We had a nice landlord and a small yard. I went to school and learned many hard lessons while living on this street. I spent many a day at Horner Park which was about 6 or seven blocks away. The school was in walking distance and so I had it made. The only problem was I wouldn’t be able to tell my kids about walking 10 miles through snow up to my hips to get to school. (I guess the kids these days don’t buy that story anyway.)

While we lived on this street I learned many lessons. I can’t share them here but take my word they were lessons I will never forget. I rode a bike that was painted olive green. It was U-G-L-Y but I still rode it around our neighborhood. I use to go around and stop bullies from beating up on little girls. Some of the kids called me “Super Sam”.  I sometimes look back at those days and wonder how I survived them. Just because my Dad was a student at Moody Bible Institute didn’t exempt me from getting into trouble. I can’t tell you all that I got into while living on this street.

Well, my Dad was attending school and a small SBC called him to be their Pastor. (Grace Missionary Baptist Church) The church was located in a storefront building next door to a bar. I remember the owner treating us real nice so we didn’t cause a problem and have him closed down. It was on Southport Avenue. I remember being a teenager while at this Church and passing out tracts on the street before the services. We had many walk off the street into our services and more than once we had a drunk interrupt our services. One time a man came into our services holding a gallon of milk. (It was the old glass gallon.) He almost dropped it. Finally he got up and said, “I think I am in the wrong place.” One of the Deacons helped him find the door.

I could tell you stories of our visits but some of them you wouldn’t believe. I will relay one of them to you. We were passing out revival flyers in the neighborhood. We would go to the door and knock and give them a flyer and invite them to the revival. I went to this one door and a man came to the door with no shirt on and a butcher knife in his hand. I dropped the flyer on the floor and ran. He never came to our revival meetings as far as I know but I am not sure if I would recognize him with a shirt on and no butcher knife.

I remember that during the revival we had a promotion. If we had 100 during the revival one of our men would play a piano solo and another lady would sing. (Of course the funny part was he didn’t know how to play the piano and she couldn’t carry a tune.) It was the funnies specials we ever had.

While at this Church I had my first girlfriend. It was puppy love but I sure did enjoy it. Her name was Brenda *****. (I didn’t give her last name as I don’t want to embarrass her if some one tried to find her.) She was a wonder girl and she had a sister name Linda. My brother Tom was crazy about Linda. Actually, he was crazy over both of them. (He was a ladies man even though he was younger than me.)

The Church was growing and they purchased a building across town on Campbell Street. We move to another duplex on Leavitt Avenue. The school was a bit farther and I learned many valuable lessons while living in this neighborhood also. My young brother taught me stuff I didn’t need to know and it only got me into trouble. I won’t go into it but I spent some time working in the dairy department in the grocery store and that is where I learned some very important tricks about selling the oldest milk. I am sure you don’t want to hear about that.

The Church was in the middle of the block on a residential street. It had a big Church bell and I loved to ring it. Most of the people who attended the Church when it was on Southport came over to the new location. We had made a step up now as we moved from a storefront to a regular Church building.

As you know Moody is a three year Institute and so my Dad was not to be long at this college thing. It was a rough three years but he stuck it out and he made it through. It would take four or five pages to tell all the crazy things that happened in getting him to graduation.

Prior to graduation he resigned the Grace Missionary Baptist Church and began looking for a full-time pastorate. He did a lot of pulpit supply but I only remember one church that stood out in my memory. It was a GARBC and it was a bigger Church. After the Church service we went to one of the home of one of the members. I think he was a Deacon. We sat down to Country Fried Chicken and boy did it look good. The Deacon began to eat his chicken with his fork. We all sat and watched him and then my Dad picked up his chicken with his hand and began to eat it. Then the Deacon stopped eating his chicken with the fork and he said, “That’s how we usually eat out chicken.”  Then he picked his chicken up with his hands and began to eat like my Dad. Then we all began to eat. It was good but I would have NEVER been able to do it with a fork.

After graduation my Dad preached at a Church in Lake Village, Indiana, in view of a call. Village Baptist Church extended a call to him and so we began to pack again for the move to Lake Village, Indiana. Our whole family was excited about it, minus my sister who got married before we left Chicago, Illinois. She married her High School sweetheart and he took a job with IBM and moved my sister to Texas.

Chapter 2
Moving On

Okay we are moving to Lake Village, Indiana and they have a nice parsonage in town. It was a nice house and I got to have a room in the basement because I was a teenager. My two brothers had to share a room. The house had two bedrooms on the main floor and a full basement. It wasn’t a finished basement but I had a nice corner in the basement. We got a nice big piece of carpet and it covered my corner of the basement. I liked having my own room because when we lived in Chicago we all shared a small room and we had a triple bunk bed. It was homemade but it did the job. I slept on the top bunk because I was the oldest. My brothers now decided to take the top bunk off because they wouldn’t need it. Of course the house in Lake Village didn’t have the tall ceiling like we did in Chicago.

The High School I attended was out in the middle of nowhere because several town attended the same school. Our town was just one of the small towns that sent their kids to this school. It was a big school and I was in for a big surprise when I got there. The name of the school was North Newton High School.

My first day at this new school was crazy. I found all my classes and I even met some new friends. That first week a guy I met talked me in the signing up for Cross Country Track. I must have been brain dead at the time but needless to say I woke up after the first practice. I wanted to quit but the coach made a big deal about quitters. He had cut “quit” out of his dictionary and now I know where he got that ideal from. It was a rough season but I stayed with it the whole season.

At the Church we had many teens my age and it wasn’t long until I was going steady with a girl from Church. Her name was Cindy ****** and her Dad was a big man on the Church Board. (I didn’t spell out her last name as I don’t want to embarrass her.  The last I heard she was married and very happy.) She was a freshman and I was a sophomore but we still got along famously. Her Dad was a farmer and he hired me to bail hay for him and pull weeds out of his bean patches. It was a rough job but it taught me some character.

During this time in my life I was a bit more spiritual and so I took my Bible to school so I had something to read in study hall. At this time in my life I was trying to read the New Testament through once a month and the Old Testament through three or four times a year. I tried to read an average of two hours a day. This was not all at one time, but I read some before school, then on the bus going to school, during study hall, on the bus home and then some before going to bed. I don’t remember when it happened but one day as I was walking in the school the principal stopped me and told me that I could not bring my Bible to school or read it during study hall. (He said it was unconstitutional and that we had to separate Church and state.) He told me if I brought it back I would be expelled. When I got home I asked my Dad about it and he told me to take it to school and if I was expelled he would come to school and straighten him out. Well the next day I walked right by him with my Bible on the top of all my books. He never said a word and he never spoke to me about it again. (I don’t know for sure but I think my Dad called him after I told him about his threat.)

One of the members in the Church had some land about a mile just outside of town that was empty and they offer it to my Dad to use if he would put a fence around it. My Dad, my brothers and I worked hard putting up posts and stringing fence around that field. Then my Dad bought us a horse. I remember it because I had to ride my bike out there during good weather and feed her. She was a beautiful horse and she was a gentle as could be. We built a small barn where the horse could get in out of the weather and half of it was to store hay. Later my Dad bought another horse which I enjoyed riding but it was a retired barrel racing horse. It would take off and run and without warning make a quick cut. My Dad had to work with the horse to break it of this habit. We never real got the horse to stop completely but we were able to train the horse to be a good trail horse. My brother and I use to go out to big ranch of someone my Dad knew and he had lots of land that was wide open and he would let us ride out there. We use to ride out there and there was a creek and we would stop and swim a bit and then ride again until we were sore. (The last time I swam in that creek was when we saw a water moccasin and I decided I didn’t like swimming in that creek anymore.)

We spent at least two years at this Church. I know I was there two years because I went to school both my sophomore and junior years. I always hated leaving as I got my class ring and then we were moving again. Cindy and I went steady almost the entire time before we left. About two or three months before my Dad resigned we broke up. The Church had a business meeting that cause a real problem. The Church was planning to put new pews in the Church and a man offered to pay to have carpet put in. The pew company told us the carpet needed to be put down before we put the pews in because if we took the pews up after they were put in would void the warranty.  Cindy’s Dad was one who was against the carpet being put in. At the business meeting we had a big crowd. Largest crowd I had ever seen for a business meeting. Well, the two sides were proposed and a vote was taken. Those wanting the carpet voted against it because they didn’t want to upset those who didn’t want the carpet. Those that didn’t want the carpet voted for the carpet. Those that did want the carpet won but they had voted to not get the carpet. Those that didn’t want the carpet got mad and left the Church. I know it sounds strange but those that didn’t want the carpet got what they wanted but they left anyway. I always felt that they just wanted an excuse to leave. About two or three month later my Dad resigned and we were off to move again. I had just finished my junior year and now we were moving to Wheatfield, Indiana where my Dad was going to be helping a new Church. They didn’t have a building they were meeting in a building at a Boy’s Home. I forget what you call it.

When we arrived at our new house in Wheatfield it was much smaller than the big house in Lake Village. My Dad had bought a three bedroom mobile home and some land to put it on. We had to drill a well and set the trailer up. It was an exciting experience for a young man my age. The lot my Dad had purchased was several miles out of town but it was right next door to another family that had put their trailer on a lot. They had two teenagers in their family so I was excited. Henry & Cindy ********* were to become fast friends with my brothers and me. (Again I leave out the last name to protect them from embarrassment.) Cindy was a sophomore and Henry was a freshman. Well it wasn’t long and their family was attending the Church we were attending. It wasn’t long before Cindy and I were going steady. She loved my class ring even if it wasn’t from the school we were attending. We grew very close and we even decided we would get married someday. (Of course that didn’t happen.)

My senior year went much like those before. I hated school and my teachers liked me about as much as I liked them. My typing teacher wanted to flunk me but the papers I handed in were perfect and so I ended up with a C. I typed slowly and if I typed fast I would make mistakes. In typing class I watched my hands and made sure I didn’t make any mistakes. (I guess that is why I type so badly now.)

The High School I attended just moved into their new building and so everything was new. It was called Kankakee Valley High School. I went out for track and I played on the football team. (BTW… I forgot to tell you I played football my sophomore and junior year. I was a wide receiver) I didn’t get to play on the first squad as I was not one of the best players. My number was 17 and I did make one touch down in my short career. I didn’t like getting tackled so I avoided running in the middle of the field.  I liked to catch the ball and get out of bounds. That is probably why I didn’t get to play much.

My senior year I went to Prom. I know you are going to say what was a nice boy like me doing at the Prom? Well, to tell you the truth I am not sure myself. Cindy talked me into going and I regret it to this day. She wore a dress that was from the 50’s. It must have been her grandmothers’ dress. Then when we got pictures taken she wanted me to take off my glasses and she took hers off too. Boy she looked dog u-g-l-y without her glasses. I didn’t dance we just sat and watched and I had several of my friends ask me, “If you are such a good Christian, why are you here?” It hurt my feelings. I wanted to get out of there but her Dad had brought us and we had no way to get home until he came and got us. They had some movie in the auditorium so we decided to go watch it. I forget what it was. (Don’t be thinking funny things here because we watched the movie. We were probably the only ones that did.)

As time was getting closer to my graduation I began thinking about college. My Dad wanted me to go to Moody but I didn’t think I was smart enough to go there.   I finally decided to go to a school in Grand Rapids, MI.  (Grand Rapids School of Bible & Music)

Cindy and I decided to break up and when I got back from school and she graduated we would see if we still cared about each other. We planned to write and keep in touch.

I graduated not at the top of my class but somewhere between the top and the bottom. I can say I was the only graduating senior with perfect attendance all four years. I didn’t attend all four years at this school but my records transferred and I had perfect attendance all four years. I got a standing ovation at my graduation when they made this announcement. (What a highlight.  My grandmother (that would be my Dad’s mother) gave me a Bible for graduation.)

My Aunt & Uncle in Gary, IN allowed me to move in with them for the summer so that I could work at the steel mill as a Carpenters helper to save money for college. Each day I went in and helped the carpenters with what ever project they were working on. If it had to do with building, all I did was carry their tools but if it had to do with tearing down they let me go to it. It takes brains to build but not much to tear down. The same goes in life it takes work to build others up and encourage them but anyone can tear people apart and destroy lives. Even a child can do that.

On weekends I would hitchhike back to Wheatfield, Indiana. It was a long trip and sometimes took me a half a day to get home. I just wanted to get home to see my parents and Cindy and then I would head back.

One trip I got in the car with a bunch of kids. They asked where I was going and they said they were going right by Wheatfield. They did just that they drove right by and took me 20 miles on the other side. When they finally let me out I was mad. When they drove off I picked up a bottle on the side of the road and threw it at the car. It broke something on the back of the car and they made a u-turn to come back after me. I ran like I had never run before. My Cross Country coach would have been proud as I took off across that field without looking back. I ran until I couldn’t go anymore. Finally I came to a farm house and I ask them for a drink of water. They were very nice to me and I told them my story and they drove me home. After that I never hitchhiked again.

Chapter 3
On To College

As the summer came to an end I had made plans to go to school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Two of my Dad’s sisters had promised me that they would help me through school. They told me that as long as I kept my grades up and didn’t get job, a car or have a girlfriend that they would help pay my tuition. Well my Dad & Mom drove me up to the school and I took as much of my earthly belongings that I could. They got me signed up and then we said our goodbyes. That was really hard for me as I did not know a soul at the school and had no friends.

Shortly after my Dad & Mom left I was in the recreation room and there was a ping-pong table. Since I was pretty good I thought I might play and I saw this red headed girl and ask her to play. She told me that she didn’t know how to play so I told her I would teach her. I showed her how to play and in the end she beat me good. After the game we talked a bit and I found out she was left-handed and she was playing me with her right. I felt really stupid. Her name was Jan ******* (last name not revealed so she is not embarrassed). Don’t tell my Aunts but I dated her while at school. She was a sophomore but we had a lot in common. We never got serious but we enjoyed each others company.

While I was at school a good friend that I had met while we were on vacation began writing me. Her name was Brenda ********* and she lived near Kenbridge, VA. We decided to be pen pals and we wrote back and forth. I told her many secrets and as far as I know she has kept them because they have never surfaced. After I left school we lost touch but she did contact me many years later. I don’t know if this story will go that far but if it does I will tell you about it.

It is very hard to remember all that happened at school but I remember my Christian service assignment. My Dad had a friend that was a Pastor in Ionia, Michigan at the Ionia Community Bible Church. He had arranged it so I could do my Christian service assignment there. I was the song leader and taught the teen class. We had about 7 in the class and they were a joyful experience. Later after I was there awhile the Pastor asked if I would plan some youth activities with them and I did.

One of the members of his Church was attending the college and she would bring me to Ionia on Friday night and then back to school on Monday morning. It was about 60 miles or more to Ionia.

I came to Ionia on Friday and plan stuff with the teens and did visitation and planned for service on Sunday. I preached off and on for the Pastor when he was out of town. A family in the church put me up and fed me it was a real experience. The room where I slept did not have heat as the house was heated with wood. They had an old fashion bed warmer if any of you know what that is. When I got up in the winter months I can tell you I was the fastest dresser in Ionia. They fed me good and treated me night.

Before the year was over I had a real good friend at school named Gary ******** (same deal here) who became my best friend. He took me to the license bureau and I was able to get my license. Another friend I met sold me a car. It had an engine in the back. I broke rule two no car. Then I got a job with my friend Gary at a bakery. He was the baker and I was the custodian. It worked great because I worked Monday - Friday and then after work I could drive up to Ionia for my Christian service assignment.

Late in the year the Pastor resigned where I was doing my Christian service assignment. The church un-officially ask me to preach in his stead. They just had a morning service so I told them I would. They gave me a love offering and provided me food and housing on the weekend so I thought it was great. It was a real experience that I won’t forget. I preached there until the end of the school year and stayed some into the summer until I got the nerve to go home and face the music. My Dad & Mom had left Wheatfield, Indiana as my Dad took a pastorate in Round Lake, Illinois. Cindy the girl in Wheatfield found another boyfriend while I was at school so I had nothing to go back to Wheatfield for. I was preaching and had a girl I was dating and wasn’t sure I wanted to leave but I decided I need to move on so I resigned my position at the bakery and the Church and packed all my belonging to head home.

This was a very hard decision to make as I was enjoying preaching at the church and I loved my job at the bakery.  The girl I was dating was a very nice girl and I knew if I left that things probably wouldn’t remain the same.

Chapter 4
Home From School & Life Changing Decisions

When I arrived home in Round Lake, Illinois it was different.  The house was really nice and there was plenty of room.  It was a tri-level house with two bedrooms upstairs and two downstairs with a family room and laundry room.  My room was upstairs across from my parents’ room.  My brothers, Dan and Tom both had rooms in the lower level.

My Dad was now the Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Round Lake, Illinois.  The church seemed to be growing and the folks in the church were very nice.  They welcomed me into the church family right away.

Because of my experience at school they ask me if I would like to help out with the young people.  They had a few teens and so I started a youth program and tried to promote more teens to come to church and become involved in the program.

One of the activities we were involved in with the young people was Youth Rallies each month.  Many area churches would bring young people and we would have special singing, preaching, and so on.  It was at one of these Youth Rallies that I met a young lady that I wanted to date.  My brother Tom had a girlfriend names “Paula” who was her best friend and so they set up a double date.  We went bowling and I got to meet this girl up close.  Her name was Joyce ******.  I leave off her name as I don’t want to embarrass anyone.

I dated her for a long time and I wish I knew then what I know today.  She decided that she was going to change me and make me into the kind of guy she wanted.  We started going steady and she was a senior in High School at Grant Community High School in Fox Lake, Illinois.

I was still living at home and I went out and bought me a small TV.  All of the years growing up at home we never had a TV.  I decided I wanted one so I went out and bought one.  When my Dad saw it he told me that I wasn’t going to bring it into the house.  I remember sitting in my car watching TV and all of a sudden the TV went off.  I went to find out what happened… My Dad had pulled the plug.  He told me that I was not going to have a TV in my car or in the house and if I wanted one I need to find myself an apartment.  The next day I went out looking for apartments.  I finally found one I could afford and I rented it.

I got a job working nights at a factory in Spring Grove, Illinois.  I was a material handler and working for not much over minimum wage.  I liked the job but I hated the night shift but that was all I could get as I was on the bottom of the totem pole.  The apartment I rented was in Fox Lake, Illinois and wasn’t far from where I was working.  It was my first experience at being out on my own except while I was at college.  Now I had to cook my own meals and clean up after myself.  I ate a great many TV dinners.

I slept mornings, watched TV afternoons, and worked nights.  It was a lousy schedule but I kept it as best as I could.  I would fit in a few dates with Joyce when I could but most of my money went to pay my bills.  Now I had my own rent, water bill, heart bill, electric bill, phone bill and so on.  It was hard to get use to as I never had these bills when I lived at home.  I had to buy my own food and to make matters worse I had to cook my own food.

After Joyce had graduated we decided to get married.  The week of her graduation was really a crazy week.  On Thursday we had our wedding practice, Friday night was graduation, and Saturday we got married.  We didn’t get married because we had to.  Actually, the wedding was suppose to be a few weeks after graduation but graduation was changed because of construction at the school and school got canceled so many days they had to move the school schedule up.

Since Joyce was attending Fox Lake Baptist Church of Fox Lake, Illinois, that is where we got married.  Gary ******* was my best man and Paula (her best friend) was her maid of honor.   The date was June 9, 1973.  It was the hottest day of the year that year.

I would tell you about the honeymoon but it was everything except a honeymoon as so I will leave out the boring details.  We did go to Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin and spent a few days and then we joined the Fox Lake Baptist Church (Teen Group) who was on a music tour doing the musical “He’s Alive”.  We were supposed to help the youth director keep the kids all in line.  Looking back I am not so sure we did a very good job.

Over the next few years it all seems a blur.  We had two children together.  Paul was born first in October of 1974 and then Faith in May of 1976.  I was a proud father and I wanted to be the very best Dad I could be to these two children.  I worked hard to teach them right and encourage them to follow in the steps of Jesus.

We worked together in the First Baptist Church of Round Lake, Illinois as the youth leaders and I changed jobs because the nights were not working out with all the activities with the young people.  I took a job as assistant toy manager at the local ACE Hardware in Round Lake, Illinois.

Due to some conflicts between my Dad and me we decided to move to a different area.  I found a job working in Hanover Park, Illinois and we moved to that area.  We found an apartment and we moved to Hanover Park, Illinois.

We joined the First Baptist Church of Glendale Heights.  Dr. William Johnson was the Pastor at the time.  Due to the martial problems we were having we began marriage counseling with the Pastor.  I started to working in the Junior Church and preaching and holding a church service at a local retirement home.

The job I had wasn’t working out so I found another one.  I took a position at an apartment complex as a maintenance man.  They provided a free apartment as one of the perks of the job.  It was interesting and I met many new people who were living in the complex.

After a few years Dr. Johnson left the church and Pastor Wilson came to be the pastor.  I can’t remember his first name at this time.  The church got into a bond program and it wasn’t long before the church couldn’t pay the payments on the building.  The church sold the building and moved to another church.  We left before they sold and moved to Blue Island, Illinois where I took a new job at another apartment complex as a maintenance man / resident manager.

We joined the Faith Baptist Church in Posen, Illinois where Dr. James W. Delashmit was the Pastor.  He was an interesting character.  Before he got saved he was the President and founder of the St. Louis, Missouri Chapter of Hell’s Angels.  Dr. Delashmit had a live changing experience and God changed his life.  He went to Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri and then went into evangelism for several years before becoming the Pastor at Faith Baptist Church.  While being the Pastor at Faith Baptist he also preached revivals around the country during the week.  On Sunday he was always home at Faith Baptist but about 25 weeks out of the year he preached revivals across the country sharing his story of conversion “From Dope To Hope”.  He touched many lives over the years.

While I was under his ministry he took me under his wing and encouraged me to continue on and finish my education and pursue the calling I knew I had received from God to go into the ministry.  I worked under his ministry as the Junior Church Pastor preaching in the Junior Church each week.  When opportunities arose I was able to fill pulpits in other local churches when Pastors were sick, on vacation, or out of town.  I also preached on some Wednesday nights when Dr. Delashmit was out of town.

I spent about four years working under his ministry.  I got to experience first hand the workings of a church.  He took me with him to many Pastor Fellowship Meetings and he allowed me to become involved in his ministry.  I wasn’t a paid staff member but I enjoyed servicing and helping in whatever area I could.  I was honored when he ask me to go with him when he cut his third record album.  “Where Would I Be If Hadn’t Been For Jesus?”  It was exciting to see him in the studio singing with such excitement.

During these four years I worked with the Junior Church kids and learned the joy on ministering to kids.  We got to see some real high days in which we set records for the largest number of kids in the Junior Church.  The kids blessed my heart and my desire to pastor my own church grew with each week.

Chapter 5
Making A Move To Baraboo, Wisconsin

In December of 1983 I received a call from the pulpit committee of the Bethel Memorial Baptist Church in Baraboo, WI.  They were going to be in the Posen area for a wedding and wanted to know if I could meet with them.  I met with them briefly and they ask me to come to Baraboo to fill their pulpit for a Sunday. I told them that I couldn’t and they ask me if I could come and preach in view of a call as Pastor to the church.  I agreed and we set up a date.  I can’t remember but I think it was the second Sunday in January 1984.  I went and preached both services and after the morning service they had a church pot-luck and they asked me questions.  I preached Sunday night and then went back home on Monday morning.

About two weeks later I received a call saying that they had voted to call me as their Pastor and would I accept the call.  After much prayer I let them know that I would accept the call.  They wanted to know how soon I could move to Baraboo and I told them I could be there the first Sunday in February 1984.

They sent me a check so I could rent a truck to move all of my stuff.  I rented a U-Haul truck and loaded it up with the help from some friends.  I spoke with Dr. Delashmit prior to my going and he told me that if I ever need to come back home that the doors would always be open.  We had prayer together and he told me that he would be there if I needed him.

I drove the truck up and arrived in Baraboo on Thursday.  Since I didn’t have anywhere to put the furniture (they didn’t have a parsonage) I parked the truck at the church.  One of the Deacons gave me a key to the church and I went into the church and to my office.  All that was in the office was a chair, phone and phone book.  I sat down in the chair and began to call each Real Estate office asking about houses for rent.  After talking to all of them I found out that there were only two houses in Baraboo that were empty.  One was empty as the owner had moved out as they were going to close on the house on Friday. (Which was the very next day.)  The other house was empty as the tenants had moved out leaving it a total wreck.  The person wanting to rent it did not want to fix it to make it livable.  I went to see the house and it was in horrible condition.  In order to get the house I would have to spend a great deal of money just to get it in livable condition.

After a full day of searching for a house to live in we were invited over to the house of one of the senior saints of the church.  Nellie was a sweet older saint but she had a heart of gold.  She told us that we could stay with her for the night.  I told her I had a dog and although I didn’t know it then she didn’t like having dogs in her house.  She invited us anyway, a dog, a bird, and our two kids.

The next morning when I got up I looked out her window and saw a man moving his furniture out of a house two doors down.  I ask her about it and she told me that he had just sold the house and was moving to his new house.  I decided for some stupid reason to go down and talk to him.

When I got down to the house I introduced myself to him and ask about his moving.  It didn’t take long for me to find out that this was the other house that I had called about the previous day.  The phone rang and he went to answer it and I waited on the front porch.  A few minutes later he came back and I found out that the phone call was from his real estate agent and for some reason the deal fell through and the house was back on the market.  I asked him if he would be willing to rent it until he was able to find a buyer and he said yes.  Before I knew it I had a key to the house and I was bringing my truck over and unloading it.  Several of the men from the church came over and helped me unload the truck.

At the end of the day on Saturday I finally got everything unloaded and moved into the house.  I didn’t have a stove but one of the men took me up to a resale shop and I bought a stove.  I didn’t have a refrigerator but that was going to have to wait as I was not able to find a used one for sale at any of the resale stores.

On February 5, 1984, I began my ministry at Bethel Memorial Baptist Church.  I arrived early to church that morning and had to shovel the walks as we had gotten several inches of fresh snow on the ground.  I waited for the people to come and nobody came.  I began to get nervous when it was ten minutes till the time Sunday School was to start and nobody was there yet.  I began to pace the floor and then when we had five minutes left before Sunday School start the people began to walk in.

When everyone got in I counted them and we had 15 including the four in my family.  (I wanted to count the bird and the dog but I hadn’t brought them.)  I was totally surprised as the Sunday I preached as a candidate for Pastor, there were more people.  In between Sunday School and church I ask about this.  They told me that they had asked many of their family and friends to come to hear me preach so that it didn’t seem like the church was so small.  This really came to me as I great shock.

After the morning service the Chairman of the Deacons took me for a ride out to his farm.  He had a refrigerator in his garage that he was using to store eggs from his chickens.  He told me that I could have it until I was able to get another one.  That was a real blessing as my money was running out.

On the way back to the house he told me that the church wasn’t going to be able to pay me very much.  He said that there was a great deal of work to do and the church wanted me to be full-time.  He said all they could agree to do was pay me $150.00 a week, pay the rent and utilities.  He said that some of the members might be able to share in helping with some food.  He gave us eggs from his chickens, another man gave us beef from a steer that he had butchered, someone else gave us some deer meat that they had and others brought bags of can goods and such.  It was scary but I learned what faith was all about in the days that followed.

On Sunday evening of my first Sunday, I arrived at church early.  While I was getting things set up for our service, a man and woman walked in who I was not familiar with.  He walked up to me and asked me who I was and I introduced myself to him.  He proceeded to tell me that he didn’t know the church had a Pastor and that he was the founding Pastor of the church.  He made me feel very uncomfortable and he walked around the church acting as if he owned the place.  As people began to arrive the crowded around him like he was a movie star.  Throughout the entire service he kept speaking out and he seemed like he wanted to take over the service.  Since he was the founding Pastor out of courtesy to him I asked if he wanted to share a word a testimony with the people.  He took an entire half hour and finally I had to take the service back and it was hard to do it without offending many.  Some how I did get control of the service but he continued to speak out and disrupt the service.  To be truthful I was glad to see the evening end.

When I got home that night I was distraught about had happened and I decided I was going to speak with the deacons about this matter as soon as possible.  On the following day I called the Deacons and set up a meeting for the following Saturday night.

At the first Deacon meeting I discussed some general things and I also brought up what had happened in the previous Sunday night service.  I told the Deacons that if I was going to be the new Pastor that in made me very uncomfortable with the way that the founding Pastor acted throughout the service.  They told me that they would talk with him and this and it wouldn’t happen again.

Because the house we were renting was for sale the real estate broker was showing the house every two or three days.  Our lease was on a month to month lease in the event the house sold.  It was getting to be a real problem and so I brought the matter up to the deacons.  They suggested we bring the matter up to the church and see if they wanted to make an offer on the house and buy it for a parsonage.  We made an announcement in the church for two weeks about the business meeting concerning this matter and we had the business meeting.  The church voted to make an offer and check with the bank to see if we could get financing.  The offer was accepted and the bank gave us financing so we bought the house.

During the first two years we saw a great moving of the Holy Spirit.  We saw a record number of salvations, baptisms, and new members.  We grew from the 15 to 75 within the first year.  Our mission giving went up and the spirit of the church was at a peck.  We set a record attend for the church during a revival that Dr. Jim Delashmit was our speaker.  We had 252 in attendance and we had to set chairs in the isles, in the backroom, and anywhere there was empty space.  We had standing room only by the beginning of the service. One of the local TV stations from Madison, Wisconsin came did a special on our service and our evangelist.

The Church purchased the house on 7^th Avenue and we began to make changes in the house to remodel it.  We invested money and remodeled the bathroom and the kitchen.  We also remodeled the back porch which was the laundry room.  Other repairs we made were putting a new garage door opener on the garage and a new roof on the back of the house.

Over the years of my service in Baraboo I had the opportunity to preach at Pastors meetings all over the State of Wisconsin and I preached at one conference in Minnesota.  It was an honor to preach at the God & County Bible Conference in Minnesota.

Over the years I ministered in Baraboo I and several members of the Church canvassed the entire city.  We went door-to-door sharing about our ministry at the Church.  We promoted the Church as well as sharing the Gospel with them.

Chapter 6
Satan’s Attack & Disaster Strikes

Things were going along real good and God was blessing and Satan decided it was time to make his attack.  This attack destroyed many lives...

In May of 1997 I began to see things going on at Church and at home that were causing me to be think that something wasn't right.  I heard stories about the Chairman of the Deacons that were not good.  Being the good natured Pastor I was I didn't believe them I went to him and confronted him.  He denied any thing was going on improper and thought I was making a big deal about nothing.  The stories I was hearing were concerning him and other women.  One day I rode my moped over to the factory he worked at.  As I came around the corner I saw him walking down the side of the street with two women (neither one was his wife), one on each arm.  When he saw me he stopped and came over to me and I ask him what was going on.  He said that he and the two ladies he was with always took a walk on their lunch break for exercise.  I told him this didn't look good and could hurt his testimony and he just said people have dirty minds.  He promised it wouldn't happen again.

Sometime in the next month I got an anonymous phone call and the person told me that this same Deacon (who will remain unnamed), was on probation at his job and was being required to go to a counseling service or be terminated.  They told me it was because he was accused of sexual harassment.  I called the counseling service and they told me that they couldn't give me any information but after I talked with them they told me that they did counseling for the company he worked for but they couldn't say they were counseling him because they were held to keep it confidential.  They did say that they counseled people for several reasons.  They said if someone had a serious absentee problem the company might require counseling if they wanted to keep their job.  They said that in some cases if some one was accused of or if someone had committed sexual harassment they might be required to receive counseling.   They gave me several other reasons people might be required to receive counseling but I can't remember them at this time.  I went to this Deacon and told him what I had found out and he denied he was being counseled.  One day I parked my car so I could see the front of the office of this counseling office and I watched it.  I wasn't surprised when I saw this Deacon walking in the front door.  When I confronted him again he gave me some story he was delivering some papers to their office for the company.

As I said previously things at home were changing causing me to think something wasn't right.  My wife at the time (Joyce) was going out to his house daily helping him every evening, helping him in his barn with is chores.  He had several beef cows and chickens that had to be fed and the stalls had to be cleaned.  Joyce was enjoying this hobby and it didn't seem right but when I questioned her she said that she just loved working with the animals and feeding them.  I let it go for the time being.

Joyce was also going for long drives in the car.  She told me she just liked driving in the bluffs because it relaxed her and so she would sometimes in the early morning go on these drives.  One morning I had made up my mind to follow her.  On one occasion I got stopped by a police officer for speeding because I couldn't keep up with her and so I lost her.   (The officer knew me and he gave me a warning.)  The next time I followed her I was able to keep her in my sight and so I found out where she went.  She went to the factory where this Deacon worked.  I watched as she drove the car into an area where two or three empty semi trailers were parked.  She drove and parked between two of them where there was an empty space.  She parked the car there and I watched and saw her get out of the car and get something out of the trunk.  I watched the same Deacon come out of the factory over to where she was.  They walked out to a wooded area behind where the empty semi trailers were parked.  I tried to follow but I lost them so I went over by the car and waited for tem to come back.  When they came back I confronted them and Joyce got angry that I had followed her and she got in the car and took off.  I asked the Deacon what he thought he was doing and he said Joyce had come to him and said we were having marital problems and so he was counseling her.  (My though was...yeah right tell me another one.  Counseling on company time in a wooded area on a blanket?)

I went back to my house and tried to talk with Joyce.  She wouldn't talk to me about anything and was just down right nasty to me.  Finally she got mad and told me she was going to leave for a bit so we could cool off.  Later she called and ask to meet me at the Country Kitchen.  When I got there she was there with this same Deacon.  We sat a booth and she said she needed some space and wanted to come to the house and get some clothes.  She said she had talked with one of the other Deacons in the Church and his wife and they had agreed to let her stay at their house for a few days. She came back to the house with the Deacon who came with her to the Country Kitchen and got some clothes.  After she left I drove over to the other Deacon's house where she said she was going to stay for awhile.  I parked down the block and watched as she went into the house and carried her suitcase.  I left and went back home.

The next day I drove over to the house where she was staying and observed her leaving for work.  She worked part-time for a local vet.  I drove over to the Vets office and sat down the street but so I could see what was going on there.  I watched the Deacon who said he was counseling her show up at the office.  He was there about ten minutes and then he left.  I followed him and he went to work afterwards.

That night when she got off work I followed her back to the house where she was staying.  She went in and came out about an hour or so later.  I tried to follow her but I lost her.  I went back home and cried and prayed all night.

The next Sunday she came to Church and she sat with this Deacon.  (His wife was working at the hospital.)  I went over to Joyce and told her it looked bad them sitting together like that.  After Church I told her that I needed to talk with her at the house.  She said she would only talk in the presences of his Deacon.  I told her I would not do that and so she left and I am not sure where she went.

Later that week she came over to the parsonage and we were talking and she admitted she had been having a sexual affair with this Deacon.  She told me that the previous Saturday he had come over to her work and gave her some money for a motel and they went to Portage and got a room in the motel.  She admitted that they had sex that evening at the motel.  After further conversation she said they had been having sex at his house when his wife was at work and they had sex several times in the back of his truck which had a camper top on the back.  She never said how many times they had sex but she claimed it was a great number of times.  She told me it started when she was up visiting her Mother (this Deacon and his wife were also up there staying in one of the cabins her parents owned) she went on a walk with the Deacon and he made advances towards her.  She claimed she did nothing to encourage them but it led to other activities.  She said they he was going to find a place for his wife to live and that they would be together.  I confronted him and his wife and he denied everything.  Joyce got angry because he denied everything and so she moved back into the parsonage.

The next day I called a Deacon meeting and told them what I had found out and what was going on.  I offered my resignation and they ask me to hold off until we could somehow resolve this matter.  They decided to have a Deacon & myself go and talk to the Deacon I previously mentioned.  We went to him and asked for his resignation as Deacon & treasurer.  We also ask that he admit his sin and repent.  He offered his resignation and turned in his ordination papers but said he was not going to repent or admit any sin.  We had another Deacons’ meeting and the Deacons decided to bring the matter before the Church.  Both he and his wife were contacted concerning the matter and told when the meeting would be.  On the night of meeting he came to me before the meeting and said that he would admit to the affair but would not admit any wrong doing with any minor children. (His wife was not present at the meeting.)

When the meeting was called to order he was given the floor.  He admitted his affair without giving details and said he took full responsibility for what happened.  Joyce also addressed the Church and admitted her sin and asked for them to forgive her.  When this former Deacon sat down he whispered in my ear that he was not sorry.  After the meeting the Church voted 100% to forgive Joyce and 100% to remove the former Deacon from the membership.  The former Deacon admitted his sin but refused to say he was sorry and ask for forgiveness.

A few days later I went out to this former Deacon’s house and found out the house and farm had been sold and he had moved to Appleton, Wisconsin.

I again met with the Deacons and offered my resignation and they said they would like for me to remain for another year and see if we could work through this problem.  Joyce and I would go to a Christian counselor and I would find a full time job so the Church would not feel any financial pressure, do to the many families that left the Church when the matter was brought out into the open.  (Note:  We lost several families that also felt that he had fondled their daughters and several other families left and told me that they could not continue to be a part of the Church after finding out what he did.)

I got a job with Seats, Inc in Reedsburg, Wisconsin and worked full-time and continued to Pastor the Church.  I was no longer receiving a salary from the Church but they were allowing me to live in the parsonage.  I was paying the utilities and the Church was continuing to pay the mortgage payments.

About two months after this all happened the Church had a business meeting and voted to change the name of the Church from Bethel Memorial Baptist Church to Liberty Baptist Church.  We had a 100% vote on this change.  I also received a 100% vote of confidence.  I agreed that I would stay for one year and if things didn’t improve that I was leaving.

During this year, I continued to preach at all the services and many of the men would go visiting with me during the evening to try and build up the membership.  We made many visits and promoted the Church as much as possible.  We had several folks outside the Church agree to send support to keep the Church open.  The offerings were just barely paying the bills.

At the end of the year we had not seen any growth and I met with the Church and reminded them of the agreement we had made.  I told them that Bible Baptist Church in Reedsburg, Wisconsin had offered to take over the Church and operate it for a year or so.  If they couldn’t get things going they would sell everything and use it for their Church in Reedsburg.  The Church voted 100% to refuse this offer.

After long discussions the Church voted to have me contact two new Baptist Church ministries in Wisconsin and we would give our assets to them.  That would include the fixtures, pews, pulpit, chairs, tables, and etc.  The Church had a basement sale and sold everything that they could and then the rest was given to two different Churches in Northern Wisconsin.  (At this writing I cannot remember the names of the churches.  I do remember one brought a semi truck to pick up the pews and the furniture.)  The Church building was put up for sale and when it was sold the church parsonage was paid off.  At that time those left began meeting in the living room of the parsonage.

The Church offered to give me the parsonage if I would remain and try to do something to get the Church going again.  I refused and told them that this was not proper.  They voted to put the parsonage up for sale.  Money that would be left over from the sale would be used to pay expenses and the balance would be given to Hyles-Anderson College for a scholarship fund for preacher boys.  When the house was sold a money order was made out to Hyles-Anderson College.

Chapter 6
A New Beginning In Hammond, Indiana?

We moved to Hammond, Indiana and I enrolled at Hyles-Anderson College in the Pastor’s Refresher Course.  I began looking for a job and spend the days looking for a job and at night I went to school.  It was my hope that this would be a new beginning for us.  My hopes were dashed in very short order.

One night when I came home from school I found a note from Joyce saying that she was going up to her brother & sister-in-laws’ for a couple of days and she would try and call later.  In the morning I tried to call her but her sister-in-law told me she wasn’t there.  I called her other brothers and sisters and all of them had not seen her or heard from her.  I called several times that day and they told me the same thing.  Finally they told me they would call me if she got there.

The next day Joyce called me and told me that she was on her way home.  I asked her where she was and she told me at her brothers’ house.  After she got off the phone I called back to her brothers’ house and they told me again she had not come there and they hadn’t seen her.

When she got home late that night I decided to confront her.  We fought late into the night and she insisted she was at her brothers’ house even after I told her I called up there.  I went back to school and job hunting.  Nothing seemed to work out and I wasn’t finding a job.  Several times when I came home from school she was gone and didn’t come home until after 3am in the morning.  She would never give me any reasonable excuse for what was going on.

I talked with her about getting rid of the three dogs we had and moving to St. Louis, Mo far away from all the problems and making a new start.  She was totally against it.  She said she wouldn’t give up the dogs for anything.  I told her that we needed to get away from everything and try to put our marriage back together.  She then said she wasn’t going to move that far away from her family.  We had just lived in Baraboo, Wisconsin for 14 years and that was several hours away from her family so I didn’t see how moving to the St Louis area would be any different.

After another fight she finally admitted that she went up to Appleton, Wisconsin to see that man who was a former Deacon at Baraboo.  She admitted to me that she had done this on several occasions.  She said she didn’t have sex with him but I find this hard to believe after what all happened before.  I tried to talk this through but things just got worse.  She told me that when we were in Baraboo and I was working at Seats, that this Deacon came over to see her at the parsonage.  She admitted that they had sex in our bed while I was at work.  She told me that I had called while he was there and she thought it was funny that she had fooled me in to not knowing that he was there.  This made me even angrier and she tried to make me believe that she went up to see him to end the whole thing.  I told her I thought the whole thing ended in Baraboo.  She said that it couldn’t end because he kept coming by when I was at work.

I began to made plans to move to St Louis, Missouri.  Dr. Delashmit was from this area and he had told me that there were many jobs in that area.  I waited until around Thanksgiving and we went up to Joyce’s brothers’ house for Thanksgiving.  I had to come back early to take car of the dogs.  When she got home I told her I was going to get away for a couple of days. I didn’t tell her where I was going and I didn’t call while I was gone.  (I am sure she made another trip to Appleton, Wisconsin while I was gone because I noted the miles on the car when I returned.)  I went down to St Louis, Missouri and did some checking with the local employment agencies.   I filled out some applications and they told me to return in a week or so.  I checked out the apartment situation in the area and found an efficiency apartment that was coming open the first of December.  I put a deposit down and told him I would be in touch.

After about a week or more I made plans to go back and loaded the car up with many of my personal items.  I told her I was tired of her games and lack of faithfulness to our marriage.  I took some money from our account and left her money in the bank account and told her to put the house up for sale and use the money to pay the bills.  I told her when I got a job I would be back to help.

Chapter 7
My Move To The St Louis Area

I went back and moved into the apartment in East Alton, Illinois.  The apartment was just across the river from St Louis.  I didn’t find a job right away so I went around to employment agencies and the local colleges and checked out job opening.

It was while checking out job opening at SIUE in Edwardsville that I met Kelly.  She was a student and I had asked her a question about jobs in the area and she was helping me out.  After talking for awhile I found out she lived in Alton, Illinois not far from where I lived.  When she wasn’t working she showed me around the area and told me about employment agencies that I could check out.

I called the real estate company and they told me that they couldn’t get the house listed because Joyce wouldn’t let them in.  They told me that she wasn’t co-operating with them and refused to sign the papers.  I had to take some time off and I went down and talked to the real estate company and hired a divorce lawyer.  They filed all the necessary papers and told me that they would help protect my rights and my name.

Since Christmas was coming up Kelly asked me what I was doing for Christmas and I told her nothing.  She invited me over to her Mom’s house to celebrate Christmas Eve and dinner with her Mom and her sisters and their families.  Her four kids were also there and she introduced me to them.  Her Uncle was asking me a lot of questions and Kelly told him I was just a friend she had met.  I thanked her and her family for inviting me over for Christmas Eve because I didn’t have anywhere to go.

The next day was Christmas and Kelly asked me what I was doing.  She said her kids were with her ex-husband and she had to work but that if I wanted to I could ride with her.  She was a home health nurse so she had to do a great deal of driving around to each patient’s house.  So I rode with her and we talked and shared our problems with each other.  Over the next few days I shared my life story with her and I rode with her on the days she was working.  When her kids came back with her on the weekend then I didn’t see her much.

Several weeks later after the New Year I had a couple of interviews and I got a job at a company in downtown St Louis.  I started working there and worked straight days Monday thru Friday.  One the weekends that Kelly didn’t have the kids I would ride with her as she went around seeing her patient’s.  We talked and we began to get to know each other better.

In our conversations Kelly encouraged me to call my family and touch base with my family.  I called Dr. Brad Weniger and shared with him what was happening and ask him if he would counsel me via the phone.  (Dr. Brad Weniger was a Pastor friend I had who was Pastoring in California.)  He agreed and said his Church would pay the phone expense.  I began talking with him once or twice a week informing him as to what was happening.  Over this time period I was able to touch base with my Dad & the Ketner’s.

The divorce was a messy one as Joyce said she wasn’t going to sell the house.  Finally they foreclosed on it and she was forced out.  I got about half of the things the court gave me in the divorce papers.  Joyce sold many of my personal things in a yard sale.

At Kelly’s urging I began to attend a Pastor’s fellowship in Alton.  The local Pastor’s met once a week for prayer and Bible Study.  If they were meeting when I was off work I would attend.  I got to know some of the local Pastor’s and several lay preachers.

I went down to Hammond to see what was happening and try to get Joyce to sign the papers to sell the house.  She agreed to sign them if I would get her $1000.00.  I agreed as long as she would give me my PA system and my sound tracks.  She agreed and so I got the papers signed. It was at this time I found out that she moved a young guy into the house and was living with him.  He was a foreign exchange student who was living with her.  I have since found out she provided the house and he provided the sex.  She had him okay the agreement on selling the house before she would sign it.  This made me totally sick!!

At one of the Pastor’s meetings I heard that there were a few churches in the area that need pulpit supply.  I didn’t say anything but the next time I saw Kelly she urged me to tell them that I would be available to pulpit supply if I was needed.  The next time I was at the meeting I passed out my number and told them I would be available.  A few days later I got a call from First Baptist Church of Cottage Hills, Illinois.  They ask me if I could fill the pulpit for them.  I shared the situation I was in and that I was divorced and they said they didn’t have a problem with that.  I filled the pulpit for the one week and they kept inviting me back.  They ask me if I would consider preaching both Sunday morning & evening services.  They also wanted me to hold a Wednesday night Bible study.  So I agreed and I began preaching & teaching in these services.

Later that year Kelly and I decided we wanted to get married.  We spend as much time together as possible so we could get to know each other.  She started attending Church with me.  I ask the Deacons of the Church if they had a problem with it and they said no.  Kelly invited me over to her house for dinner after work and I would eat with her and her kids.  We seemed to get along okay but we didn’t tell the kids yet that we were planning to marry.  We decided that we needed more time to get to know each other.

Finally the day arrived when we decided to tell the kids and we planned a wedding at First Baptist Church of Cottage Hills.  All of the people there knew us and so it seemed like the right thing to do.   Kelly chose her best friend Connie Andersen to be her Maid of Honor.  Connie and Kelly worked together in the home health field as they were both nurses.  Jeff Blackburn was my Best man.  Kelly & I met Jeff through Connie and we were all on a bowling team together in a bowling league.  It was a Christian league and we bowled once a week.  The Church planned a nice reception.  After the wedding we took a short honeymoon and then we picked up the kids from their Dad’s and we went up to Chicago to my brother Dan’s house.  My parents were there, my sister and her husband were there, and my other brother Tom and his wife Glenda were there.  We had a great reunion and my family got to meet my new wife and my four new step-children.  It was nice to have my whole family all together for this reunion.

We went back to Alton, Illinois and I cleaned out my apartment and move into the house that Kelly was living it.  It was a bit strange for all of us but we felt that with time the kids and I would get along fine.  I had one month left on my lease but we didn’t take long getting my things cleaned out.

I was still preaching at First Baptist Church of Cottage Hills and the pulpit committee talked to me and asked if I was interested in being their Pastor.  I told them I was interested, and so they ask me to quit my secular job and not preach for them for a couple of weeks and they would bring me back to candidate as Pastor.  So I gave my noticed at work and the two weeks after I quit Kelly and I planned to go up to Baraboo, Wisconsin.  We had bought a popup camper and so we took it with us so we would have a place to stay when we got up there.

I had planned to stay at Devils’ Lake State Park but when we stopped by Clyde & Eileen’s (friends of mine who were attending the Church I was Pastor at when I lived in Baraboo) they ask us to park our popup in their backyard.  So we parked the popup in their backyard and I was able to renew my friendship with them and Kelly was able to begin a friendship with them.  They welcomed Kelly into their home and we all got along wonderfully.

While we were there I made some calls to try and touch base with Paul.  Paul told me that he would meet me at the local pizza restaurant.  I went up to wait for him and I was sitting in the restaurant when I saw his face looking in the window.  I started to get up top go out to meet him and when I got to the door I just got a glimpse of him leaving in his car.  I went back to Clyde’s and called him and he told me that he had heard that I got remarried and he wasn’t ready to see me at that time.  I ask if I could see him later and he said yes.

While I was in town I went and dropped by a few of the folks I knew when I lived there.  Kelly & I had a great time visiting with them.  Most of them were glad to see me and they were very kind to Kelly made us both feel much loved by them.  Many of them had heard wild stories and most of the stories they had heard they were having a hard time believing because they were so far fetched and wild.  I brought them up-to-date on what was happening in our lives and they all wished us well.

Finally it was time to go back to Alton and so we got ready to go.  I tried to call Paul again but didn’t get any answer.  Finally after saying our goodbyes and thanking Clyde & Eileen for their hospitality we began our trip home.  (Actually we did leave a bit sooner than we had planned because Kelly was missing the kids.  This was the first time she had been away from them this long.)

When Kelly & I got back in town I got a call from a Deacon from the Church where I was preaching.  The Deacons of the First Baptist Church of Cottage Hills, wanted to meet with me.  I met them at the Hardee’s Restaurant in Bethalto and we had a short meeting.  From what I understand they said they took a phone poll of the people in the Church and there didn’t seem to be enough interest to extend a call to me to candidate.  They wanted me to continue preaching until they were able to find a Pastor.  I agreed and so I kept filling the pulpit while they did a search for another Pastor.  (Note:  In the Sunday’s after this many of the families came to us and told us that they were never contacted in the phone poll.  Many of them were out of town and some of them were not contacted.  My guess is that there were other reasons why they chose to make this decision.)

We found out that previous to my meeting with the Deacons, Joyce had called the house and talked to Randy.  She told him it was urgent that she get a hold of me.  She asked where I was preaching at and several other questions.  Not thinking he was doing anything wrong he gave her the information.  I think she called the Deacons at the Church and that is why they decided they weren’t interested.

I continued to preach at First Baptist Church of Cottage Hills and some time in October or November they had a Pastor candidate.  They extended a call to him and they ask me if I would continue preaching until he arrived on the field.  I told them that I felt that the people need to begin thinking about the new Pastor and my being there would only be a distraction since there were many who would have rather that they had extended a call to me.  I didn’t want the new Pastor to have any problems when he arrived so I felt it would be better if I not preach there every Sunday as I was doing.

The First Baptist Church of Hartford, Illinois called and asked if I could fill their pulpit.  Kelly & I began attend there and I preached every Sunday for several month.  On occasion we would do some special music.  I met with the pulpit committee to see if they would be interested in calling me as Pastor.  It wasn’t in God’s will so we moved on.

Chapter 8
A New Ministry & Kane Baptist Church

Kelly & I began to look at the possibilities of starting some kind of ministry of our own.  We looked around for a building but couldn’t find anything that we could afford.  Kelly came up with another idea that turned out to be a real blessing in our lives for then next several years.  She suggested I talk with the administrator of Foxes Grove Retirement Village and see if we could get a room in their building that we could us to hold our services.

I went to the administrator and talked with her for several hours about the possibilities.  She was willing to let us use a room in their building but she did not really want us to advertise and invite people from the area to the services.  The services would be open for anyone in their building to attend.  We would have full control of the services and any offerings we took up would be ours to use as we pleased.  We agreed and began to make plans.

In the beginning we had services at 9:00am and we had a great group of folks attending from the building.  Our attendance was bounced between 25-40.  If the weather was nice the attendance was down and if it was real hot or real cold the attendance was up.  We had many regulars that came every week without fail.  We held a regular church service.  We had a song service, special music, and preaching service.  Kelly & I provided a large selection of special music numbers over the years.  Twice I invited my Dad to come and he played his guitar and violin for them.  I also had him preach on those Sundays he was with us.  With the offerings we paid for the songs books we used and the printing of the bulletins.  We also used some of the money for promotions we used to encourage others to attend.

After the first year we bought a communion set so we could offer communion in our services.  We held a communion service once a month.  The folks who attended our service were very thankful for us taking the time to provide these services for them.  For a short while we had an evening service too but after a long period of time the attendance just fell off in the evening service and we felt we should pour all our efforts into one service.  We moved the service to 2:00pm and continued to have it every week.

Kelly talked me into going back to school and so I started attending Lewis & Clark Community College part-time.  I decided to study web design as I had a real interest in web design.  We knew it would take a while if I went part-time but we thought it would make use of my time.

After several years of holding these services at Foxes Grove, Kane Baptist Church in Kane, Illinois extended a call to me to become their Pastor.  Kelly & I didn’t want to give up the ministry we had and the Church didn’t have a problem with us continue having it as long as it didn’t conflict with the services at the Church in Kane.  We continued hold both services but as the Church in Kane grew it became hard to have services every week.  We try having them three times a month and then every other week but it just didn’t work out so we finally gave up the ministry at Foxes Grove.  Going part-time to school and the Church was a big load and Kelly job was taking up more of her time so it made it very hard to manage all of these activities.  Giving up the ministry at Foxes Grove was a very hard decision to make for us but we prayed about it and God gave us clear direction that that was what we should do.

Things were beginning to move forward at Kane.  Kelly & I got a youth group started for kids 6^th grade and under.  We purchased a phoosh ball table, two air hockey tables and an indoor basketball hoop.  We set these up in the basement of the Church.  We also had a ping pong table donated by Bob & Donna Daniels.  We had several people from the Church agree to donate their time on Thursday’s to help us run the program.  Kelly & I developed a game based on Who Wants to be a Millionaire”.  We called it “Who Wants To Be A Christian Cadet”.  The youth program consisted of a game time, a singing and message time, & a craft time.  We also planned trips with the kids to the St Louis Zoo, The Science Center, The Magic House, and Grant’s Farm.  We also took the kids to local nursing homes in Jerseyville to sing and pass out craft to the local residents.  Some of our workers in this program was Gerry, Grizzle, Nila Bogle, Toni Carr, Donna Daniels, Carole Terpening, and of course Kelly and I.  Pastor Jack Weller from the Methodist Church in Kane was a great help also.  People from the Church supplied candy to give to the kids and we used money given to us from the Church to purchase treats and drinks on the nights we had refreshments.  Gerry Grizzle organized our “Birthday Party For Jesus” which we held each year around Christmas.  During our time at Kane we had three very successful Vacation Bible School programs and we had two Christmas programs that were a very big success.

During my second year at Kane we started a Wednesday night service which was very well attended.  We had different folks bring goodies and we encouraged folks to bring soda, coffee, or other drinks to have during our study time.  Each week we talked about issues of the day.  Some of those we cover were, abortion, homosexuality, child abuse, various religions, tongues, eternal security, and so on.  Each week I chose an issue submitted by the group for our discussion.  It got a great response and we were pleased as we saw the attendance rise.

We started a Sunday Night service that went for about a year but we soon dropped as we have very few in attendance.  We did everything we could to get folks out but just never seemed to be able to get them to come.  We finally had to drop the evening service.  The Church had never had an evening service for over 25 years so it was a tough road to try and change their ways.

Kelly & I spent two and a half years at Kane.  It was rough leaving as we had many supporters who were supportive of our ministry.

For a very brief time Kelly and I tried to start a ministry in Jerseyville, Illinois.  Charles Russell worked with me on this endeavor.  We had a Youth Center and a regular Church service.  It lasted about five months and we could see that it wasn’t going to work out so we closed it down.

I then took a job at the Ace Hardware in Bethalto, Illinois.   It has truly been an experience.  I did enjoyed the job but I have seen how nasty some can be in the secular world.

 Working At Ace Harware & Seeking A New Ministry

After leaving Kane Baptist Church and the Jerseyville area I decided to take a secular job for awhile and recover from the stress.  I applied to Ace Hardware in Bethalto, Illinois and was hired as a Salesman.  Basically, I worked on the sales floor helping customers find what they needed for their projects.  I also answered the telephone and that was usually someone wanting to check a price or asking if we had a certain item in stock.  I also stocked the shelves and when the truck came in on Monday and Thursday if I was working I helped take the new stock and put it on the sales floor.  It was a simple job but problems arose in time.  At first I tried to be cooperate as much as possible but I was being taken advantage of since I was the new guy on the block.  I was working every Saturday & Sunday and when Kelly was off on the weekend I had to work.  After I was there awhile I asked to have some weekends off.  I got about one Saturday off a month and was working every other Sunday.  During the week when Kelly was off it seemed my schedule was that I had to work.  Kelly was working fulltime and going to school and I had been taking a few courses at Lewis & Clark Community College.  Kelly encouraged me to step it up a bit by taking more courses each quarter so I could finish sooner.  I was studying Web Design & Graphic Design. My major was in Web Design.  I enjoyed designing websites and while I was at Kane Baptist Church I had designed a website that we used up until we left there.

Much of my time was working on school work and working at Ace Hardware.  The store had crazy schedules and they never seemed to be the same each week.  Some days I worked from 4pm to close, which meant that I got off about 9:30pm.  By the time I got home I watched the news with Kelly and it was time for bed.  I did work some day hours but it seemed like most of my hours were in the evenings.  Kelly and I had started to attend Main Street Baptist Church in Alton, Illinois.  The people there were nice and we enjoyed the Church.  I had put my name around and made myself available to fill pulpits in the area.  I preached a couple of times at Main Street Baptist Church when Pastor Mike Porter was out of town.  Other times when he was gone and I didn't preach they had this other layman from a Southern Baptist Church preach.  Kelly and I didn't like him much as he talked down to everyone.  After awhile we started looking for another Church.  Connie (Kelly best friend) told us about a new Church in Hartford that was meeting in a Methodist Church. New Hope Baptist Church was a growing Church Pastored by Pastor Frank Sparks.  His wife was Donna and they were a real blessing to us so we just started going to their services on the Sundays I was off at Ace Hardware.   Their services was at 9:00am so we went to it and then when to Main Street Baptist Church afterwards.  After awhile we could see that Main Street wasn't the place for us so we just went to New Hope Baptist Church.

Pastor Sparks was real nice to us and since we only came every other week it took a bit longer to get into the swing of things but he was very nice to us.  I had told him about my desire to get back into the ministry and he told me if he heard of any Churches seeking a Pastor or a fill in that he would refer me.  I preached in a few other Churches as a pulpit supply and we joined New Hope Baptist Church.  Pastor Sparks had to be gone one Sunday so he asked me to preach for him and I did so.  We enjoyed the folk at the Church.

A few weeks after I preached I had a Church in Godfrey call me and want to meet with me.  I met with them and they ask me to preach two Sundays.  At this time I told Ace Hardware that I would work every Saturday but that I couldn't work Sundays anymore as I was filling pulpits.  This didn't set well but they went along with it.  I preached the Church in Godfrey for two weeks and then they told me that they chose another Pastor because he was bring some additional families with him to help work in the Church.  I wasn't interested in being in a popularity contest so I just said fine.

Pastor Sparks asked Kelly & I to do some special music and so we brought a few songs and sang for the Church in Hartford, IL.  Kelly & I enjoying doing special music.

Several weeks later I was contacted by the Pleasant View General Baptist Church.  They had gotten my letter about being available and were interested in talking to me about preaching for them.  I met with two of the Deacons and they invited me to preach for them for two Sunday's.  They said that they were looking for a Pastor but they would like me to preach so they could get to know us and that if the Church liked us that maybe later they would consider me for Pastor.  I began preaching in November 2006 and then on January 10, 2007 the Church voted to call me as their Interim Pastor.  Kelly & I moved our membership from New Hope Baptist Church on January 21, 2007.

In October 2007, Pleasant View General Baptist Church called me as their Pastor.  In March of 2008 I was accepted by Alton Association Presbytery.  At the same time I was elected as the Moderator for the Alton Association of General Baptist for 2008-2009 and voted in as the Chairman of the Alton Association Home Mission Board.

I began to work at trying to find out as much as I could about the association and became involved on the Camp Board and the Home Mission Board.  ihave served on the Camp Board as a member since 2008 and as Chairmain of the Home Mission Board since 2008.

TO BE CONTINUED...