June-July 2014
Dear Pastor & Church,
It is summertime once again. Along with that comes much activity that pulls people away from Church. Sports events, family gatherings and vacations. We are so thankful to have many people here that never give it a second thought on Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday as to whether they will come to Church or not. One native pastor here told me that it was very hard just to get folks to come to Church, let alone seeing them saved. If God be for us, who can be against us? Well, there are many things that line up to try to knock God’s people out. But God wants to bless and add to our Church more then we really realize. And we know that the Lord will always bless people who attend His House.
Needless to say, our attendance is down. But the ones that are here are here for the long haul. Each time I get up to preach I am as happy and excited to preach to 35-40 like I am preaching to 5,000! I thank God we have been enabled to remain. I remember Dr. Harold B. Slighter saying to his class years ago: He said when the day was finished he would unhook and go to the house. When morning came he would come back and hook up right where he had left off the previous day. I am glad to have sat under his ministry. I’m also glad to have been saved under my pastor’s ministry, Bobby L. Leonard. Brother Bobby will call me anywhere from 5-7 times a week. I sure wish every preacher boy had a pastor like my pastor.
Twenty-one years ago my wife, Elaine, entered the Academy as Supervisor. She has had 21 wonderful and fruitful years in the school. I believe she has been a wonderful teacher and great friend to the students and has given herself 100 percent. And she has loved it all the way. Truly her heart has been here with the school students. But due to Elaine’s age, health and stress levels, we feel it is time for her to retire from the classroom. As of June 19th., Elaine retired from the classroom of Garlow Line Baptist Academy. As to the future of the school we know of no one who would like to take it and run with it as of now. It has two young students, a brother and sister and one teenager that is homeschooling. She will do what she can to get them all either homeschooling or into another school.
Thanks again for remembering the Baucoms with your love, trust, prayers and financial help. The Lord has been merciful from all directions. This reminds me of how many ways I know how to tie a neck tie, which is no more than two. But back in 1999, two University of Cambridge researchers found 85 different ways to tie a tie, and this was the accepted amount of variations for a number of years. Recently, a team of researchers from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm used advanced mathematics and complex computer software to determine that there are, in fact, 177,147 different ways to tie a man’s tie. WOW!
This reminds me that when trouble comes upon us, we sometimes can only think of 1, 2 or 3 different ways that God could redeem us from the problem. However, because God is infinite and all-knowing, the number of ways in which He can bring us out of a troublesome situation are numberless! I said this to say that God has used so many different ways to tie up my ties that it’s beyond amazing. We have no idea which way He’ll use next. But He’ll do it again.
We Love Y’all!