My LBC Story #1

 

My LBC Story #1:

I was only 17 years old when I left home after graduating from high school. My parents dropped me off at my dwelling in Lexington, Kentucky, so I could go to school at Fugazzi Business College.

I first visited Ashland Avenue Baptist Church in Lexington in June of 1962. The following week two men came to visit me at my residence. They were Bro. Ed Overbey and Bro. Carl Sadler. Of course, I went back to Ashland Avenue at the next scheduled meeting (Wednesday). These two men visited me again in the following days. They were each an assistant pastor at Ashland Avenue Baptist Church.

I had listened to Bro. Clarence Walker on the church's radio program for years, so I was already familiar with his voice and his teaching; but at last I was able, not only to meet him, but also to begin to love him and work with him very closely.

Bro. Walker and the church were a great help to me, allowing me to teach and to work in other areas at the church. Soon after beginning to attend the church, I heard Bro. Walker talk about the Preachers' School. I had long been sensitive to God about preaching the word of God, and I had a longing to do so from an early age. I believe that longing and desire are an evidence of the calling of God.

So, I decided that I should begin to attend Lexington Baptist College, and I registered for their Monday-night class--Bible Survey. My teacher was Bro. James Hamilton.

Bible Survey was not an easy course, because much memorizing was required. I learned to repeat all of the books of the Bible in order (which I learned mostly as a youngster), but then I had to memorize many other things: kings of Israel and Judah, the Ten Commandments, the Twelve Tribes, names of the Apostles of Jesus, and on and on. This is instruction that I have not forgotten. God is good.

Later I registered for day classes and attended classes from 7:00 AM till 1:00 PM. Eventually I was able to be a teacher and bookkeeper at Lexington Baptist College. God was preparing me for things to follow, and I am so thankful for the training from a wonderful school with so many wonderful teachers and a wonderful pastor who still dwells in my heart's memory, Bro. Clarence Walker.

My LBC Story #2

 

My LBC Story #2:

While at Lexington Baptist College, I met a man named Bob Jones, who asked me to play piano for a prospective trio. I told him that I do not play that kind of music, and he asked me if I would just practice with them for a while. I consented, and we have been practicing ever since. God has richly blessed the Lexington Baptist College Trio made up of Bob Jones, Robert Carpenter, Demas Brubacher, and Ronnie Wolfe. I played piano (and did not sing) as the other three men sang very good harmony.

We traveled for approximately five years around much of the eastern United States and saw many people trust Jesus Christ as Savior and many other rededicating their lives to the Lord and some called to preach the Gospel and surrender to the mission field.

We have had so many wonderful experiences, and we shall never forget them, memories retaining. We also learned much as we visited many churches and listened in conferences to many wonderful and studied preachers.

Later we took the name of the first quartet: Bluegrass Boys. After a while I began to sing with the group, and we became a quartet. This has been a great blessing to me and hopefully to those who heard our singing.

We made many, many friends through the years, and some of these friends have gone to be with the Lord. We have many precious memories of both young and old who were in the hearing of our quartet. God was gracious to us, keeping us from danger and giving us good health to travel, sing, and preach the word of God.

After these first five years, another quartet began. I will speak of that group next time.

God bless you all!

My LBC Story #3

 

My LBC Story #3:

After the first and second group of the Bluegrass Boys ended their singing, Bro. Carl Morton and Bro. Bobby Lakes joined the group, and we have been singing off and on for over 50 years. God has been good to bless our ministry as a quartet. We have been in many churches, and God has saved many people, and young men have been called to preach. Hopefully we have been an encouragement to many, helping them to remain faithful to the Lord's work or to bring them from a backslidden condition.

From the mountains and hollows of Kentucky to the high rises of Detroit, Michigan, the warmth of Florida, the cornfields of Indiana, and many other places, God has kept us well and kept us going. We are so thankful for the mercy of God, more than we can ever express in words.

We believe and preach God's word, and we know that his word is not bound but accomplishes his purpose by the power of God.

We are thankful for the many people who have followed us from place to place, encouraged us, and prayed for us throughout these years. Your love for us keeps energizing us to do what we can, even in these older years as the body grows more feeble.

May God receive all the glory and honor for anything good that has come through our ministry.

My LBC Story #4

 

My LBC Story #4:

My first experience in Lexington, Kentucky, was my attendance at Fugazzi Business College located on High Street.

I was 17 years old when I graduated from Pendleton County High School near Falmouth, Kentucky. I was raised on a farm, so it was a little scary to move to a big city like Lexington. The worst part of going there was that my parents drove me there, showed me the places I needed to know about, then left me standing on the street corner not expecting to see them for two whole weeks. These first two weeks were filled with homesickness; but I soon was acclimated to my new surroundings and began to enjoy to be, not only in this large city, but also to be independent. That was a thrill to me.

I had to walk several blocks (about 8 blocks, I think) to go to school. That was not so bad for the rest of the summer and in the fall, but winter was not so gracious to me. I did not have a heavy winter coat, and a neighbor saw me leaving early in the morning to walk to school. The neighbor's son had just died, so the lady asked me if I would care if she gave me his coat. I remember it was a heavy coat with a hood, and it was a deep red color. I was thankful and thanked her for it. It certainly did help me through the winter.

I attended Fugazzi and made good grades. I graduated with a diploma entitled "Executive Assistant." This course was a training for what they used to call "Male Secretary." I was hoping to go to work for the railroad or maybe the FBI. After graduation, I was able to get a job with the First National Bank and Trust Company in Lexington. I worked there 8 1/2 years intermittently. I also worked part time for Kelly Services while I was teaching at Lexington Baptist College. Both Kelly and LBC were part-time jobs. I taught at LBC for about three or four years (I cannot remember for sure).

At LBC I received the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1968. Later I continued my work and received the Bachelor of Theology in 1985. I received a Master of Christian Education at Kentucky Mountains Baptist College and later a Doctor of Christian Education from Andersonville Baptist College and Seminary in 2009.

My LBC Story #5

 

My LBC Story #5:

While I was studying at Lexington Baptist College, I was single. I remained single for a few years.

I worked at First Security National Bank while living in Lexington. I took classes at LBC and went to all of their conferences and at many revival meetings.

During this time, I noticed a young lady (actually more than one) who seemed to be interested in me, though I was not interested in her or any other woman at that time. I spent most of my leisure hours with young people, taking them places and just having a nice time together, enjoying Fort Harrod, the zoo, Natural Bridge, and other like things.

About eight years went by, and I began to think that I needed to settle down with a wife; so, as I and a young man in my car were driving in Lexington, I stopped beside a little park called Belle Court. He said, "Why are you stopping?" I said, "Do you see that house over there? I was pointing across the park to a house beyond the street on the other side of the park. I said, "Next Saturday I am going to go over there, knock on the door, and ask that girl to go out with me, and I am going to marry her. The boy said, "You're crazy! You will never do that!" I said, "Just wait and see."

After calling this young lady and making arrangements, I went to that house on Saturday and took her out to eat, I think. We attended several revival meetings and other religious affairs for a few months. Then I asked her this question: "When do you want to get married?" She said, "What? I don't know? I guess whenever you want to." I said, "How about my birthday?" She returned, "This year?" I said, "Yes, of course."

So, we decided we needed to make arrangements for the next six months, because that's how long it would be before the wedding took place. Actually, we did not begin to plan for it until about one month before the wedding.

I had known her for over eight years, and she had, of course, known me, too. We talked about my job as a pastor and/or teacher and about a family and being parents, etc. We really did not need to "get to know" each other. We knew each other well.

The boy who was in the car with me became our "best man" at the wedding. There were many people there. Bob Jones sang at the wedding, and another young boy played organ for Bob. The ladies of Ashland Avenue Baptist Church helped with the wedding, and some of my family baked sheet cakes to help with the food. We had only cake and punch; we did not have a full meal.

After the wedding, having pictures taken with my own wedding camera by my oldest brother, Vernon, we ate cake, opened a few gifts, and boarded my 1968 Chevy Impala Super Sport and headed out in a car on which someone had written "Master" on the passenger-side door and "Slave" on the drive-side door.

What a day! I will tell a little more about this later--this is getting too long.

My LBC Story #6

My LBC Story #6:

One of the most interesting happenings in those early days of my courtship with Shirley Maddox is that we used to visit the Lexington Cemetery just to be together and to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

One evening, after eating supper, we went out to the cemetery and drove around to the lake where there was a concrete bench on which we sat and talked. We always enjoyed seeing people walk by and watching the ducks on the lake.

This particular evening we sat there for a while, and then I noticed that the cemetery seemed to get very quiet. I told Shirley that we should probably leave. We got into the car, and I drove to the front gate only to realize that the gates had been closed for the night. However, this was not only for the night but for the weekend.

I stood in front of the very tall gates wondering what I could do to get out of the cemetery. As I stood there, a drunk man staggered up to the gate and looked at me. I said to him, "Do you know how we can get out of here?" He answered, "They open Monday morning at eight o'clock. Then he he scampered off to wherever he was going.

In a moment or two, I noticed a car driving up across the street, which stopped in front of a house. A young man came out of the house and approached the car. I said, "Do you know how we can get out of here?" He did not answer but opened the car door and got into the car seemingly as fast as he could, and the car took off driving fast. I don't know whether he thought he saw a ghost, or what.

Well, I happened to get enough sense into my brain to realize there must be a caretaker for this large cemetery, so we drove back along the outside of the cemetery and came upon a house. It was one of the caretakers, and he showed us how we could get back out onto the city street, and we were so thankful.

At our wedding, my brother gave us a gift of a hacksaw so we could use it if we ever got locked into the cemetery again.

My LBC Story #7

 

My LBC Story #7:

While at Lexington Baptist College, I had an opportunity to teach many classes. I began to teach Typing and Shorthand and Business English when Mrs. Jones (an elderly woman) retired from teaching there. I taught some students who were very good in class and some who were not so good in especially the skill subjects.

Eventually I was able to teach a few Bible classes, and God blessed. I will always cherish my years at LBC and the experience of teaching there, which prepared me for what God had for me to do later.

Part of my heart rests there in the old Ashland Avenue Baptist Church building, the church in which the college met, and later at the "new building" that was built for the college. I had the privilege of opening this new building for classes every morning at 6:30 for a while.

My LBC Story #8

 

My LBC Story #8:

I will not forget my going to church one Sunday at Ashland Avenue Baptist Church and hearing the first group of the Bluegrass Boys Quartet sing. It was made up of Bob Jones, Warren Hartman, Larry Robbins, and Ed Kittle. Connie Kittle played the piano for them beautifully. Their sound was wonderful. I had never heard singing like that, especially live in a church service.

Never did it enter into my mind that one day soon I would be playing piano for the next group made up of Bob Jones, Demas Brubacher, Robert Carpenter, and myself as accompanist. It was then a high privilege to be a part of this ministry of both singing gospel songs and of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This group sang together until 1967, when a third group came together with Bob Jones, Ronnie Wolfe, Carl Morton, and Bobby Lakes. All of us in this group have grown from young whippersnappers to old, gray-haired and bald men. The Lord has been so wonderful to us in giving us good health and the ability to sing all of these years.

This group will sing at First Baptist Church, 119 S. Hill Street, Harrison, Ohio, on November 21, 7:00 PM. We would love to see as many people as possible. Come and listen to these old men try to sing as they used to many years ago. God will bless!

Use your own discretion on wearing a mask.

My LBC Story #9

 

My LBC Story #9:

Here is a story everyone likes to hear.

When traveling with the Bluegrass Boys Quartet while at LBC, we went on some very long trips over the weekend to sing and preach and were back in Lexington in time to go to class at 7:00 AM Monday. They were very tiring trips, but we loved what we did.

Once, after getting off work and stopping by to get my laundry, I came home to wait for Bro. Jones to come by and pick me up to go on a trip. We all rode in the same car.

But I did not have anything to eat from lunchtime, so I stopped and got a 1/2-pint of ice cream to eat while waiting for Bro. Jones to pick me up. As I was about halfway up the stairs to my room, Bro. Jones honked his horn--he was always early! I was trying to carry my suit and shaving kit and had no room in my hands for the ice cream, so I put the ice cream in the shaving kit to help me carry it upstairs. When Bob Jones honked his horn, I forgot all about the ice cream, turned around, and went to the car to go, I think, somewhere in West Virginia.

We had traveled for an hour or so, and Demas Brubacher asked Bob Carpenter to reach behind the back seat (in the Volks Wagon) and get his Bible. When Bob Carpenter reached back to get the Bible, he said, "OOOH!" Well, you guessed it: the ice cream had melted and was all over the Bibles and other items in the back.

Boy, you will never understand how I felt when I remembered the ice cream in the shaving kit. All the way to the end of our trip, Bob Jones kept saying "Ice cream in a shaving kit?" "Ice cream in a shaving kit!" This was very humiliating. No one will ever forget it.

My LBC Story #10

 

My LBC Story #10:

Were we bad boys?

When we boys in the quartet traveled around the eastern United States singing and preaching, we would get into some very interesting places. As we traveled, we tried to get to the churches early. Sometimes we would get there as much as 30 - 45 minutes early.

When we arrived early, many times the church door would be locked. We were always anxious to get our equipment out of the car and set up in the church building; so Demas Brubacher became very adept at finding a way to open the door. Then, we would hurry in and set up our equipment to the surprise of the first person who arrived after us. Usually it was the pastor, but sometimes it would be another member.

Then, many times, after we entered the building, I would go to the piano and give it a try to see if the sustain pedal were working well enough for me to use it with my weak foot. If not, I would open the piano on the bottom front and adjust the sustain peddle to meet my need for sensitivity so that I could play without having complete staccato. Sometimes people were very shocked at this, thinking that I was destroying the piano.

Those were busy, tiring, but fun days; and God blessed in a mighty way in those meetings. Many of you remember those days.

My LBC Story #11

 

My LBC Story #11:

I so well remember the day in chapel at LBC when the speaker was not in attendance, and our dean, Dr. Brong, was taking the boy's time in chapel.

He began by saying "Does anyone want to start anything?" I raised my hand and referenced a particular portion of scripture (I cannot remember which reference it was). I said, "Bro. Brong, what does that mean?" He cleared his throat a couple of times and said, "Bro. Wolfe, it means what is says." Then Bro. Brong preached on the passage for almost 30 minutes. I learned a lot that day.

My LBC Story #12

 

My LBC Story #12:

The Bluegrass Boys Quartet represented Lexington Baptist College in our evangelistic work. We went to many churches introducing the college to the churches. Many of these churches began to support LBC with their offerings, and this allowed the college to function, and many men and women were able to receive a quality biblical education from wonderful teachers.

In this story, as the quartet were traveling going to yet another church to present the college and to preach the gospel, we were getting into the car (probably from stopping to eat along the way). Since Bob Jones was always in a hurry, everyone entered the car as quickly as possible (except for me).

With my handicap, I had to unlock the brace on each leg before I could sit down in the car seat. I had unlocked one brace and had entered one leg into the car, but the brace on the other leg was still locked and hanging out of the car door.

Bob Jones was driving, and he proceeded to drive the car with the back door open and my leg with the locked brace still on the outside of the car. Needless to say, I said something, and Bob stopped the car to allow me enough time to unlock the brace and to get COMPLETELY into the car.

No people were injured or killed in this adventure, so we continued toward our destination.

My LBC Story #13

 

My LBC Story #13:

Bro. Rosco Brong was not only a scholar in his own right, but he could sometimes be somewhat of a comic.

One day he and I were in our offices near each other when it was time to go to lunch. We left our offices at the same time, and on the way down the stairs Bro. Brong was going down one step at a time (sometimes he took three or four steps at a time), and one of the men students was coming up the stairs.

As he passed Bro. Brong, he said to Bro. Brong, "Did you eat?" but he did not say it that way. It sounded like "Jew eat?" Then Bro. Brong immediately came back with "Jew?" Think about that for a moment, and it becomes very humorous. I had a very silent, inside laugh out of it.