My Story #19

 

My Story #19:

In the 1960s, Bro. Clarence Walker, pastor of Ashland Avenue Baptist Church, asked the church to hire the men in the Lexington Baptist College Trio. The church paid each one of us $30 per week. Even then, it was difficult to live on that pay, but somehow we did it; and I don't remember ever missing a meal or having a place to live. God is good, and he touched the hearts of his people to make this possible.

Bro. Bob Jones was then what they called "Bro. Walker's Helper." He helped Bro. Walker (who had had a stroke) to go to funerals and help in many other ways. Bro. Demas Brubacher and Bro. Robert Carpenter helped with the Ashland Avenue Baptist paper and did other things around the church, also.

My job at times was to sit across the desk from Bro. Walker and watch him choose one letter out of many, many letters that had come in from the readers of the Ashland Avenue Baptist paper. He would slowly open the envelope and read the letter aloud. Then he would turn to me and say, "Now, Bro. Wolfe, write a letter to this dear sister (or brother) and tell them . . ." I would take his words in shorthand, which was not hard to do, because he spoke in that slow, southern talk. Then I would take the letter and his dictation to a typewriter and type out the letters, prepared for him to sign to be sent out to each individual to whom he had written.

Not only did I think it a high privilege and honor to be able to do this for my pastor, but I was humbled by his teachings that were inserted into each letter that he wrote. He was a very wise and practical man. I am still thankful for this wonderful opportunity.