My Story #97 -- Homesick In Lexington

My Story #97

Homesick In Lexington

Pastor Ronnie Wolfe

After being left on the street in Lexington, Kentucky, knowing no one and very lonely, I met friends. Many of these friends were young people from the neighborhood, since I had no car and spent my free time walking around the neighborhood. I was 17 years old, so I connected with the young people very well and very quickly. Once one of the boys asked me my middle name. I told him that I was named after my father, and his name is Willard. After they heard that, they began to call me Willie. That was my name among the youth of Forest Avenue in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1962. Occasionally they would call me Willie Babe. I don’t know what that was all about.

I was a churchgoer; so, when Sunday came, I went to the only church I knew anything about as I was growing up at home. We listened as often as we could on the radio to Bro. Clarence Walker, who was the pastor of Ashland Avenue Baptist Church in Lexington. As a result, that is the church that I attended.

After my first visit to the church, that very week two men came to my house to visit me. They were Edward Overbey and Carl Sadler. I later found out that they were both assistant pastors of Ashland Avenue Baptist Church. I told them I would be back to the church. The very next week they came back to my house, and I was a little confused, because I told them I would be back, and I was back again and again and again. I went to every service and enjoyed the preaching of Bro. Walker, Bro. Overbey, and Bro. Sadler. Then on Wednesday evening I would enjoy the teaching of Bro. Rosco Brong. Those sermons and lessons were like Bible college to me. I cannot understand why people do not want to go to church. The local church is an instrument of teaching and exhortation. Every believe should be faithful his own local church, love it, work through it, and be faithful to it. God will bless all who do.