Back in the 50s, one man had a great message.
He heard it from his father when he was a kid, and it shaped the way he viewed the world.
When it was time for college, a war was raging overseas.
He knew he could make a great impact by sharing his message.
He would clothe the needy, show the lost God's Way.

So he studied theology
And went on to seminary
Where he learned the Word
And memorized the Scriptures
Verse by verse, chapter by chapter
This young man discovered his new voice
One that was unioned with the Holy Spirit
And resonated with the Truth.

He honed this new voice by giving sermons
Every Sunday at a local Methodist church
He joined just as their elderly pastor was retiring
And all the members loved him
Even though they knew he was only an interim leader
The adults respected his voice,
And the children followed his advice.

He began courting a young woman in town
Queer as it may seem, she was a devout Baptist
But they agreed on the important things
Like the sanctity of marriage,
The value of abstinence,
And the importance of family and community.

One night in a dream he heard the voice of God
It called him to leave Indiana
And go south to Tennessee
Where he was to become the founder of a Baptist church
He was to marry his sweetheart and take her with him.

After fifteen months leading the Methodist worshipers
He and his newly wed set off to find their new home
They called it Stoney Brook Baptist Church
It became a staple of the town's good faith.

For fifty six years that pastor gave his Sunday sermons
To a congregation that peaked at two-hundred seventy in 1972
He touched many hearts and loved all who walked through his sanctuary doors.

On the day of his last sermon, he thanked God for a life of blessings
He stood before a crowd of twenty, his wife and two daughters were there.

After the old man retired, the church closed its doors.

In 2010, a megachurch bought Stoney Brook Baptist.
They renamed it The Point at Stoney Brook, praying it would be a staple of Southern revival.
The new pastor was a man of vigour and Godly passion.
He was inspired by that great Methodist preacher he saw as a child.
The one that went on to found a church in Tennessee.