A Life Invested in Others & Friend Day

Sunday, October 12, 2025

It has been quite a week...

Last Sunday (Oct 5), at the conclusion of our morning service at SCBC, my wife and I received word that our daughter's father-in-law, Jeff Lloyd, had passed away suddenly and unexpectedly,which set in motion a very busy week for our family.

On Wednesday, I flew to Central Iowa so that I could be there to support our daughter, Mollie, and her husband, Nathan, in the passing of Nathan's father. We were able to meet up for lunch at a little diner in Prairie City, Iowa, called Goldie's.

On Thursday, I had the privilege of attending Jeff's funeral which was a demonstration of a life lived investing in others and seeking to share Christ with others. Literally there was standing room only for his funeral service! Since Mollie and Nathan have only been married for a couple of years, Stephenie and I had not really had the opportunity to get to know Nathan's parents aside from meeting them at the wedding and then having lunch with both Jeff and Bev on one occassion a little over a year ago. But, after meeting so many of his family and friends, I came to learn better how that Jeff was a wonderful man of God who quietly sought to live his life to please His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His wife, Bev, told of how his employer, John Deere (for whom Jeff has worked for the past 20+ years), after learning of his death, gathered all of Jeff's co-workers together to have a word of prayer before announcing Jeff's death. John Deere also offered all of his co-workers "bereavement time" to be able to attend Jeff's funeral if they desired.

It truly was an honor to have known Jeff just the little bit that I did. I feel as though I know him much better now and certainly "hate" the fact that I won't have the opportunity, here on this earth, to get to know him more. I look forward to the day when we will meet again in Heaven and be able to spend all eternity praising the Lord!

Standing Room Only

Jeff loved motorcycles and was a longtime member of the Christian Motorcyclists Association and had been the chaplain of his local chapter. Because of that, there were many motorcyclists who attended the funeral as well as participated in the funeral processional to the veteran's cemetary where Jeff was buried. Nathan, to honor his dad, rode his dad's motorcycle in the funeral processional.

Nathan and one of his nieces ready to ride!

Patriot's Honor Guard

Because of the close proximity, I was able to stay with my mom and sister, Anna, while I was in Iowa. It's always a joy to be able to visit her. Please keep her (and our family) in prayer and we seek God's guidance for our mom's continued care. It is heartbreaking to watch a loved one, such as your mother, decline, not so much physically, but mentally. She still knows and recognizes us but it is becoming more difficult for her to carry on a conversation and to remember things.

Mom Campbell, at 85 years of age, is still as beautiful as ever!

Today, Sunday, October 12, we had our annual Friend Day at South Charlotte Baptist Church. It was a wonderful day! The Calvary Quartet joined us to minister in music and, although their usual pianist was sick and unable to be with them, they still did a wonderful job in stirring our hearts through singing!

We had a number of guests and visitors. (I was told that we had 127 in attendance!) Some of those were families from our Christian school, South Charlotte Baptist Academy! It is our desire, every opportunity we have, to share the Gospel message with all who will listen. I had the opportunity to preach a message from Acts 26:15-18 entitled, Set Free. (You can listen to the message here. You can watch the service here.)

Everyone enjoyed Friend Day!

During the service, I announced that Sunday, October 10, 2027, will be the 50th Anniversary Celebration for South Charlotte Baptist Church. I want to encourage all of you to go ahead and mark your calendars and join us on that day as we celebrate God's goodness: To God Be the Glory Great Things He Hath Done!

As usual, we ended our Friend Day with lunch and, this year, an inflatable slide for the kids and teens (which was a huge success)!

All in all, it was a wonderful day and it was a wonderful way in which to end a very busy and emotional week for me and my family!

Pray that we, as a church, will continue to fulfill the words of Acts 26:18

"To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." Acts 26:18