Rev. 'Lovin With Pee Baptist Assn.

Rev. Austin Lovin of Sprillg- · field, oregon has accepted the call to become SUpel'ilPndeot of Missions for the Pe!!Dee Bap-tist Association accordlog to Rev. Scott TUrner Jr., Moder-ator of Pee Dee Balt!st Asso-ciation of Richmond County. TWs move will become effective May 1st.

A native of Greensboro Rev. Lovin was ordained by the Wgh-land Baltist Church, Loutsvme, Ky., in 1944. A graduate of Mars Hill CQilee4 wab-i'or Un!ferslty and Southem Semi-nary WWI addWoaal training JD religious educ:aUon at $0Uthwes-tern SttJnlnary , He has served pastontes . in North CaroUna, ViJ"ginia and Washington. FOrtbe' past ten years he bas served as Area Missionary 1D the state of Oregon under the sponsonhlp or the Home Mission BOard and the Baltist General ConvenUon of · oregon-WashlDgton.

Mr. and Mrs. wtn expect to move to Richmom county the last week in ApriL Their son, Dennis Austin, is a student at Gram canyon College. majoring in voice.

eress Hendersonville: Western Carolina Tribute Hertford; Perquimans Weekly Highlands: Highwider Hillsboro: New,, of Or.nge Co. Jackoon: NorthamptM Co. Now• Kerwtoville: Duplin Timeo Kerneraville Newa Kin&:• Mountain Herald Kirwton: Lenoir Co. New• LaGranie: Weekly Gazette Laurinburg Exchange Luksville New• Liberty Hewo *

J-c:)7- ?11 /-t.1,_ I ~ '_w._

II ortb Carolina after havtng .. ned 1n c,neoo u a bOae Jnluklrl&l')'. He now servea as auperluteudlnt d mt•Sone, Pee Dee Baptlat Aaaociatlon.

LO'fln P'9W up 1n Greens-boro, and at&mded Man Hlll ColleP, ~orellt Omver-·alty, aod rn Seminary In ltentuclty, Be pastored churches

Vlrpnta and North CaroUna before IOlnl to the Nortbwest in 1952, There he pastored in Ta-coma, WUh. , before Joln1n1tbe Home Mlsalon Board in 1959,

Missio Sup T Wd Series At Laurel Hill

Revtftl :tmCff will be held LIU Wl Ba .. Gia~

SundaY 1111M, 0d. , tbroulll Friday Dllbt. 0ot. IO, ancl Wtll baSID eaeh Df&bl at '1al0.

n.re will be apeoial mustc darlDr the we8ll pro,ldld by Tm 8tD11DC R1l1 FamUJ, Tae lllloe-mm Family &IDiers, ud the cburdl ~. Tm cbolr la under tba dlnctioo d Arclde Hualn•J BawrlJ Morpn wUl b • at the orcan ud 'r.naa Haywood at tbe plaDO. ••ScJD'' Clark wtD brlDC apec1ll mule and t.tl-lllOnJ at Ille ololllnl •rvtoa SUD-day mornlnl, NOY, 1.

The Rev, Auatln LO'fln will be tbe 111&• mbl18ter durtna the• •ntoe•. Be bu reoent-ly rebarmd to Ju bome atued

Hla w lfe, Ruth, halls from Wasbioatoa, D.C. Tbey have one IIOD, Demlla, a senior at Mara Hlll Collqe and mlnlster al mualc at Reed Memorlal Bap-Ust Churab In Aabevllle. The Lovins DOW live 1n Laurel Hlll.

Everyone la lnV1ted to attend these aervtcee, A nuraery will I be provided for small ablldren. ::koon: NortlWtlptmr "'°. -s ,INIJ\8ville: Duplin Tunn arnar•vill• New9 np Mountain Herald naton: Lanoir Co. News 1Granee, Wnkly Gazette urinbur

. This year's Annual Minutes are dedicat-

ed in horwr of Rev. Austin Lovin, our Associational Missionary for eight and a half years, and his wi,f e, Ruth C. Lovin.

REV. AUSTIN LOVIN

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA

Mr. Lovin is a native of Georgia, but his family moved to Greensboro, N.C. when he was 10 years old. He is a graduate of Mars Hill Junior College, Wake Forest College and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He studied church administration and religious education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for a _year and ~mpleted a six weeks' pastoral counseling course at Immanuel Hospital, Portland, Oregon. He pastored in Virginia, North Carolina and Tacoma, Washington, before becoming an Area Missionary in Oregon under the SBC Home Mission Board in 1959. He remained there until coming to the Pee Dee Association May l, 1970. He has been a director of SCRCOSOP, Inc. (a volunteer organization working on behalf of older adults) since its beginning in 1972. He was treasurer of the State Directors of Missions Conference this past year.

Mrs. Lovin is a graduate of Mars Hill Junior College and the WMU Training School, Louisville, Ky. (now Carver School of Missions). Their son, Dennis Austin, is associate pastor and minister of music for the College Park Baptist Church, Mesa, Ariz., where he lives with his wife and their two children.

3

I

I

We, members of Baptist churches in North Carolina, do hereby propose to . t an Association in conformity to the f lJ

The name of the association shall be l Carolina.

The purpose of the Association shall cooperation among the churches affiJiat principles of our Baptist faith and to n pra~tice those doct~e~ and principl ; Gods Word; the enlisting and lraining missions, benevolences, stewardship C men to Christ to the ends of the earth.

ARTICLE Ill-

Section 1. The Association shall be co and pastors and messengers from hurc shall be those which continue Baptist in f the Association, and that support the . and Southern Baptist Convention.

Section 2. The Association shall be receive churches into its f

STATE N.c. ------BAPTIST BIOGRAPHY DATA FORM

Please read carefully the Instruction Sheet and then list the appropriate information as it directs.

LOVIN AUSTIN 1. NAME -----c=1..as--,t,--- ----(Flnt~- 1---- ----...,.,,Second.,...--........,..>-------Give full names . For a married woman please put maiden name in parentheses.

[EXAMPL E: Cole, Ma ry Ann (Smith).]

2. BIRTH ~O.=•:::=•:::.:r::....;c;..:e'-----nP'll"C".:".,.,..------"J_e_ff_er_e_o_n ____ Ge_o_r.,..gic..;_a. ___ 6..1../....,8""/....;' 1::;,5i:....._ __ (Place) (County) (State) (Date)

DEATH ______________________________ _ _

3. PARENTS Oharle1 Edward Lo-Yin and Martha Oef'f'ee Lovin (EXAMPLE: Alec Joe Doaks and Lucy Mae (Brown) Doaks)

Father's occupation Grocer Mother's occupation _ ___:.:h...:..o...:..u_ee_li_;:i::..;.f_e ___ _

4. BROTHERS ( 2 ) List full names and year of birth _______ _ (Livina or deceased )

5. SISTERS

Nu mber 11/17/'09

Number

O~arlea &!ward, Jr. Ben P. lATin 6/12/ 128

List full names and year of birth Helen teui•• 11/21/ 111 Mabel Leone 9~2~117 Lucille 8 2 / 121

6. CHILDHOOD RESIDENCE: (Please list each residence of 3 years duration or more, up to the time of the 18th birthday )

Type of Comm.unity Post Office County State Date Rural (R); town under 2500 pop. (T); city 2500 or more pop. (C). Check one.

R D T D C [!] Oommerce ----------R D T D C [!] -=Da=m=il=-=l=e ____ _ R D T D C [!] Ore enaboro

Jet'f'er son P1 t tsyl vania Guil,-ord

Georgia 115 - ' ?2 Virginia ' 22 - ' 25 North Oar. 125 - ,~r-

R O TO C 0 ____ _________________ _ _ _

7. EDUCATION: Grammar school: Graduate? Yes ( • ) No ( ) Year graduated _1.._.9

8. SPECIAL AWARDS OR RECOGNITION RECEIVED: (Honorary degrees, such as: D.D., Howard College, 1948; citations, such as: Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities, 1939; honorary positions, such as: "Man of the Year"-Pryor, Okla., 1943; etc.) None

9. MARITAL INFORMATION: Spouse Birthdate Place of Marriage Date of

of Spouse (Town and State) Marriage

(1) Ruth Clarke o/4/•1 ~ Oxon Fill. !,d. 12/2::a;/ 147 (2)

Number of children ( 1 ). List their full names and birthdates: (an example of a married daughter would be: Mrs. John Alan (Mary Lou) Ross, 3-7-1918)

Dennia Auetin Lovin 10/1,/ 1"8

10. VOCATIONAL HISTORY (List all vocations, occupations, trades, or professions engaged in for two or more years) Oloth Spreader in overall plant, baker,

Pastor and Associational Missionary

11. RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE: Conversion 31!,0 l'L Baptism 3(13teO> Aahe)oro St. Baptis1* Greensboro, '{bale) (Aie) 1Da lcliurch) (Locition of \Jhurch) List.any church, other than Baptist, with which formerly affiliated Ordained as: Minister ( •) Deacon ( ) Other ....JB;nAu;D111•1--------------

(Date oidamed) (Church) (Place) (State)

12. LOCAL CHURCH ACTIVITY, UNSALARIED (Place the number of years service, in the space provided, for each office ever held.)

Gen. Supt., Dept. Supt., Teacher, List below other Other Offices Director, Director, Counaelor, offices or service, (give number of years service) President Circle Chm. Spoll80r, such as: Sec.,

Leader Aaaoc. Supt., etc. Deacon Ch. Treas. - -Trustee - Ch. Library -

2 years Usher - Ch. Recreation_ S.S. - - - - - - Ch. Clerk Choir Mem. - -

Other - Choir Direc. -T.U. - - - - - - rr1nct'Oal Ch. Committee Chm_ V.B.S. - - -- - - 15 yrs PlU"' List completed Study Course diplomas (Indicate related organizations, such

as: S.S., T.U., etc.)

Broth. - - - - - s. s. Training & !re ··cb:h:ig Cou:caa,

~.c.

W.M.U. - - - - - '!!l'H:!P:Rt all lilille ~tnc:lb& etc. 13. DENOMINATIONAL SERVICE, UNSALARIED. (Please list positions held in Baptist

associations, conventions (state or Southern), national and world-wide organizations, such as; moderator, president, clerk, trustee, board, commission or committee members; etc.) Example: S.S. Superintendent Bethel Association

(Poaition) (Organization, board, agency, etc.) Kentucky

(State)

Moderator .s.s. Supt, Executive Board Member Exec. Committee of Board

Olympic Assoc. (Wash.) 'f sh.

Ol 1Jllp1 c &aeoc We 1b , Or,-Wash. Baptist Convention a:c.-r,. Or.-Wa. Bapt. Convention Or.-Wa.

1942-1944 (Date)

152 - •i:;4

'54 - •56 •56 .. '59 '58 - ''9

=

o.

14. TO BE FILLED OUT ONLY BY THOSE WHO ARE, OR HA VE BEEN, IN SAL-ARIED CHURCH-RELATED VOCATIONS. (Including pastors, denominational work-ers, missionaries, ministers of education and music, church secretaries, faculty members or employees of Baptist institutions, agencies, etc.) · TYPE AND LENGTH OF SERVICE: List all positions of such service with one or more years of duration; check F (full-time) or P (part-time). Examples:

(Positi on) (Church , agency , area, institution, place of service ) (Date of service )

F D P [!] 1. pastor County Line Baptist Church, Turkey Creek, La. 1925-1929 F [!] P D 2. missionary ___ 0_,g..._b_o_m_o_s_h_oL..., N___.ig.._e=ria=-'-, W---'.-'-A_f_ri....;.c..;.:.a ___ _ 1930-1952

1947-'4' Harman,Bap. Ohurch, Harman, Va. F [!] P D Pastor F [!] P D Pastor F [!] P D Pastor

Winton-Buckhorn f1eJd, Hertford Oty.,N,O, ]949-'51 Fir•t Baptist, Lake City, Tacoma, Wa. 1952-'59

F [!] P D Area Missionar.,,,_y__,,;;.......__~------'-'-.L....~---'....:...---';.;;._;:;.-..;;..;;;.._ F [!I P D A1tsoc. ?Jission:.::ac:..r...___---=-r:~:"---":=.1:;-:.=~~=~~o.:i..::"-L...---.--

1959-'70 1970 -Present

F o Po ___ ___ ------------- - --- - ___ _ 15. OTHER TYPES OF RELIGIOUS SERVICE: (In associations, assemblies, colleges, con-

ventions (state or Southern), national or world-wide meetings, such as: speaker, music director, committee chairman, etc.)

(Position) (Place of Service) (Date of Service)

Chairman, Local Arrangements Oomm. tor State Convention, Oregon-Washington Baptist State Convention, Eugene, Or. 1966

16. AUTHORSHIP (Include books, booklets, lesson courses or curriculum material, and tracts) (Book, item, etc.) (Publisher) (Date published)

17. CLUB OR GROUP MEMBERSHIP: (Service organizations, fraternal, P.T.A., Civic, etc.) List important positions of leadership held - -- - ------ -- ------

18. HOBBIES AND LEISURE INTERESTS: Favorite Auto Maga.Bines Others Golt

19. PUBLIC SERVICE: (Military, educational, political, etc. not previously listed) __ _ Executive Committee, Richmond County, Council on Problems of Older Cit iz ens

The information for items #1-19 has been filled in by __ A_u_s_t_i_n_l_ov_i...;..n ________ _ Mailing address P.O. Box 1'96, !ookingham, N,C, 26,79 Sources used in compiling the information are: (Example: personal knowledge; minutes, Cal-

vary Baptist Church, Wisner, La.; Court Records, Copiah County, Miss.; etc.) P!raona1 Kpc,yl•41•

20. DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERIZATION (Please read special instruction sheet care-fully and sample biographies before proceeding.)

I wa1 born June 8, 1915 in Commerce, Ga. My fatber owned a grocery etore there and the Lovins lived comfortably until the cotton crop failed in 1921. My fatb~r•s business was one of many that went bankrupt as a result and we moved first to Danville, lfa, and then three years later to Greensboro, N.C. where we remained.

My mother was a devout Chrietian and she took her six children to church every Sunday. I accepted Christ as my Saviour when I was 14, during a revival at the old Ashe~oro St. Baptist Ohurcb. I became increasingly active in the church from about age 16, but I was working at the Blue Bell Overall factory by then and becoming a full-time Christian worker bad never entered my mind.

God called me to preach shortly before my twentieth birthday. We bad a family council after several months had pas1ed, during which my conviction about the reality of the call grew stronger, and the family agreed to let me atop helping the finances and they wished me well as I went off to Mars Hill to finish bigb 1cbool with only 180.00 in my pocket. Eleven years later, I graduated from Soutbern Seminary with a B.D., but almost no practical experience.

It was over a,year after I graduated before I was called to the Harman Baptiet Church, Harman, Va. in the coal mining section of the Blue Ridge Mountains. My inexperience and tbe olanishness of the miners made tbings mighty rough. In Me.rob, 194', I accepted a call to the Winton-Buckhorn-Holly Spring• field in Hertford County N.C. There I bec8Jlle aware that I needed more training in church administration and religious education. In 1951 we left (I had married Ruth Clarke, of Washington, D.C. in 1947 and we had a son by then) for Southwestern Seminary and a year's 1tudy. Tb.is revolutionized my ministry. While there, I beard about the need for pastors in the Pacific Northwest and yielded reluctantly to a call to this work.

I became pastor of the original Southern Baptist Church in the Tacoma, Wash. area, starting with 12 resident members. During seven years, the Lord blesaed and we built two units of a building, purchased two additional pieces of property and had 800 additions - 150 of them by baptism. It was the greatest 8Xperience of my ltfei

In 1959 I accepted a call to serve aa an Area Missionary in Southern Oregon, under the Home Mission Board. There I worked with as many as 5 different associations at a time and traveled 50,000 miles a pear in my work. I was surprised to find that I felt as much called tb this work as I had previously to the pastorate. I watched the State Convention grow from a tew to 250 churches.

In 1970, after 18 years in the Pacific Northwest, I accepted a call to return to North Carolina as Supt. of Missions for the Pee Dee Bapti1t Association and that is where I am to this present date in 1972.

Austin Lovin Name of person writing the above characterization -----------------------P. 0. Address P.O. Boz 1'96, Rookingtlaa, w.o. 28,79 Return to:

r"') Ai Name ____ ----=.,,---'--'~ '' _;_~c,o,.,,,......_ _________________________ _

P. 0. Address----------,-------------------------

.. 1994 Minutes of the Pee Dee Baptist Association

This Annua1 is dedicated in honor of Rev. Austin Lovin

Austin was born June 8, 1915 in Commerce. Ga. He grew up in Greensboro, NC. He accepted Christ as his savior in 1930 at the age of 14. The preaching of Mordecai Ham, during a six-weeks' crusade in Greensboro in the early 1930's led him to a deeper commitment of his life to Christ.

He quit school in 1932 to go to work to help the family in the midst of the Great Depression. He accepted God's call to the Gospel Ministry in 1935, and worked his way through Mars Hill and Wake Forest Colleges, and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He married Ruth Clarke, of Washington, D.C., soon after he was called to his first pastorate in 1947. Their only son. Dennis Austin was born in 1948. Austin pastored a church in Virginia and a field of three churches in Hertford County, NC 1947-1951.

In July, 1951, he resigned his churches and went to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to work on an M.R.E. degree. His studies were cut short after one year, when the Lord called him to Southern Baptist pioneer work in the Pacific Northwest. He became the pastor of the original Southern Baptist Church in Tacoma, Wa. The church had just been organized, with 12 members. He served this church from 1952-'59 and God greatly blessed his work with 800 additions . 150 of them by baptism. He led the church in building a first and second unit building with volw1teer labor. The church also grew in its support of missions. When he left in 1959, the church was giving 26% to missions, including 10% for a new church-type mission in a nearby community. His church was asked in 1952 to join with two other churches to form a new association. He became the first moderator of this new association and later held most of the key offices during the seven years he was with the Tacoma church. He also served on the State Convention Executive Board and Executive Committee.

In 1959 he accepted a call to become a Home Missionary. serving five small associations scattered over Southwest Oregon. This proved to be a very demanding assignment. The churches were weak and the di.stances between them kept him on the road almost constantly. In 1968 he was transferred to a group of three associations in the center of the 8tate. It was still over 200 miles to his fartherest churches. During 1959-1970. he also served as interim pastor for four churches that had experienced major difficulties. This was in audition to his regular duties.

In 1970, he resigned the ~ork in Oregon and accepted a call as Director-of Missions for the Pee Dee Baptist Association in Richmon~ and Scotland counties in North Carolina. This association was still in the process of rebuilding after several years without a director of missions. He emphasized developing a good working relationship between the churches and strengthening the various programs in the churches.

Rev. Lovin was a charter member of a senior adult advocacy group, who brought a senior adult congregate meal program to the area and eventually succeeded in getting the new senior center built in Rockingham.

In 1978 he took disability retirement after a serious heart attack and by-pass surgery. The Lovins moved to his hometown of Greensboro after retirement and he is still active in his church there and has been clerk of the Piedmont Baptist Association for the past four years.

His wife, Ruth, who had been such a strong support for his throughout his ministry, became a victim of Alzheimer's Disease in 1983. He cared for her at home as her condition worsened until he had his third heart attack in 1989, at which time, his son placed his mother in a nursing home. She is now living in the Brookridge Nursing Center in Winston-Salem.

The son, Dennis, is now a Southern Baptist Chaplain in the Air Force, stationed in Germany and with the rank of Lt. Colonel.

Father, take my hand in Thine Let me serve through love Divine If some heart should lose its way Let me be the one to pray Like a candle shed the light

~ Till Thy Presence is in sight . .f!;~ ~

~1 :" · I would tell them o'er and o'er Thou art just outside the door Their heart's latch is from within Open wide and let Thee in In temptation or despair ,,, Thou art always standing there. ~~

~~ ~ ~~

Then I'd ask dear Father J\·line Bless their lives with joy sublime If they serve Thee all the way Come into their hearts and stay Fill their souls with sacred 10\·e Till they li\'e with Thee abo,•e.

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