A Special Tribute

I've had this on my mind for awhile now and just have to put it down. It's only been a few weeks since I wrote about "My Kind of Champion." We all have heroes. But this one person is the one who started it all for me, and I want you to know him. So indulge me as I remember a very special person during a very special time in my life.

I was saved at the age of 28 in a revival service at a church close to my home. Earlier I had told God I was sick of life and sick of being heartbroken. If there wasn't anything good about life then I didn't care to live.

An older friend at work told me "You might find what you're looking for at church." So one Sunday morning I walked into Montrose Baptist Church, in Rockville, MD, holding the hand of my daughter. My life would never be the same.

Robert Crowley, pastor of Montrose, was the preacher for the revival that began just a few weeks after I started attending. I gave my heart to Jesus November 14, 1978, on a Tuesday evening. That date is very special to me. This November 14th will be 40 years since I found salvation.

I didn't have a good father figure during my growing up years, and Pastor Crowley became one for me. December of that year the church started a Single's Ministry, and I attended. That first year Pastor Crowley was the teacher.

We were privileged to learn under his care, many of us broken. I was surrounded with individuals just like me, trying to live in a world that had beaten them down. I was asked to write his name in the Bible we gave him after that first year, and he always remembered that. Such a little thing, but big in my eyes.

 My writing started at Montrose with "The Single Experience." That's me, with my dear friend, Clara, who I lost this year.

The Single's ministry was where I met Jerry. As we tell it, we met in an alley, a bowling alley that is.

Every year Pastor Crowley taught a class on Wednesday evenings for new Christians. It was a nine month class on the "Sermon on the Mount." Every Wednesday evening I was taught verse by verse how to live a life that is dedicated to and pleasing to God, free from hypocrisy, full of love and grace, full of wisdom and discernment.

The ground rules were laid out before me of the life of a Christian. I had solid ground in which to grow as a new Christian.

For two years on Wednesday evenings the church fellowship studied the book of Romans verse by verse. It took over two years. The book is an inspirational masterpiece written by the Apostle Paul, explaining God's plan of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It is often considered his most important theological legacy.

My training under Pastor Crowley gave me the knowledge and inspiration I needed to continue living this life. I am blessed to have received great knowledge under his care, of the Bible and how to live a rewarding life with Jesus. I don't say that with pride. I'm humbled to know God provided the opportunity to learn under a great man, and that I was smart enough to listen.

I also worked on The Messenger, a monthly newsletter. I wrote many articles as I learned under other writers at the church. I was never criticized when I'd make silly errors such as writing "apond" for "upon." I was nurtured, and confidence grew so that one day I would become a published writer in a number of magazines.

 Montrose is where I received my first note of encouragement from a women in the fellowship. It changed my life. That's when my own ministry of note writing began.

I attended Montrose for seven years before I married and moved to the country. A few years after I moved, I was hired to work in the church office at Montrose, and I continued to be encouraged by Pastor Crowley. I remember when I first started attending Montrose. I walked past the church office one time and thought to myself: "I'll never be able to work in the church office. I'm divorced." I was also accepted.

Montrose is where I produced the first copies of my book on note writing. Pastor Crowley was happy and proud of my accomplishment, and I enjoyed giving him a copy of the book.




It was a giant miracle to be accepted and wanted, even in a church office. I worked there until Pastor Crowley retired, and soon after I went on to the Baptist Convention of MD/DE, where I met many of my champions. (August 2, 2018 post)

Many people have fond memories of a family member that helped them grow and live as a Christian. But there are many of us that didn't have that experience. Pastor Crowley was the first person who influenced my life on this special walk as a follower of Jesus.

Through the years I've sent him letters thanking him for his walk with God, and how he changed my life. I'm thankful that I wrote him a letter three weeks before his death, to let him know I will never forget his life and how it affected mine.

He died February 14, 2011, a most fitting day for a well loved person.

This year I will celebrate 40 years of living for Jesus. I bought myself a special pendant and had it engraved with the date I gave my life to Christ. It is indeed, well with my soul. Thank you, Pastor Crowley. I will never forget you.