A church’s vision is impeded if it forgets its heritage, and we pastors have a responsibility to tell our stories. That’s why I want to occasionally record some of my memories about the church that became my life’s work—The Donelson Fellowship.
In a previous blog, I told the story of the church’s first pastor, Robert Owen, who served in a parttime capacity and resigned in July 1957 to pursue a pastoral ministry in his home state of Florida.
At the time of Owen’s departure, the church didn’t have funds for a fulltime pastor, so they hired a student to preach for them. His name was Bob Shockey, and I have cherished memories of Bob. So does everyone who knew him. He was one of the most zealous and effective personal evangelists I’ve ever known.
I didn’t know a lot about his life’s story until I read an article about him by Jack Williams in Contact Magazine. Bob was born in 1927 in Clay City, Kentucky. As a young man he worked as a roustabout on barges on the Ohio and Big Sandy Rivers. He later served in the United States Navy as a psychiatric nurse during two enlistments. In 1949, Bob rode a motorcycle in the rain all night trying to get from Norfolk, Virginia, where he was stationed, to Jenkins Kentucky, in time to be present for the birth of his little boy. I’m not sure he made it in time, but his “boy” was actually turned out to be a little girl, who became the apple of his eye.
Bob was converted in 1954 while working on the riverbank. He was 27 years old. He was called to preach in 1955, and ordained in 1956. That’s when he moved his family to Nashville to enroll at Free Will Baptist Bible College. Somehow he came into contact with the people at Donelson, who were looked for someone to replace Robert Owen.
They hired Robert Shockey—two Roberts in a row with a third to come later.
Bob served as Donelson’s pastor from 1957 until just after his college graduation in 1959, at which point, he became the pastor of Second Free Will Baptist Church in Ashland, Kentucky.
Bob conducted the first wedding in the history of The Donelson Fellowship—Jane Miller married Jimmy Greenway. Jane told me that Bob wanted to get their marriage license from someone he knew in the courthouse in Ashland City, but that badly upset her mother, Fanny Miller, who was afraid the marriage wouldn’t be legal. I remember Mrs. Miller very well and was at her bedside when she died. She was a force to be reckoned with.
Since the church was still meeting in the basement—the only place they had at the time—the wedding was held at East Nashville Free Will Baptist Church.
“Bob was very likeable,” Jane told me. “He had a wonderful personality. He never met a stranger. He was a lot of fun. He was kind of flamboyant, and my mother wasn’t sure about that. She thought he should be more serious. But everyone loved him. Our numbers grew slowly in those days. If a family visited our church we almost kidnapped them. We were so eager to grow. Bob was an asset because of his personality and zeal.”
I know from being around Bob later in his life that he was a natural and gifted personal evangelist. I heard him once say that he had led people to Christ who called him accidently on the phone. “I’m sorry,” the person would say. “I’ve got the wrong number.”
“Maybe not,” was Bob’s reply. And he would begin to tell them about Jesus.
Bob’s ministry spanned 54 years, and dozens of young men were called into the ministry during that time. He became very active denominationally, and remained zealous for the Lord until his death from injuries of an automobile accident in 2008 when he was 80 years old.
I often think of those who paved the way for my own pastorate. What a debt I owe them. Many of the stories have already been lost. Those were hard and demanding years, and only a dedicated group of pioneers could have built such a church as I inherited.
I praise God for them.
P.S. — My friend, Pastor Eddie Flemming, told me: “He not only was a great preacher and evangelist, he was a good matchmaker. In 1991 I attended the Alumni meal at the college [Free Will Baptist Bible College, now Welch College]. I sat at the table with him and a few others. I hadn’t seen him since graduating from FWBBC in 1989. He asked me in this order. Where are you living now? What are you doing these days? Are you married? Are you dating anybody? My answer to the last two questions was no.
A few minutes later, Laura Hampton sat down next to me (because the chairperson of the alumni committee, which Laura was a member of, assigned tables for each committee member to sit at. Her tent card was beside me.)
The moment she sat down, Bro. Shockey asked her the same questions. After she said no to the last two questions, he said, well what do know, Eddie here isn’t dating anyone either.
We got married in June of ’92. Thanks Bro. Shockey.”