The Sunday following coronation day, my brother, the new Pastor Ted Buck, stepped up to the pulpit for the very first time in this capacity. He was twenty-eight years old and he looked very young.
The church was so packed with people, the overflow area had to be opened. Those who thought they had time to play around, but would some day accept the Lord into their lives, came to Jesus by the hundreds after my father's death.
The night before Ted's first service as pastor, he went to dad's office.
"There had been a lot of activity going on. The coronation service had been the day before, then there had been a wedding, so by the time I finally had some time to myself, it was 11 PM.
"I began to pray and think 'How can I step into the pulpit of a man who had ministered for forty years, pastored this church for almost thirty years, who had talked to with angels, and who had walked so closely with God? He had talked face-to-face with Jesus Christ? Here I am, an accounting major, in business for 5 1/2 years, how in the world can I step into the shoes of a man like this?'
"I knew that I didn't feel any sense of competition with dad. I was his biggest supporter No one thinks more of him than I do, unless it would be the Lord or mom.
"I was really nervous about how I was going to step into the pulpit of a man like that.
"As I sat in his big chair, where he had been visited numerous times by angels, I looked around, but they weren't there. I began to open my heart up to God asking Him for help. He flooded my heart with His presence, a very special presence. It was not a unique experience like an angelic visitation, but it was God saying to me, 'I'm here!' At that point I felt confidence burning in my heart because God had met me, and I had something to say. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was my destiny. No man had placed me there, but God had chosen me to be the pastor of Central Assembly Christian Life Center."
My mother, "Pastor Charm," had been working in a supportive role all thru the years of dad's ministry, although she had been a pastor when they were married. When she was appointed co-pastor of our thriving church, she too, received a tremendous anointing of the Holy Spirit. My mother has had the opportunity to travel all over the country continuing to share the message of God's love.
The church family has rallied, and there has not been one low Sunday. Instead, the throngs of people coming to the church have added to the growing pains of an already taxed facility. People continue to be saved every week. God continues to work miracles of healing and changing lives. Marriages are being put back together. Calls continue to come in from all over the world from people whose lives have been touched thru God's obedient servant, my father, Pastor Roland H. Buck.
The Wednesday before daddy went to be with the Lord, he shared with the people of his Bible study that he would like his grave marker to read, "Roland Buck, He inspired the faith of others." My father truly reached his goal.
Next: Afterword: Have You Confirmed Your Reservation?