Rev. Charlie Lucas
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My wife and I were born and raised in Texas. I was born in San Antonio, but raised in East Texas just outside Longview in a small town called White Oak. Paula was born in Wichita Falls and grew up in the little town next door, Iowa Park. Moving to South Carolina was the first time she had lived more than 10 miles from the place of her birth. However, when I say I've lived in Texas, I mean I've lived in Texas. I've lived in central Texas, east Texas, south Texas, west Texas, and north Texas. The parts I haven't lived in, I've been in. So moving to South Carolina was a different experience for both of us. South Carolina holds a special place in our hearts though, both our children, Samuel and Anna, were born here in Rock Hill. Plus being on staff here has given us so many good friends that it's hard not to think of this as home. |
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Ministry has been sort of a second calling for me. I began my working life as an engineer. I graduated from LeTourneau College in the late 70's with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I worked for 15 years as an engineer in the oilfields of west Texas with a company called "Schlumberger Well Services." In the early 90's, the Lord began moving me in the direction of ministry. In 1995, I finished a Masters Degree from Southwestern Theological Seminary. In the spring of 1996, I joined the staff here as the Minister to Single Adults where I served until the fall of 2005 when I became the Senior Adult Pastor. In addition to ministering to senior adults, I also serve as the Pastoral Care Minister where I oversee our support groups, hospital visitation, and our ministry to our home bound and shut in members. It's been a real privilege and a blessing for us to serve here.
Like so many, I was raised in a Christian home and in the church. The result was a head full of knowledge about Jesus Christ. I knew a lot about Jesus but unfortunately I didn't know Him. My head was full of the stories of Jesus but my heart was full of myself. I tolerated church and the things of God, but had no love for Him. It was as a 16 year old that I made the discovery of a lifetime. To my amazement, I discovered the power and the joy of a relationship with Jesus Christ. The power of that relationship changed everything in me and in my life. The joy of that relationship with Christ was at that time the greatest thing I had experienced in life. Today, some 36 years later, my relationship with Him is still the greatest thing I've encountered in life. Unlike everything else in this life that fades with time, Jesus Christ is as meaningful and as exciting today as He was when I first encountered Him in 1971. Jesus told His disciples one day that He "is life". Life is what I found when I found Him.
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