Bob Baxter, who grew up near Bremen, and Gloria Twitty, a native of Gainesville, met in their first year as students at Mercer University. It didn't take long for Baxter to ask the bright young lady from Hall County for a date, but she declined to grant the request until the last quarter of their senior year. He recently quipped, "I think she was looking for a rich lawyer."

In that last year at Mercer Bob and Gloria launched a relationship that soon began to flourish. After graduation Bob enrolled in Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, NC and the courtship entered into the long distance phase of the relationship. Gloria remained in Georgia and served as the secretary for the dean at Mercer. However, Bob admitted, "I sure did need her up there to type my term papers."

The first date that took place in the spring of 1955 at Mercer ultimately resulted in holy matrimony in the summer of 1956. Gloria taught in elementary school that first year of marriage Their son, David, was born in September of 1957 and daughter Carol three years later on November 3, 1960.

The Baxter family, which now includes five grandchildren, is exemplary in many ways. Bob and Gloria are the foundation for the family and form a formidable ministry team for Mt. Harmony Baptist Church, where this dynamic duo has been recognized as pastor and first lady for well over four decades.

In a recent interview the Mt. Harmony pastor shared his wit and wisdom derived from 53 years of ministry, including 46 years at Mt. Harmony.

TCI: How did you get to be the pastor of Mt. Harmony?

Baxter: I was pastoring a church in Burlington, NC as a seminary student when T. W. Southard, who had been the pastor of the church for 30 years, asked Gus Verdery, the chaplain at Baptist Hospital, for a recommendation for pastor. Gus recommended me. The church had over 900 members and I thought it was too big for me so I asked them to forget about me, but they decided to express an interest and we prayed about it and decided to accept the call.

TCI: What has been your greatest joy at Mt. Harmony?

Baxter: It has been a joy to see the love of the people of the church. We love them. They love us, and they love each other. They have an incredible love for Gloria. Furthermore, when we disagree we don't get in a fit about it. Mt. Harmony hasn't had a split in 76 years.

TCI: What are your strengths in ministry?

Baxter: I really work at my preaching. Some of the professors at Mercer said we should never preach over 20-25 minutes, and that has been a lifesaver for me. If you want people to come hear you year in and year out, Sunday after Sunday, Wednesday after Wednesday, you need to bail your hay tight. Drive the truck into the pasture to feed the sheep and then drive out.

And I am always reading books about preaching. I have a passion to improve my preaching. I am still working on it very hard.

Gloria: In 46 years he has repeated only two sermons. Every sermon is a new sermon.

TCI: Have you changed anything about your preaching style in recent years?

Baxter: I preach without notes. I read my text and close my Bible and preach. But in recent years instead of referring to various passages of Scripture in my sermon, I have everyone turn to the specific passages and I read them as they follow in their Bibles. That seems to personalize and empower the reading of the Scripture.

I have also started preaching from a stool. About three years ago I had to have a knee replaced. Before that surgery I was in so much pain that I started sitting on a stool to preach. Gloria and the people in the church loved it. In Matthew it says that Jesus sat down and preached to the people. I think it helps me to connect with the people and helps them relax. It's like I'm sharing with them instead of preaching at them.

Gloria: Let me add that Bob gets up early every morning and spends a least an hour alone with the Lord. He also pastors the people. Wherever there is a crisis he is there to minister.

TCI: Are you an expository preacher, a topical preacher or a thematic preacher?

Baxter: I have done some of every kind of preaching there is. I have even done narrative preaching. I have been preaching through the book of Romans on Sunday mornings, but I have interrupted that temporarily to do a series on revival.

Our worship center is pretty well filled on many Sunday mornings; and so we are going to go to two morning worship services in October.

TCI: Is your area of Mableton growing?

Baxter: Our community is growing now, but our area went through a crisis some time ago. A dramatic transition took place and we had a lot of people to move out of the community, but many of them kept coming to Mt. Harmony. During that time some people thought we should relocate, but we didn't move.

TCI: Why did you decide to stay at the same location?

Baxter: I just never thought we should leave our post of duty. I am afraid that too many churches have deserted the inner city. The Muslims are building a big mosque on 14th Street in Atlanta. They are going to take over the inner city and from there take over the country.

With tongue in cheek, Baxter added, "I wonder why the Lord never seems to lead a church to relocate to the low rent district. Every time the Lord leads a church to relocate it's where there are more expensive houses and more money."

TCI: Why do you think you have had such an effective ministry for all these years in the same church?

Baxter: We've given our lives to these people. We go to fellowships, weddings, youth retreats, Sunday School functions - in others words, we have invested our lives into the lives of these people.

Sometimes I make an error in judgment and when I do, I own up to it. I admit my mistakes and it's over.

I also use humor to relieve tense situations. You couldn't stay in a church all these years without having a sense of humor.

TCI: How did your family handle that kind of commitment to the church?

Baxter: We have always made sure that we had time for each other and time for our family. In fact, we still get together at least three times a week and have a meal together. Actually, I believe our greatest ministry is our marriage. I couldn't make it without Gloria. She is my counselor, my lover, my confidant and my best friend.

Baxter added, "I tease her publicly in church sometimes, but she knows how to get even. She called me recently at the church and said, 'I just got even with you. I just bought me four pairs of shoes'."

TCI: You like must what you do to have been a pastor for all these years. Is that right?

Baxter: Gloria says I don't know when I am working and when I am playing, because I enjoy my work so much. If a man doesn't enjoy his ministry he ought to get out. If a pastor gets unhappy with his church it won't be long until the church is unhappy with him.

I am from the old school. I am not ashamed of being a pastor. I don't mind dressing like a pastor and looking like one. I don't try to go incognito. But, you know, in a long pastorate you can't look back; you've got to be looking forward.

TCI: Many churches are suspending their Sunday night services. Do you have Sunday night services?

Baxter: A lot of churches don't have Sunday night services because the preacher doesn't want them. I just don't think you can grow great Christians without Sunday night services. On Sunday night you can do a lot of things you can't do on Sunday morning such as reports from mission trips, fellowships and concentrated prayer.

TCI: Some say that this present culture is difficult to reach. What is your response to this culture?

Baxter: I am trying to be like Jesus, and he wasn't obsessed with the culture. He was obsessed with the Kingdom of God. In dealing with the culture we seem to be angering the very people we should be reaching. We have so condemned this present culture that we have made them enemies instead of prospects.

TCI: Today many preachers are being accused of bringing politics into the church. What is your opinion about that?

Baxter: I stay out of politics. When Jesus comes back he won't be riding a donkey or an elephant. He will be riding a white charger.

TCI: In this world of confusion and conflict, what is this world looking for today?

Baxter: When Pope John Paul died I watched the events surrounding his death to see what I could learn, and I concluded that this world longs for a holy man; they want to see godliness in a man. The Pope had not given in to the culture. He stood firmly by what the church believed and he was respected. His funeral was the best-attended funeral in the history of mankind. That shows that people respect and honor integrity. They want to see authenticity in the church.

TCI: You are 74 years old. How long do you think you will continue your ministry at Mt. Harmony?

Baxter: Let me just say that I have not given any thought to resigning or retiring.