On preaching and ministry, volume 2, number 2

ages played, studied and sang together in a week that brought old friends closer to each other, as well brought strangers to friendship. The end of the week brought sighs of relief mingled with tears of sadness and joy at goodbye. Jackie was active on Maywood’s board of directors and diligent in its support. Even now, the last week of Camp is known as Jackie Fox Week.

One final trait of Jackie Fox that made him great was his quirky sense of humor. His love of clean, innocent, pranking and joking was well known. I remember visiting with his family that Sunday I visited Austinville. We had finished eating and Jackie looked at me and said, “Lance, would you like a nice, big slice of apple pie?” To which I responded, “Sure!” Without batting an eye, he said, “That’s too bad; we don’t have any.”

It seemed that most of the time, he went around with a sly grin on his face (after all, his last name was Fox!). That sense of humor endeared him to many people and helped him navigate through the life of a preacher (which we all know is not all fun and games).

I am thankful for my decision to spend a summer as an intern at Austinville. I am glad that the preacher there taught me, encouraged me and befriended me. Even though many Christians today have never heard of him, he has had a great impact upon many lives, especially on my life and that of my family. I thank God for my late, beloved friend, Jackie Fox!