More Soldiers Coming Home

Two Christians with very different gifts and ministries went to be with the Lord this week. One was a prolific songwriter and singer and the other a Pastor of a large church in the Tampa, Florida area. Both died in tragic accidents. Both impacted their world for Christ using their gifts and God given talents for building His Kingdom.

Dottie Rambo died on Sunday when her tour bus left the roadway on a Missouri highway striking an embankment. Her group was on its way to a scheduled performance in the Dallas area. The other members of her traveling group sustained injuries in the crash but Rambo was the only fatality. The western Kentucky native was well known to fans of southern gospel music. She burst on to the gospel music scene in the late 60's, winning a Grammy in 1968, and Dove awards in 1982 for "We Shall Behold Him" and 1999 for "I Go To The Rock". Over the past decade or so had become a regular on Bill Gaither's Homecoming Tour. During her prolific career, Dottie Rambo published more than 2,500 songs, including, "One More Valley", "He Looked Beyond My Fault”,“If That Isn’t Love”, "He Looked Beyond My Fault And Saw My Need", “I’ve Never Been This Homesick Before”, "To Much To Gain To Loose", "The Hills of Home", "The Church Triumphant", “If That Isn’t Love”, "Sheltered In The Arms Of God" "Remind Me Dear Lord", "Tears Will Never Stain The Streets Of That City", "In The Valley He Restoreth My Soul", "He Ain't Never Done Me Nothing But Good", and "Behold The Lamb". Dottie Rambo was 74.

On Monday, Forrest Pollack and his 13 year old son, Preston, died in the crash of his private plane in a remote area of western North Carolina. Pollack and his son had flown to Asheville, NC from Tampa for a brief stopover before heading off to a conference in Texas on Monday morning. His plane left Asheville at 5:00 AM, but concerns arose when he never reached his destination, and had made no radio contact with anyone. Search activities began and the wreckage of the plane was found in the rugged mountain terrain of The Shining Rock Wilderness area of the Tar Heel State.

The Asheville newspaper reported that Pollack had come to Asheville to visit his mother for Mother's Day. His 14 year old daughter, Brooke, had gone on the trip as well, but stayed behind with her grandmother as Pollack and Preston headed on to Texas for his preaching appointment there. The paper also reported that he had planned to stop off in Arkansas to pick up a friend on the way to Texas.

Pollack was pastor of the Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Florida (Tampa Bay metro area). Only 44 years old, Pollack was a "mover and shaker" among Southern Baptists in Florida and throughout the Convention. In fact, he was scheduled to be a featured speaker at the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention's Annual Meeting in Indianapolis next month. He had previously served on the Resolutions Committee, the Committee on Committees, and the Southern Baptist Council on Family Life. He had authored two books, and was President of the "Large Church Roundtable" pastor's fellowship, which he founded in 1999.

Having seen him many times at convention meetings, I had only met Brother Pollack once. It was in a hotel elevator in Greensboro, NC two summers ago at the SBC meeting where he nominated South Carolina pastor Frank Page for Convention President. His nominating speech was one of the best I have ever heard as he spoke eloquently and passionately about how Page was the best man to lead us at this point in Convention history. Pollack was bright, personable, and friendly. I cannot remember seeing him when he was not smiling.

His passing leaves his lovely wife, Dawn, five surviving children, and the 6,000 member Bell Shoals Baptist Church to mourn their loss. Yesterday the church website simply bore this statement, "We grieve with hope and assurance that our Lord Jesus will lead us and carry us through these difficult times. We have lost a great brother, pastor and friend in Forrest Pollock as well as a precious little brother in Christ, Preston Pollock."

Forrest Pollack and Dottie Rambo were two very different people, with differing gifts, called into very different ministries, but both were able to make a mark for Christ during their lifetimes. It has often been said that the most important data on a tombstone is not the name of the deceased, nor the date of birth, nor the date of death. The most important mark on that stone is the little dash that separates those dates. That "dash" represents all that was accomplished in the life of the departed one. There is an old saying, "Only one life that soon will pass, only what's done for Christ will last." Dottie Rambo and Forrest Pollack used the "dash of their lives" to exalt Jesus.

May each of us do the same.