Mountain View Baptist Church
Phil Campbell, Franklin Association
Favorite Bible Passage: Psalm 23
Hobbies: Playing the guitar and keyboard
Family Status: Widowed, one child and one granddaughter
Ever since accepting Christ at the age of 70, Ralph Beckenbach has given his life to witnessing, ministering and serving. Beckenbach, who is the custodian at Mountain View Baptist Church, Phil Campbell, directs the homebound ministry, assists Pastor Sammy Taylor with hospital visits and carries video and cassette tapes of the morning services to nursing homes and assisted-living facilities and old church literature to the county jail. He also sings in the choir and teaches a discipleship class.
Q: What was your childhood like?
A: I was born in Providence, R.I., in 1921, the same year that Mountain View Baptist was incorporated. Sixty-eight years later, the Lord brought me to Alabama and put me in this church.
Q: When did you come to know the Lord?
A: It all began in 1992 when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior at the age of 70. It was a day that will always remain in my heart.
Q: How did you first get started with the homebound ministry?
A: (After accepting Christ), I started coming to church each Sunday. I felt that there was something missing but I didn’t know what. I just felt that the Lord had other plans for me. Then, one Sunday morning while in the choir loft, our pastor, Sammy Taylor, was reading the prayer list. He came to the name Rose. … The pastor was saying how difficult it was getting for Rose to deliver the tapes of Sunday services to the shut-ins because of her health problem. When the church service was over, I approached Rose and volunteered to help her. After a few weeks of visiting the homebound with Rose, I began making all the visits without her. After the first month, I realized that this ministry was what the Lord had planned for me.
Q: What motivates you to serve?
A: My faith in the Lord — that He will lead and guide me each day as I serve Him.
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