By Leigh Pritchett
Correspondent, The Alabama Baptist
Virginia Dare McLemore, 91, of Athens was a financial manager at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville for more than 20 years. Two of her three children became ministers. (One son is the late Mike McLemore, who was a pastor for most of his career before becoming executive director of Birmingham Baptist Association.)
Ministry description: Shares Jesus with co-residents in her assisted living home
Church name: Lindsay Lane Baptist Church, Athens, in Limestone Baptist Association
Life verse: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:1)
Q: Describe where you focus your greatest ministry efforts.
A: I live in an assisted living environment. When I cannot go to church, I watch several preachers on TV (one being my son, Dusty McLemore of Lindsay Lane Baptist Church). I requested that a local TV channel (Jamie Cooper/WTZT) air the local preaching so that we could watch it in our theater room. Everyone that cannot go to church can now watch several hours of preaching every Sunday morning. Sometimes, if given the opportunity, I ask co-residents if they believe in Jesus.
Q: Who was or is one of the most influential people in your faith life? Why?
A: The most influential person in my faith was my grandmother, Blanche Shannon. She carried me to church when growing up. She was a true Christian. … She is the reason I started going to church and learned a lot … at Shanghai Baptist Church in Athens. (The steeple on the church was added in Blanche Shannon’s memory.)
Q: Tell about a “turning point” in your life and how God was involved.
A: Being saved at 12 years old at First Baptist Church, Athens. The pastor was Brother Leon Macon. I was truly saved at that time during Vacation Bible School. (Mrs. McLemore was baptized in the Jordan River by her son Dusty on a trip to the Holy Land. Her son Mike baptized his sister, Ginger Martin, in the Jordan River.)
Q: If there were one thing you could tell your younger self about faith, what would it be?
A: Believe in God for His guidance and protection. I knew He was a forgiving and loving God and would accept me. He knows me as I am. He really helps me. He answers my prayers. He is with me all the time.
Q: Have you ever read a book or heard a song that changed the way you think about God and faith? What was it and what did you learn from it?
A: “Have Thine Own Way Lord” and “It Is Well with My Soul.” The wording expresses how I feel. And I like the song, “How Great Thou Art.”
Mrs. McLemore’s daughter, Ginger Martin, assisted with this article.
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