Emmett Roper, a longtime pastor turned evangelist, knows the hardships that accompany a ministry on the road, but he’s quick to tell you the source of his inspiration.
“I watched my wife. When she was 18, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and suffered from it for 50 years,” Roper said.
But when his wife, Bobbie, passed away in September 2004 after 50 years of marriage, he lost the desire to preach — a desire he’d had since he was 16.
“The bottom fell out,” Roper recalled.
Two weeks after the loss of his wife though, he prayed, “Lord, You know my feelings. I don’t have a desire to continue on, but if You open the doors, I’ll go wherever You ask me to.”
The next day, Roper got two calls to preach.
Roper, 69, reflected on his wife’s support, the turbulent roads he’s walked as an evangelist and his life after Bobbie’s death in his newly published book, “This Too Will Pass.”
“When I would come in complaining about hard things when I was pastoring, she (Bobbie) would look at me and say, ‘This too will pass,’” Roper said.
It was that spirit of determination and perseverance that encouraged him in the ministry. Often being on the road for 15 weeks at a time, his wife would have his laundry washed and suitcase packed for the next trip when he would rush home on the weekends.
She was always doing the hands-on tasks required to keep his ministry running smoothly, Roper said. He recalled the time their washing machine was bouncing off the floor as it ran and needed to be bolted to the ground.
“I came home one day and, by golly, she had crawled under it and did the job herself,” Roper said. “She was positive and active as a Christian even though suffering greatly; she trusted and loved the Lord and me and the ministry.
“She prayed for me and encouraged me, but she was also her own minister,” he said.
Bobbie taught Sunday School, sang in the church choir, taught Vacation Bible School (VBS) and was a state VBS trainer. She also served as secretary for Mount Carmel Baptist Church, Gadsden, in Etowah Baptist Association.
“She was loved by everyone that knew her in the church. She was devoted to the Lord and a supportive helpmate to Bro. Roper,” said Dorothy Herring, who was a member of Mount Carmel Baptist when Roper was pastor there.
Among his other pastorates were Mount Gilead Baptist Church, Jacksonville; two different assignments at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Columbia; and Bethlehem Baptist Church, Midland City.
“Bobbie supported Emmett and his ministry in every way,” said John Whatley, a member of Bethlehem Baptist. “She was also my nurse and had a good ministry in the medical field.”
Roper said he wrote the book to encourage those who may be suffering. “God’s grace is sufficient in suffering. You can’t give up,” he said.
For more information about the book, call 256-492-8055 or write to 635 New Liberty Circle, Jacksonville, AL 36265.
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