Johnny Kilgore, associate pastor of music and senior adult families for Ridgecrest Baptist Church, Trussville, was recognized Aug. 27 for 30 years of ministry at the Birmingham Baptist Association church during a special reception in honor of his retirement.
Kilgore attended Jacksonville State University, where he met his wife, Pat; served in the U.S. Air Force for four years; and later attended the University of Alabama for his master’s degree. He went into the ministry in the mid-1960s, surrendered to the Lord for full-time ministry and was called to First Baptist Church, Wetumpka, in 1973.
The pastor of First, Wetumpka, Mickey Castleberry, moved to Ridgecrest Baptist, and Kilgore joined him there in 1981.
Throughout his time at Ridgecrest, Kilgore filled a number of roles, including interim pastor. He said the music landscape changed during his years of ministry. “When we first started, it was mainly a lot of choirs and ensembles,” Kilgore explained. “Now it’s gone into praise and worship songs and just a different direction.”
He said one of the joys of being at Ridgecrest for an extended duration was watching the youth choir members grow up and accomplish great things. “We’ve been very fortunate to have the Lord’s hand on the lives of many people in our church, and a lot of them are active ministers now,” Kilgore noted.
One of the highlights of his service was receiving the Paul Stewart Excellence in Music Ministry Award in 2005 in recognition of outstanding music ministry. He also served as president of the Alabama Baptist Education Music Association from 2005 to 2006.
Kilgore’s post-retirement plans include a revival in October and spending quality time with his parents.
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