By Grace Thornton
The Alabama Baptist
Ed Keyes felt called to music ministry as a teenager — he loved singing in the choir and his church leadership began encouraging him to think about it. But even though he loved music, it was never the driving force behind his call, he said.
“It’s not just about building songs and music for a service — it’s about people, helping them grow and learn how to worship and praise the Lord effectively,” said Keyes, who retired Jan. 19 as worship pastor of Luke 4:18 Fellowship, Mobile. “A worship leader needs to be a pastor, a minister, and use music as a way to live out that calling.”
During his ministry, he served 31 years at Cottage Hill Baptist Church, Mobile, 25 of those years serving with Pastor Fred Wolfe. After that, he served five years at First Baptist Church, Opelika — “a great church with such loving people” — before Wolfe called him to help him start Luke 4:18 Fellowship in 2008.
“We’ve made a lifetime of serving together now,” Keyes said of Wolfe. “It’s a wonderful thing to have a pastor you can work with as a team.”
In this new season, Keyes and his wife, Jan, are planning to move to Florida to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
“It’s been a wonderful, wonderful lifetime of ministry,” he said. “God’s just blessed everywhere we’ve been.”
Share with others: