In honor of Buster Taylor and his family’s nearly 40 years of commitment and service to Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center — and for the thousands of people whose lives have been touched during that time — the conference center is naming their newest lodging acquisition “Taylor Lodge.” An open house will be held Sept. 27.
In October of 1979 when Noxie J. “Buster” Taylor accepted a maintenance position at Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center, little did he know that this small leap of faith would lead to 38 years of God-honoring achievement. Within a couple of months, he was promoted to supervisor of the two-person maintenance department — and by January 1980 — Buster and his wife Mary, along with their 2-year-old daughter Joy, moved into campus housing.
Big changes came for the Taylor family in 1981 when their son David was born. To add to the excitement of the year, Buster was named assistant director under then-Shocco executive director George Ricker. When Ricker retired in the summer of 1989, Buster served as interim director until October when he was chosen to be Ricker’s replacement as executive director.
Buster’s vision
Until Buster’s directorship, Shocco was a seasonal ministry, shutting down and winterizing every November, and then reopening in spring of each year. However, Buster had a vision of transforming Shocco into a year-round ministry with “a head on every pillow, every night.” And true enough, by 2016, attendance was 42,850 with 1,345 reported decisions for Christ.
Buster taught the staff to look at their job as a ministry, whether cleaning rooms, serving food, lifeguarding, etc., all should be done for the glory of God. He insisted that everything we do, we will do it in excellence, so there will be no distractions from guests hearing from God while here on campus.
“We are here for the convenience of the guests, not the guests here for our convenience,” was his mantra.
Teamwork
Buster and Mary Taylor made the decision early on that they would serve in ministry together as a team. So Mary left her nursing background behind and eagerly joined the Shocco team, initially serving as buyer for the gift shop, and later working at the front desk and in reservations, as well as becoming the official Shocco photographer.
Once Buster became executive director, Mary took on additional responsibilities, and due to her love of connecting with people, she began hosting campus volunteers in the Taylor home one night during every volunteer session, and also planned excursions for the Shocco board member spouses during quarterly board meetings. The Taylors planned regular events for employees living on campus as well to promote bonding within the Shocco family.
The Taylor children, Joy and David, grew up at Shocco, regularly exposed to dedicated missionaries and people who loved serving God. The children especially loved interacting with the talented Christian singers and musicians, and this likely played a part in developing both Joy and David’s current ministries through music.
Endearing memories
When asked about their most endearing memories of Shocco life, both Buster and Mary responded, “It’s the people! The Shocco staff, resident summer staff students, and the guests were so special to us.” Back in the day, Buster and Mary led the summer staff choirs. Mary played the piano as the resident students sang and shared their testimonies at churches around the state.
The Taylors said, “It has been amazing to watch certain [resident students] grow into adults and now leading and pastoring. We have cheered from the sidelines and watched God work in front of our eyes to mature and grow them.” Many of the former former staff and volunteers continue their relationships with Buster and Mary even now, with some visiting the Taylors in their Jacksonville, Alabama, home on a regular basis.
Even the Taylor children, Joy and David, anxiously anticipated the arrival of each year’s new group of summer staff students so they could hang out with them. Mary remembers fondly what great Christian role models the summer staff were for their children.
During Buster’s term as executive director:
— RA (Royal Ambassador) Camp was renovated with cabins built to replace the tent platforms.
— Chapel was renovated and updated.
— Volunteers built RV Park.
— Twin Lodge was built and opened for summer staff.
— Ricker Activity Center was built.
— Mountain Ridge and Rocky Ridge lodges were built.
— New staff housing duplex was built.
— Weaver Chapel was built at Adventure Camp.
— Volunteer Village housing was begun.
— Wet Willie Slide added.
— Mount Moriah building was gutted and completely renovated, renamed Lakewood Lodge.
With a desire to expand Shocco’s influence outside the campus walls, in 2002 Buster initiated annual international missions trips to camps similar to Shocco. Staff and summer staff traveled first to Venezuela, then Guatemala — later to Haiti — and more recently Ecuador, sharing Shocco’s resources and conducting outreach ministry. Additionally, Shocco began short-term, local missions trips within the Talladega community as well as other Christian camps within driving distance. These missions trips continue as an integral part of Shocco’s outreach ministry.
‘Blessed and humbled’
Buster and Mary shared, “We feel very blessed and humbled to be called by God to Shocco, and we are grateful for the years we spent there, raising our children and learning to minister and serve at Shocco Springs. What an honor it has been to be even a small part of the tens of thousands of lives who were touched by God during the 38 years of our Shocco journey.”
For more information, click here.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by Shocco Springs.
Share with others: