Parker Memorial Baptist Church, Anniston
Calhoun Baptist Association
Favorite Verses: Romans 8:28; Psalm 46:1; Jeremiah 29:11; 1 Corinthians 15:10
Favorite Hymn: “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”
Hobbies: Watching sports on TV and reading
Family Status: Wife of 66 years, Maxine; children, Ruth Latham, Beverly Shelton and Robert (Bob) Stewart; four grandchildren; one great-grandchild; one great-great-grandchild
Bob Stewart, 85, has experienced a long and prolific ministry. After serving in the Army, in which he became a sergeant at 18, he received his education at Howard College (now Samford University) in Birmingham and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as pastor of churches in several Alabama counties. From 1958 to 1994, he and his wife were missionaries to Thailand. Some of his responsibilities included helping to establish a Baptist hospital, being an evangelist in an area that had not previously heard about Jesus, church planter, hospital chaplain and author of Thai-language evangelism and Bible instruction materials. In the first decade after retirement, he traveled to 16 states, speaking more than 800 times, and translated additional materials into Thai. At Parker Memorial Baptist, he served as a men’s Sunday School teacher and a volunteer in the Christian Life Center, among other roles.
Q: What influences in your life pointed you to Christ at the beginning of your faith journey?
A: In my second year of Howard College, I just took the Lord by faith. I was saved by reading the New Testament, John 3:36, in the library. I was baptized at a service in the Cahaba River in Jefferson County at the first church that I served.
Q: When and how were you led into the ministry?
A: I had this feeling that, really, I should be a preacher. I had this sense that this is what I ought to do, even before I was saved. A message that I heard in college definitely made me feel a call to the ministry.
Q: What does the ministry demand?
A: Our ministry as missionaries demanded a 60- to 80-hour week. It demanded a strong assurance that you are where you ought to be. The educational path, even the things learned as a kid, is important. They prepare you for the work the Lord has for you to do.
Q: What do you get from the ministry?
A: Along with my family, that was my source of joy and peace and fulfillment. It is the kind of spiritual meat that brings joy, just knowing you are doing the Lord’s will and seeing people’s lives change.
Q: How do family members support you?
A: Our kids were a great help. They became friends with our Thai neighbors, church members and friends. They adapted to the Thai community well. Mom (the late Sybil Gay) was always a strong supporter. She always encouraged me to step out and do what I thought I was supposed to do, even when I was a kid. Maxine’s folks just knew we would be missionaries all along.
Q: How do you see yourself involved in this in the future?
A: I’m still praying for folks in Thailand and I try to write to the church and other friends there. We are able to give financially. We give a large offering to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. The Lord has really kept His promise there in Malachi 3:10.
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