From the Archives: Summer 2011

Written by Marion Krege

I was saved at nine years old at a Girls in Action (GA) camp and grew up in a Christian home in a small south Georgia town called Cairo. My parents loved the Lord, loved each other, and demonstrated that love to my brother and me and to others. My parents bought the family business, a jewelry store, in downtown Cairo. Daddy was a certified gemologist and watchmaker. He was also a very talented artist and musician. Mother worked as bookkeeper for the store.

Answering God’s Call

But in 1953, Daddy answered God’s call and surrendered to preach. We moved to Fort Worth, Texas, for Mother and Daddy to attend seminary and to learn better how to use their talents for the Lord.

During Daddy’s pastoring years, we always went to Ridgecrest Baptist Assembly Grounds in Black Mountain, North Carolina, for at least a week each summer. We attended Bible classes and other activities, and our family was built around putting God first in our lives and serving others.

Daddy’s “chalk talks” (an art form used to explain God’s truths) meant a great deal to me and I learned so much from this part of his ministry. At age 12, I began helping Mother in Vacation Bible School and singing in the adult choir and playing the piano. My friends were in the church so this helped to make my life grounded in the church. I am so thankful.

Being a preacher’s kid meant that we moved when the Lord called. Moving from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Asheville, North Carolina, in March of my junior year in high school was the hardest thing I ever had to do, I thought. But it was God’s plan, and I know now that His plan is always better than mine. I knew Daddy would follow the Lord’s calling and we would do likewise.

Our move to St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1960 was when the Lord brought Roy into my life. We met in church and grew in the Lord and were married in 1963. God’s timing is incredible, and He is an awesome God. Our solid marriage is due to the foundation our parents provided us and our faith in Jesus. This is the legacy our parents left us. Thank you, Mother and Daddy and Mom and Dad.

Ministry is Everywhere

In 1968, our college professor Dr. H. C. Evans, Jr., asked us to come to Banner Elk to work at Lees-McRae College. We have been here ever since and believe the Lord brought us to the very place He wanted us to be.

Along with my career in education, God has allowed me to teach Sunday School, lead GA’s and Acteens, sing in the choir, play the piano and handbells, work with the youth, teach Vacation Bible School, and serve in women’s missions. We have served Him in our church, our community, and in any way possible. I believe ministry is everywhere. It’s not just behind a pulpit or sitting at a piano.

Legacy of True Love and Fellowship

The Lord has blessed us with three children and nine grandchildren. We have also had many children who have called us Mom and Dad, and we have tried to be examples to them in honoring the Lord and serving our community. It is our desire to leave the same legacy that our parents left us. They were role models to us and their churches and communities. They chose each other, supported each other, and showed us what true love and church fellowship is supposed to be. We have truly been blessed.