When a job transfer brought

my parents and me to southwest Atlanta in 1958, my parents joined Jefferson

Avenue Baptist Church in East Point.

I was a 1-year-old, so that

church family was very instrumental in shaping my initial spiritual formation

and in providing me a solid foundation in my church life. My first remembrances

of church were from Jefferson Avenue. They were a special church family,

and my experience there was a precious part of my early childhood.

Roy Hinchey was pastor. He

was a great preacher and a highly respected man of God. I did not know

it then, but God was using his ministry and influence to plant seeds that

later grew into my call to full-time ministry. Brother Hinchey set a great

pastoral example and I must have watched him closely.

I distinctly remember the time

we were having a church-wide fellowship after evening service. I was only

about 4, but I recall that for some reason unknown to me now, I walked

onto the stage in the fellowship hall, climbed onto a chair behind the

pulpit, opened my children's Bible and begin "preaching" my

sermon to the punch and cookie crowd.

Ruth Hinchey punched her husband

and said, "Look, Roy, that's exactly what you look like in the pulpit!"

From that point on, Brother Hinchey called my "his little preacher

boy," even after another job transfer moved us to Milledgeville in

1966.

I continued to follow Brother

Hinchey's ministry when he joined the staff of the Georgia Baptist Convention.

I was proud that Georgia Baptists had chosen him to pioneer a new ministry

in church-minister relations. I remember that Brother Hinchey took many

interim pastorates. I even remember seeing in The Christian Index that

he served a church in College Park named Second Baptist. In fact, he was

interim pastor twice at Second Baptist. Second Baptist relocated and became

the current McDonough Road Baptist Church in Fayetteville.

When I went to Nassau as a

BSU summer missionary in 1977, (it was a tough assignment, but someone

had to do it), Hinchey had spent several months there serving at Central

Baptist just prior to my arrival. So once again I crossed paths with his

influence. I ended up going to seminary, and was eventually ordained to

the ministry Jan. 1, 1984 at First Baptist, Milledgeville. I invited him

to preach my ordination sermon. It was a great message for a special day.

During my first pastorate in

Carmel, Ind., I invited the Hincheys to preach a revival. I was privileged

to host them and spend time with them in the late 1980s. They were well

received and he did a great job.

I returned to Georgia in 1991.

When Brother Hinchey died, I did not learn of his death until the week

following his funeral. I was so disappointed to miss it. I phoned Ruth

Hinchey to express my sympathy and she told me she had some of Roy's stuff

for me. I drove to East Point to visit her, and she gave me a box of his

books and sermon manuscripts. Among the aged notebook paper containing

hardly legible, handwritten sermons was my ordination message. I was thrilled

to discover this sentimental sermon that meant so much to me.

Mrs. Hinchey also gave me his

robe. Roy Hinchey stood over six feet tall and I'm a towering 5'6",

so I've never been able to use it. But I have the robe hanging in my office,

not so much as a tribute to a pastor that I thought so highly of, but

as a constant reminder of his influence and impact.

It's amazing to think about

one's influence. We are either influencing persons positively or negatively.

We are either setting a good example or a poor example. We never know

how closely we're being watched, so we have to be careful to do right

and to be right. More likely than not, we're touching someone's life.

And we're probably not even aware of the power of our influence.

I'm grateful for the life and

influence of Roy and Ruth Hinchey, and for the loving support of the Jefferson

Avenue Baptist Church family. Looking back, they had a great influence

on my life, and they probably didn't realize the extent of their influence.

They were just being what a nurturing church family ought to be.

The Rev. Dr. David L. Chancey

is pastor, McDonough Road Baptist Church, Fayetteville.