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“...be reminded
that your spouse
loves you, so always
show grace.”
to Steve the humility, beauty, and
joy of allowing Christ to live in
and through a Christian – even a
seminary professor. Flo mentored
Jane on how to live and flourish as
a pastor’s wife. One key piece of
advice was, “Accept that you can’t
do everything people think you
can do.”
The Wilson’s first pastorate
was in Temple Baptist Church in
Dermott, Arkansas, from 1986 to
1992. They left there to answer
Meadow Grove Baptist Church’s
call to be their pastor. That is
where they still serve and lead in
their Brandon community.
They are parents to three
grown sons. Robert is on staff as
manager of student opportunities
at The Open University in
England, an online college with
175,000 students. Jess is his wife,
and they have two children, Ella
and Jack. Andrew is married to
Zoë. They have one son, Emmett.
Andrew is working toward his PhD,
while on staff at the New Orleans
Seminary Caskey Center for
Church Excellence, in preaching.
John, the youngest, has a master’s
degree in divinity and is studying
toward his Master of Theology
while on staff at Southeastern
Baptist Theological Seminary in
Wake Forest, North Carolina.
The Wilsons’ sons have all
attained to higher education,
which leads one to inquire about
their childhood. Jane said, “We
read to them at an early age, and
they learned to love books and
read a lot on their own.”
Steve added, “We limited
their screen time, talked to them
like adults, and did fun things as a
family.” Both parents agreed that
friends become more important as
children get older, and it is essential
for parents to know their kids’
friends. The question was raised
about cell phones. Those were
granted when their teenagers
got their drivers’ licenses. Steve
interjected, “I told them they
could borrow their friends’ phones
if they ever had an emergency.”
Chores were another key to
teaching their sons responsibility.
They learned to cook, and all
began doing their own laundry
at age seven.
As a pastor, it is no surprise to
hear Steve’s advice to newly married
couples: “Get involved in church.
Start doing life together with
believers, and good things will
materialize.” Jane sees communication
as a key to enriching a
marriage – it needs to be learned.
Steve closed out with grace.
“During misunderstandings, be
reminded that your spouse loves
you, so always show grace.”
It is obvious that Steve’s choice
in his bride and his obedience to
God’s call, blended with Jane’s
role as pastor’s wife and mother,
has resulted in lives that are
blessed while their lives bless
others. Their future promises to
follow their lives’ blueprint.
Steve put it in his own words,
“I don’t want to stop living
before I die.”
Hometown RANKIN • 11