We are in the process of looking for a few new elders at Vansickle Baptist Church. We would like to introduce you to one of our candidates — Johnny Hailes.
Johnny grew up in New Mexico and was saved at VBS in Artesia, New Mexico. He felt a call to ministry in high school and somewhat reluctantly began to pursue that call. He met Ruth Ann after her dad was called to be the pastor at the church Johnny was attending. He surrendered to the ministry when her dad preached a revival at the church they attended in Las Cruces, New Mexico. They have been married for over 54 years.
As Johnny pursued a career in satellite tracking at New Mexico State, God renewed the call on his life and he moved to Marshall to study at East Texas Baptist University. While a student at ETBU he also pastored a church in East Texas. During those years in the 70’s Johnny was licensed and ordained to gospel ministry (May 1972, February 1975). One of those summers Johnny and Ruth Ann attended a SBC convention and sensed a call to missions. He then attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth and they began their work on the mission field in Argentina. They spent 10 fruitful years there.
When they returned to the States, Johnny continued to pastor and was the senior pastor at Park Street Baptist Church in Greenville for 19+ years.
In August of 2021, Johnny and Ruth Ann joined Vansickle and they have been faithful members, teaching Sunday School classes and discipling others. He has filled the pulpit a couple of times, too. The elders of Vansickle are pleased to recommend Johnny Hailes to the office of elder at Vansickle and will hold a church-wide vote on September 8, 2024.