‘Celebration of Life’ honors Bell Shoals pastor, son

Photo courtesy Michael Crapps/ Bells Shoals Baptist Church

Simeon Nix, worship leader at Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, leads the choir May 17 during the Celebration of Life service for the church’s senior pastor and son, Forrest and Preston Pollock, who died in a plane crash May 12. The choir debuted the anthem, Greater Glory, Nix specially composed at Pollock’s request for the dedication of the new $24 million 3,400-seat worship center, which is planned for June 1.

Photo courtesy Michael Crapps/ Bells Shoals Baptist Church

In a tribute to her father, Forrest Pollock and 13-year-old brother, Preston, who perished in a May 12 plane crash, Courtney Pollock 15, sings at their 'Celebration of Life' service May 17 at Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon where her father was senior pastor since 2002.

BRANDON (FBW)—A young teen in shirt and tie paused dismally at the memorial display at the front of Bell Shoals Baptist Church’s massive worship center until he had a clear shot. Slipping a cell phone out of his pocket, he snapped a photo, smiled sheepishly and moved away only when an older youth kindly grabbed him by the back of the neck to scoot him along.

At a “Celebration of Life” service May 17, thousands came to pay tribute to Senior Pastor Forrest Pollock and his son, Preston, 13. The two perished in an airplane crash May 12 on Cold Mountain in the Shining Rock Wilderness area of North Carolina, 20 miles from Asheville. The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release a preliminary report this week on the cause of the crash.

On display at the Tampa-area church, a duo-toned Gibson Les Paul electric guitar stood alongside a picture of Preston Pollock whose cross-armed stance echoed that of his father’s portrait nearby. On one end, a family portrait stood between a few multi-colored floral arrangements and a broken-heart flower tribute graced the middle of the entire memorial.

No one could have been anticipated the first major event planned in the new $24 million facility would be the pastor and son’s memorial service. Regardless, the 3,400-seat state-of-the-art worship center filled quickly for the two-hour service with overflow seating in the comfortable, bright lobby where hundreds more watched the service on mounted video screens.

Volunteers from dozens of churches in the Tampa Bay area— and members of F.A.I.T.H. Riders motorcycle ministry from across the state—assisted with seating mourners and parking cars throughout the sprawling 39-acre campus.

In an emotional mix of reflection and celebration, well-wishers from the 7,000-member church where Pollock served since 2002 began arriving two hours before the 11 a.m. service to sign guestbooks—joining area pastors, out-of-town guests and Southern Baptist leaders to contemplate the “hope” that is in Christ.

“What a wonderful hope we have in the Lord Jesus Christ,” executive pastor George Thomasson said in welcoming the crowd on behalf of Forrest Pollock’s wife of 17 years, Dawn, and her family. “A solid, concrete hope.”

Of father and son, Thomasson said, “They are more alive than they have ever been before.”

Courtney Pollock, 15, the eldest of the five surviving Pollock children, had entered the worship center last with other family members, and remained composed while singing the gospel hymn His Eye is on the Sparrow with her eyes mostly closed.

The congregation stood and some raised their hands while the graceful young woman with long, curly, blonde hair, dressed in a black polka-dotted dress, concluded by glancing upwards and singing, “I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!”

Photo courtesy Michael Crapps/ Bells Shoals Baptist Church

Caleb Clark, A.J. Wellman and Caleb Moore, members of the S.O.S. (Suspects of Sin) band which Preston Pollock was also a member, gather to share their memories during a 'Celebration of Life' service at Bell Shoals Baptist Church May 17. Their friend, Preston, 13, perished in a plane crash with his father, senior pastor of the church, May 12.

Sharing memories of their friend, Preston John “P.J.” Pollock, three of his friends, Caleb Clark, Caleb Moore and A. J. Wellman, took handwritten notes to the wide podium they stood barely a foot above.

Clark introduced himself and the two others as members of the band, S.O.S. (Suspects of Sin), Clark said he and Preston formed when the boys were six and seven. Straightening his tie and fiddling with his suit jacket, the youngster said Preston had admired a DeLorean sports car. “He’s probably driving one now,” Clark quipped.

Preston, who was homeschooled along with some of his siblings, was a musician and songwriter. He also liked to fish and was learning, according to the church’s program, to be a pilot, like his father.

“One thing that we wanted you to know about Preston is that he loved God,” Clark said, switching gears to share a word about his friend’s testimony. “If anyone is here today that doesn’t know for sure that they are a Christian then please come and talk to one of us. We may just be kids, but we know how to tell you about Jesus and we know for sure, we will see Preston … when we get to Heaven.”

Speaking strongly and quoting from his Bible, Caleb Moore, longish, straight blonde hair hiding his features, said in thumbing through his Bible after hearing the news, he came across a commentary, that said, in part, “heaven is a perfect place of perfected people with our perfect Lord.”

“If that’s what heaven is like, then I’m so happy for my friend Preston,” Moore said emphatically. “When I found out; I cried for myself and mourned for myself, but now, after I read that, I cried for joy and happiness because I know he went up with his dad to Heaven. And I am proud to be in the same band with him and proud to be his friend.”

As young men will do, Clark and Wellman, while Moore spoke, leaned their elbows on the podium with their chins in their hands, gazing up at the their taller friend, urging him on.

A.J. Wellman read aloud a song the trio dedicated to Preston, See You Later: “They say it’s OK to cry even though it’s not a goodbye. We know we’ll see you again some day because God carefully planned it that way. It’s not goodbye forever. It’s only see you later, my friend.”

“You were a great friend and you always made us laugh,” Wellman said. “We know you are in Heaven and we’ll see you one day—and to be sure to save us a seat.”

Synced to MercyMe’s, I can only Imagine, and imposed onto clouds, images of father and son flashed on two giant IMAG screens high above mourners. They alternately laughed and wiped their eyes at the parade of family photos ranging from nearly identically posed portraits of Preston and Forrest Pollock standing against chairs—to snapshots of youngsters in costumes and more intimate shots of Forrest and Dawn Pollock celebrating Forrest’s multiple degrees—with him wagging his tongue near her cheek.

Many of the photos hinted at Pollock’s flair for the dramatic, fine suits, and “Louisiana flavor” some have attributed to the time he spent in Baton Rogue—and his early adult background in broadcast journalism. The multimedia presentation ended with a simple cross on a hill against a brilliant orange sunset framing the merged images of Preston and Forrest Pollock.

Simeon Nix, the church’s pastor of music and worship for more than a dozen years, led a 200-member choir, orchestra and praise team throughout the celebration. Directing an anthem, Greater Glory, he said Pollock asked him to compose it for the church’s June 1 building dedication. Pollock preached only his third and final Sunday in the new worship center on Mother’s Day May 11.

“I loved Pastor Forrest,” Nix said. “He treated me with great respect.”

Admitting it most likely annoyed Pollock’s family, Nix said the pastor played a CD of the worship leader’s music when he drove.

“His laugh was loud and humorous and his mouth would open almost as big as his head when he would laugh,” Nix recalled. “And his smile was bright and magnetic. I once told him that he was so pretty and perfect that I needed a little dirt on him to make him real.”

Struggling for composure, Nix spoke of—and then sang — Pollock’s favorite song of all, In Christ Alone—the title of which he would use to sign his letters, followed by his initials, “FGP.”

“I believe this was his testimony, which speaks of his tenacious love for Jesus Christ,” Nix said. “In Christ Alone.”

Chris Butson, former chairman of the personnel committee at Bell Shoals, credited Pollock with introducing the church to Bible characters through dramatic presentations—and provocative sermon series. Speaking of 1,300 baptisms since Pollock began serving the church, Butson said the pastor led the church into the position of one of the 100 fastest growing churches in North America.

“He has taught us to know, to grow, to show, and to go for Jesus Christ,” Butson said. “I will walk with Forrest Pollock again some day on the streets of gold.”

Photo courtesy Michael Crapps/ Bells Shoals Baptist Church

Tom Elliff, the pastor who performed Forrest and Dawn Pollock’s wedding ceremony when he served as pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Del City, Okla., before going to the International Mission Board as a senior vice-president, delivered the message at a May 17 'Celebration of Life' service at Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon for Forrest Pollock and his son, Preston, 13, who perished in a plane crash May 12. Holding Pollock’s preaching Bible aloft, Elliff said: “In one bright, brilliant, shining moment Preston and Forrest stepped into the presence of God.”

Tom Elliff, who was Dawn Pollock’s pastor at First Southern Baptist Church in Del City, Okla.—and a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention—before becoming a senior vice-president at the International Mission Board, said he remembers when Pollock decided during a pre-marital counseling session to accept a call to the Gospel ministry.

“Every time I was in Forrest’s presence, I felt like I was in the presence of true greatness,” Elliff said. “It is not necessarily because of great things he did, but it was because Forrest did everything in a great way and that’s the measure of true greatness. He attacked it with vigor and enthusiasm.”

Pollock married Dawn in 1990 and sold the successful Norman, Okla.-based business he founded, PDC Multimedia Productions, Inc., in 1991 to begin studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Holding Pollock’s preaching Bible in the air, Elliff said there was a lot of “conjecture” circulating about the circumstances surrounding Pollock’s death—and he had the “actual report” in its entirety.

“In one bright, brilliant, shining moment Preston and Forrest stepped into the presence of God,” Elliff said to thunderous applause. “I don’t know that this is in the Bible, but I believe that Preston probably nudged his dad and said, ‘Wow, dad, now this is encouraging!’”

Bell Shoals is known as the “Fellowship of Encouragement.”

Preaching from 2 Cor. 5:8, Elliff reminded listeners that not everything about death has been revealed, but that it is important to remember that “there is also coming a day … there will be another incredible moment” of resurrection similar to what happened when Jesus was resurrected from the grave.

In the meantime, however, that doesn’t mean people don’t have sorrow, Elliff said, speaking of 1 Thess. 4. It does mean Christians may experience sorrow in a way that is different from “people who have no hope,” he said.

Even Jesus wept, Elliff said, looking at the Pollock family closely, and there’s such a thing as a “broken heart.” Trying to be reasonable or “choosing to be happy” is unreasonable and is not possible in times of great loss when emotions may ebb and flow like waves.

But God can “restore” the broken heart and “restrict” or “bind-up” or limit the capacity of a broken heart to destroy. Speaking of Dawn Pollock and members of the family, Elliff said “God can keep this from destroying them.”

Instead, there can be a “sensitivity” to others that develops out of tragedy.

“If you had grown up like Forrest had grown up, and experienced some of the things that he had experienced, maybe you would care like he cared,” Elliff paused, “about the kind of folks for whom he cared.”

“He (God) will wipe away every tear from your eye,” Elliff said.

Evangelist Kelly Green, in issuing an invitation, said because the Christian faith is about a relationship with Jesus, the hope of healing and an eternity with Him is what can reconcile even the most tragic of circumstances.

“There was a hill, a mountain that our pastor and his son flew into by accident. But the story doesn’t end there,” Green said. “Because you see there was another mountain called Mount Calvary where a father and a son were together. And a son died. ... And the moment that our pastor and precious Preston entered eternity it was because of the resurrected Jesus.”

Bob Anderson, the stately gentleman who was Pollock’s special advisor for five years, pastored in Louisiana before moving to the Tampa area, and was founder of the Parkview Baptist School in Baton Rogue.

Of Pollock, Anderson said, “he sung his song, he gave us his music … three stanzas to his song—his vision for this church, his dream for this church, and his goal for this church.

“That song must never die. That song must continue on,” Anderson said, preparing to read Psalm 16:11 in memory of Preston Pollock.

“I sure loved him,” Anderson said, tearing up, having to catch his breath when recalling a memory of giving Preston a little gift each Sunday morning. “I loved Preston.”

Brightening, Anderson said, “you know, I had one pastor for 50 years, that was myself, and I didn’t care much for him. But God five years ago, gave me a pastor.

“I loved him so much. He meant so much to me,” Anderson said.

Recalling a recent conversation they shared, Anderson said Pollock praised the leadership skills of Nix, the worship pastor, and commented on his gifts in directing during the church’s invitation.

“Little did I know that he was really saying, ‘Simeon will keep my music, my song, going,’” Anderson said. “Thank God for that. Thank God for this family. We sure love you guys. I sure loved Forrest.”

Pollock is survived by his wife, Dawn Allen; five children, Courtney, 15; Brooke, 14; Hope, 11; Blake, 10; and Kirk, 8; mother and stepfather, Eva and Earl Sprinkle of Marion, N.C.; stepbrother, Stacy Pollock of Oklahoma City, Okla.; and stepsister, Tracey Chappell of Edmond, Okla. Preston’s survivors also include grandparents Dr. Loyd V. and Margaret Allen, Jr. of Edmond Okla.; and great grandparents, Loyd and Verna Allen, Sr. of Choctaw, Okla. and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Interment was May 20 in Oklahoma City, Okla. and in lieu of flowers, the family has asked that contributions be made to The Greater Glory building fund at Bell Shoals Baptist Church. Notes to the family can be sent to:pollockfamily@bellshoals.com.