HOLIDAY/WINTER 2020 FARRAGUT LIFE 59
stained glass windows and a sanctuary that
could sit 200 people. What is a church like
that even worth? Surely it would go for a
pretty penny.
The bidding began at $10,000, and Dale
thought, okay. I can bid. He went back and
forth with another interested party, and
when the bidding hit $13,500, he felt like
God was telling him to stop right there. So
he stopped bidding…and so did the other
party. Given the low price, the auctioneer
told him he would have to talk with the
current owners and would get back with him
in a few days.
As he waited, Dale told himself if God
would let him get that church for such a
ridiculously low price, he would never take
a penny of salary from it. He’d give it ten
years as pastor (if his health allowed). Or if it
became big enough to pay another pastor to
take over, he’d hand over the keys for free.
A week went by…nothing. Then a week
later, he received a call that would change
his life. “They’ve accepted your price,”
they said.
Dale was on the golf course at the time and
asked if they’d give him a couple of hours.
He went home, walked into the house, and
without thinking, he said to his wife, “What
do we do?” And Gaye, his wife of over 50
years who’d been a Christian pretty much
her whole life, responded with, “We don’t
have a choice.”
It was that confidence from her that gave
him the courage to take the next step, and
from there, it was like every door opened for
them. Friends and locals stepped up to help
get the church ready. Their piano, organ,
and sound board were all donated. A local
delivery person even went and picked them
up and delivered them to the church free of
charge. Volunteers painted the whole inside
Wabash Community Church, Established 2018