Rev. John’s Obituary:
Reverend John David Lawrence, 84, was born on July 14, 1939 to Wiley Seabron Lawrence and Mary Elizabeth Shivers Lawrence in Dalton, Georgia. He went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Wednesday, January 24, 2024. Funeral services will be 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 30 at First Baptist Church of Mount Calm with interment to follow in Mount Calm Old Town Cemetery. Visitation will be 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Tuesday before the services at the church. John spent his adolescent years in Dalton, Georgia until he moved to Macon, Georgia as a pre-teen where he later gave his life to Christ at the age of 15. He graduated from Sidney Lanier High School in 1957. After graduating he stayed in Macon working at Sam Hall & Sons from 1958-1982 where he filled the role of Secretary & Treasurer. In the Spring of 1959, he met his beloved wife, Guynelle Pitts Lawrence. They married on June 16, 1963. God blessed them with two wonderful children, Misti and David. John was called into ministry and served bi-vocationally at Thomaston Road Baptist Church as Music & Youth Pastor in 1964. John served at several churches in the Macon area for 18 years. In the Summer of 1982, the family moved to Wendell, North Carolina where John attended Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. While at seminary he received the Outstanding Christian & Excellence Award which was an honor voted on by the class. He completed his studies in 1984 and moved to Austin, Texas to serve as Associate Pastor at HillCrest Baptist Church for six and a half years. He received his first call as Pastor in 1991 to Creede Baptist Church in Creede, Colorado where he served for two years. In 1993 John accepted the call back to Texas to be Pastor at Eternal Faith Baptist Church in Manor where he served for 13 years. In 2006 he answered the call to Pastor at First Baptist Church Mount Calm in Mount Calm, Texas where he preached his last sermon on July 10, 2022. Apart from ministry, John loved staying active and being outside. He enjoyed gardening and playing softball and golf. He loved being around family and serving in the church. He was a people person and cared deeply about the community he was serving. John loved deeply and was deeply loved by all who knew him, especially his family. John is survived by wife Guynelle Pitts Lawrence; daughter Misti and husband Troy Snow, son David and wife Sabrina Lawrence; Grandchildren Kati and husband Derek Kietzke (children: Hadley and Paisley), Kyle and wife Lindsey Snow (children: Peyton and Hallie), Cody Snow, Christi and husband Micah Best, Kayleigh Lawrence and fiancée Shawn Altum, Kade Lawrence and Karlee Lawrence, many nieces and nephews and his doting dog, Dew. Pallbearers will be Kyle Snow, Kade Lawrence, Derek Kietzke, Micha Best, Shawn Altum and Jacob Townsend. Honorary pallbearer will be Robert Kris, Jr.
