FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
Lacys celebrate faith, family and a good foundation
BY CHARLOTTE SMITH Editor

Pastor and Mrs. Willie Lacy Jr.

Lighthouse Church of Prayer celebrates its 10th anniversary this Sunday, but for founders Willie Lacy Jr. and wife Willie Jean Lacy the occasion highlights a lifetime of faith and dedication.

"It's been a blessing to see how God has changed the lives of people and to be able to give back to people. That's our heart," said Mrs. Lacy.

"We believe God led us back to make a difference," she added. "We just want to make an impact; even if it's just one person's life - we've done our jobs."

The couple has certainly had the opportunity to affect more lives than just one. Aside from the 10 years of ministering in Troup - where both graduated and were high school sweethearts - Pastor Lacy's military service has taken them all across the United States and other parts of the world, enriching their personal lives as well as influencing and strengthening the beliefs that were established in Troup.

"My wife and I both grew up in Troup and had a good foundation from our parents," said Pastor Lacy. "We thought that was a small thing, but it turned out to be such a great thing."

Willie Lacy Jr. graduated from Troup High School in 1974; he's quick to point out that he was part of that year's Class A state-winning football team. His best friend was joining the military and Willie Jr. decided to tag along.

"He got out and I stayed for 20 years," he says now with a laugh.

Willie Jean graduated in 1975, and the two married in 1977 at the Smith County Courthouse while he was home from Germany. Over his military career, Lacy was primarily involved with vehicle maintenance and operations; he went to school to be a warrant officer and spent the last six years of his service at Fort Hood.

Having spent time in Louisiana and Maryland, as well as Korea, Holland, Sweden and Austria, a turning point for the Lacys was their first duty station as a couple in Fort Sill, Okla.

"I started helping around our church, just as a brother, cutting the grass, teaching Sunday School, becoming a deacon and acknowledging my calling to minister," said Pastor Lacy.

He became ordained and served a dual role from that point on in his military career: a soldier and a cer- tified lay minister, conducting services under the sponsorship of a chaplain. Speaking at this summer's Back to School Bash and Career Day at Lighthouse Church, Lacy told his young audience that joining the service made him feel like a man, but finding God taught him to act like one.

"It really enabled me to be a better soldier, and person," he says now. "It gave me the ability to be a better father and overall individual."

Of course, military service can also take a soldier away from his family, and Willie Jean was often forced to be mother and father for their three children. The Lacys credit their faith with helping them get through these periods.

"It makes so much difference when you have a spouse who shares your faith," said Pastor Lacy. "It just makes foundation more solid and takes a lot of stress off you."

Having ser ved during Desert Storm, he saw firsthand the effects that time and distance during wartime can produce.

"One of the greatest things that brought sadness to me in Iraq came when soldiers would use the telephones," he recalls. "Some were rejoicing and some were crying, and it usually depended on the stability of their homes in the states."

Lacy's ser vice also influenced the couple's faith and ministry through the military's integration. Different races attending church together and living next to each other was the norm, and the Lighthouse Church of Prayer has an open door policy in regard to race, denomination, nationality or any other restrictive factors.

"This is not a black church, or a white church. It's God's church," said Mrs. Lacy.

"We have more things in common than our differences," said Pastor Lacy, adding "when we get to heaven, we're all gonna be there together."

Togetherness has certainly been a factor in the Lacys' partnership, both professionally and personally.

Although she became certified in child development and worked in that arena for many years during his military years, Willie Jean joined Pastor Lacy at seminary and they both received bachelor's in biblical studies.

"It was just like high school," Pastor Lacy said with a laugh.

When his military service ended, the two were both working civil service jobs in Copperas Cove when they decided to return to Troup and establish a church. The early years were a test of their determination and faith as they made a weekly 200- mile one-way trip -- arriving on Friday and leaving after services on Sunday.

"We commuted for three years. Just the passion to establish our ministry made it seem like driving the 20 miles to Tyler," said Pastor Lacy. "It was nothing to do every weekend."

They met in the Troup library until they found their current home, and although they refer to Lighthouse as "the small church with the big heart," they are looking for land to purchase for future expansion.

The return to Troup completed the link between their faith and foundation, as they moved into Willie Jean's childhood home (and welcomed her mother back home from Dallas to live with them).

Their three children are active in their church. Candra serves as praise and worship leader and attends Lon Morris studying church careers and pre-law; Willie III is a business major at Letourneau and helps with administrative duties; and youngest son Timothy lives in Arlington, but comes homes every other weekend to attend services.

The Lacys' spiritual goal at Lighthouse is as simple as the church's name: to be a beacon for the bewildered and lost in times of troubles.

The small-town values that took them around the world and back, are still at the heart of their ministry -- strengthening families, encouraging youth and helping when there is a need.

"Love looks beyond people's faults and sees their needs," said Pastor Lacy. "Jesus said, 'whatever you do unto the least of these, you do unto me.'"