As LACBC prepares for a tearful farewell to my friend and our beloved Pastor Vic, I thought it well to publicly publish a tribute to him.

I often marvel at how much Jesus loves His bride—the church. The gifts He lavishes upon her are simply amazing. Today, I reminisce about a special gift of grace He gave to LACBC on July 1st 2004 in the form of a young preacher named Victor Sholar and beautiful wife Athena and two sons Jonathan (6) and Josiah (2). From the earliest days in my ministry, I have always enjoyed working with young ministers who needed grooming and experience. This case, however, was different. When Victor preached his first sermon at LACBC, it was quite obvious that God had sent us a special gift of His grace. Young he was, and experience he needed, but as far as preaching goes, the young preacher didn’t need any grooming. God had abundantly supplied him with extraordinary ability as a herald for His bride. And for six fleeting years, LACBC held our collective breath wondering when God, who showered us with this rare gift, would move him to another part of His vineyard as a greater blessing for His bride. Today almost six years to the day later, God has called our beloved preacher to Main Street Baptist Church in Kentucky. And as we yield to our Lord’s will we do so with joy for Main Street, sadness that we will greatly miss all of the Sholars, excitement for Pastor Victor and a sigh from the words of poet, Lord Alfred Tennyson, “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” Pastor Victor, Athena, and boys, you’ll always be on our hearts and in our prayers.
If you have been blessed by Victor or Athena's ministry, we encourage you to come out and hear his parting sermon and participate in our after service tribute to him and Athena. We'll have plenty of tissues available. For service times and directions click here LACBC.