By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
I walked into the offices of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board (formerly the Executive Board) on Jan. 3 after nearly two weeks of rest and relaxation (if spending a week of it with two boys ages 4 and almost 2 can be relaxing). But it was definitely fun and exciting.
As fellow staff members arrived in the office we exchanged greetings and talked about the holidays. I then realized that one staff member with whom I had worked for 25 years would not be coming into the office that day.
Gary Rickman retired from the TBMB staff on Dec. 31 after serving the convention in numerous roles over the years, most recently as director of strategic relations. That was definitely an appropriate title for Gary.
He is a master at relationships. Other than Randy C. Davis, TBMB president and executive director, Gary was probably the best known member of the staff. Gary is a “Tennessee boy.” His dad, Barney Rickman, was a well known and beloved pastor in the state and Gary followed in his footsteps. He served as pastor of several Tennessee Baptist churches. He actually has a fellowship hall named after him at Powell’s Chapel Baptist Church in Murfreesboro. I always thought that was amusing. I thought you had to die in order to get something named after you.
One of Gary’s first duties with the TBMB was serving as the Annuity Board (now GuideStone Financial Resources) consultant. He worked with pastors and church staff members all across Tennessee, assisting them with their insurance and retirement needs. Ironically, he will continue in that role on a part-time basis during retirement. He met and helped a lot of people over the years.
Gary is basically a walking encyclopedia of Tennessee Baptist life. In addition to being raised in and serving as pastor of Tennessee Baptist churches, he graduated from Belmont College (now University) when it was an integral part of convention life. He knows our state from Memphis to Mountain City and all points in between.
On a personal level, Gary is more than a colleague and coworker. He is a dear friend. We shared a lot of common interests in addition to our ministries — mostly football, golf, and eating. We ate many meals together, primarily at our favorite Mexican restaurant near the office where you can get a meal and drink, normally for under $6. We also shared a common bond of looking for the best deals, especially when it came to golf and food. In other words, we are both “cheap,” but in the good sense.
We played a lot of golf over the years. Don’t be fooled by Gary’s pleasant demeanor and personality. He is as competitive as they come. I think he liked playing golf with me because he normally beat me, but we had fun and, on occasion, I would pull an upset and win a match. Some of my best memories of Gary are walking nine holes at a local golf course in the late afternoons of summer and early fall and just talking about any and everything. Gary is the kind of person you can talk to and who will truly listen to you. He is a friend in the truest sense.
The best thing about Gary’s retirement is that he will continue to be around in his part-time role and when we move to our new offices in May, he will only be a few miles away — close enough to meet for lunch.
I wish Gary and his wonderful wife Joyce nothing but the best in retirement. They have truly earned this special time together. Gary and Joyce have been faithful servants and I know they will continue to serve the Lord in the years to come. They also will have more time to spend with their children, Jeff and Angie, and their grandchildren, Ethan and Addison.
Continue to pray for Gary and his family in the days ahead. He has served both God and Tennessee Baptists faithfully for decades. Enjoy your retirement, friend. You earned it.
