Todd Deaton“Preacher Nick” – that’s what he wanted us to call him. I can think of no better description: His life was a testimony to his Lord.
I met him for the first time three or four months ago when he graciously cut out a pinewood derby car for my son, Caleb. Almost immediately, I knew there was something special about him. Perhaps it was how his eyes twinkled as he tinkered in his wood shop, making toys for children thousands of miles away. Before we left, he gave to Caleb several samples of wooden toys he had made in the past for the Brazilian children.
When Caleb and I returned a few weeks later to help him cut out more wooden cars for children at an orphanage in Brazil, Preacher Nick told us how those cars would also draw kids from the area surrounding the orphanage, providing volunteers from his church, Rocky Creek in Greenville, an opportunity to share about Jesus.
That day, Preacher Nick had a surprise for Caleb. His eyes danced as he presented a small, lightweight hammer to Caleb. It was Caleb’s very first tool – all his own. Preacher Nick smiled when Caleb gleefully replied that learning woodworking was “a dream” of his.
As I drilled holes for the axles for the car wheels, Preacher Nick and Caleb set to work, building a bird feeder to give to his mom for Mother’s Day. When the wooden cars were ready to be painted by members of the Sunday school classes that Preacher Nick and his wife of 60 years, Anne, taught at Rocky Creek, he asked what our next project would be. I suggested that Caleb’s new dog, Jasmine, needed a dog house. He was eager to get started, and it wasn’t long before he and my dad headed to Lowes to get the lumber. Now Caleb has a wonderful childhood memory of working with his dad, granddad and Preacher Nick to build a house for his dog.
Nick Imbastaro, center, and some members of the Faith, Lydia and Esther Sunday school classes, recently painted wooden cars to be distributed during a mission trip to Brazil.As we all sat around the table in Anne’s kitchen, eating homemade Italian cookies and sipping coffee – another favorite past-time of Preacher Nick – I soon realized that his generous spirit wasn’t unique to us. It was just a part of who Preacher Nick was: He had this same amazing impact and influence on those who knew him.
A graduate of Furman University and Southeastern Seminary, Preacher Nick, originally from Rochester, N.Y., served as pastor of four Baptist congregations across our state: Pine Grove in Fountain Inn; Wallace; Chestnut Ridge in Laurens; and Norway. In their retirement years, he and Anne served together on mission trips, taught Sunday school at their church, and he served as chaplain for the senior citizens group. Preacher Nick loved children, and he also worked with the church’s Good News Bible Club at Bethel Elementary School.
But I think Preacher Nick was happiest when he had a piece of wood in his hands and was using his hobby to build bridges for the sake of the gospel. He made Bible boxes for churches in Africa. He made pews for a mission in Brazil. He made wooden cabinets, wagons, bird houses, bird feeders, and other wooden items to raise money for Lottie Moon Christmas offerings. And he made numerous items to be distributed to retired ministers at the annual Fellowship of Retired Ministers at White Oak Conference Center.
At his funeral, minister after minister testified to his generous, humble and gracious spirit. His pastor, Ken Forrester, described him as “a Barnabas.” Forester recalled, “Not a Sunday went by that he didn’t hug my neck,” and he remarked that his children were very sad that day – and I would add the children of Rocky Creek, Bethel, Africa, Brazil, as well as my own.
On the day of his death, Preacher Nick’s Bible was still turned to Psalm 123, a passage that he read every morning at 5 a.m. during his quiet time. One minister shared how Preacher Nick had sat up in his hospital bed and said, “Victory in Jesus” – the last clear words he spoke.
That was Preacher Nick – an encourager. He had a smile, a laugh, a good word, and often a handmade wooden gift – for others.
And now each time that I walk out on my back deck, look out across the yard, and see a dog house sitting in the shade of a tree or a bird feeder swinging in its branches, I think of my friend and wish I had known him a little bit longer. For in the short time that I knew him, I saw a testimony of someone for whom ” the joy of the Lord” was genuinely his strength, and his joy was contagious – along the Way.