Northside honors Dr. McAbee for 46 years of service

Dr. Edward McAbee

Northside Baptist Church honored its pastor, Dr. Edward McAbee, for 46 years of service with Pastor Appreciation Day on Sunday, April 27. Dr. McAbee became pastor of Northside in April, 1962.

Special music for the service was presented by the church choir and guest speaker was the Rev. C.M. Phillips.

The evening service was a special family time of singing and testimony from different members who represented the past four decades at Northside.

Dr. McAbee, son was the late Rev. Vernon McAbee and Sarah Green McAbee, was born Jan. 22, 1930. He and his wife, Rebecca, who is now deceased, have four children, Leslie McAbee, Libby Chapman, Lottie Kirby and Lamar McAbee; six grandchildren, Jessica, Jeremy, Brian, Candace, Joshua and Logan; and one greatgrandchild, Dillon Chapman.

Dr. McAbee graduated in 1947 from Spartanburg Senior High School and attended Moody Bible Institute from 1950-1952. He graduated with an A.A. degree from Gardner-Webb Junior College in 1954 and received his B.A. degree in 1956 from Furman University.

Dr. McAbee attended Southern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1960- 1961 and graduated from Luther Rice Seminary in 1979 with a ThM degree. He earned his ThD from Trinity Seminary in 1981.

He served in the U.S. Navy as a Radioman, Petty Officer 3rd Class on the USS Prairie with the Seventh Fleet in the Korean War. He served as a chaplain in the S.C. State Guard, attaining the rank of captain, and at present is a member of the Honor Guard Detail.

Piedmont Baptist Church of Chesnee licensed Dr. McAbee to the ministry in 1951 and ordained him in 1954.

He is founder and president of the Believers Institute for Biblical Studies that has a present enrollment of over 20,000 international students plus the student body that meets on the Gaffney campus.

He is also founder of Showers of Blessings, an international worldwide raido ministry that is now in its 43rd year.