First Posted: 2/19/2015
One of the last things the Rev. Ronald Cannon told Lima residents before ending a 40-year ministry at Lima Baptist Temple was that “prayer may be old, but it is valuable, like an antique.”
The words came during a National Day of Prayer rally 14 years ago at Memorial Hall. They captivated the crowd that day, just like Cannon’s words and actions would captivate so many members of Lima Baptist Temple for four decades.
Following his passing on Feb. 11 at age 86 in Dothan, Alabama, the Rev. Cannon is remembered today as a remarkable builder of faith like few others in Lima’s history.
Lima Baptist Temple was just seven years old when he came to lead its ministry in 1961. His first service saw just 78 people in attendance. During the next 40 years, it would see explosive growth, topping 2,000 members. Countless others received his message through his daily radio show, “Thoughts to Live By,” and when Lima Baptist Temple became one of the first area churches to offer live telecasts of Sunday morning services.
He built a 600 seat auditorium in 1964 and later a new 1,200 seat auditorium in 1970. However, his hallmark project was the 1976 construction of Temple Christian School, a kindergarten through 12th grade facility with a mission statement that proudly claims to “glorify God by providing for students a Christ-centered education marked by excellence and grounded in Biblical truth.”
It was through the church and school that the Rev. Cannon emphasized the power of prayer, often preaching that prayers should be given constantly, not just when someone is in need.
“We have a tendency to only use prayer in panic situations,” he would say. “That’s the problem with crisis-driven prayer. When the crisis goes away, so does the reason to pray. We need to take our concerns to God every day.”
His ministry wasn’t confined to standing behind a pulpit on Brower Road — far from it. He established early on that no subject or venue was off-limits when it came to doing what he thought was right.
Two years after he came to Lima in 1963, he stood before Lima City Council and vowed his opposition to any move to amend an existing ordinance that banned minors from entering pool halls unless they were accompanied by an adult.
In the mid-90s, he would do battle with adult video stores in Lima, calling them a “blight on the community.” He openly led other ministers in challenging the county’s prosecutor and sheriff to take action against the “smut peddlers.”
The Rev. Cannon was especially worried about youth and the sanctity of marriage.
He wasn’t shy about expressing his concern about a changing world filled with sexual images, pre-marital sex, drugs and cults. However, his answer was not to shield people from what was happening, but to educate them. He noted “the Bible has a great deal to say” on the subject of sex and marriage, and church-goers shouldn’t fear being ridiculed for their religious beliefs.
“The church usually thrives in the midst of persecution,” he reminded people in a 1999 article in The Lima News.
The Rev. Ronald Cannon was one to always say what he thought and do what he believed. By the time he retired in 2001, Lima Baptist Temple had made a proud mark in Lima’s history for its emphasis on evangelism and missions
For that, so many in this community are grateful to the Rev. Cannon today.
