He’s baptized more than 1,000 people and preached more than 1,000 funerals.

“I’ve seen ‘em cuss out the undertaker,” said the Rev. R.C. Prescott, pastor of Bible Baptist Church at 285 Hillcrest Road north of LaGrange. “I’ve seen relatives come in drunk and a guy ram his fist through the wall above his mother’s casket.”

He’s seen family members selling whiskey from their back porch as the body of a loved one lay inside the residence.

“I’ve seen it all, brother,” said Prescott, who has been a minister for 60 years and will be honored by his congregation at a special service Sunday.

The 10 a.m. program will feature the Rev. Rodney Ragsdale from Piedmont, Ala., the Antioch Baptist Church choir from Hogansville, the Tri-City Quartet from Trickam Valley, Ala., the Posey Family from LaGrange, the Brumbelos from Franklin, the Bible Baptist Trio, Donney Williamson and Eugene Smith.

Prescott, 85, recently was diagnosed with lung cancer and may not be long for this world, but “I’m ready to go,” he said. “When the Lord gets ready, I’m ready.”

He wasn’t ready when his military unit got pinned down by the Japanese for four days in the Philippines during World War II, and a sniper shot him in the left leg. A plane dropped smoke bombs, allowing the soldiers to make their escape from a hillside.

“After I got down to the foot of the hill and looked back, the Lord spoke to me,” Prescott recalled. “He said, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes in the Lord shall be saved.’ I knew I was coming home then because when the Lord tells you something, that’s right.”

Prescott studied at Mercer and Samford universities and received an honorary doctorate from Trinity Theological Seminary in north Georgia. He’s been at Bible Baptist for the past 19 years, having previously served at Eastside Baptist Temple in LaGrange for 19 1/2 years, Antioch Baptist in Hogansville for 17 years and Northside Baptist in Piedmont, Ala., for 2 1/2 years.

He’s preached on the radio for 52 years at WTRP in LaGrange and WELR in Roanoke, Ala.

He’s been married to the former Bernice Wright of Tallapoosa for the past 67 years. Their only child, former Troup County Probate Judge Gwen Prescott, died nine years ago.

Prescott used to be a “fire and brimstone” sermonizer, but now “I have to preach sitting down,” he said. “I can’t stand long enough to preach the message, but I used to be on fire. … I’ve gotten old and sickly and can’t beat the bushes like I used to. A lot of people expect you to be there every time somebody stubs their toe, but I can’t get there no more.”

He said “preaching and seeing souls accept Christ - that’s been the most enjoyable part of it.”

“I want to thank all the friends and relatives that supported me for all these 60 years and God bless them all,” he said.

Joel Martin can be reached at jmartin@ lagrangenews.com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 235.

— “Neighbors” is a feature of LaGrange Daily News which spotlights people who are in the news, have unusual hobbies or are otherwise interesting. To suggest a person who could be profiled, contact Becky Holland at bholland@ lagrangenews or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 229.