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Eighteen
year old Johnnie Lavender began preaching shortly after his call
to the ministry in 1941 as a freshman at Wheaton College. His
evangelistic gifts emerged in crusades conducted while completing
his education at San Francisco State and Berkeley Baptist Divinity
School. In 1947 Johnnie's call to vocational evangelism was confirmed
by his denomination when he was appointed State Evangelist for
the American Baptist Churches of Northern California.
 In
1951 the Baptist World Alliance sponsored him and his wife, Lucille,
a remarkably gifted lyric soprano acclaimed as America's First
Lady of Sacred Song, in a mission of refreshing to the Baptist
churches of Europe. The Lavender's toured ten countries, and Johnnie
preached 147 times in 120 days.
The
quality and integrity of his ministry as a vocational evangelist
was further recognized when, upon returning from Europe, Johnnie
Lavender was appointed National Evangelist for the American Baptist
Convention, a position especially created for him. In this role,
he and Lucille conducted scores of local, city and statewide crusades
involving hundreds of American Baptist churches from coast to
coast.
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