Lois Irby: secretary

by AMY DAVIS
TENNESSEE BIBLE COLLEGE

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — When a newly widowed Lois Irby moved to Cookeville from Arkansas in 2002, she had no job waiting for her. 

But that wasn't her main concern.

For years, the Minden, La., native and her family — husband Charles and son James — had been looking for a faithful church congregation in their area, to no avail. As a result, they worshipped at home.

The job of her husband, a truck driver for Tyson Foods, had kept the family tied to the location, but when he died in 2002, Lois decided it was time to look for a new home — a home in Tennessee. And that meant leaving her job at Home Health, where she had worked for 10 years.

Lois Irby
Secretary

"When we moved here, I moved without the promise of a job," Lois said. "I said, 'Well, if I'm putting the Lord first and trying to find a sound congregation, He's going to help me find work. I just didn't worry about it, and I moved here."

She had known of the Cookeville area, as well as Tennessee Bible College, for a number of years, having learned about it from the college's president, Malcolm Hill. He had preached at a gospel meeting in 1997 at Lois' congregation in Gentry, Ark., where her family attended until it succumbed to liberalism.

Also attending the Gentry church at the time was Janet Randolph, who, after her husband died in 1998, moved to Cookeville to take part in the work at TBC and place membership at Northeast Church of Christ, located next door to the school. 

But Lois stayed in touch with Janet.

"And she just declared that the Northeast church is a very sound place," Lois said. "This is where it's happening. The teaching that's going on here and the work at the Bible college — it's very devoted to outreach and teaching people."

When Lois' husband died in 2002, she decided to follow in Janet's footsteps.

"There was no sound church in my area," Lois said. "My son and I were worshipping at home, even before Charles died, for 2 1/2 years. And I said, 'This is ridiculous! I am now able to move anywhere I want.' "

So in August of 2002, that's what she did. And for four months she sought work in the medical field — that is, until she was offered a job at Tennessee Bible College. It's a job she graciously accepted.

At TBC, Lois serves as the secretary, receptionist and part-time librarian. She is also the Northeast church secretary.

What's the best part?

"As far as the working aspect, I like the variety. I do a hundred different things every day, and I like that," Lois said. "It's certainly not boring. And I feel like we're really trying to get something done. We are accomplishing something worthwhile."

She added, "We put out a lot of paper work here that reaches the hands of untold numbers of people all over the world. And now with the internet, we're reaching people we had never hoped to before, and that's a good feeling to know you're a small part of trying to get something done like that."

What's impressed Lois most at TBC?

"I think the level of integrity," she said. "High-caliber people are drawn here... their hearts are right. They're trying to help people and teach for the right purposes.

"And truth is upheld here. Hearts are touched. We don't want the Bible harmed in any way. We don't want the truth altered. We want just the truth taught because that's what's able to save men's souls."