Carolina Clipping Service

Dr.R·~~;.,to Conduct Reviv~ Riley's Creek Baptist Church i~~v. DL Eric Rich from Red * ~ .. -I''*~

Springs will be conducting a fall ·~ weekend revival Friday, October '1 11. through Sunday. October 13, at Riley's Creek Baptist Church, Rocky Point. Services will be held Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:00 and Sunday morning at 11:00.

There will be special music dur­ ing each service. and at 2:00 p.m. Sunday. there will be gospel sing­ ing by "Saved by Grace."

Dr. Rich has served as pastor of several churches but is now a full­ time evangelist. He survived a near­ death experience when he was at­ tacked by robbers at his church, Dogwood Hill Baptist Church be­ tween Tabor City and Loris, South Carolina. Robbers broke Into the church one Wednesday night dur­ ing choir practice. Pastor Rich locked the door to keep the rob­ bers away from the choir. He then ran out the side door with the two culprits in pursuit. The thieves followed him as he ran toward the front of the church and fired at him point blank with a shotgun but missed. The robbers then sav­ agely beat him about the head with the stock of the gunand left him for dead. The choir members found him a few minutes later. He was transported by helicopter to the ICU Trauma unit at Duke Medi­ cal Center.

A nursery for children ·up through three years of age will be provided during each service.

"Everyone is encouraged to at­ tend this exciting weekend revival at Riley's Creek Baptist Church and hear Dr. Rich give his testi­ mony of how God brought him through a very traumatic experi­ ence," says a church spokesper-

Pender Chronicle Burgaw, NC

D - 5020 S - NO DATA

October 2, 2002

son.

CIT/ZEN RED SPRINGS N , .. c.

Rev. Eric Rich

Rich • • receives degree D. Eric Rich, of Red Springs, re­

ceived the Master of Divinity degree from Southeastern Baptist Theologi­ 'cal Seminary during Commence­ ment Exercises on May 17, 1997. Mr. Rich is the son of Marilyn

Mishue, who resides in Dillon, S.C. He is a graduate of Wingate Uni­

versity in Wingate, N.C. and is married to Dr. Susan Rich of Red

'

Springs. D. Eric Rich is now Pastor of

Westside Baptist Church in Red Springs. ~

By e grace of God, Westside Baptist Church Pastor carries on

entering the church after saying the front door. Rich suspects his plan goodbye to the youth group and was to go back through the front and locking the front door of the church, lock the attackers out. But that

RED SPRINGS a task he usually neglects. As the evening, he had locked the door. After seeing his youth Bible study choir rehearsed, he walked to his The two men then began beating

group off on the evening of March office. Rich 11

Rich on the 20, 1996, Eric Rich, the pastor of says he God has been good and church's estside-Baptist Church in Red remem.bers faithful and has brought f r o n t

Springs, did not realize that in about g e t t 1 n g me my family and the porch. The 10 minutes his life would drastically papers off of ' . . . attackers change.Nordidheknowthatoutof his desk and church through a very d1ff1- w e r e something so tragic, so much good walking out. cult and hard time." scared off could happen. The rest by friends More than a year-and-a-half ago, of the ERIC RICH. and rela-.

Rich was attacked and brutally beat- n i g h t ' s PASTOR OF WESTSIDE t!APTiST tives of en by-two men-attempting to rotrhis · events ru:e CHURCH IN RED SPRINGS ~ch con_i- church. Although the assault has left told by choir mg to his him unable to remember the details members. They told Rich they heard aid and police and ambulance sirens. of the struggle, his wife Susan, and screaming and then saw him run- Rich spent three days in intensive the church's choir members, who ning toward them yelling, "get care and nine days in the neuro­ were rehearsing that evening, are down, we're being robbed." He led surgery ward at Duke Medical able to remember everything. the armed and masked men out the Hospital. Today, he is just now get- Rich said he last remembers re- side door of the church and toward ting over intense headaches, blurred

STAFF REPORTER vision and fatigue. "I'll be honest, it's been a battle,"

Rich said. "When I came out of the hospital I couldn't hardly do any­ thing. I was still in the Seminary (Southeastern in Wake Forest), and I figured I'd probably lose time. I told God, if you don't want me to finish up this semester or take a year off to get over this injury, I'm willing to do that if that's what you want me to do." But about an hour later, Rich's

. prayers were answered. Rich said, one of his professors from the semi­ nary came to his hospital bedside, and said he and the other professors were willing to work together with him to help him graduate on time. The promise by the seminary pro­

fessors was one of the many good things to come out of his traumatic

(See Rich, page 48)

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CUPPING SERVICE 1115 HILLSBORO

/J. RALEIGH, NC 27603 ~ TEL. (919) 833-2079

,6){CHANGe tAURlN&URG, N. C~

f>P v AUG 28"97 ---~ :iq,

1• .. l (Continued from page 38) experience. Rich graduated from the seminary

in May. But before he received his degree, a number of other good things happened for him, his family and his church along his path to recovery. "Somebody asked me the question

the other day, has (the attack) changed me?" Rich said. "Spiritually I'm probably stronger than I've ever been. And I know the reason is because of what I've been through. I went through a lot of post trauma .. .feelings . . . and had to deal with it. I'm not the same person that I used to be." Rich said his post trauma lasted off

and on until December of 1996 when he and Susan took a trip to the Holy Land. "Israel was the best medicine,"

Rich. "I love to read the Bible, and it was amazing to see everything I had read come alive." And just when Rich thought he

couldn't feel better, he and Susan returned from their trip to find out Susan was pregnant with their first child. "Susan is a very sweet woman,"

Rich said. "She was there by my side the whole time. I believe this has brought us even closer togeth­ er." But Rich's immediate family was

not the only one getting larger or feeling the effects of his recovery. His church family was too. "I've been the pastor of (Westside

Baptist) Church' for five years, and it's been amazing that in the past year, since this has happened, we've almost doubled in Sunday School; we see more members and more things happening," he said. "We've performed nearly 27 Baptisms this past year." Rich said he has also learned a

great deal from his nightmarish experience. "God will never put you through

anything that he has not already pre-

pared you to go through. Just trust Hirn." he said. "But you have to be aware of things around you." "If somebody's mean enough to

come into a church and attack a preacher, you need to have your guard up and a forearm on God so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Rich said he is feeling good these

days. He visits a neurologist once a month for check-ups, but other than that, most of his wounds, physical and mental, are healing. He hopes he will soon become more active again (resuming his jogging and raquetball activities). "The doctor tells me to take it

slow and do it gradually," he said. "God has been good and faithful

and has brought me, my family and the church through a very difficult and hard time," Rich said. "And we have come out victorious." With things looking up for his

family and for his church, life is good again.

~ ' ' ' 7 ..... ;::.;t·.) aJ " O' ·3E.:: ( ·~J l 1 •• - • ••••

~::~',:i~,c~~~~~~~;:~~,,~ ~ SINCE 1897

RED S_pRINGS, NORTH CAROLINA WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 1996 25CENTS

Minister returns home" Rich is resting and eager to get back to ministry

Reverend Eric Rich and wife Susan were all smiles following his release from Duke .---'.

Westside Pastor, Eric Rich is a grateful, forgiving man. One day after being released from

the hospital, he said his main con­ cern is that the robbers who beat him in front of Westside Baptist Church find Christ. Pastor Rich is resting safe and

sound at home in Red Springs. He returned home Monday afternoon after being hospitalized at Duke University Medical Center for nearly · two weeks. He spent two days in the Intensive Care Unit with a frac­ tured skull. "I'd like to say that I really appre­

ciate everything everyone has done for me during this time," he said. "People in the community have been real supportive· and that's great. I also want to thank the authorities who tried to find the people who committed this unfortunate crime. My main concern is that they (rob­ bers) find Jesus."

ii Pastor Rich's wife Susan Rich said

she is glad to have her husband home. "He's doing fine," said Mrs. Rich.

"He's going to relax for a couple of weeks and then go from there. He just ne s to rest and take things

easy." Meanwhile, the Red Springs Po­

lice Department is still looking for information on the armed robbery attempt. Red Springs Chief of Police Lum

Edwards said the police department is hoping someone will come forth with information on the attack. "The investigation is still ongo­

ing," Chief Edwards said. "We've talked to some people, but we've got to get the cooperation out of some­ body who knows who did it. " The department has a pair of sus­

pects, but has been unable to make a case, he said. "We've talked to them, but we

don't know anything yet," Chief Edwards said. Pastor Rich suffered severe inju­

ries in the March 20 attack in what investigators are calling a botched robbery attempt. "The robbers came in through the

back door with the intention of rob­ bing him (Rich)," said Detective Ben Smith of the Red Springs Police Department. "He ran out of the church and they beat him as he at­ tempted to go back in through the front door."

The original 911 call came in at 8:40. The caller said Rich had been shot, but it was later determined that he had been hit over the head with a blunt object, probably a shotgun Detective Smith said. "He (Pastor Rich) undoubtedly

saw the robbers out in the hallway. He saw the shotgun and ran through the sanctuary yelling 'We're being robbed'. The robbers followed him as he ran out the side door," he said. Detective Smith said the masked

assailants caught Reich as he at­ tempted to enter the front of the church and beat him. Rich was transported to Southeast­

ern Medical Center in Lumberton and later transported to Duke Uni­ versity Medical center. The search is still on. "We're still chipping away at it,"

Detective. Smith said. "We want to remind all citizens to contact the police department if they know any­ thing. A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the assailants." Reverend Rich requested this verse

from Ephesians 3:20. "Now unto Him who is able to do

exceeding and abundantly above all that we ask or think. " \..

25 CENTS

nistry iginal 911 call came in at le caller said Rich had been I it was later determined that een hit over the head with a iject, probably a shotgun e Smith said. Pastor Rich) undoubtedly robbers out in the hallway. he shotgun and ran through tuary yelling 'We're being The robbers followed him out the side door," he said .

. ve Smith said the masked :s caught Reich as he at- to enter the front of the nd beat him. as transported to Southeast­ .ical Center in Lumberton · transported to Duke Uni­ tledical center. irch is still on. : still chipping away at it," e. Smith said. "We want to ill citizens to contact the partment if they know any­ reward is being offered for [on leading to the arrest of lants." 11d Rich requested this verse iesians 3:20. mto Him who is able to do g and abundantly above all sk or think " . \..