Roy Osborne
This article appeared in the Christian News of South Texas, December 2009.
SAN ANTONIO – Roy Osborne has preached since the week he turned seventeen years old. That was in 1939 – seventy years ago.
This month Bro. Osborne is celebrating 70 years of preaching. He is being honored in a special assembly at Sunset Ridge Church of Christ this month.
“It’s not my fault,” says Osborne when asked how he has endured in ministry for so many years. “God equipped me to communicate.” When asked for advice for young ministers, Osborne stated, “Do your own thinking. Don’t let the church, tradition or anybody else take over. Don’t spend time
reading a lot books – read the Bible and then reflect on it 10 times as long as you read it. Take your job more seriously than you take yourselves. Don’t try to follow the latest trends or hot books. What books have your read lately? I say the Bible.”
Osborne takes his sermon preparation seriously. He says, “Worst thing that could happen is people to say that was a great sermon…but what does it mean to me? Never let the audience leave saying, ‘So what?’”
Osborne first came to San Antonio in 1950 as a service member in the Air Force. During his stay, he was asked to preach for the Alamo Heights Church of Christ, the forerunner of bothpresent-day Sunset Ridge and MacArthur Park congregations.
He preached for three years before moving to California where he ministered for 27 years. Osborne attend Lipscomb and Abilene Christian before entering the service. He completed his degree in clinical psychology at the University of Berkeley. While working in the Bay Area, Osborne also taught Bible classes inside the infamous San Quentin Prison. As a visitor, of course.
He returned to Sunset Ridge in 1970 and continued to preach there for 21 years. He continues to teach classes at Sunset Ridge. He is an avid writer and sends his essays to over 300 people every month around the globe. A website provides access to many of his essays: http://royosborne-essays.com/
Osborne’s wife passed away in 1981. He has four children, nine grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren.