The Ernest Lawrence Family Comes to Wilmore 

     Samuel and Daisy Lawrence (Ernie's parents) moved to Wilmore around 1928 from Missouri.  Daisy's sister Maude (Rush) and her husband Ernie Brown were there working on the Robbins ranch and he persuaded Sam to move to Wilmore and go to work on the ranch.  Sam and Daisy had 4 children, Ruby, Wilma Lee, Ernest and Alice Pearl.   Ernie was 3 years old when the move took place.  They became very active in the Wilmore Baptist Church and the children grew up in Wilmore.  The two oldest girls, Ruby and Wilma Lee, graduated from Wilmore High School.  The family moved to Coldwater, Kansas during Ernie's senior year so he graduated from Coldwater High School, but always considered Wilmore as home.

     After graduation Ernie joined the Marines and saw action at Iwo Jima and Saipan during WWII.  When the war was over he went back to Missouri to visit an uncle who was the pastor of the Baptist church in Grant City, Missouri.  There he met Gene Ann Mathews and shortly thereafter they were married.  Ernie and Gene Ann, along with two other couples from Grant City, moved to Shawnee, Oklahoma to attend Oklahoma Baptist University.  His intention was to become a coach, but the Lord had other plans, and he ended up as a ministry student.  in 1949 he transferred to Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas.  After graduation from Ottawa and receiving some graduate hours at Central University in Kansas City, the family began pastoral ministries in eastern Kansas.

In 1955 the Wilmore Baptist Church was without a pastor.  Their search committee contacted Ernie and after much prayer he accepted the pastorate of his old home church in Wilmore.  It was a wonderful experience for the entire family.  The kids attended Wilmore schools and grew up on Mule Creek just like their Dad did.  The Lawrence's have four children, Larry, David, Lonna and Mathew.  Mat was born in the Greensburg, Kansas’s hospital after they came to Wilmore.  Mat and his wife are presently Missionaries in Malawi, South Africa.  All of the children are very active in their respective churches.  Ernie and Gene Ann are now retired and living in Tahlequah, Oklahoma where they have an antiques shop called "Just  Perfect Antiques and Collectables."  They have 12 grand children and 15 great grand children.  They continue to Praise the Lord for all of His blessings!