By L.A. Williams
Christian Action League
March 25, 2015
A well-known pastor and Baptist leader who served the Christian Action League as executive director for 15 years and president for 5 will be remembered Saturday at a 2 p.m. service at North Kannapolis Baptist Church. Coy Privette, 82, died Monday in Thomasville.
“He was a man of incredible achievement and was a giant for the cause of Christ in his day,” said the Rev. Mark Creech, who took the helm as executive director in 1999.
A native of Iredell County, Privette went to Wake Forest College on a football scholarship and later graduated from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He excelled in the U.S. Army Reserves, retiring as a colonel with a Meritorious Service Medal for his service as a chaplain and also pastored four Baptist churches over the years: Faith and New Hope in Statesville, First Baptist of Ellerbe and North Kannapolis. He served four terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives and spent a dozen years on the Board of Commissioners for Cabarrus County.
Privette not only had a stellar resume of service to state, country and God, but he will be remembered for his marvelous wit, friends and colleagues said.
“Whether it was a personal conversation or whether he mounted the pulpit to speak to an audience, it was inevitable within just a short period of time that people would find themselves laughing at some joke, or some funny story that he had told, or just Coy’s humorous take on the day’s events,” Creech said, adding he was inspired by Privette’s courage, knowledge and his example.
“You can only imagine how deeply honored I felt when he threw his influence behind my becoming the next executive director of the Christian Action League in 1999,” he added. “To a large degree, I am where I am today because of him.”
Creech acknowledged Privette’s faults and asked for prayer for his family during their time of grief.
“We remember that his feet were made of clay. He stumbled and fell at one point, but the same God whose grace proved sufficient for King David was also sufficient for Coy,” he said. “He sought forgiveness and went on to serve His Master in constructive ways after retirement.”
In fact, in his later years, he enjoyed volunteering for disaster relief efforts and as a part of summer programs teaching English in China.
Privette is survived by his wife, Betty, four daughters and 10 grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the North Carolina Baptist Men Disaster Relief Fund, P.O. Box 1107, Cary, North Carolina 27512.
To send an online condolence to the Privette family, go to: www.jcgreenandsons.com