By Kay S. Pedrotti Charlotte Hicks had a deep need to finish her high school education ‘“ interrupted in her senior year by her first marriage ‘“ but ‘she did so much for everybody else, she thought she couldn’t do that,’ said her present husband, the Rev. William Hicks. Now she is so delighted by having finished her GED and being enrolled at Southern Crescent Technical College, taking a heavy class load toward becoming a medical assistant. Her choice of career, William noted, goes ‘right along with her heart for serving people.’ After the first marriage failed, Charlotte was busy at several different jobs so she could raise her ‘five wonderful children,’ she said. ’Here I was with no education but somehow I managed to get to the management level in every job I ever had. Still I doubted I could succeed if I went back to school,’ she added. Marching across the stage at Griffin First Assembly of God Church with other GED students was a high point in her life, she said, ‘almost 30 years to the day after I dropped out of school.’ William was her inspiration, she said. He brought to her the telephone number for GED studies in Georgia, and ‘the rest is ongoing history.’ She completed the 40-hour course locally with Katie Dallas and excelled all requirements. The story of how William, also previously married, and Charlotte met is unusual enough to make them both believe God chose them as life-mates for each other. She was working in a store deli, serving other customers and William was observing her. She kept encouraging him to come to the counter but he stalled until all the other customers left. They are from similar backgrounds, Charlotte said.’The first time we met we talked about Jesus ‘“ we went to a Chinese restaurant near the store and just talked and talked about God ‘“ he was in the midst of our very beginning. We found out William lived between my house and where I worked; I’d go by every morning on the way to work and we’d have Bible study. Isn’t that just amazing?’ she said. William was born and raised in Barnesville and also has five children. Together they enjoy being with eight grandchildren and two great-grands. He worked for Delta, the city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia as a driver. Now the two ‘go wherever God leads us,’ teaching and being unaffiliated missionaries for ‘God’s church.’ The mandate for service to others is not confined, they say. Regardless of where she works or serves, she said she and William will ‘take the church with us.’ He says, ‘She still doesn’t give herself enough credit for what she’s accomplished.’
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