Pastor Taylor is a native of Pine Bluff and a graduate of Pine Bluff High School. He attended Ouachita Baptist University and received his B.A. in 1967. He did graduate Work at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, California. He received his Master of Divinity degree from there in 1970 and the Doctor of Ministry degree in 1980. While attending Seminary, Pastor Taylor served as a Student Chaplain at San Quentin State Prison for two years. He has served as Pastor in Arkansas, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay area. Pastor Taylor and his wife JoAnne have two grown children and twelve grandchildren.
The following story is why supporting Samaritan's Purse with Operation Christmas Child boxes is a good ministry:
Olivia’s Barbie doll was a precious gift from her father, and she played with it all the time. When her parents separated and she spent less time with her father, the doll became even more special to her. Olivia was devastated when her family moved and her cherished toy was lost in the shuffle. Her aunt encouraged her to ask God for help. “I prayed that God would give me a doll like I had,” Olivia said.
Not long after the family moved, Olivia’s cousin invited her to an Operation Christmas Child outreach event at a nearby church. The girls and boys heard the Good News of Jesus Christ and received a gift-filled shoebox. Olivia couldn’t believe what she saw when she opened her shoebox gift—a doll identical to the one she had lost with the same dress and shoes. “I was so excited and so happy. I wanted to cry,” she said. “God heard my prayer.”
Olivia was invited to attend The Greatest Journey, a 12 lesson discipleship course for shoebox recipients. During one class, the teacher read John 3:16 and shared the eternal hope of the Gospel. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Before the class was over, Olivia repented of her sins and prayed to receive Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior. She also prayed that her older brother, Daniel, would come to faith in Christ. She believed that if God could answer her prayers about her doll, then He could certainly change the life of an alcoholic brother.
One day, while Olivia was praying for her brother, her grandfather recorded the prayer on his phone. He later showed the video to Daniel. “She was on her knees praying for me. I couldn’t believe it,” Daniel said. “I felt so ashamed.” Not only was Daniel saved but today he serves with the youth ministry at his church and shares his testimony with teenagers to help guide them so they will be less likely to make the same mistakes he did. (Samaritan’s Purse, Prayer Point, Fall 2026, PP. 35 &38)