LANDIS — For 40 years, Elmer Phipps has led the choir of Landis Baptist Church. But soon he will lead his last hymn as choir director.

At 78, Phipps has decided to retire and devote more time to his wife, Elsie, and the rest of his family.

But Landis Baptist Church won’t be seeing the last of Phipps. Though he will no longer lead, he plans to continue singing in the choir and in the Gospel Trio with George and Helen Butts.

Phipps found his calling in the 1950s.

“I thought the Lord wanted to use me for something, so I assumed to preach, but I think he wanted me to lead the choir instead,” says Phipps with a chuckle.

Phipps has been singing ever since he was 6 years old. His first performance was at a relative’s funeral. He was accompanied on the piano by his sister, Surretta Fox, then 11, who had never had a lesson but played by ear.

During his service in the military, Phipps sang in a quartet at his base at Fort Campbell, then Camp Campbell, in Clarksville, Tenn. The group performed for various churches and also for the camp.

Phipps has worked in many jobs, including a part-time job showing a film about the transcontinental pipeline to various groups. He also worked as department director for Civil Defense in Rowan County. He spent 26 years as a nursing assistant at the VA Medical Center in Salisbury and also worked at Piedmont Residential Development Center for eight years.

Phipps has two children, Linda and Elmer “Tommy” Phipps. Linda lives in Enochville with her husband, Gary Patterson, and her daughter, Susan, lives in Kannapolis with her husband, Chris Hartsell. Phipps’ son lives in Hickory, and he and his wife, Judy, have two sons, Byron and Patrick.

As much as Phipps enjoyed leading the choir, he still found it time consuming. In addition to leading the choir on Sundays, he supervised the practices and organized music for funerals and choir performances at other churches.

Now he’ll spend his days “keeping up my yard” and caring for his wife, whose eyesight is failing.

“She’s No. 1 to me, and I’m going to do what I can to help her out,” Phipps says.

The couple may do some traveling. And they may visit their children’s churches.

“Since I was leading, I couldn’t go to church with my children, but now I can enjoy a Sunday service with my family,” Phipps says.

Despite his more open schedule, Phipps says he will miss the choir which was “such a joy” to him. He enjoyed the singing, of course, and watching choir members put themselves into their performance.

Phipps is also a retired deacon of the church. Fellow deacon Jimmy Moore says the congregation will “truly miss him leading”.

“He has been very faithful to the ministry, and I’m sure God will bless him in his future,” says Moore.

The Rev. Billy Honeycutt has known Phipps since 1989 and has worked with him at Landis Baptist since 1996.

Honeycutt joined Landis Baptist Church in 1989. There, he found his calling to the ministry.

Landis Baptist Church supported him financially as he made his way through school in Greenville, S.C. When the congregation’s pastor resigned, members called Honeycutt to the church.

Honeycutt and Phipps have formed a tight working relationship.

“He has a great knowledge of the hymns, and we are very fortunate to have him,” says Honeycutt. “The church has truly benefited from his years of service, and he will be greatly missed.”

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Phipps will lead his final service Sunday at the 11 a.m. service at Landis Baptist Church, 110 N. Kimmins St., Landis. The service will be followed by a lunch in the fellowship hall at 512 W. Ryder Ave.