BRANDON (FBW)- Simeon Nix, 47, pastor of music and worship at Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, passed away Sunday morning after suffering a heart attack at his home Aug. 16.

Nix had been at Bell Shoals Baptist Church for 13 years. In May, the beloved music leader led thousands at the church’s new worship center in a Celebration of Life service for their pastor, Forrest Pollock, and Pollock’s son, Preston, who perished in a tragic plane accident in North Carolina May 12.

Directing an anthem, Greater Glory, he said Pollock asked him to compose for the new building dedication, Nix led the two-hour long service with dignity and hope.

Nix leaves a wife, Beth, and two children they adopted from Russia as toddlers, who are now seven, Bre’Ana Alysse and Sterling Andrew.

Bell Shoals senior associate pastor, George Thomasson, said Nix suffered a heart attack Aug. 12, but was treated and released from the hospital Aug 15 to return home to recuperate. He apparently also was diabetic.

Calling the large man with the strong personality, who stood 6-foot-5 and weighed nearly 300 pounds an “institution” in Brandon, Thomasson said Nix equally charmed politicians, community leaders and the humble.

“He was a man’s man with a great big heart,” Thomasson sighed heavily. “He couldn’t get off the phone without saying, ‘I love you brother.’”

Citing an 1,100 percent increase in the number of professions of faith in the church just in the past 11 weeks, Thomasson also credited Nix with having a “great heart for evangelism.”

“Probably of all of our staff members he was more responsible for people being saved than anyone else,” Thomasson said of Nix. He said the always smiling man looked for ways to connect with kids and also mentored couples with his wife, Beth.

“He was exactly the type of leader you would want,” Thomasson said, quietly crying while he struggled to talk about his personal friendship with the younger man.

“Personally, he was a dear friend. I have taken him fishing many times. He was a sweet friend. He loved his wife and two kids,” Thomasson said.

Thomasson said Nix – more than others on the staff – understood the concept of the ministry “team” at Bell Shoals and contributed more to the church than music.

“He was a strong leader on our team,” Thomasson told Florida Baptist Witness. “He was a pastor who had other pastors with him. He wanted what was best for the team.”

The church staff worked through their own grief Saturday night and Sunday morning, Thomasson said, sending out messages through a phone tree and opening the church’s sanctuary at 4 a.m. for people to gather and pray.

“We want to help our people,” Thomasson said.

Sunday morning, the pastoral staff realized the worship service would need to be completely refigured, he said and so Bob Anderson, special advisor to the pastor, read Psalm 23 and the entire altar filled with people praying;  Gary Payne, the education pastor, shared from Proverbs 3:5-6; and Thomasson shared John 14:1-6 and extended an invitation.

“Even in that setting, about 10 were saved,” Thomasson predicted.

Reflecting on the past several months since Pollock, the church’s 44-year-old pastor, died in the plane accident that is still being investigated, Thomasson said it has been surprising how the church has moved forward.

“We’ve found ourselves in the midst of what I would call really a revival for most of the period since Pastor Forrest has gone home with the Lord,” Thomasson said.

With nearly 10 percent growth in attendance at the 7,000-member church, and the increase in professions of faith, Thomasson said it’s just “unexplainable.”

“Our people have been just sensitized to the fact that the most certain thing about life is that life is uncertain,” Thomasson said. 

Still, that doesn’t mean people don’t and won’t ask questions and are not confused about why Simeon Nix died on Sunday.

After two sleepless nights, Thomasson and his team tried to come up with as many answers as they could for their congregation. They will produce a devotional guide for families on the sovereignty of God to use at home and write up a lesson plan for use during Sunday School. And Aug. 24 the church will have an extended Sunday evening service at 5 p.m. with an open microphone for people to share their hearts and memories of Nix.

Nix earned the masters of church music in voice from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 1988 and the bachelors of church music from Mississippi College in Clinton, Miss. in 1983. He served churches in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida and was a featured artist and speaker for workshops, revivals, crusades, conferences and conventions in the United States as well as internationally. In addition, Nix sang for The Brooklyn Tabernacle, The International Baptist Convention in Interlaken, Switzerland, “Meet Jesus” Crusades in Heidelberg and Stuttgart, Germany,  and other events. Nix led seminars and workshops on worship, adult choirs and youth choirs. He and his adult choir and orchestra were featured at the Southern Baptist Convention, Florida Baptist Pastors’ Conference, and the Florida Baptist Evangelism conference. Nix led the Celebration Choir to record two Christmas projects, a worship project with Integrity Hosanna called, “God In Us” and “Days of Elijah.”

In 1997, Nix recorded “I Will Abide,” and in 2000 “A Journey of Grace,” produced at Gaither Studios.

A “Celebration of Life” service is Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. at Bell Shoals Baptist Church in the church’s worship center at 2101 Bell Shoals Road in Brandon. Doors will open at 5 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the Greater Glory Building Fund at Bell Shoals, online at www.bellshoals.com.