A Tribute to Dolores Doles
By Tierce Green
Dolores Doles pointed me to Jesus.
She embodied grace and truth and was one of the brightest lights in a spiritually dark time in my life.
I was in the 10th Grade when I met her. She was an Administrative Assistant in the church I attended and a consistent presence in our student ministry as a volunteer. I had gone through the motions of being baptized when I was 12-years-old. I had written some songs about Jesus, not because I was a follower, but because I was a musician who knew the Bible from years of church attendance. When Dolores learned about my backstory, she began to cut through my religious facade with kindness and grace.
Singing and playing guitar gave me some stage time, not only in my high school but in my church. While my songs inspired people in the church, Dolores would encourage me after I sang and then say, “You know, it would be so much better if you were a follower of Jesus.” She loved me enough to tell me the truth, but she was compassionate, never self-righteous.
I was drifting, and my first year in college grew increasingly dark. My grades were a roller coaster, and I experimented with different social, philosophical, and recreational options. But each week, I received a personal note from Dolores in the mail. Some weeks they were attached to a care package of homemade chocolate chip cookies, which motivated me to read her letters.
Dolores would always write how she was praying for me and looking forward to the day I would put my faith in Jesus. At first, those notes made me feel encouraged that someone cared that much. But then, as the conviction of the Holy Spirit pierced through my thoughts and intentions, I became irritated by her expressions of love and concern. God was turning up the heat, and I began to grow increasingly uncomfortable with who I was and where I was in life. To relieve the pressure, I responded to Dolores’ kindness with sarcasm and eventually cynicism.
But the notes and prayers and cookies kept coming. I realized later that Dolores was more concerned that I would respond to God’s grace and put my faith in Jesus than she was about how I treated her.
I got a job in a musical theme park in Nashville the summer following my freshman year. That culture, at least behind the scenes, pulled me deeper into a downward spiral. But God crossed my path with other true believers who pointed me to Jesus. God’s grace and truth became apparent, compelling, and irresistible. At the end of that summer, I put my faith in Jesus.
I was anxious to share the news, but it was a time when there were no smartphones with social media. On an old-school landline, the first person I called was my Mom, who had been pointing me to Jesus for as long as I could remember. I knew my choices and lifestyle had broken her heart. But she had been tag-teaming with Dolores and praying for me all those years.
The second person I called was Dolores. She was skeptical because of my cynicism and my cruel actions in response to her kindness. When I told her I had decided to follow Jesus, she said, “You’re not kidding, are you?”
I can’t begin to express how much joy and gratefulness filled my heart at that moment. I choked up when I said to her, “No, I’m not kidding. And I want to thank you that even though I gave you plenty of reasons to write me off your list and turn your back on me, you never gave up!”
Through the rest of my college years, I was part of a group that met regularly in the house of Ralph and Dolores Doles. It was a multi-generational gathering of students and adults, married and single. We wanted to grow in our faith and get to know God through His Word. It was a time before labels like Small Group, Community Group, or House Church were common in the church. We studied God’s Word, worshipped together, and experienced true community with believers in that house on the top of a hill in Hueytown, Alabama. In that environment, I discovered that God had given me the gift of teaching. It put me on a new trajectory—a life mission to point people to Jesus.
That was decades ago, and I am just one of many stories of the people that Dolores pointed to Jesus. I join countless others celebrating her life and legacy, not just in this week after her death but for the rest of my life. All for the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus—the way, the truth, and the life.