A Tennessee congregation is mourning the death of its pastor after he was killed during his morning bike ride. Pastor Rowland Buck, 61, was riding along his morning route in Alcoa, TN when an 18-wheerler semi-truck going the same direction sideswiped him, causing the collision. According to a police statement, they responded to the accident just before 8am and “CPR immediately began on the cyclist.” Buck “was taken to UT Medical Hospital in critical condition.” He was pronounced dead at the hospital. “Officers are continuing their investigation of the crash,” the statement noted. The police department also offered its condolences to Buck’s family.

Buck was a pastor at St. Mark’s Global Methodist Church in Louisville, TN since 2019. He and his wife, Sinda, had been married for 38 years and had two sons: Caleb and Chris. Rev. Todd Chancey, superintendent of the MidSouth Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church, released a statement notifying congregants of Buck’s passing. “It is with great sadness that we report the unexpected death of Rev. Rowland Buck… Rowland was on a morning bicycle ride, today August 26th, and was struck by a semi-truck. He was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center. However, the medical team was unable to revive him and we were told he likely passed instantly at the scene.”

Buck’s friend and fellow pastor, Jason Rowe, said the news “hurt my heart greatly.” “He’s been a piece of my life for a couple decades. When a piece of you is gone so quickly, it hurts kind of deep,” he said. “He was a true guy. Our community has lost a mighty warrior, a man of faith, a man who deeply loved Jesus. He walked it. He lived it and he wanted people to experience and know the peace of Christ. He loved people that way. That’s why we see such a big response in our community of people because he was an impact maker. He impacted the lives of people, of friends. He was just a genuine person and we’ve lost a good one.” Buck even baptized Rowe’s eldest child. “It was like brothers. We got to eat together, we pray together, we go conference together. It was just like a brotherhood,” said Rowe. Buck’s visitation was set for September 2, with a private internment planned for the family.