First through fifth graders are encouraged to read a book a week in our 8-week challenge starting June 18th. See Cheryl Beck for a calendar where you will record the books you read. At the end of the challenge, prizes will be awarded. Be sure and check out the church library for some great new titles. Find some books you like and get lost in the world of reading!
Winston Hardman: A Courageous, Tenacious Voice for an Ethic of Christ-Like Love
by Dr. Jeff Mathis
When I learned that Winston Hardman had elected to forgo nutrition several months into his season of hospice care, I rushed to visit him. In truth, I wasn't sure what to expect. Most individuals in his circumstances are either unresponsive or not lucid. Winston was neither. Sitting in his blue pajamas in his rocking chair, Winston smiled at me as I sat beside him.
Settling into my chair beside Winston, I was immediately reminded of a similar meeting four years prior.
It was late November in 2019. Winston Hardman and I had scheduled a conversation, and he handed me a stack of papers as he sat across from me in my office. I had known Winston long before I had come to serve at First Baptist. I knew him as a long-time campus minister, friend, and mentor to many young adults. But until that late morning in November, I had not heard about the depth and character of his extraordinary life.
I found Winston, and our conversation, to be fascinating. I was captivated by the stories he shared, prompting reflection on the profound impact one person can have on the world.
As his eloquently-written obituary reports, Winston was born in Orlando, Florida, in 1929. Winston pointed out that he grew up 1.5 miles from a downtown district that few, if any, could have imagined existing a century ago.
"We lived out in the country, then. Folks had a cow, chickens, a garden, and did their clothes in a wash pot," Winston told me.
In this environment, Winston's faith began to take shape, with his father's Baptist roots and his mother's Methodist heritage influencing his religious upbringing.
In addition to the education he received while working in his father's citrus business, Winston was a keen observer of the injustices and evil inflicted upon his Black and Hispanic friends, coworkers, and neighbors.
Grabbing for the papers he had given me when he came in, Winston rifled through the stack to find a page photocopied from his grandfather's diary. Pointing to an entry from September 10, 1919, Winston referenced the line: "Boys went to the Negro burning…"
Eyes wide, still in disbelief at how his Christian community could abide such open hatred for others, Winston sat back in his chair and sighed. Taking a beat, he shared how he went to the University of Florida, played piccolo in the marching band, became a brother in the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, and joined the ROTC.
Winston served his country during the Korean War at Fort Jackson and returned to the family citrus business before claiming his call to the Gospel Ministry. Winston attended Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, from 1959 to 1962 and became familiar with the theological giants in ethics and social justice.
Winston's voice grew strong with pride as he told me about the social justice prophets who had filled his formative years.
"There was T.B. Maston, and Roy Fish, James Dunn and Phil Strickland," he recounted.
"You know Bill Pinson and Dr. Allen, don't you?" he continued, not waiting for me to reply.
"And of course, Bill Moyers—the Baptist—who speaks truth to power and is always on PBS," Winston told me. He was preaching now.
Indeed, these voices confirmed his belief that the hallmark of a Christian should be how we treat our neighbors. For Winston, it wasn't enough for the Church to say that we should love one another. The Church, he believed, should model it in practice.
And that's precisely what Winston did.
Winston would become a campus minister, which in the Baptist world in the mid-twentieth Century was the place to do cutting-edge ministry. Winston's generation of campus ministers would ask hard questions of their students, invite them to see their lives as opportunities to right wrongs and injustices and imagine new ways of loving one's neighbor.
Winston served as a campus minister in Monticello and Conway, Arkansas. He did resort ministry in Daytona Beach and later ministered to migrant farmers. In 1969, he and ten students operated a Christian Coffee House at the beach and pastored "hippies, runaways, and those who had over-dosed."
Punching the air with his finger and grinning, he said, "We didn't hold back! There wasn't anyone that we wouldn't serve or love."
Again, he talked about more ministry to the migrant community, college students, and those on vacation at Disney World, or at beaches along the Florida coast.
"Migrant ministry," he repeated for the umpteenth time. "Have I told you about my work with the American Youth Hostels? How about my 1,000-mile bike ride?"
It wasn't until 1978 that he found himself in North Carolina. He served in a dynamic network of Baptist ministers who served students on college and university campuses, including at Pembroke and Western Carolina University.
By this time, Winston was aglow and out of breath. We had been visiting for nearly 2 hours, but Winston wasn't done. Yes, he told me about life since retiring, but it became clear to me that Winston was disturbed and conflicted.
His great lament centered on the great political turmoil of the last couple of decades. For Winston, any strides he and his colleagues had made in the late 20th Century to love the stranger and 'other' in our midst had been eroded by Phariseeism and fundamentalism in the Christian Church. Deeply proud that he no longer associated with a Southern Baptist Convention that had shaped his early thinking but had become a pariah to all he held dear, Winston put an exclamation point on his final referendum.
He said, "Nothing has changed!"
Winston's proclamation hung there. And it left a mark. In reflecting on his life, Winston felt he had come full circle. With a furrowed brow and haunted expression, Winston couldn't seem to understand how people could still be fueled by suspicion of those who were different and filled with such hatred and venom for those Christians were commanded to love.
The pandemic would limit my contact with Winston, but I continued to get the occasional email forward or insistent message that the Church should do more for the least of these. In a recent visit, Winston acknowledged the great challenge facing churches and their leaders and expressed appreciation for those who held their ground against the lure of fundamentalist thinking.
When I pulled my chair up to visit with Winston the other day, Winston's thinking and speech were clear and strong. As he updated me on his decision to no longer delay his transition to life-eternal, I glanced around the room at his family members and marveled at the courage of the man beside me.
Winston was ready. His body was declaring its intention to return to the earth, dust to dust, and all that. Winston spoke once again of his lament for what the world had become, but he shared more freely about his love and pride for his family and the young people he had influenced in his career.
In the end, Winston's proclamation was both right and wrong. True, some things had not changed in the Century he had lived. But because of Winston, countless people's lives had changed. Winston's message of Christ-birthed love redirected the trajectory of people's life journeys. The world and the Church had needed Winston's prophetic voice, even when they didn't want to listen to it.
I, for one, am grateful that that didn't stop Winston.
May we all live as courageously and tenaciously as Lamie Winston Hardman lived his. Amen.
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“Winston will be remembered as a loving husband, a dedicated father, and a cherished grandfather. His legacy of kindness, compassion, and friendship will live on in the hearts of all who knew him…The family will hold a private celebration of Winston’s life at later date.”
In Loving Memory of Willetta Vance
On Friday, July 21, we will gather in the First Baptist Church sanctuary to honor the life and legacy of Willetta Vance, a cherished member of our church. Please join us as we come together to memorialize her remarkable life.
The family will warmly welcome friends, relatives, and loved ones from 1:00 PM onwards. At 2:00 PM, we will gather in worship for a funeral service to pay tribute to Willetta's extraordinary life. Following the funeral service, a graveside ceremony will take place at Fairview Memorial Gardens. Please join us to honor and remember Willetta Vance, a remarkable soul who touched so many lives with love, compassion, and grace.
July Birthdays
Dean Kool (July 22)
Sheila Hunter (July 22)
Marion Jones (July 24)
Guy Hall (July 28)
Harold Hall (July 28)
Clark Lloyd (July 29)
Harold Messer (July 1)
Frank Burrell (July 2)
Carol Hardman (July 3)
Ruth McConnell (July 4)
Oleta Haskett (July 10)
Lexi Allen (July 12)
Tonya Lloyd (July 20)
PASSPORTkids Was GREAT!
"Upside Down" was the theme for this year's PassportKids at Brevard College, June 26-29. The over 300 participants from across the region learned about how to impact their world as Jesus did, heard about migrants leaving their countries for a better life, participated in a world market and refugee simulation, and had Bible study each day. There was also time for loads of fun with a Rec Night, Variety Show, rousing sing-a-longs, and playing in the creek which runs through the college.
Attending from Sylva FBC were Lexi Allen, Ella Dux, Zoe Ellenburg, Oliver Kindy, Lucie Moore, and Abby Pittman. Andrew Beck and Cheryl Beck served as chaperones. Thank you to Jeremy Ellenburg for driving the bus for the group.
A big "thank you" to Sylva First Baptist Church for helping offset the cost of camp for each participant.
From Left: Ella Dux, Abby Pittman, and Zoe Ellenburg create mosaic pictures as they learned about the culture of north Africa where many migrants come from. The kids had a blast playing in the cool creek at Brevard College. Sylva FBC campers were "up a tree" at Brevard College.
Hurray for Our Nursery Workers of the Week!
Thank you, Autumn Burners and Janelle Messer, for being available for nursery last week.
We appreciate you!
Heather and Jeremy Ellenburg are in charge of the nursery on July 16. Thank you!
There is still room on the schedule to serve “the least of these”
on Sunday mornings. It is a blessing to see their smiles and enthusiasm as you spend
time with our infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
Please contact Cheryl Beck (cabeck@ncsu.edu) if you would like to help.
Sunday School and Childcare is Available!
“Down on the Farm” Began Monday!
Andrew Beck, helper with the Preschool Reading Program, holds up Oliver the Turtle for Addy Penland, Jacob Penland, and Siler Messer to see.
The Preschool Reading Program began on Monday, July 9 with some little ones and their parents/grandparents in attendance. After reading a rebus book about animals in a barn, the children enjoyed creating their own barn scene to take home, learned to say 2 farm animals in ASL and in Spanish, and had a berry tasting party with raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. An extra surprise was a visit from Oliver the Turtle rescued by Andrew Beck just that morning on the way to the program.
All children ages 3-5 are invited to come the next 3 Mondays to the Children's Library from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. to learn more about "Down on the Farm."
Passport Camps, The Real Deal
As you know, the youth have recently returned from Passport Camp in Spartanburg, SC. Passport is an annual event for us. For those who are not familiar with Passport, let me give you the schedule of a typical day. The day starts with breakfast sometime between 8:00 am and 8:45 am. Each day you will go at a slightly different time within that window. That way the line keeps moving quickly and things don’t back up. After breakfast, each camper has a time of personal morning devotions and prayer. Prompts are provided to direct their thoughts. At 9:30 everyone gathers in the main auditorium or meeting space for morning celebration. This is a time to wake everyone up! “Energizers” games, skits and a word of challenge get everyone ready for the day. Campers then go to their Bible Study groups and adults to an informational meeting and then our own Bible Study time together.
The next element depends on where your group is assigned that day. Some remain on campus for meetings after lunch others load up for mission sites. During normal years, youth choose their activities for this time. At Passport choices the groups are mainly on campus and focus on things like music, using art in worship, drama, games and recreation from around the world, sports for those who are competitive and sports oriented, then a couple of mission opportunities and “Tree Space” for those who have a green thumb! At Passport Missions all the choices are different types of mission projects: children’s ministry, social ministries, yard work, painting, light construction…the list is large! You could find yourself working at the Salvation Army or repairing a trail or a community garden. Every project is an important contribution to that community.
The afternoons include some free time for students to enjoy some recreation and clean up for supper and worship. The other evening elements are nightly celebrations, something different each night, and Church group devotions. This is a time for church groups to check in with each other and process what happened during the day and during worship. This has always been my favorite part of the day! By this time, everyone is just about ready to crash for the night. The days are very busy, but the work is rewarding. Thank you, First Baptist Church for providing this experience for our youth. These memories will shape their lives for years to come and build an attitude of service for our future church leaders!
The porch cover we completed is above.
Flowers for Sanctuary
If you would like to provide flowers in the sanctuary for Sunday morning services, please contact Gwen Messer at 828-506-8370, or Janice in the church office to be placed on the calendar.