Fourteen individuals or
couples received recognition April 20 at the 10th annual Baptist Heritage
Awards event in Greensboro, recognizing their contributions to the success of
North Carolina Baptist entities.
Wingate University
honored G. Byrns Coleman for his 50 years as a professor. Coleman is chair of
Wingate’s Department of Religious Studies and is the university’s Harry & Frances
Cannon Professor of Humanities. He is admired for his strength as a theologian,
teacher and friend of many in Baptist life and higher education.
He has been supply and
interim pastor of numerous area churches. Dennis Burton, director of missions
for the Union Baptist Association, calls Coleman “one of the best known Baptist
pastors in our county.” His weekly Bible study program, aired over the
Wingate University television station, is in its 20th year.
A native of Tennessee,
Coleman is a graduate of Belmont College, Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary, Scarritt College, and Vanderbilt University.
Meredith College
honored Raleigh businessman and trustee Eugene M. Langley Jr., for sharing
time, talents and resources.
Langley, a graduate of
UNC at Chapel Hill, built Resource Management Associates (now part of Raymond
James Financial Services).
Langley and his wife
Vicky maintain strong ties to Meredith College. Since 1997, he has served three
terms on the Meredith Board of Trustees and chaired the search committee that
brought current but retiring president Maureen Hartford to Meredith. The
Langley Family Scholarship provides financial assistance for students studying
abroad.
In recognition of their
significant philanthropy, the Langleys are members of the College’s Stringfield
Society, Heritage Society, and the Thomas Meredith Society. Through his
loyal, diligent and tireless efforts and his commitment to higher education,
Gene Langley continues to create exciting opportunities for current and future
generations of students, faculty and staff.
Chowan University
honored Jesse J. and Mary Anne Croom for their service through the local
church and Baptist institutions.
In the local church
Mary Anne has been teacher, WMU leader and deacon. She has been on the WMU-NC
executive board and is currently a network specialist for adults.
She established a
scholarship at Chowan and is now in her fifth term on the university’s board of
trustees.
Mary Anne and her
daughter, Malinda Schantz, also donated land for a Baptist Children’s Home
facility.
As a pastor Jesse led
Baptist churches in Caswell County; Dunn; Nichols, S.C.; Charlotte; Carrboro; and
Ahoskie.
He has been a trustee
at Gardner-Webb University and Baptist Children’s Homes, and served on the
boards of the Biblical Recorder and the Baptist State Convention, including two
years as president of the Council on Christian Higher Education.
The Baptist State
Convention of North Carolina honored Joe Brown, pastor of North Carolina’s
largest Baptist church. Brown became the fourth pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist
in Charlotte in 1984 and the church has grown from 2,155 to 14,734.
In some years, Hickory
Grove has baptized as many as 400 people. This year church members will go on
mission trips from South America to Africa, while continuing to serve their
local community through hands-on mission projects. The church has also
established ministries to Latin Americans and Brazilians.
Hickory Grove Baptist
Christian School has more than 1,000 students.
Hickory Grove has
consistently been one of the BSC’s top contributors to missions, giving more
than $1 million through the Cooperative Program from 2005-2009. The church has
frequently offered their facilities for statewide Baptist meetings.
Baptist Children’s
Homes of North Carolina honored David Clay for his dedication in service to
children and to BCH.
Because of his love for
children and a deep desire to make life better for them and for their families,
Clay has worked tirelessly for over half a century on behalf of Baptist
Children’s Homes.
Clay annually
spearheads the Thanksgiving Offering drive for BCH in First Baptist Church,
Salisbury.
He is an influential trustee, donor and cheerleader and
has passed along his devotion to BCH to all family members and his
pastor Kenneth Lance.
“Dave Clay is at the
top of the list of those who make a significant and positive difference in the
mission and history of Baptist Children’s Homes,” said BCH President Michael C.
Blackwell.
Campbell University
honored William and Sadie Patterson Byrd as philanthropists.
A retired land
developer in Moore and Lee counties, Byrd spent 38 years with Rod Sullivan,
Inc., in Sanford, of which he was part owner.
He served on Campbell’s board of
trustees and presidential board of advisors.
Campbell awarded him an honorary
doctorate in 2003.
Byrd has been
instrumental in the success of numerous capital campaigns including the
construction of the John W. Pope, Jr. Convocation Center, Butler Chapel and the
Lundy-Fetterman School of Business.
The Byrds’ generosity
extended into the community, where Byrd worked through the Optimist Club,
Cameron Boys Home and Jonesboro Heights Baptist Church.
The Biblical Recorder
recognized Kelton Hinton, director of missions for 11 years of Johnston Baptist
Association, and the six churches in his association who are among the top 77
subscribing churches in the state.
Because church members
who read the Biblical Recorder are more involved and more supportive of their
churches and of the mission, institutions and ministries of North Carolina
Baptists, the Recorder honored those churches which utilize the Recorder in
ministry.
Hinton received the
honor on behalf of First Baptist Church, Smithfield; First Baptist Church,
Clayton; Pine Level Baptist Church; Clydes Chapel Baptist Church, Wendell;
Watkins Chapel Baptist Church, Middlesex and Nobles Baptist Chapel, Sims.
“Thank you for putting
together such a good paper,” Hinton said in a recent note to Recorder staff.
“I
enjoy reading each issue, usually cover to cover. I especially like the
missions articles and the pieces about church health and novel ministries among
churches.”
Woman’s Missionary
Union of North Carolina honored Ethel Lee Oxendine Locklear, who was introduced
to missions by her mother and Sunbeam leader, Coree Oxendine.
Locklear held many
positions in WMU in her church and in Burnt Swamp Association. The
association recognized her in 1992 for 40 years of service. Her church,
Harpers Ferry Baptist Church in Pembroke, recognized her for 60 years of
service.
Her pastor Donald Bullard says “Mrs. Ethel’s heart beats for
Missions!”
She has been on several
mission trips in the United States and on one to South America where her group
ministered in six countries. All these experiences have given Ethel a deeper
appreciation of the way God works to share His love with all people.
“Over the years God has
been molding a willing Ethel to have a passion for missions and many lives have
been blessed,” said WMU-NC Director Ruby Fulbright.
Wake Forest University
honored James M. Dunn, longtime Baptist leader and current “founding faculty”
member of Wake Forest University Divinity School, where he helps prepare a new
generation of ministers.
Dunn’s prophetic voice has long sounded across the
campus and the nation on issues of Christian ethics and Baptist ideals.
In the classroom, the pulpit, and the public square, he has not hesitated to
articulate an unashamedly Baptist heritage regarding religious liberty, public
policy and social justice.
For 19 years Dunn was
executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, promoting
causes related to “a free church in a free state.”
He has also served as
pastor, executive director for the Christian Life Commission, president of
Bread for the World, chairman of the Ethics Commission of the Baptist World
Alliance, and on boards of Churches Center for Theology and Public Policy, and
Religion and Ethics Newsweekly.
North Carolina Baptist
Hospital honored Gerald H. Quinn, who completed his seventh term as a trustee
in 2009.
During his tenure he served on virtually every board committee,
and he chaired committees on Investments, Finance and the Foundation Board.
He served as the
hospital board’s chair in 1983, 1984 and 1994. He is retired president of Quinn
Wholesale Company.
Donny Lambeth, president of NCBH, said, “Gerald
provided invaluable, visionary leadership to Baptist Hospital during its
emergence as one of the leading academic medical centers in the nation. His faithfulness to our mission, of providing excellent health care that
embraces the healing presence of God, kept us centered in a rapidly changing
health care environment.”
Quinn also has been
chair of the Duplin County Commissioners, president of the Warsaw Jaycees, vice
president of the North Carolina Jaycees, and a member of the board at Barton
College.
Mars Hill College
honored Carl and Nina Phillips of Charlotte who sold their successful special
events business in 2000 and volunteered to be mentors to two “Lost Boys of
Sudan.” Their church, St. John’s Baptist, already was ministering to 40
Sudanese “lost” boys and the Phillipses encouraged them to pursue education.
The Phillips, who met
as students at Mars Hill College, were enthused about the Sudanese students
attending Mars Hill College where they remain benefactors.
The Sudanese men
brought a unique dimension of diversity to Mars Hill, an example of how any
student with determination can receive an education no matter how harsh and
difficult life has been.
“Carl and Nina Phillips’
humble commitment to the ‘Lost Boys of Sudan’ surely embodies servant
leadership and the believer’s response to ‘loving thy neighbor as thyself,’”
said Mars Hill President Dan Lunsford.
North Carolina Baptist
Foundation honored Burgess and Mary Jane Marshbanks for exemplary giving and
service. The Marshbanks met when Mary Jane came to Burgess’ dentist office for
service in 1957. He practiced dentistry in Lillington for 34 years.
Mary Jane graduated
from Mars Hill College, Appalachian State University and UNC-Chapel Hill and
she taught English in both high school and college.
Burgess has served two
terms on the Foundation board and as a trustee of Campbell University. Mary
Jane is a Life Trustee of Mars Hill College.
Through family
scholarship funds at Campbell and Mars Hill, they have been directly involved
in awarding 121 scholarships.
They are charter
members of Memorial Baptist Church in Buies Creek where both have been deacons
and Sunday School teachers.
Burgess was chairman of the first Harnett County
Planning Board.
Gardner-Webb University
honored Wade Shepherd for his philanthropy and service to God and humankind.
Shepherd developed
business skills while still in college at Clevenger College of Business.
For
nearly 50 years he owned and operated the Wade Shepherd Company, Shepknit
Company, Sheplaw Hosiery and Contour Foam, Inc.
Shepherd has been a
long-time member and leader in Penelope Baptist Church in Hickory for over 50
years.
He is in his sixth term
on the Gardner-Webb board, which honored him with an honorary doctorate in
2003. He is a donor, student recruiter and an unrelenting advocate for
Gardner-Webb and its Christian principles.
North Carolina Baptist
Men honored Dale Duncan, who recently concluded five years as president of the
organization. Duncan took early retirement as a school administrator to devote
more time and effort to missions and was state disaster relief coordinator
before he became president.
He has participated in
at least 20 short-term national and international mission projects just since
his retirement after a 38-year career in education as teacher, coach, principal
and superintendent of schools in Mitchell County.
He is a graduate of
Gardner-Webb University and was 2004 N.C. Baptist Men Layman of the Year.
Dale and Angie, his
wife of 46 years, have three children and eight grandchildren. They serve
together at First Baptist Church, Spruce Pine.