I am saddened with our loss of a man with the heart of a lion who saw changes for the worse among Baptists and had the courage to speak out clearly, regardless of any political or pastoral ramifications.

It is the rare pastor of a large church who does not check the “direction of the wind and flow of the stream” before he takes a stand on anything.

Cecil had a sense of humor which would not quit, a brilliant mind which saw to the heart of most issues, and an ability to communicate clearly with anyone who would read or listen to what he had to say.

Combine this with his brilliant mind and you have a leader worthy of following into a new thing called Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Cecil, being a wordsmith, must have chosen the name carefully. Those two new words replacing “Southern” and “Convention” have meaning. Instead of “southern pride” there is “cooperation.” Instead of “convention” there is “fellowship.”

My most delightful “Cecil Story” is of his somewhat flamboyant sport coat which he brought from Texas to Asheville. It was tolerated until he wore it for a funeral of one of the more prominent members of the church and community. Quickly the staff who knew “proper preacher attire,” encouraged him to get his dark suit, white shirt, and conservative preacher tie. He quickly went back in his office to change.

With great drama he jumped through his door to the main office saying, “TA DA — how do you like this Mrs. Widow!” — Only to find the widow standing there with the rest of the mortified staff. In classic Sherman humility, he apologized from the depths of his heart and was forgiven.

We loved him most because he always made you laugh in hard times!

I am saddened with our loss of a man with the heart of a lion who saw changes for the worse among Baptists and had the courage to speak out clearly, regardless of any political or pastoral ramifications.

It is the rare pastor of a large church who does not check the “direction of the wind and flow of the stream” before he takes a stand on anything.

Cecil had a sense of humor which would not quit, a brilliant mind which saw to the heart of most issues, and an ability to communicate clearly with anyone who would read or listen to what he had to say.

Combine this with his brilliant mind and you have a leader worthy of following into a new thing called Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Cecil, being a wordsmith, must have chosen the name carefully. Those two new words replacing “Southern” and “Convention” have meaning. Instead of “southern pride” there is “cooperation.” Instead of “convention” there is “fellowship.”

My most delightful “Cecil Story” is of his somewhat flamboyant sport coat which he brought from Texas to Asheville. It was tolerated until he wore it for a funeral of one of the more prominent members of the church and community. Quickly the staff who knew “proper preacher attire,” encouraged him to get his dark suit, white shirt, and conservative preacher tie. He quickly went back in his office to change.

With great drama he jumped through his door to the main office saying, “TA DA — how do you like this Mrs. Widow!” — Only to find the widow standing there with the rest of the mortified staff. In classic Sherman humility, he apologized from the depths of his heart and was forgiven.

We loved him most because he always made you laugh in hard times!

For almost 20 years I was a pastor of SBC churches in South and North Carolina, the most recent being First Baptist Church of Raeford. Last spring I was called to serve Friendship Baptist Church in Litchfield, Conn., the only SBC church in a county of 182,000 people. We have our work cut out for us and could use some help from N.C. Baptists in this mission field.

This summer we are looking for a mission team to conduct a sports camp (basketball, softball, soccer) the week of June 28-July 2. This team would lead the effort and some of our people would certainly take part. Our desire is to reach out to un-churched kids and reach them with the gospel message. The mission team could stay at our church at no charge (showers are available) and we have an industrial kitchen for meal cooking. We are also open to mission teams coming anytime to prayer walk and do survey work. If you are interested in partnering with us please contact me at (860) 866-7966 or at pastor@friendshipbc.com.

For almost 20 years I was a pastor of SBC churches in South and North Carolina, the most recent being First Baptist Church of Raeford. Last spring I was called to serve Friendship Baptist Church in Litchfield, Conn., the only SBC church in a county of 182,000 people. We have our work cut out for us and could use some help from N.C. Baptists in this mission field.

This summer we are looking for a mission team to conduct a sports camp (basketball, softball, soccer) the week of June 28-July 2. This team would lead the effort and some of our people would certainly take part. Our desire is to reach out to un-churched kids and reach them with the gospel message. The mission team could stay at our church at no charge (showers are available) and we have an industrial kitchen for meal cooking. We are also open to mission teams coming anytime to prayer walk and do survey work. If you are interested in partnering with us please contact me at (860) 866-7966 or at pastor@friendshipbc.com.

I appreciate the article (BR, March 27, and online) concerning Temple Baptist and other churches that are closing. There will be many more. The church all over is in crisis.

Certainly the church faces a different world than in the great days of the ’50s, when almost any church of any denomination could grow. I have checked the web sites of Lutheran and Presbyterian and other denominations and am amazed at the decline of so many churches. 

We live in a society increasingly secularized and hostile to organized religion and Christianity.  Recently there was mention in the Winston-Salem paper about taxes and churches and it was amazing many wrote wanting churches to be taxed on their property. If this comes, many churches that have been limping will be history.

One concern I have is that now many Baptist churches stress the liturgical calendar. This was not part of Baptist roots. I think the danger is that liturgical correctness can be stressed over the needs of people and the great love of Christ. Even the church where I am a member, which is definitely SBC and fairly conservative, now stresses the 40 days of Lent and has Maundy Thursday service. 

I am concerned, but there are thousands of churches that really need to close. They are in neighborhoods that long ago changed or they are out of touch. They are maintaining a building and a memory lane.

It will take the work of the Holy Spirit to shake the churches and I mean more than guitars, drums, keyboards and a few rousing tunes. People who love the Lord need to pray for the Holy Spirit to work in the church. It may take persecution to really get the church to focus on Christ.

I appreciate the article (BR, March 27, and online) concerning Temple Baptist and other churches that are closing. There will be many more. The church all over is in crisis.

Certainly the church faces a different world than in the great days of the ’50s, when almost any church of any denomination could grow. I have checked the web sites of Lutheran and Presbyterian and other denominations and am amazed at the decline of so many churches. 

We live in a society increasingly secularized and hostile to organized religion and Christianity.  Recently there was mention in the Winston-Salem paper about taxes and churches and it was amazing many wrote wanting churches to be taxed on their property. If this comes, many churches that have been limping will be history.

One concern I have is that now many Baptist churches stress the liturgical calendar. This was not part of Baptist roots. I think the danger is that liturgical correctness can be stressed over the needs of people and the great love of Christ. Even the church where I am a member, which is definitely SBC and fairly conservative, now stresses the 40 days of Lent and has Maundy Thursday service. 

I am concerned, but there are thousands of churches that really need to close. They are in neighborhoods that long ago changed or they are out of touch. They are maintaining a building and a memory lane.

It will take the work of the Holy Spirit to shake the churches and I mean more than guitars, drums, keyboards and a few rousing tunes. People who love the Lord need to pray for the Holy Spirit to work in the church. It may take persecution to really get the church to focus on Christ.

I was saddened to hear of the closings of churches in our state (March 27 BR, also online). I am afraid they will not be the last.

I am in my second pastorate of serving a declining church. My previous church was advised by the state Convention to move or die. I came there 17 years ago to a small, struggling congregation in a poor, declining inner city. We saw many miracles and when I left the church was a vibrant church in new worship facilities, having grown many times over.

My present church was in the same shape. It too has turned around, is growing, winning souls and baptizing new believers.

Why didn’t they just die natural deaths? To start with, no church should ever die unless no one lives within 50 miles of it.

We began to focus on what God called the church to do in the Great commission and did it. If the church is not focused outward on winning people to Christ, then it has already failed.

A church dies when it become irrelevant to people around it. A church dies when it does not accept the biblical mandate of the Great Commission to reach “all nations” even if people don’t look, act, smell or think like us. God isn’t dead, the church is His, not ours; He is still the head; God is still in the miracle business; faith in Him is still the key; the gospel still saves; tradition is a sinister evil; Jesus said He would build His church so don’t get in His way; it is not about us; we should pray like there is no tomorrow and work like it too.

There is no need for any church to close its doors. We should never accept the death of a church.

I was saddened to hear of the closings of churches in our state (March 27 BR, also online). I am afraid they will not be the last.

I am in my second pastorate of serving a declining church. My previous church was advised by the state Convention to move or die. I came there 17 years ago to a small, struggling congregation in a poor, declining inner city. We saw many miracles and when I left the church was a vibrant church in new worship facilities, having grown many times over.

My present church was in the same shape. It too has turned around, is growing, winning souls and baptizing new believers.

Why didn’t they just die natural deaths? To start with, no church should ever die unless no one lives within 50 miles of it.

We began to focus on what God called the church to do in the Great commission and did it. If the church is not focused outward on winning people to Christ, then it has already failed.

A church dies when it become irrelevant to people around it. A church dies when it does not accept the biblical mandate of the Great Commission to reach “all nations” even if people don’t look, act, smell or think like us. God isn’t dead, the church is His, not ours; He is still the head; God is still in the miracle business; faith in Him is still the key; the gospel still saves; tradition is a sinister evil; Jesus said He would build His church so don’t get in His way; it is not about us; we should pray like there is no tomorrow and work like it too.

There is no need for any church to close its doors. We should never accept the death of a church.

Among the obituaries of Jan. 30, I found one for William Rice, of Burlington. Amazingly, his story is new to me. Can I believe that this man was educated and worked for years in the world, even as a PA, went blind and still pursued the ministry from which he had been running for 25 years, had his sight restored miraculously and served faithfully until his death, and we’re not dancing in the streets? Clearly, this man believed God, and received according to his faith.

In Louisville over 30 years ago the mother of our custodian looked me straight in the eye and said, “I used to be blind, but God healed me.” When asked how I could be a deacon for years and not know that, she replied that she had told the deacons “years ago, but they (ignored me).” 

Then I remembered I was at the church meeting when her sight was restored (I thought at the time it might be a hoax). But 15 years had transpired. I asked, “Why do you suppose no one talks about it here?” Her answer: “I guess they were ashamed.” 

Is it possible, that God’s people could be ashamed of His miracles?

Here we have two astounding accounts of genuine healing from above in our generation, and we keep it quiet. How can that be? The only answer is that we really are ashamed of the mighty works of our loving Father. We have been so afraid of identification with the “Charismatic Movement” that we are repelled at the very thought that God would function today as in the Apostolic era. 

My Bible says “Jesus Christ (is) the same, yesterday, today and forever.” We need to repent.  Perhaps that might encourage the next generation to believe God at His word, and receive the best He has for them. 

Among the obituaries of Jan. 30, I found one for William Rice, of Burlington. Amazingly, his story is new to me. Can I believe that this man was educated and worked for years in the world, even as a PA, went blind and still pursued the ministry from which he had been running for 25 years, had his sight restored miraculously and served faithfully until his death, and we’re not dancing in the streets? Clearly, this man believed God, and received according to his faith.

In Louisville over 30 years ago the mother of our custodian looked me straight in the eye and said, “I used to be blind, but God healed me.” When asked how I could be a deacon for years and not know that, she replied that she had told the deacons “years ago, but they (ignored me).” 

Then I remembered I was at the church meeting when her sight was restored (I thought at the time it might be a hoax). But 15 years had transpired. I asked, “Why do you suppose no one talks about it here?” Her answer: “I guess they were ashamed.” 

Is it possible, that God’s people could be ashamed of His miracles?

Here we have two astounding accounts of genuine healing from above in our generation, and we keep it quiet. How can that be? The only answer is that we really are ashamed of the mighty works of our loving Father. We have been so afraid of identification with the “Charismatic Movement” that we are repelled at the very thought that God would function today as in the Apostolic era. 

My Bible says “Jesus Christ (is) the same, yesterday, today and forever.” We need to repent.  Perhaps that might encourage the next generation to believe God at His word, and receive the best He has for them.