Farewell Bro. Bill

Our pastor, Bill Owen, has resigned. He has decided it is time to move on and pursue other ministry opportunities. We are all very sad as we have enjoyed him, his wife Cindy, and their sons in our church for the last 32 years.

Bro. Bill came to us in 1982. I was 15 years old at the time. In that time our entire community has been touched by his ministry here which has gone far beyond the hundreds of sermons he has delivered from our pulpit. Just speaking for my family alone he officiated our wedding 20 years ago, he has dedicated and baptized all three of our children, he has been there for us when we were sick, celebrated life with us when times have been good, and buried our loved ones. Of course, my family has had a very close connection with Bro. Bill. Mom was his secretary for 25 years and Vicki has worked with of him for the last 6.

There’s no telling how many weddings and funerals he has done over the years along with visiting the sick and counseling the hurting. And his ministry hasn’t stopped there. He and Cindy have been very active in our community. For example, Bro. Bill coached baseball teams for years when his boys were young.

I don’t think about it too much, but it is sort of odd that we give our pastor the title of “Brother” when in most other churches he would be known as “Pastor Bill.” This has simply been the tradition in these parts. I asked why when I was a boy and it was explained to me that it was because we regard our pastor as our brother in Christ. At any rate, he has been Bro. Bill, or just “Bill,” to all of us except my mom who has faithfully called him “Bro. Owen” all this time.

As I reflected on Bro. Bill’s leaving yesterday and the next steps we will be taking to find a new pastor, it really hit home with me that the vast majority of folks who are part of our church family have only seen one pastor in our pulpit. It’s very out of the ordinary that I--a member at Mt. Carmel all my life--only remember three pastors (well, four if you count Bruce Grubbs who was the interim for a year and a half before Bro. Bill came). Bruce Ousley (last name pronounced with a long O) was our pastor in my earliest memory. He came to us in 1936, left sometime in the 1950s to pastor a church in Texas for several years, returned for a second tenure, and retired in 1970, giving us 26 years of service. He was followed by Don Dorris who was our pastor for ten years, leaving in 1981. (I shared some memories of Bro. Dorris when he passed away back in March 2008.) Our church is 120 years old this year and these three men have collectively been our pastors for over half that time.

Our church has a big task ahead (Baptist churches generally have to find their own pastors) because Bro. Bill leaves big shoes to fill. This is only compounded by the fact that given the length of Bro. Bill’s tenure with us no one in my generation has ever needed to serve on a pastor search team before. We were all kids when people like my mom were looking to fill the position after Bro. Dorris left. We would appreciate your prayers as we tackle this job.

Bro. Bill, we love you and we’re going to miss you. You’ve been family. We are praying for you as you take some time to decompress after three decades with us and refocus on what’s next. I am looking forward to hearing about where God takes you from here.

Joe