I received word this past weekend
that my childhood pastor, Pastor Bill Chapman, arrived in heaven on Friday
evening. My heart is heavy knowing a spiritual icon from my youth is no longer
with us. Pastor Bill heralded from a time when Pastors were Pastors in the
authentic sense of the role and weren’t caught up in charismatic performance. A
time when Pastors refused to use their pulpit to promote personal agendas. A
time when pastors didn’t use their social media or other influences to promote
their political views and/or shame others who don’t share them. A time when
Pastors understood the line between church and state. A time when the term
“megachurch” was a foreign word. A time
before churches had bookstores and pastors were filling their shelves with
their latest book or profiting commercially from their congregation. A time when going to church meant worshiping
God versus being entertained. A time when the pastor would stand at the back of
the church after the service to shake your hand and knew your name, your parents’
names and even your pets names.
Pastor Bill was a humble, simple,
godly man. In comparison to most of today’s church leaders he’d be considered
an endangered species in the pastoral community. He understood that being
a Reverend meant bringing reverence to God and forfeiting admiration towards
himself. He preached the gospel as it was written, provided a framework of
God’s love and never sugar-coated doctrines that were necessary for true
spiritual growth. A large part of my faith foundation was laid through the teachings
of Pastor Bill.
When news of his passing was announced, I reached out to
several friends from back in the day. All made similar comments of Pastor Bill
being one of their favorite pastors. One such friend said, “He was one of
the best pastors; the only one who truly ministered to me in my time of
sickness”. Mind you, he was speaking to events from over 40 years ago.
I will always be eternally
grateful for his passion for youth programs and the youth of our church. Pastor
Bill was a monumental advocate for the Word of Life Clubs and our youth leaders.
These clubs radically changed my life and were pivotal in my teen years. They
provided a safe environment to grow, learn, connect, be challenged, discover
and hone God given skills and talents, have insane amounts of fun, and created
wonderful memories that I still carry with me.
I have several special memories
of Pastor Bill. One such memory was the first time I did ministry outreach. Our church did door to door visitations and/or check ins with our
shut-ins. On this one Saturday, I was with our youth team and Pastor Bill was
the adult leading the group. It was the very first time I had signed up to do visitations.
As we arrived at the first house, Pastor Bill could sense my apprehension. He
could have easily allowed me to step back and hide in the background; but he
knew I had come to do outreach and if I was going to overcome any fear of the
process, he knew I needed to face it head on. He smiled, gently pushed me
toward the doorstep and said, “Go get em’ tiger”. And go get em’ I did, and for many Saturdays
afterwards. Those four words turned a nervous young girl into someone who
replaced her fear with boldness and it’s something I’ve carried with me all my
life.
It’s ironic that at a time in my
life when I’ve been jaded and deeply hurt by Christian leaders or those in
ministry roles, and have struggled finding a church community where I truly
feel at home, I find myself longing for the church of my youth. To sit in
the humble, tiny church, on those hard-wooden pews, surrounded by my immediate
and church family as we are fed an inspiring message from Pastor Bill sounds
like the perfect spiritual elixir for my soul.
Heaven intercepted a giant when
Pastor Bill arrived. I’m sure he’d dispute me on the term giant, but that’s
what he was to me and many others. I had recently exchanged messages with his
son, Nathan. Nathan put it best when he said “I often say that I will be in
some little shack in heaven and go visit my parents in their mansion. If not
for the pastoral ministry, for the number of people that they have helped personally and even those who came to live with us.”
Here’s to one of the good ones. Pastor
Bill Chapman! Who bypassed ego and personal agenda to provide an authentic
church experience. Who understood the purpose of the church as God commanded it.
Who provided leadership, experiences and teachings many of us still hold dear
to our hearts today. The walls of South Swansea Baptist Church and the hearts
of the many lives you touched so beautifully will forever echo your teachings and
love for bringing God’s message to a broken world. Until that day when Nathan directs
us to your heavenly mansion, where we can thank you, once again, for the powerful
impact you’ve had on our lives, we will press on and continue to live the
instruction and wisdom you instilled in us those many years ago!
See you at the
reunion party!
