The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-02-05
Rev. ". H. Ford Accepts Call
To Knoxville, Tenn, Church,
Resignation Effective March Is
First Baptist Church Here
Under His Ministry Has
Led Denomination in
State in Number Of Bap-
tisms

! IOr ABOUT TWO years, dHHOuHCeu
his resignation to his congrega-
ton yesterday morning at the con-
clusion of the morning service.
Mr.. Ford resigned to accept a call
to the Broadway Baptist church in
! Knoxville, Tenn.
| Mr.. Ford will leave Henderson
vile on March 18th to take up
his new duties at the Knoxville
church.
Mr.. Ford is native of Georgia.
He is a graduate of Wake Forest
College. At Wake Forest he
gained distinction as a speaker.
He also attended the Southwes-
tern Baptist Theological Seminary
at Fort Worth. Texas.
He has served as pastor in q
number of churches in the vicinity
of Atlanta and in the First Bap-
fist church at Andrews. He re-
! signed at Andrews to enter Wake
Forest. He completed his work at
Wake Forest in February 1882
and came to Hendersonville to &C
cept the call at the First Baptist
church here on February 7, 1882.
In his ministry here the church
has experienced rapid growth
and in 1882 it led all churches in
the state in the number of addi-
, tional baptisms. The present men,
bership of the church is about
1900.
Mr.. Ford is a trustee of Mars
Hill College, secretary of the trus-
tees of Fruitland Institute. a
member of the state board of mis-
sions, and member of the Hen
Jacksonville Kiwanis club.
The board of deacons met Sun
dav and decided to organize a
pulpit committee at once, each
department of the church work to
be represented on this committee,
whose duty it will be to look into
the matter of securing a new
pastor.
Mr.. Ford's message of resigna-
ton to his congregation was as
follows:
"To the Members of the First
Baptist Church,
''Hendersonville. N. C.
"My beloved friends in Christ.
81 am face to face this morning
with the hardest task | have ever
had thrust upon me. After two
happy, hard, and fruitful years as
YOUR pastor, I find myself COM
pelled to offer you my resignation.
to take effect on March Is, 1884.
I am to take up new work on that
date as pastor of the Broadway
Baptist church in Knoxville, Tenn.
CATER | had been your pastor
only a few months / told you that
II would never leave you unless |
felt certainly and definitely that l
was being called away by the Lord
Himself. As far as l can know
the will of God, feel that | have
received such a call now. l would
not be an obedient servant OF
Christ if | did not follow this Di-
vine plan.
"There is no reason whatsoever
in Hendersonville to make me I'M
happy or to cause me to leave.
We have had over two years to-
gether now and our church is IN
better shape than at any time dur
ing this pastorate. So far as L
know we are all in perfect mar
mony with one another and with
the pastors program of work.
"Why am / leaving, then? 1t
is surely not for more money, as
some would have you to believe IS
the cause of nearly every pastoral
change. I am to receive exactly
the same salary in Knoxville that
7 have been getting in Henderson
Vile. 1t is not because there IS
any friction in our church nor be-
cause there is not still a great
work here for q pastor to do. l
am leaving for simply one reason
IL feel that God has called me to
a field of greater opportunity and
usefulness. DIR. Fred F. Brown,
pastor of the First Baptist church
of Knoxville and former president
of the Southern Baptist Conven-
ton, tells me that the Broadway
church offers the greatest oppor-
tunity of any church in the South.
Where l can preach in Henderson
vile to 600, can preach in Knox
vile to 1200-where we have 500
in Sunday school here. we can
have 1000 to 1900 there. The
evangelistic opportunity III e
seems to be almost unlimited.
81 need not go into details con-
corning the accomplishments of
our church during this pastorate.
God has wondrously blessed us
and we ascribe all the glory to
Him. Our congregations have
grown until they crowd our church
and it has been found necessary
to enlarge the auditorium and buy
extra chairs. New members have
been added to our church almost
every Sunday and we led North
Carolina in baptisms in 1882. Our
/ Sunday school has grown in num-
bers and efficiency.
''In spite of financial depres-
sion which has crippled many
other churches, we have been able
Il 4 49,