This past week a giant passed

on from this life to his eternal reward. Reverend clergy, you ask? No.

High-minded civic leader? No. Revered community icon? No. Prominent elected

official? No.

None of the

above. His obituary didn't do him justice, as with most of our loved ones

who pass. Obituaries, unless paid, don't detail the facets of faith of

a person's life: like family, friends, and church.

Wilbur Lee

Stanley died Jan. 18, 2002. He died at home after a lengthy illness. That

tells a lot about a person when you find out he or she died at home. "At

home" means someone at home cared enough to care for him. Of course,

that one was Louise, Wilbur's wife of more than 60 years (I believe).

She cared for him as her "baby," knowing he could do little

for himself.

My response:

what love! What wonderful, unconditional, far-reaching love! Indeed, it

was love, "for better, for worse." You can tell a lot about

people by how loved ones take care of them. Wilbur was a sweet, loving,

"never hurt a fly" person. You could tell that was the kind

of person he was by the care he received. Some families can't wait to

get rid of the old coot. Not Wilbur. His wife, sister-in-law, and children

cared for him to the end. Wilbur died at home.

But the thing

I want to magnify about Wilbur Stanley, and certainly, others like him:

he was a faithful and loyal member of his church. New folks at the Fayetteville

First Baptist Church might not know nor remember Wilbur, but the church's

history books often reveal his name and contributions over the decades.

Although Wilbur

was active in every aspect of the church at one time or another, it was

his role of greeter that fits this gentle and unassuming person. He welcomed

tens of thousands to Sunday morning church in his role as church greeter.

Wilbur always made young and old alike welcome to God's House.

Wilbur made

me think of Nathaniel, one of Jesus' disciples. Jesus perceived that Nathaniel

was a man "in whom there is no guile." Meaning, no duplicity.

What Nathaniel was at home was what he was at work was what he was at

play. That was Wilbur. He wouldn't praise you from the housetop and then

secretly drag your name in the gutter. He was true through and through.

That's what

made Wilbur a man close to my heart as a pastor. He was loyal from start

to finish to the man whomever the church called to serve as pastor. Wilbur,

Louise and I have a common heritage: the man of God who served as their

pastor also served later as my pastor and baptized me. The Reverend E.

J. Hatcher (same name as mine but no known relationship) served once at

Fayetteville First Baptist and later served at Bethel Baptist outside

Columbus, Ga. The E.J. Hatchers and the Stanleys were friends until the

end. The Stanleys could always be counted on to be in the pastor's corner.

It seems to

me that "faithful and loyal" are a dying breed. It doesn't have

to be that way, though. I challenge young men and women to continue to

heritage of the Wilbur Stanleys of the church: stay true; be loyal; have

just one face about yourself. Live in such a way that perhaps a clergy

member might have

some nice things to say about

your faithfulness and kindness and genuineness.

The Rev. Dr. John Hatcher is pastor

of River's Edge

Community Church in Fayetteville.

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