The difference

between being a good person and a great person can sometimes be hard to

see, especially for the person who is doing great things.

Bill Stephens,

better known as Mr. Bill from Fayetteville, celebrated the 10th anniversary

of his Silver Hair Ministries performances on Saturday, March 21 at the

LaFayette Nursing Home in Fayetteville. Friends and family got to see

how much Stephens and his wife, Mary Jo, touch the lives of the residents

at the nursing home and got to share in the joy of the program.

The program

started because Stephens was upset that old hymns were being replaced

with more contemporary music in church. He enjoyed singing the old hymns

and knew that other people enjoyed them as well. He had played what he

describes as "hillbilly music' with friends in high school and decided

to dust off his old guitar and start playing these songs.

His wife gave

him a karaoke machine for Christmas in 1992 and by March of 1993, Stephens

decided to approach LaFayette Nursing Home to see if they might be interested

in him performing his favorite old hymns for the residents. They agreed

to let him perform on the fourth Saturday of that month and he has been

performing at that time ever since.

Many people

warned him that the residents could be inattentive or grumpy and his wife

worried that he might get discouraged, but over the years Stephens has

found that the residents are always eager to see him and sing along with

the hymns and songs they grew up with.

Since its beginning,

Stephens and his Silver Hair Ministries have grown. He stepped in for

Sunday services at LaFayette when their regular preacher could not make

it and now performs that service on a regular basis and has established

other performances at area nursing homes, including Christian City Southland

Nursing Home and Azalea Estates.

Stephens has

also brought guests to a number of the performances, including banjo players,

additional vocalists, some children, and even some pets. At Saturday's

performance, members of Stephens' Bible study class, which he calls "The

Brigade," were in attendance and sang to the residents.

Stephens, a

kitchen designer by day, receives no monetary payment for his programs.

All he asks for is the attention of the patients and the attending staff.

He gets that and much more as the residents are often waiting and excited

to see him. Some residents sing along, while others clap or keep time

with the music by tapping their feet. After each song, Stephens and the

audience say the phrase "and they all said, oh yeah."

"If this

was work, I probably wouldn't do it," said Stephens. "This is

fun. I would do it full-time if I could."

Stephens grew

up in the sandhills of South Carolina, the son of a country preacher,

and a fan of all types of music except pop and rock-and-roll. When he

started the program, he had no pattern to follow. Since its inception,

his equipment has become more professional and his library of songs has

grown exponentially. One of the biggest crowd pleasers is when he sings

some of the same gospel songs that Elvis Presley sang. He even sings "Crying

in the Chapel" from time to time, but, despite the pleas of some,

does not wiggle like Presley.

The 10th anniversary

performance featured Stephens singing "God Bless the USA," "That

Silver Haired Daddy of Mine," and "It's No Secret What God Can

Do," which is a favorite among the residents of LaFayette. The program

closed with what Stephen considers to be the theme song of the Silver

Hair Ministries, "You Are My Sunshine."

"This

has been a great pleasure for us," said Stephens, adding that his

wife has given him tremendous support over the years. They have struck

up relationships with nearly all of the residents attending the shows,

holding hands and embracing after each performance. The program is mutually

beneficial and Stephens plans on continuing for as long as possible. He

is doing a great thing by doing something he loves and that is the definition

of a great person.