Barnabas File

On Friday, July 6, a memorial service was held at First Baptist Church, Nashville, for Dr. Glenn Yarbrough.    Glenn was one of the people that I often recognize as a mentor, one who influenced me, shared his rich experience, and opened doors for me. Glenn provided my first full-time position in collegiate ministry when I graduated seminary in 1970. The situation was a challenging one, but he trusted my potential to address it effectively.  He was not happy when I left Middle Tennessee State University in 1976 to accept a position at Mississippi State University, but I was pleased when Carson-Newman College offered me a job in 1980 and Glenn called to let me know that he would be glad to have me back in the state.   In 1984, I had the opportunity to become his associate in the Student Ministries Department of the Tennessee Baptist Convention and to succeed him as director of that ministry in 1987. Glenn was a classic “Builder” in generationa...

Generations of students benefitted from the leadership of Fred S. Witty, Jr. I knew Fred as colleague, friend, and mentor.   Fred passed away on August 12 this year after a brief illness.   His obituary shares the basic information about life, death, family and career, but this just scratches the surface of Fred’s impact.  A veteran of World War II, Fred returned to New Mexico State University to complete his education and take a leadership role in the Baptist Student Union there when the director left.  He found his calling in that role and pursued his graduate degree at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  While the BSU director at the University of Louisville, he invited Emmanuel McCall, one of the first African-American students on campus to become involved in the student ministry.  This did not go down well with some local Baptist pastors and churches and (I understand) led to his departure from that position.  Of co...

Ed Rollins passed away on Tuesday.   Ed was who I wanted to be when I grew up.   Shortly after Charles Roselle became the director of National Student Ministries at the Baptist Sunday School Board, he asked Ed (then state director of student ministries in California) to join him as manager of the department.   Charlie was “Mr. Outside” and Ed was “Mr. Inside.”   They were a well matched team who trusted and supported one another. Many knew Ed as committed family man, Sunday school teacher or faithful church leader, but to me Ed was the consummate administrator. He was the person who “made the trains run on time.”  Despite his task-oriented side, Ed was respected and loved by those who worked with him.  Some called him a true Christian gentleman.  They knew that he expected the best of them, but he walked with them every step of the way.  This was especially important when staff began to cross barriers related to sensitive issues like race a...

In the spring of 1970 I got on a plane in Nashville to return to Fort Worth after an interview for a position as director of Baptist student ministries at Middle Tennessee State University. I was in my last year of seminary with a wife, small daughter, and a baby on the way.  I had a good visit in Murfreesboro and was impressed by Glenn Yarbrough, the state director of student work for Tennessee, who had invited me to consider the position, and the local committee.  As I boarded the plane, I recognized Charles Roselle, the director of National Student Ministries at the Baptist Sunday School Board.  I had met Charlie once, so I went over and reintroduced myself and asked if I could sit with him. Charlie was not only the director of NSM, but he was the former director of student work in Tennessee (and I could not imagine that I would hold that Tennessee position one day!).  On the way back to Love Field, I “bent his ear” and learned what I could about MTSU and stu...

While attending the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly last week, I found myself talking to a former campus ministry colleague.   He commented, “When are these folks going to realize that old campus ministers run this group?” I think we can agree that no one “runs” a group of Baptists, but he reminded me of how influential campus ministry (or “Baptist Student Union” or “Baptist Student Ministries” or “Baptist Collegiate Ministries”) has been in Baptist life in the south in the last (almost) 100 years and its contribution to progressive Baptist life today.   One of the strongest influences of “student work” has been in the realm of missions.   The student missionary movement of the last 1940s and early 1950s not only expanded the number of field personnel sent out by Baptist entities, but it also planted the seeds for short-term and volunteer mission activities that are so central in the ministry of churches today. Baptist campus ministry also h...