Resources on Wingard Family
My approach to pastoral ministry is little more than doing what I saw my dad do. I cherish this 1951 article.* The second half describes the work of my dad, George Wingard, in his first pastorate. He was, it reads, “very much like an old-time circuit rider, except that he does his riding in a Chevrolet Carryall.” My father served in a home mission field in the rural mountains and valleys of Searcy County, Arkansas, a field that included Presbyterian Chapel, Welcome Church, Garrett Memorial Presbyterian Church, and Lyon Chapel. I remember my parents reminiscing about places like Marshall and Snowball. The article depicts my dad as I remember him: hardworking, cooperative with other Christian denominations, and willing to…
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Pastors have only one first church, and the Lord couldn’t have sent me to a better one. Thirty-five years ago today I was ordained and installed as pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church in Morganton, North Carolina. At my installation service, her members promised to encourage me in my pastoral labors. That they did, and much, much more.
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My first experience in a youth group was leading it. In 1981-82 I served as Youth Director at the Reformed Church in America congregation in Feasterville, Pennsylvania. I was a student at Princeton Theological Seminary. The learning curve was steep. While in high school, I did not attend a youth group. In fact, I was the only student in my Sunday School class back at my home church in Rock Island, Tennessee. Each week my teacher, Barbara Cornett, brought a carefully prepared lesson just for me. She was a model of diligent Christian service. I hope these students benefitted from what I learned from her.
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32 years ago I was the guest preacher at my Uncle John’s church in Water Valley, Mississippi. I cherish the memory of ministering the word of God with him.
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Forty years ago this month, I began my pastoral ministry. In June 1980 I had just finished college and was on my way to Wales, Tennessee. The ten faithful members of Wales Presbyterian Church (PCUS) invited me to become their regular preacher. In August, I became their student pastor and also assisted one of my mentors, Harry Hassall, at three other rural Presbyterian churches. Everyone was patient with me, and I had a memorable and joyful year. The pay wasn’t much. A couple in the church, William Campbell and Ruth Morris, offered me room and board in exchange for slopping their hogs and working their tobacco field. They welcomed me into their home and treated me like family – I’ll never…
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Today is the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the commencement of the Allied invasion of continental Europe. Within a year, Hitler was dead and the Nazi reign of terror over. President Ronald Reagan’s 1984 speech at Normandy marked the 40th anniversary of the invasion. Reagan used the opportunity not only to honor the allied soldiers who fought their way ashore, but also to strengthen NATO’s resolve in the face of threatened Soviet nuclear missile deployments to Eastern Europe. I introduced my high school rhetoric and debate students to this speech as one of the great presidential addresses of the 20th century. I recommend listening to the entire 13-minute speech. My father, George Thomas Wingard, Jr., fought in Europe later in…
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