Pastor Seeks
To 'Heal The Hurting'
BY PATTI O'DONOGHUE
Director of Public Information
Mount Olive College
The Rev. Hilton Willctts, a Sup
ply native and pastor at Bonaparte
Baptist Church
near Calabash,
moves steadily
toward his edu
cational goal ?
to prepare him
self "to heal the
hurting".
Willetts will
receive a bache
lor of science
degree from
Mount Olive College on May 11. By
majoring in church ministries and
minoring in psychology, he is honing
his ability to understand the prob
lems and needs of those he serves.
"After suffering a devastating
personal crisis, I realized I had to
help people from the heart, not only
from the pulpit," says Willetts. "1
saw that so many people were hurt
ing, just like 1 was."
The educational road for the 1956
Bolivia High School graduate has
been filled with a succession of
curves.
While he didn't do well at first in
college, he persevered. "I thought ?
WILLETTS
if I'm going to be a minister, I need
more education," Willetts recalled.
He has been a licensed minister
since 1962. He did his first work in
the Southern Baptist denomination,
serving as pastor of Calabash Bap
tist Mission for three years. The
congregation paid his tuition to at
tend Fruitland Baptist Bible Insti
tute in Henderson ville for a year.
He has also pastored at Prospect
Baptist Church in Supply, Ephesus
Baptist Church in Raeford, Grainger
Baptist Church in Kinston, Faith
Baptist Church in Bolivia and Briar
Branch Baptist Church in Elizabeth
town. While doing construction
work in Texas he served churches in
Rainbow and Nemo, Texas.
Education was never far from his
thoughts, as he took all the evening
courses he could at Lenoir Com
munity College and Southeastern
Community College, where he earn
ed an associate's degree in 1982.
"My goal is to show that there is
value in education," he said. "There
is no end to education. I enrolled at
other colleges and majored in psy
chology, but they didn't have what I
needed in the way of a religion pro
gram."
Willetts had been enrolled off and
on at Mount Olive College, com
muling from his home. He had cred
its for a minor in psychology but
needed to complete a ministerial
program.
With the help of one of his in
structors, K. David Hincs, who is al
so the college's director of education
for Christian ministries, Willetts was
approved for ministerial aid.
With the support of his wife,
Charlotte, and children, Patti and
David, he returned to Mount Olive
College in the spring of 1989 to fin
ish his religion major. Willcits en
rolled in two courses each semester
and continued through summer
school. He also received credit for
his practical experience.
"I may just be the oldest student
to ever receive a degree from Mount
Olive," says Willetts. "It's for sure I
worked long enough at it"
After graduation the minister
plans to take the summer off from
his studies and then, he says he plans
to enter the chaplain's program at
Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem.
"I want to help the hurting ? the
bereaved, the terminally ill, those
suffering from sickness or family
problems," he said. 'To me that's
where life is, where you're hurting.
"I've seen so much misery; I
want to help lessen the hurts."
RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIFS
Gospel Center Revival To Emphasize Music
Music, messages and testimonies
will be offered during revival ser
vices at Gospel Center Baptist
Church at Vamamtown April 14-17
at 7:30 p.m. each day.
The Rev. C. L. King will be the
guest speaker. A nursery will be
provided.
The Rev. Tody Fennell, pastor,
and church welcome all comers.
Second Service Begins
Camp United Methodist Church
in Shallotle will begin holding two
Sunday morning worship services
starting April 14, said the Rev.
George D. Speake, minister.
An informal early service will be
held from 8:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m., fol
lowed by coffee and fellowship be
fore Sunday school begins at 10 a.m.
The second service will begin at
11 a.m.
Camp Church is locatcd on Main
Street in Shallotic.
Aglow To Hear Tate
Carol Tate of Pineville returns as
guest speaker
for the April
meeting of the
Shallottc Wo
men's Aglow
Fellowship Sat
urday, April 13,
at 10 a.m.
The meeting,
at the District II
(Lockwood Fol
ly) Community
Building on Stanbury Road, will be
gin at 9:30 a.m. with fellowship and
refreshments.
TATE
CLUB BRIEFS
Christian Women's Club Lights Up
,tv? tym im" w ?
Illumination in some of its many
forms will be the theme of the April
18 buffet luncheon meeting of the
North Myrtle Beach Christian Wo
men's Club.
The meeting will be held from 12
noon to 2 p.m. at The Surf Club,
1701 Springland Lane, North Myr
tle Beach, S.C. Cost is S8.
Scheduled are a program on cre
ative lighting; lighthearted music by
Pal and A1 Hatcher, professional
singers from Canada; and a talk by
Connie Lancaster of Wilmington,
the wife of an airline pilot.
Reservations and cancellations
are required for both the luncheon
and the free nursery at Lakeside
Baptist Church. Louise B lizard is
the contact in the South Brunswick
Islands, 579-2562.
Sponsored Egg Hunt
Approximately 25 children ages
1 through 10 attended the March 30
Easter egg hunt sponsored by VFW
Auxiliary Post No. 7288 at Cala
bash, reports Mary Benes.
First prize baskets and second
prize chocolate eggs were awarded
to three youngsters each of different
age groups. All the children found
plastic eggs filled with candies.
Katherine Bachmann and Ellen
Oellerich were cochairmen of the
project. Other auxiliary members in
volved were Lili Hickman, Dot Hof
fmann, Mitzi Bernaisky and Mar
garet Keller.
Vets Slate BBQ
Disabled Veterans of Southport
and Brunswick County will hold a
barbecue Saturday, April 20, behind
the old jail at the corner of Nash
and Rhett streets in Southport start
ing at 11 a.m.
Plates will cost $3.50 and will in
clude pork barbecue, cole slaw and
hushpuppies. Coffee and tea will be
available for 50 cents each.
Proceeds will be used to transport
veterans to V.A. medical centers to
obtain needed medical care, a news
release indicated.
Correction
A "club briefs" announcement in
the April 4 issue of The Brunswick
Beacon incorrectly stated that Cala
bash VFW Ladies Auxiliary meet
ings are open to members and guests.
Guests are welcome to attend the
Calabash
Presbyterian Church
Worship Services Sunday 9:30 AM
VFW COMMUNITY HALL
TRADERS' VILLAGE, CALABASH
covered dish dinners the auxiliary
holds the second Saturday of every
month at 6 p.m. at the VFW post.
Ms. Tate offers encouragement to
believers through word and song,
said Jean Barber, corresponding
secretary. All area women and teen
age girls are invited to attend.
For more information call Tuddie
Dixon at 842-6565.
Choir To Appear
Ocean View Association's 100
voice male choir will be the guest at
Ml Calvary Baptist Church in Red
Bluff, S.C., this Sunday.
The choir is scheduled to perform
Sunday at 6 p.m., according to the
church's pastor, the Rev. Ronnie
McCrac.
Men Slate Barbecue
It's time to buy tickets for the
April 26 United Methodist Men's
Club barbecue at Camp United Me
thodist Church in Shallotte.
Tickets are S4 and are available
from any member of the men's club
or at the church the day of the bar
becue. Serving time is 11 a.m. to 4
p.m.
Dinners may be eaten in the
church fellowship hall or delivered
at a specified time that day.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
OAK GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH on Holden Beach Road (N.C. 130 East) celebrates 100 years of
service Sunday.
Oak Grove Baptist Marks 1 00 Years
Oak Grove Baptist Church on
Holdcn Beach Road will celebrate
its 100th anniversary Sunday, April
14, hearing from all five of its for
mer pastors who are still living.
They are the Rev. Clarence Rich
ardson, who served from 1981
1983; the Rev. Laury Evans, who
was licensed and ordained from Oak
Grove and served as its pastor from
1978-1980; the Rev. Drew Hardee,
1967-1981; the Rev. Leo Cannon,
1960-1965; and the Rev. Weston
Vamam, January-August 1955.
The centennial program will be
gin after Sunday school assembly at
10 a.m. and will be followed by a
covered dish dinner in the church
fellowship hall, said Effie Evans,
church clerk. All members, former
members and friends of the church
are encouraged to attend.
Music plays an important role in
Oak Grove's ministry and the cen
tennial celebration is no exception.
The Oak Grove Trio ? Vemon and
Faye Lewis and Florence Hewett ?
will be featured in an afternoon sing
that should begin around 2 p.m.
Oak Grove Baptist Church was
constituted in April 1891 as Cai
son's Chapel, the name it went by
until 1895. It apparently began in
^ ^
jfe St. Luke
Lutheran Church
Worship Servicc Sunday, 10:00 A.M.
Sunday School at 9.00 a.m.
Meeting In Shallotle Middle School
754-7816
S r
dependently; there is no record that
the church was ever a mission of
another church, said Mrs. Evans.
The church was a member of the
Cape Fear Association, then the
Cape Fear Columbus Association
and since 1 899, the Brunswick Bap
tist Association.
The congregation now meets in
the church's third building.
The first was destroyed by fire in
1910. The second building was
erected in 1912, a one-room, 24-feet
by 38-feet frame structure with bay
window, bell and belfry.
From its start with 27 members,
Oak Grove has continued to grow,
with 296 presently on roll. One of
its fastest periods of growth came
from December 1978 through Octo
ber 1980, when the church added 27
members to its roll.
The church broke ground Jan. 7,
1973, for the building which it has
occupied since March 5, 1978. The
land was donated by Olen and Mar
tha Clemmons, with additional acre
age given later by Dayton and Lou
Ellen Rhodes. Work on the fellow
ship hall began in 1982 and was
completed in 1985, with porch and
breezeway added. Since then stain
ed glass windows and a fiberglass
steeple have been installed and a
parsonage constructed.
Starting with the Rev. E.L. Swain,
during its 100 years the church has
called at least 20 pastors. The Rev.
Russell Hewitt, of Conway, S.C.,
has served the church since Novem
ber 1984, full-time since April 1985.
Oak Grove has also licensed three
ministers ? the Rev. John Hewett,
the Rev. Emery Hewett and the Rev.
Laury Evans, and ordained Emery
Hewett and Evans.
TTc AUTO
Mam S electric
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VOLTAGE REGULATORS GENERATORS
REPAIR? REBUILT? EXCHANGED
AUTOMOTIVE WIRING
754-7656
*
Royal Oak Road & Hwy. 17 N., Shallotte
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