Mr. Bill


		Friday, Dec. 10, 2004

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Mr. Bill

By Father DAVID EPPS
Contributing Writer

Father David Epps is Rector of Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal Church which meets at 8 and 10 a.m. Sundays at 4881 E. Hwy. 34. He may be contacted at 770-252-2428, or at frepps@ctkcec.org

I didn't meet him until he was 66 years old. I didn't know about his growing up in the West, didn't know him as an Army drill sergeant, and didn't know him when he worked on airplanes. They say he was a bit of a "wild one" until about 30 years ago when his wife put her foot down. He then became a different person, so they say, and never looked back. I was the new pastor in town when Bill Newton came into our church and into my life.

When I arrived at Fayette Fellowship in Peachtree City in June of 1986, the Assemblies of God church was about 4 years old. I was 32 years old, married with three kids, and trying desperately to see the church grow from the 80 or so people who were in regular attendance. I hadn't been in town many months when Bill and Dottie Newton brought their infectious enthusiasm and warm personalities into the congregation. Bill (I called him "Mr. Newton" for years until he finally succeeded in getting me to call him "Bill") had experienced God in an intensive and personal way in an Episcopal church and was forever saying "Praise the Lord!" and "Hallelujah!" whether he was in church services or not. A well-read Bible was nearly always with him, unless he was doing some kind of work for the church.

And work he did! I never met a man who enjoyed working so much and so hard. When I was about 42, someone said, "I hope I have Bill Newton's energy when I'm 76." I said, "I wish I had that energy now!" When the church grew, built a new building, and changed the name to Trinity Fellowship, Bill soon became the custodian. I say "custodian," but that description doesn't nearly cover what he did. He trimmed shrubs, kept the parking lot up, fixed every thing that needed fixing, painted whatever needed painting, did yard work, and, in his spare time, cleaned the building. When Bill wasn't carrying his Bible, he was wearing his work boots.

When the church began an elementary school, Bill's duties increased and his pay remained the same, at least for a while. He never complained. In fact, I never heard him (or his wife) ever say a bad word about another person and I never heard him complain. As Trinity Christian School grew into the hundreds of students, Bill, who never was much on titles, was given a special designation. No, it wasn't the Official Board or the denomination that bequeathed to him a title; it was the children of Trinity Christian School. I don't know which child started calling him "Mr. Bill," but, in a short period of time, he became "Mr. Bill" to everyone. He became one of the most beloved figures to the school children and was a favorite of nearly every adult as well.

I was Bill's pastor for some 13 years and he was one of the most faithful, loyal, and dependable men I'd ever known. When I left Trinity and the Assemblies of God in 1996, Bill came to me. He confided that he and his wife were torn about what to do. I would eventually go on to found another kind of church, one he would have loved as much as he did Trinity, and he said that he didn't know if he should help start the new church or stay. I advised him to stay. He had a wonderful church family, I said, and besides, what would the children do without him? He smiled, said, "Praise the Lord!" and was at peace. For the next 8 years, he continued to be a faithful servant to the church and school.

He was into his mid-80s when he finally retired, and if he hadn't gotten sick, I doubt if he would have retired even then. He still did volunteer work, especially for the school, and three weeks ago, as sick as he was, he came to church. Last Friday morning, I received a number of calls from people at Trinity that Mr. Bill had died. He was 87 and, as Gary Wallace said to me, "He lived life to the last."

Last Sunday, a delegation from our church joined with the Newton family and the Trinity congregation and attended Bill's funeral service at Carmichael-Hemperley Funeral Home in Peachtree City. The Reverend Mark Anthony, Bill's pastor for the past 5 years, brought the message. He used Bill's Bible and he preached in Bill's work boots. Pastor Anthony masterfully captured the essence of Bill in his sermon and I, along with the crowd that packed the chapel, laughed one minute and shed tears the next. He said that Bill's boots were too big for him; in fact, he said, he didn't know who was going to fill his boots at the church. I understood. I don't know either.

Trinity Christian School is building a new gym and classroom complex that will be over 28,000 square feet in size. Over the coming years, thousands of kids will play and be educated in that facility. Pastor Anthony announced that the new building would be named "The Newton Center." It's the first time I have seen a funeral service break into thunderous, spontaneous applause. Bill would be embarrassed by all that but, secretly, he would love it.

I think they ought to put a trophy case in the school and place there a well-worn Bible and an old pair of work boots. When the children asked about the Bible and the boots, the teachers could tell them about one of the finest and greatest men I've ever known. They could tell them about a man named "Mr. Bill."

[Father David Epps is Rector of Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal Church which meets at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sundays. "Snail mail" requests for prayer may be sent to him at the church at 4881 E. Hwy. 34, Sharpsburg, GA 30277. E-mail requests may be sent to frepps@ctkcec.org.]