Shortly earlier than 10 a.m. on Aug. 20, 2022, people started arriving at Friendship Baptist Church for a memorial service and celebration of the lifetime of John Hershel Faulkner, former pastor of Friendship.
Anne Faulkner, John’s good helpmate for 61 years, their youngsters and grandchildren greeted these arriving to recollect the life and ministry of the person who was affectionately identified at Friendship as “Brother John.”
By 11 a.m., the sanctuary was nearly crammed with attendees from a number of states — pals who had been blessed by his counseling, preaching and mentoring.
To start the service, Keri Eastis sang “Holy Floor,” a tune she’d sung a number of occasions to the glory of God earlier than John preached. Later she sang “I Bowed On My Knees and Cried Holy,” one other one which had blessed Brother John throughout his tenure at Friendship.
Throughout the service, the congregation sang “What a Pal We Have in Jesus” and “Belief and Obey.” The “rafters rang” to the strong singing of these hymns.
Gordon Fort from the Southern Baptist Worldwide Mission Board introduced the memorial and sermon. He spoke of rising up in Africa, calling the Faulkners Uncle John and Aunt Anne. He additionally spoke of John’s work and affect in Africa and of his encouragement to different missionaries. At one level, he requested for these to face who had served as missionaries with John and Anne.
Twenty-four stood, and every gave a quick account of serving with John. In including missionaries Anne Faulkner and Gordon Fort to the rely, there have been 26 missionaries in Friendship Baptist Church that day.
John Herschel Faulkner was born at Bear Creek, Al., to Dewey Fletcher and Irene Belle Faulkner on July 2, 1935. Rising up on the household farm there, John discovered to work exhausting and to function and restore equipment used on a farm. He didn’t comprehend it then, however God was having him study abilities he would want in Africa as a missionary.
After John graduated from highschool, on the urging of his academics, he enrolled on the College of Alabama.
He moved to Tuscaloosa and lived along with his sister Clara Bailey and her household. Whereas there, he joined the Alabama Military Nationwide Guard, the place he loved serving for the following 17 years.
To pay his manner, John labored the night time shift at Goodrich Tire plant. Being drained from the night time shift, he acquired a reel-to-reel tape recorder, took it to class and taped the lectures in case he fell asleep.
Quickly, John realized he was ill-prepared for school, and turning into discouraged, he packed up and went again residence to Bear Creek to inform his mother and father.
He later recounted that “seeing the frustration on their faces despatched me straight again to Tuscaloosa with the willpower to graduate.”
Having discovered to work exhausting at any job, he knuckled down and earned his diploma.
He graduated and took a job instructing at Holt Excessive College so he may very well be near the attractive Anne Williams, whom he had met and began relationship on the College. John liked her and hoped to marry her, however Mama Williams stated “No.”
This was an sudden impediment, however not being deterred, John wooed Mama Williams till she lastly agreed for Anne, her child of 12 youngsters, to marry John Faulkner in 1961.
After their marriage, John took a job promoting insurance coverage, purchased slightly home, and settled right down to earn a residing and assist his household. He did nicely in insurance coverage, life was good, and child Lisa had blessed the house. Nevertheless, God had been calling John to the Gospel ministry, and when God calls, he graciously causes it to occur.
Unable to withstand God’s name, John and Anne offered their residence, packed up and moved to Fort Price, Texas, the place John enrolled in Southwestern Seminary, and earned his M.Div. Later at Friendship, John talked about greater than as soon as that had it not been for Anne’s encouragement and assist, he would by no means have made it by means of these seminary years.
After seminary, John pastored for a number of years in Reform, Al., and it was there that son Mark was welcomed into the household. From Reform, John accepted a pastorate in Sherman, Texas, earlier than answering the decision to missions in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, Africa.
On the memorial service, Lisa stated that at their appointment service, when Anne gave her testimony, John discovered for the primary time that Anne had obtained a name to missions as a younger member of Ladies in Motion. This was God’s windfall in John’s and Anne’s lives.
In telling of her dad, Lisa recalled, “On the sphere, he served in a lot of roles, as his administrative presents grew to become obvious. His coronary heart’s need was to start out new work in a bush part or rural space, however his giftings stored him employed principally in administrative positions, from managing the Baptist Camp and bookstores to a stint as mission treasurer. He ended his IMB (worldwide mission board) profession as space director for international locations within the jap and southern Africa area, an project he totally loved.”
Mark Faulkner recalled that his dad might restore nearly something, and it was not unusual for a missionary to drive up with a washer or garments dryer that wanted repairing, and John would get it working once more. Mark additionally recounted how John constructed a motor vehicle. Nevertheless, the one wheels obtainable had been bicycle wheels, in order that’s what he used. Anybody who knew John can think about the ear-to-ear smile on his face with the completed product.
When John and Anne retired from worldwide missions, they moved to St. Clair County within the Nineteen Nineties. Friendship Baptist wanted an interim pastor, they usually known as Brother John, as he got here to be identified in the neighborhood, and he accepted. By no means a person to take a seat on his laurels or previous accomplishments, Brother John walked from home to accommodate within the Friendship neighborhood, inviting individuals to attend Sunday faculty and worship at Friendship Baptist. He quickly grew to become identified and liked each within the church and the neighborhood. He was so liked by Friendship Baptist that they known as him to be full-time pastor and he agreed.
Brother John as soon as reminisced that when he retired, his ambition was to show in a school, however that God’s plans had been higher in bringing him as pastor to Friendship, the place he labored faithfully and untiringly till 2003.
Of his ministry at Friendship, daughter Lisa recalled, “Pastoring Friendship was really a blessing to John and Anne and to all of us. You all helped them construct their dream home. He lastly acquired to develop new work, visiting potential members every week and gently wooing many again to the Lord and into the Friendship household.
“He taught management courses, a ardour he had developed whereas serving as space director. He noticed huge prayers answered.
“Ultimately, the Lord rewarded the church’s efforts so generously that Friendship wanted a brand new constructing. A constructing program is a frightening challenge for a pastor. Many don’t see the top of the debt they tackle to construct. However the Lord was extraordinarily gracious to and thru Friendship.
“This church is stuffed with beneficiant individuals, they usually labored collectively to construct their new sanctuary, laboring in addition to giving, in order that the debt was retired lower than 5 years after groundbreaking. That is the constructing, and it’s a testomony to the faithfulness of God. Friendship is completely named, for John and Anne discovered true pals right here.”
John liked preaching God’s phrase and shepherding God’s individuals. He had the flexibility to take a scenario that may trigger division and produce it to a peaceable and God honoring conclusion.
He liked his flock, loved the choir and Keri Eastis’ solos that lifted hearts and ready them for Brother John’s sermon from God’s Phrase.
Lisa recalled what her dad talked about typically.
“I feel that in case you requested him, John would say that the ‘God moments,’ when His presence fell on the church in an inexplicably tangible manner, had been the spotlight of his time right here,” she stated.
In 2015, John and Anne moved to Georgia to be close to their youngsters, and for a number of months earlier than they moved, they had been members of Springville First Baptist and faithfully supported Dr. Chipley Thornton. Nevertheless, undoubtedly their hearts had been with the flock they’d come to like and cherish at Friendship.
