One of these, our beloved friend, Bill Spurlock, went home to be with Jesus almost simultaneous with the conclusion of our worship service on Sunday, June 14, 2009. We had ended our service with Chris Tomlin's ringing affirmation, "I Will Rise":
"Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain"
We discovered shortly thereafter that, virtually as we were singing that song, Bill had also become "absent from the body, but present with the Lord." Imagine his joy and delight!
Heaven's gain, however, is our great loss. We will need to encourage each other, and stand by each other. Bill was a beloved father, mentor, leader, servant, chaplain, and friend.
"He has fought the good fight,
he has finished the race,
he has kept the faith.
Now there is in store for him
|the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge,
will award to him on that day—
and not only to him, but also to all
who have longed for his appearing."
- paraphrased from 2 Timothy 4:7-8
Bill was a significant leader at Bethany, and a wonderful servant of God. He visited so many people who were sick, or suffering, or shut-ins.
Heaven's gain, however, is our great loss. We will need to encourage each other, and stand by each other. Bill was a beloved father, mentor, leader, servant, chaplain, and friend.
"He has fought the good fight,
he has finished the race,
he has kept the faith.
Now there is in store for him
|the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge,
will award to him on that day—
and not only to him, but also to all
who have longed for his appearing."
- paraphrased from 2 Timothy 4:7-8
Bill was a significant leader at Bethany, and a wonderful servant of God. He visited so many people who were sick, or suffering, or shut-ins.
God obviously had other plans.
In his early 20's his wife's parents did not want him to marry their daughter — since he already had cancer and the likelihood of his surviving in those days was estimated to be only a couple years. They married anyway and he lived into his late 70's!
He loved to encourage people who were facing uncertainty, and reminding them of God's goodness to him. Bill was a model of humble service and self-giving love. The dozens of operations he underwent and the extended times spent as a hospital patient motivated him to invest himself as a Chaplain at the City of Hope and as Bethany's "Minister of Pastoral Care." So many have experienced first-hand Bill's kind, gentle presence when they faced a medical challenge or a time of grief and loss.
Bethany's Senior Pastor, Doug Wilson, says "Bill had the biggest heart of anybody I've ever met." His motto was 'People don't care how much you know...until they know how much you care.' And it didn't take much time around Bill to discover how much he cared!"
Bill loved to sing, and many people at our church say "It's not Christmas until Bill sings 'O Holy Night'!"
He served for many years as Bethany's Controller, and his calm trust in God throughout the inevitable ups-and-downs of church finances and his faithful service made a great impact on our ministry as a church and school.
He served as Bethany's Chairman of the Board of Deacons for many years, and could be counted on to rely on God's Word and prayer.
He was involved over the years in numerous projects on our property throughout our ten and a half acre campus, and we are heavily indebted to his humble service.
Bill's kindness, his generosity, his servant's heart, his authentic relationship with Jesus forged through many years sharing "the fellowship of his suffering," and his faithful partnership in ministry will be deeply missed.
Bill is lovingly remembered by his daughter Karen and her husband Tom, and also by many dear of friends, by many individuals and their families who have been visited by Bill in the hospital or homes or hospice or City of Hope, and by a profoundly grateful church.
Contributions can be made to the Bill Spurlock Memorial Fund at Bethany.
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If you have any questions about the Bill Spurlock Memorial Fund,
please feel free to contact Shari Wilson at:
Email: shari@bethanyonline.net
(626) 962-8501 (office)
(626) 962-3961 (fax)
please feel free to contact Shari Wilson at:
Email: shari@bethanyonline.net
(626) 962-8501 (office)
(626) 962-3961 (fax)
Bill and his daughter Karen
Bill's Testimony
In October 2008, Bill shared his testimony with Bethany's Family Focus Sunday School class. He concludes: "Remember these two statements: regardless what the situation is, "God will never leave you, and never forsake you," and "People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." At the close of his testimony Bill sings "I'll Never Be Lonely Again."
Thought you would appreciate this message from the mother of one of my staff who attends our Bible Study at work. The mother was diagnosed with lung cancer a few years ago without much hope of survival. The chemo and radiation worked and she is still in remission to this day. Bill was gracious enough to visit her while she was going through her treatments. Bill was an incredible man who touched so many people with God's love.
Your boss, Tom, had told Bill about me, and Bill appeared one afternoon when I had finished my morning chemo and was waiting for the afternoon radiology treatment. I was at my lowest point - too sick to pray (or even care about anything). Bill sat down and talked about his own life and experience with cancer and that of his wife. He talked about faith and hope. He stayed (talking to dad) until my radiation treatment was over and, then, accompanied us to the hospital exit - just continually being encouraging and uplifting.
He was undoubtedly one of God's special people. A true blessing to me and others who were fortunate enough to have met him.
Date of Bill's Memorial Service Announced
The Memorial Service for Bill Spurlock will be at Bethany on Saturday, August 1, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. Come help us celebrate the life of this extraordinary man.