Bill Butler was born and raised in Sumter, served in the Army and raised two children with his wife Louise. He went to church as a child, but did not attend for most of his adult life. Louise has been a faithful member of Bethel Church, Sumter, and prayed for years that Bill would make a profession of faith, be baptized and join her in worship on Sunday mornings. Louise’s prayers were answered this spring when Bill prayed to receive Christ and was baptized on June 6.
Moments after his baptism, 91-year-old Bill Butler celebrates the moment with his wife Louise.Bill Butler is 91 years old.
In the past year that pastor Steve Hendricks has been at Bethel Church, he made several visits to the Butlers’ house. “Mr. Bill was quick to tell me that Louise could continue going to church, but he didn’t need ‘our Jesus.’?” Hendricks said. Bill ended up being more receptive to his friend of 20 years, J.B. Timmons, also the church’s senior adult director.
Timmons had shared the gospel with Bill, who is homebound, for several years during visits with him. “I never pushed him, just kept visiting and praying with him. Finally I told him ‘I want to see you in heaven, and you aren’t going to heaven the way you are,’?” Timmons recalled. “Then one day I asked if he was ready, and he said yes.”
“I can tell you that this man is different now, the Lord has changed him,” Hendricks said.
Bill Butler was in church on Sunday, March 28. Using his walker, he made his way forward during the invitation time to join the church and be baptized. Hendricks said church members were “overjoyed – there was not a dry eye that day.”
“I cannot express what it meant to see him join the church. He seems more satisfied with himself and is trying to change,” Louise Butler said of her husband of 68 years. Hendricks added, “Louise has had a husband for a lifetime, and now they will be together with the Lord for eternity. You can’t put a price tag on that.”
Baptizing Bill proved to be more complicated. A narrow flight of stairs leads up to the church baptistery, then nine more steps lead down into the water. So plans were made to baptize Bill in a deacon’s swimming pool, an idea Bill embraced saying, “Whatever it takes.”
Timmons could not be happier about Bill’s decision to become a Christian. “I want to cry about it, I am so glad. I told him to save me a place if he got there before I did.”
For his part, Bill said he knows that life will only get sweeter because of his decision. “I lived a straight life, but I never did any good either.” According to Hendricks, plenty of good is already happening at Bethel Church because of Bill – an adult and two children have since made professions of faith.
“This story is a perfect example to pray ahead of time, expect the gospel message to do what it’s going to do, then sit back and watch the results of the Holy Spirit. We are responsible to tell the story and leave results up to him,” Hendricks said.