Apparently, ministry in the church – and especially church planting – runs in my family.
Norman Ponder at the grave of his great-grandfather, Samuel Gibson.I had known that my great-grandfather, Samuel Gibson, was a preacher, but I didn’t realize the full scale of his ministry until fairly recently. And it took some research to discover it.
I first learned of my great-grandfather’s work in the ministry when my parents gave me a copy of the Gibson family tree about 25 years ago. I learned even more about my great-grandfather’s ministry in 1997 when I was invited to speak at a Home Mission emphasis at First Baptist Church in Woodruff. The pastor gave me a copy of the church history and I discovered that my great-grandfather had been pastor of that congregation.
Not until I read the history of Woodruff First Baptist Church did I make the connection between my great-grandfather’s church planting and my own ministry in that field of service.
My great-grandfather, who was born in Woolwich, England, in 1779, came to Charleston in 1817. He was appointed a domestic missionary and agent by the South Carolina Baptist Convention in 1825.
In fact, he had been the first hired employee of the convention when it began in 1821. His job was to travel around the state, preaching and raising funds for the Furman Academy and Theological Institution, which, of course, later became Furman University. He was a strong advocate of Christian education.
My great-grandfather was a good family man and worker. Historian John Logan wrote that he also was a “great revivalist.”
Samuel Gibson helped organize First Baptist Church in Greenville in 1831 and was its pastor until 1835. He then was interim pastor at First Baptist Church, Woodruff, from 1837-38. From 1837-57, he was pastor of Milford Baptist Church in Greer. While there, he served as moderator for the organizational meeting of First Baptist Church, Spartanburg.
My great-grandfather died in 1857 and was buried in the Milford Baptist Church cemetery.
I accepted my call into the ministry at the age of 20, while I was serving in the Navy. I later attended Anderson College and graduated from Delaware State College and Southern Baptist Seminary. For 25 years, I served as pastor of churches in Delaware, Indiana, Maryland and South Carolina. In 1989, I was asked to join the South Carolina Baptist Convention staff as a church-starting strategist for the Upstate.
Before leaving that position in 2000, I helped start approximately 50 churches. I am now retired and operate my own furniture repair business. But I remain grateful for the heritage of ministry – and particularly church planting – that runs in my family.