Meredith Flynn
The last time I saw Thurman Stewart was at the IBSA Annual Meeting last fall. He and his wife, Carol, were there as part of the contingent of volunteers who serve every year, dressed in their yellow Disaster Relief garb caring for the children of Illinois Baptists who come to the meeting. Thurman died Dec. 18, leaving behind a legacy of service that far transcends the decade I knew him.
Several years ago, I wrote an Illinois Baptist column about the Stewarts asking “who’s going to fill their shoes?” The point was that they and others like them have long filled behind-the-scenes roles that serve as the backbone to more public ministry. The Stewarts helped establish Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief years ago and spearheaded its childcare arm during disasters here and in other states. Their ministry often found them caring for kids while their parents filled out paperwork and started picking up the pieces after a storm.
That Thurman’s volunteer ministry lasted decades is especially unusual in our increasingly transient times. If you follow college football, you saw references recently to the “transfer portal.” This process by which players move from school to school has gotten easier in the last few years because they no longer have to sit out a year before suiting up for a new team.
Some commentators have said, though, that the ease of the transfer portal gives players too easy an out when things are difficult. Others think it will result in a system of free agency usually reserved for professional athletes. People differ on whether more financial empowerment for college players is a positive or negative, but no matter what side you’re on, it’s not a stretch to say that a free agent system lessens emphasis on the team as a whole. And the ability to move with ease from program to program lowers the chance of establishing anything lasting.
Not so for Thurman Stewart. He was a team player who stayed with his position.
Thurman often took time to report on the activity of Disaster Relief volunteers. He noted the longevity of the ministry in Illinois, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. He and others like him understood the value of sticking to a higher purpose, even as the culture shifts and modifications to ministry are needed.
For our children, it’s very good example. For us in middle age, it’s an encouraging precedent. For all of us, it’s a legacy worth celebrating.
Meredith Day Flynn is a wife and mother of two living in Springfield. She writes on the intersection of faith, family, and current culture.