Leadership Thought: It's Not About the Money but the Ministry-Tribute to Bill Roberts.

Dear Friends

It is nice to be missed. I had several e-mails wondering why no "Leadership Thoughts" the last few days. Jean and I had planned to take a week off during Memorial Day weekend to head up to our  cottage on Lake Ontario, a few miles from Watertown, N.Y. where we both grew up. When we arrived, we had to wait for our internet service to be installed, and just as that  happened, we received news of the passing of a dear friend in the church, whose obituary I have included below.

As you know before I left, I had shared some thoughts about stewardship, and specifically as it relates to our giving. I had planned to finish up my final thoughts on how I believe a Christian should decide what to give, but I will save that for tomorrow.

I will add, however, that my reason for presenting some thoughts on stewardship was not motivated as one of my friends commented, I hope facetiously. He wrote, “Tom, your church much be hurting for you to be speaking about money the way you have.”

I laughed as I thought about his comment. No, my friend, that was not the case. However, for those who might be interested I asked our church treasurer to send me some statistics on our church's  giving, for I know that the pandemic has impacted most churches financially. I am happy to report that our people have stepped up their giving. To this day I have intentionally avoided knowing what any of our members give. However,  I am interested in the average weekly amount of each of our givers, and I was pleased to discover that for the month of May the average weekly gift was $ 261.00 which added up to a total of almost   $60,000 for the month of May. As a result, we are not far off from achieving our annual budget for the year. I am proud of how so many of our members have stepped up their giving to help make up for some of those who have been economically impacted by this virus. More about this tomorrow.owever,

But today I wanted to share why I am so proud of our church. Following the graveside burial service which  Pastor Nick and Pastor Jared  and I led,  we were met by a police escort that took led us back to the church and to the home of Dottie Roberts whose husband we had just buried. Along the  mile between the church and the Robert’s home, the sidewalk was lined with throngs of people, young and old, who wanted to share in the service but who were unable to do so because of  burial restrictions which required only family members to attend. They waved and hoisted signs of love and appreciation for Bill, and what an incredible encouragement that was to the grieving family

It has been said that “the only thing that walks back with the mourners from the grave site and refuses to be buried in the character of a man.” Bill Roberts left the footprints of his character everywhere he stepped. Because of this, I wanted my Leadership Thought today to simply be a tribute to a man that I and so many others came to know and love.

How will our obituary read? What will people write and say about us at our funeral.” Hopefully it won’t be about our money, but our ministry!   In the end, life is not about what we have gained but what we have given, not  what we have saved but what we have sacrificed, not what we have won but what we have done. My friend Bill Roberts learned this lesson well.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom                    

                                      Please read part of Bill’s obituary below. 

William J. Roberts, a lifelong resident of New Monmouth, passed away on May 21, 2020 at the age of 88. He was born on his family’s farm to the late Thomas S. and Helen (Conover) Roberts. Bill graduated from Leonardo High School in 1949 and earned his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Agricultural Engineering at Rutgers University. Having completed ROTC, he served his country from September 1953 to July 1955 serving in the Far East Command in Japan as a First Lieutenant. He then taught at Cook College, Rutgers University, where he achieved Professor II status, served as a Department Chairman for 23 years, and worked as a Professional Engineer and extension specialist in bioresource engineering. Bill retired from Rutgers in 1999 after a distinguished 41- year career. His work and passion have left an indelible imprint across the globe in the form of the air-inflated, double-layer polyethylene greenhouse, an innovation that revolutionized the greenhouse industry. When asked about this project, Bill would modestly say, “everyone has a good idea once in a while.” The site of the original greenhouse at Rutgers was designated a national agricultural (ASABE) historic landmark in 2004. As a Professor Emeritus at Rutgers, he received the Distinguished Service in Agriculture Award from the New Jersey Farm Bureau, the Agribusiness Heritage Award and the Gold Medallion Award from the New Jersey Agricultural Society. He was named a Fellow for his national professional association, the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. These are only a few of the awards for his outstanding contributions to New Jersey and global agriculture.

Throughout his life, Bill was an active member of New Monmouth Baptist Church and proud to be the great-great-grandson of its founding pastor. His devotion to his Lord and Savior was evident to all who knew him. For over 65 years, he served the church in various roles. Along with his wife, Dottie, he was a youth leader for twenty years and led a Wednesday night Bible study for over forty years until his death. Over the years, they also led mission trips to Appalachia and Ecuador and were active members of the church choir. He taught a Sunday School class beginning while in Japan and continuing until the present as well. He was a deacon for over fifty years, exemplifying servant leadership and mentoring younger church leaders who now serve throughout the world. He will also be remembered specifically for his hugs, jokes, and stories. Bill also served as the faculty advisor for Campus Crusade at Rutgers and on multiple mission boards, including Farms International and Chapin Living Waters. His love, faithfulness, and hospitality impacted countless lives as he strove to follow Christ. The resurrection of Christ was the foundation of all Bill did and the source of hope for his future.