Rev. William Harold Goodwin's Obituary
REV. WILLIAM “HAROLD” GOODWIN was born on September 25, 1927 in Memphis, and he peacefully departed this life to be received by his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Christmas morning, December 25, 2018.Harold was born to William Lawson Goodwin and Norma Louise (Holmes) Goodwin, Christian parents who led him to a profession of faith in Jesus Christ an early age. From infancy, he was a lifelong active member of Decatur Street Christian Church. After marrying his Humes High School sweetheart, Dorothy “Dot” Pearson, on his 19th birthday, they began serving the Lord faithfully together as lay leaders within and through that church family. Harold served in varied capacities, including in the youth group, as assistant leader of Boy Scout Troop 27, as a young adult Sunday School teacher, in Christian Mens Fellowship, as a deacon and then elder.Serving the Lord helped Harold discover and enhance gifts God had given him. In addition to loving the Lord, he loved God’s people. He was warm, caring and personable in nature, and communicated well in a down-to-earth way with people of all ages and stations in life. Harold also had a hunger to learn new skills and further develop his abilities. When he was not playing baseball or football, or practicing drills with ROTC at Humes, Harold was rarely without a book in his hand. Even though he had been a talented artist from a young age, he attended art classes at Memphis Academy of Arts after his school day at Humes.His soon to be father-in-law began teaching Harold to use his artistic skill as a sign painter. (You can still some of his sign work, especially old Coca~Cola signs, around the Mid-South. At the age of 73, when AutoZone Park was being built, the architects called the Coke plant to find a person who could paint an antique sign on the outer brick wall of the park that faces Union Ave. They contacted Harold, and at the age of 73, he climbed ladders and stood on a walk board 40 feet off the sidewalk to paint the little “sprite boy” with the bottle cap hat, holding a bottle of Coke.) Sign painting became Harold’s full-time career right out of high school and remained full-time until 1957 when he answered God’s call to ministry at the age of 30 years old.Because he did not yet have the formal education required to be ordained, Harold began attending Memphis State University while also serving four years as a licensed minister for Pleasants Christian Church in Rossville, TN, followed by three years at Bethany Christian Church in Eads, TN.While pastor of Pleasants and Bethany churches, and attending MSU, Harold also continued work as a commercial artist in order to pay for his college courses and better support his growing family. During the next 11 years as a part-time student, Harold obtained a bachelor’s degree in education and a Master’s degree in counseling from Memphis State University, followed by a Master of Divinity at Memphis Theological Seminary.He returned to his home church, Decatur Street, as an ordained pastor to serve alongside his mentor in ministry, Dr. T.O. Slaughter. A few years later, Dr. Slaughter retired as the church moved from its North Memphis location to their newly built facility in Bartlett, and the name changed to Decatur Trinity Christian Church. Harold served as senior pastor with his home church family until he retired (the first time) after 24 years of service and three building campaigns to provide adequate facilities for the congregation that had continued growing each year.Harold had also been a part of the programs and leadership at camps and conferences held at the Disciples of Christ (DOC) of Tennessee church camp, Bethany Hills Camp in Kingston Springs, TN. Through participation as counselor, keynote speaker, director or other positions of service at camps for all ages, Harold’s ministry, artistic abilities and leadership skills were effectively used by the Holy Spirit to draw lives to Christ, either for the first time or into a deeper relationship with Him. Because it has been an integral part of Christian development for so many youth and adults over the years, Harold also served as chairman of financial campaigns to expand and maintain facilities at Bethany Hills. Harold and Dot actively served and participated in the lives of those attending camps there for 40 years.When Harold retired from Decatur Trinity in 1990, he and Dot traveled around the country during the year, and for a month in Europe, sharing their expertise in how to begin and grow small group ministries within the DOC churches. He then served as interim pastor for a year with First Christian Church in Paris, TN before being called as an associate pastor to begin Stephen Ministry and other small group ministries with Lindenwood Christian Church. Harold and Dot served in that capacity for 18 years before retiring again in 2012.During his later years as pastor of Decatur Trinity … through the years following their first retirement in 1990 … and during their years serving at Lindenwood, Harold and Dot were also called to use the ministry and pastoral gifts, as well as other talents that God had increased within them, to help establish and lead a new ecumenical ministry in Memphis, called Walk to Emmaus. It provides a fresh and dynamic experience to draw closer to Christ over a 72-hour weekend, away from interruptions of everyday life, where those attending from varied denominations learn more about the depths of God grace toward us, how to grow as a disciple and help others become disciples, and how we can better be the hands and feet of Christ in this world. Participants in these Walks return to their home churches reenergized and empowered to more effectively share the love of Jesus and the Gospel in their churches, families and communities.Before retiring in January 2013 after serving 30 years in the position of the Spiritual Director for the Memphis Emmaus Community, the Lord had enabled Harold and Dot, and other volunteer leaders each Walk, to deeply touch and inspire the lives of tens of thousands to be stronger leaders in the Body of Christ, including folks in other Emmaus Communities that Memphis Emmaus helped train and establish, such as Jackson, TN and Hot Springs, Arkansas .. as well as internationally in Australia and England.Dot went to her heavenly home in March of 2013, and Harold continued to support his church home, Stephen Ministry, Journey to Bethany, Emmaus and other small group ministries in a non-leadership role until he also met Jesus face to face and was reunited with Dot on Christmas morning.Throughout their two years of committed dating in high school and sixty-seven years of marriage, Harold and Dot had seen God guiding them and providing all they needed to use their gifts and abilities to lead others and further grow in relationship with the Lord who created them to be a powerful team in loving and serving others through their marriage, their family and ministries. They were humble in heart for all God had done in their lives, and they have given Him all the glory for what He accomplished through them.Harold and Dot are the dearly beloved parents of three children, to whom they showed God’s unconditional love and grace, friendship and guidance: Lynda (Jerry) Duncan of Nashville, TN, who preceded Harold in death in 2017; Cyndy Benton, Memphis, TN; and Bill (Louise) Goodwin of Atoka, TN. Harold and Dot were also blessed to have eight grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren who loved and enjoyed their “PaPa and Gram”, and they loved and enjoyed each child immensely.The Memorial and Celebration of Life Service for Rev. W. Harold Goodwin will be held on Saturday, January 5th, 2018, at Lindenwood Christian Church in the sanctuary, immediately following visitation time from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in the parlor and chapel area of the church.In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be donated to either of these ministries that were dear to Harold’s heart. Please specify that your check is a donation “In Memory of Rev. Harold Goodwin.” * Memphis Emmaus CommunityPO Box 240414Memphis, TN 38124 * Bethany Hills Camp1080 Bethany Hills RdKingston Springs, TN 37082 Arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral at Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave., Memphis TN 38119. (901) 767-8930. “Celebrating Life….Behind the Stone Wall.”
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