This past Sunday I had the privilege to present the first Bonner H. Jones and Wilma D. Jones Leadership Scholarship at my home church in Richlands NC. Here is the text of my remarks regarding this occasion.
Good morning my name is Bob Dixon. I am the son of Bonner H. Jones and Wilma D. Jones, who were long time members of this church. They together represent over 110 years of membership and service here and served in every position in this congregation except pastor. Many people in this congregation knew my father, but not my mother who passed on 28 years ago. However she was as my father once noted the person who changed him from being a believing Christian to a practicing Christian. My wife Judy has had the same effect on my life as well.
I was raised in this church and was a member myself participating in everything from Sunbeams to a vibrant youth choir lead by the late Ms. Anne Smith before moving on to better opportunities and dreams of youth.
A couple of you tease me each time I return to worship with you that I have gone "city" on you. Well I am here to tell you they are wrong. I am still a Richlands boy and proud to tell others so. I still pull for the Wildcats. Proving my Richlands pedigree I personally have circled the Toot and Tell It. I have eaten a "Punch Burger" and drank a "Mixed drink" there. Non alcoholic for those who do not know what a mixed drink was at the Toot and Tell It. By the way I was never taken home by Deputy Harvey Whaley. ....and yes Jerome, as he is asking right now, it was counter clockwise. For those unaware that was the proper direction to circle the Toot and Tell It.
"Pass it on" is a phrase I heard regularly from my father from November 1, 1970 until his death 37 years later. I expect others at his church have heard it more than a couple of times as well from him. Honestly I remember in the last conversation we had on the phone two days prior to his passing that he had a heartfelt "moment" that day and he was going to "pass it on" at church that Wednesday night.. I understand from people who attended Wednesday night services at his church that night, First Baptist Church of Richlands NC, that he did indeed have a "moment" and let the church know in a speech that night it was way past time to move on building a Family Life Center they had been putting off for some time.
Believe it not all this "pass it on" got started in a "moment" of my own when the youth choir at this church presented a musical, not just a regular ole Christian musical, but a folk rock musical to the congregation of the church Sunday night November 1. 1970 at the old church building in downtown Richlands. Now trust me a FOLK-ROCK musical was serious business back in those days. Especially being presented at what had been a Missionary Baptist Church. The name of the musical "Tell It Like It Is" pretty well sums it up in that we the youth of the church were going to tell our elders of the church just how things really were. Rock music, slang talk, and serious in your face stuff were part of the deal. So that Sunday night Nov. 1, 1970 we the Baptist church youth choir in front of a standing room only congregation let them have it.
Well to the shock of us youth many in the congregation actually liked our approach and thought just maybe we were on to something. Believe me to us young folk this was not what we were expecting, after all this stuff we were doing was serious rebellion so to speak. But except for a few who will remain nameless and have passed on now, most were appreciate and downright enjoyed our presentation. The last song in the musical was entitled "Pass It On" and my father, God bless his soul, never let me forget that phrase.
The song is about good Christians "passing it on" to others. The opening verse goes, "it only takes a spark to get a fire going and soon all those around can warm up in it's glowing, that is how it is with God's love once you experienced it you want to pass it on". My father considered that wording right smart so to speak and said that is exactly what we as Christians should have been doing all along. Sorta the Great Commission summed up nicely in an easy to remember word bite it you were using today's approach.
So for 37 years whenever he had a thought about what needed to be done in the church or how we should display good leadership or citizenship he would say we should just remember we are to "pass it on". Either to the next person or next generation as anything we have is not ours, but to be used for God's glory and the future building of Christian character. For the first couple of decades I frankly cringed when I knew he was going to say it., because it was like dishing back at me what I thought was being dished towards him to begin with. However the last couple of decades of his life I began to appreciate the use and realized not only what he was saying, but that maybe I needed to heed my own words as well. Once you are past 35 years old it seems your father gets smarter doesn't it?
During those 37 years a new church education building was completed , a new sanctuary was built , and young people Christian trained and sent out into the world with hopefully enough worship in their soul that they would grow and "pass it on". I suppose he and his generation did indeed get some things done with passing it on. Of course it now all that comes down to me as he is gone and it is my job to "pass it on".
As two blessed Christians and remembering the Great Commission for us it is my wife Judy's and my pleasure today to fund the first Bonner H. Jones and Wilma D. Jones Scholarships at the First Baptist Church of Richlands NC. There scholarships now endowed forever will provide funding for Christian young people from the home church to go "tell it like it is" on their own now. My father and mother will be remembered for the Christian based life they lived and so richly gave to me. I suppose we can now say we have begun to "Pass it On". "Mr. Bonner Hugh" as the church knew him we believe would be pleased and proud.
As a final note my father so very much wanted to be a part of the current "Under Construction" building project planning that the church is doing vision awareness on in today's service. The Family Life Center that this project encompasses was a dream of his and as I told him before he passed on that "as long as I am alive you will be too". My wife and I will be participating in some form financially as he wanted and in remembrance of him to help towards the church's goals.
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