ATLANTA – More than 1,600 Baptists added their names to a letter hand delivered to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship founding coordinator Cecil Sherman last week, while he recuperates from leukemia treatments at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
Sent from CBF moderator and Zebulon (N.C.) Baptist Church pastor Jack Glasgow, the letter read as follows:
Dear Cecil:
In recent days, we have learned of the death of your beloved wife Dot and of your own intense battle with Leukemia. You have continued to be our teacher in living with Christ-like love and compassion as you have cared for Dot with such tenderness and devotion. We offer you our deepest sympathy in this time of grief and loss. Though we cannot imagine how difficult these last several weeks have been for you and your family, we do want you to know that fellow believers from all over your Baptist family are standing with you and praying for you.
Words are inadequate to express the depth of our love for you or the extent of our gratitude for the visionary, energetic and sacrificial leadership you have offered to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. For us, you are a compelling example of Christian devotion and pastoral excellence. You have loved us enough to lead us in the best of times and the most difficult of seasons, and surely we have not always been an easy people to lead. Your legacy as our first coordinator will forever be an important part of the telling of our story. You have been steadfast in your integrity, constant in your commitment to the truth, and you have shown a persistence in your love for the church and your life-wish for our movement that can only be rooted in a devout faith and a sure and certain hope in the resurrection of Christ.
Even in your retirement you have carried out a significant ministry on behalf of the church and the movement you love. Your Sunday School lessons have nourished the life and faith of the churches, your seminary teaching is forming a new and excellent generation of Baptist ministers, your preaching has been a source of renewal to congregations in times of transition, and your recent book has provided a lasting witness to pastors and denominational leaders on what it means to live a life worthy of the Gospel.
You have stood with us through the years and led us, even when doing so was supremely difficult. Now, in these supremely difficult days for you, by our signatures we affirm our love for you. We promise that we will pray for you and your family, and we will ask our churches to do the same. And we pray that the Holy Spirit will rest upon you and dwell within you, giving you power, strength and courage for the facing of this hour and the living of these days.
In Christ,
L. Jack Glasgow
Moderator
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Sherman, 80, was diagnosed with acute leukemia in late July, and his wife of 54 years, Dorothy “Dot” Hair Sherman, passed away following a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s on Aug. 1. Memorial services will be at a future date to be determined by the family. Two memorial services will be planned, one for River Road Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., and one at First Baptist Church, Asheville, N.C. Dr. Bill Sherman, Cecil’s brother, will officiate both services.
In a recent e-mail to friends and family, Sherman’s daughter, Eugenia “Genie” Sherman Brown expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support she and her father have received. Smyth and Helwys Publishing, a CBF partner and the publisher of Sherman’s latest book “By My Own Reckoning,” has established a Web site at www.cecilsherman.com/news.html where loved ones can get updates on his condition.
Those wishing to send personal notes should address them to Cecil Sherman, Brompton Court, Apt. 673, 7510 Brompton, Houston, TX 77025. Those who are Internet active can utilize Facebook to join the “Support Cecil Sherman Group” and express their love and concern.
CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.