Saturday, January 17, 1998

Six women appointed to serve as deacons at First Baptist Church

By LORETTA FULTON / Abilene Reporter-News

Knocking down barriers is nothing new to Dr. Virginia Boyd Connally.

But when the barrier is erected at your own church, trying to knock it down could be something like running headlong into a brick wall.

However, Connally didn't find that to be the case. Nor did the other six women who, with Connally, are the first to serve as deacons at First Baptist Church, the only Baptist church in town with women ordained to that position of service.

"I haven't seen a crack in the walls yet," the 85-year-old Connally said of First Baptist, the church she started attending when she was a student at Hardin-Simmons University during the Depression.

After graduating from medical school in New Orleans, Connally returned to Abilene to open an eye, ear, nose and throat practice.

"I was the first woman doctor in Abilene," she said.

While impressive, that achievement could have been easier to attain than her election as a deacon at First Baptist if it hadn't been for the pastor, Dr. Phil Christopher.

Christopher noted that women have served as deacons in Texas for years, but not in Abilene.

"It's unusual for West Texas, but not for Texas Baptists," he said.

he first five women were elected by the congregation in November 1996 and two more, Virginia Nollner and Louise Lockhart, were elected this past November.

Joining Connally in that inaugural class were Charlotte Bridges, Linda Carleton, Sue Carter and Maewyn Herring.

Herring, who is 69, grew up in First Baptist Church.

"I was on the cradle row," she said.

After a lifetime at First Baptist, did she think she would live to see the day that women, herself among them, would be elected deacons at the church?

"No, I really didn't," she said.

The election came about only after a careful study was made and information presented to the congregation. Although there is still some opposition to women filling the traditionally male role, the transition was made mostly without fanfare, Christopher said.

"We haven't tried to make a big deal of it," he said. "We just wanted to elect the 30 most qualified people."

For the past two elections, women have been among those most qualified people.

But they weren't the only ones breaking barriers at First Baptist. The church also has ordained a woman minister, Linda Blagg, who serves as a chaplain at Hendrick Medical Center.

Blagg noted that Baptist churches "do not encourage" ordination, which was required for her to serve as a chaplain. But the members of First Baptist voted unanimously to break with tradition and ordain her as a minister of the church.

None of the women deacons interviewed talked of being trendsetters, but rather of being honored and humbled by their election. Two of the seven, Linda Carleton and Sue Carter, were not available for comment.

Connally said when she received a letter telling her she had been nominated, "it about took my breath away. It's an awesome responsibility."

Others expressed the same sentiment.

"I just prayed about it," said Virginia Nollner, who will be installed along with Lockhart on Feb. 1. "I said, ÔDear Lord, if I'm elected I'll do my best.'<n>"

Nollner learned firsthand the importance of deacons when her husband, who served as chairman of the deacons, died.

"They ministered so much to me," she said, and now she wants to do the same for others.

Nollner added that her late husband would have been in favor of the ordination of women to the diaconate.

Louise Lockhart, whose husband just completed three years of service as a deacon, said she, too, was very humbled by her election.

Lockhart's father was a Baptist minister, and although he had an open attitude, Lockhart has no doubt what his reaction would be to her election.

"My father is probably turning over in his grave," she joked. "I just think it would have been a shocker for him."

Despite that, Lockhart believes her father would be proud of the work she plans to do.

"It's a matter of being available to serve your Lord and your church in a deeper way," she said.

As a veteran of foreign missions, Charlotte Bridges is used to seeing women in the same roles as men. She and her husband, Hardin-Simmons University professor Julian Bridges, worked with students in Mexico City from 1962-72. She also has a sister who was a deacon in Virginia.

Even though women deacons may be common in other places, Bridges understands that this is a more conservative area and she believes the preparation at First Baptist is what made the elections possible.

"I think that was one reason we were able to do this," she said of the educational process.

Bridges was complimentary of the men she works with and their acceptance of the women deacons.

"It's a wonderful body and I've learned a lot from them," she said.

ll the women said they are excited about their new opportunities to serve.

"There's just a lot of work that needs to be done in Christ's name," said Maewyn Herring.

Dr. Virginia Boyd Connally is thrilled with yet another opportunity for spiritual growth.

"I've had some wonderful opportunities all over the world," including three medical missions to Venezuela, Connally said. But serving in your own backyard may be even more special, and Connally as well as the other women are grateful for the opportunity.

The women are smart enough to learn from the experience of others, particularly the ones whose husbands have been deacons, too.

After watching her husband perform a myriad of duties as a deacon, Louise Lockhart knows one thing for sure: "I'm not going to sign up for driving a van!"