The Rev. Bill Hartsfield is celebrating his 30th year as pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Covington.
Hartsfield will be recognized Sunday during the 11 a.m. worship service. A luncheon will follow the service.
During his time at the church, Hartsfield has been instrumental in developing or growing several outreach programs. He has also had a hand in increasing church membership and attendance since he arrived in 1991.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, he has been working to rebuild attendance and programming.
He has focused on keeping church activities going while practicing safe worship and maintaining social distance in accordance with Virginia Department of Health and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
Six weeks after the church closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he began holding worship he called “payer rallies” in the parking lot using church sound equipment.
It was common to see Hartsfield wearing a mask and visiting each car. While asking people in the vehicles about their needs and prayer requests, he maintained six feet of social distance.
That ministry increased after the church purchased a higher quality sound system and a transmitter for broadcasting on FM radio. The improvements allowed persons in attendance to hear better while keeping them more comfortable during cold weather. The Men of Mission constructed an outdoor podium to enhance viewing.
In addition, Hartsfield began delivering sermons from his home office, with his wife, Honor, handling camera duties.
The church reopened for in-person worship in June 2020, and Hartsfield, in consultation with the deacons, decided to rope off every other pew and remove hymnbooks from the racks. It was also decided to continue holding the outdoor morning prayer rally and broadcast sermons via social media. This decision was made to accommodate parishioners who were still not comfortable attending traditional worship. Sunday school classes for adults were held in the sanctuary.
The church fully reopened this May. Efforts to are continuing to reach worshipers both in-person and online.
Hartsfield is also passionate about missions. He encourages members of Temple Baptist to take mission trips. The church donates a minimum of 20 percent of its undesignated funds to Virginia Baptist General Association’s Cooperative Program.
For 17 years, members of the church have participated in the annual Mission Week, spearheaded by local Presbyterian churches. Temple Baptist members have also participated in mission trips to Romania, Panama, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Richmond, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and Roanoke.
During Hartsfield’s tenure, church members have carried out ministry by delivering food for patients at the Cancer Center at Lewis-Gale Hospital-Alleghany, visited local nursing homes and provided HelpLink emergency contact technology for people who are shut-ins or live alone.
Temple Baptist has also assisted with community projects and faith-based projects, including Men of Mission, the God’s Covering Snack Pack Program, Dolly Ann Apartments, SafeHomes, Christians Overcoming Problems with the Economy (COPE) and The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Program.
Hartsfield also conducts Bible studies at the Alleghany Regional Jail and Dolly Ann Apartments. He serves as a chaplain at LewisGale-Alleghany and records messages for broadcast on local radio through the Western Alleghnay Ministerial Association. He serves on the Local Advisory Board at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, and volunteers at Alleghany High School. He was a former trustee the Alleghany Highlands Free Clinic and Bluefield College.
Temple Baptist Church has undergone some major and minor renovations and improvements under Hartsfield’s leadership. The largest project took place in 1998 when the education building was added. The mortgage on the $305,000 addition was fully paid within four years.
Other additions and renovations include a children’s playground in 2000, a foyer dedicated to women of the church in 2002, kitchen renovation in 2003, and the installation of an LCD projector and screens in 2012. Stained glass windows replaced old casement windows in 2011. The stained glass windows were donated in the memory of 10 deceased members.
Hartsfield, who hails from West Virginia, attended West Virginia University and graduated from Liberty Baptist College (Liberty University) in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in pastoral studies and counseling. He received a master’s degree in religious education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1985. Before coming to Temple Baptist, he served as pastor of East End Baptist Church in Roanoke County from 1986 to 1991.
He has his wife, Honor, who is a special education teacher at Alleghany High School, have two sons and five grandchildren. Taylor and his wife, Davina, live in Naples, Fla., with their children Reagan, Dominic, and Rocco. Aaron and his wife, Lindsey, reside in Roanoke with their children Luna and Statler.
The Rev. Hartsfield’s mother, Betty Jo Caliguire, is a resident of the Highlands.
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