Ward Sullivan, perhaps our longest standing supporter, left this life on Friday, April 27, 2001. When we moved to South Bend, Indiana, in August, 1959, it was Ward who visited us and encouraged us to get active in the work of the Church. When we gave our first Does God Exist? talk in a class at the Donmoyer Avenue Church in 1968, it was Ward who encouraged us to develop the material into a course and teach it.
Ward was not a wealthy man, but when we needed $1,000 to print material to start our outreach, Ward loaned it to us. When we made our first 16 mm films, it was Ward who loaned us money to get them made--on my word alone that I would repay it. Ward encouraged his wife Ruth to work with us doing our printing for many years. He was always interested, always encouraging, and always positive about our work.
Ward Sullivan was an elder of the Donmoyer Avenue Church for over 40 years. When our work was attacked by Satan from without and within, it was Ward who called me to make sure I was handling it O.K., and on one occasion disciplined me when I responded in an immature way.
Ward was a tremendous example, a constant power for good, a generous
and compassionate man who radiated what a Christian should be. I visited
with him a week before he died, and we laughed and shared all the things
we had done together. He was my spiritual father, and I will miss him terribly.
At 94 years of age, he was ready to go home to the Lord, but his life and
his influence will live on. Our Annex where we do our printing and storage
is named the Ward Sullivan Annex, but his real memorial is in his Christian
children and the hundreds of people who wear the name of Jesus Christ because
of his life and work as a dedicated servant of the Lord
Back to Contents Does God Exist?, JulAug01.