Listening to What God Has to Say

It never crossed my mind that I would be able to write about Vince Lombardi in the Hayes Barton Baptist Church 85^th Anniversary Blog, but here I am doing just that.  You see, the person in today’s story actually saw Vince Lombardi in person!  It took a little research on my part as well as a follow-up post-interview question to ferret out this information but, lo and behold, he actually did see the legendary football coach of the Green Bay Packers in person while he played for a short time in the National Football League.  This little detail isn’t really a big part of his story, but I’m discovering that writing this blog is generating blessings, and this is one of them! The person, of course, is Bobby Hall, husband of Kate about whom there also is a story posted.

Just as his wife Kate has a certainty about herself, Bobby Hall has a certainty, a confidence about who he is and what he believes.  He, like Kate, points to the Bible for guidance.  For Bobby, the verse is Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (NIV).  He shares that it “offers a good way to live.”

And Bobby lives this good way.  As mentioned in the story about his wife Kate, Bobby and Kate are a couple that is perfectly matched to each other and perfectly matched to teach young couples at Hayes Barton Baptist Church.  They have been teaching the Genesis Class since 1999, and, even though Kate was an educator by profession, Bobby is the one who takes the lead with the class.  “I have never considered myself a teacher,” says Bobby.  “I’m a facilitator.”  Kate adds, “When Bobby shares from his own personal experience, he is able to translate from what he knows to what the class members likely are experiencing.”

Bobby and Kate joined Hayes Barton Baptist Church in 1980 when they moved to Raleigh from Greenville.  “Our sons liked it and felt comfortable and so did we,” shares Bobby.  Even though they both were used to smaller churches given where they grew up, Bobby says they got and continue to get that same small town feeling at Hayes Barton Baptist Church.

Sunday School and other church activities are what allow that feeling to happen.  For Bobby, those activities have included coaching boys basketball which he did for a number of years, including a year which ended in a state championship back in the day when such championships existed. 

Bobby’s sharing about basketball led to a question about the sports he played which led to finding out that Bobby played football at North Carolina State University on the team that won State’s first bowl victory.  “The white shoes team?” I asked.  “You know about that?”  Bobby responded.  That’s how the football angle evolved and led to my internet research which led to finding out Bobby had been drafted by the Buffalo Bills.  Mind you, he didn’t tell me that.  I had to find it out by asking about the draft and then asking about whether he had played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.  While he didn’t do that, he did play an exhibition game against the Washington Redskins when Vince Lombardi was that team’s coach near the end of his career.   “He was standing right there on the field when we came out of the locker room,” says Bobby.  Oh my, hearing Bobby describe it made me feel like I had seen Lombardi myself in person!

And while Bobby’s NFL career didn’t last beyond the exhibition games, Bobby continues to be a team player through his involvement in various church efforts.  Currently he is chairman of the Mission Evangelism Council and oversees the Ledford Fund.  “The dual responsibilities have been great,” says Bobby, “it is exciting and encouraging to see the number of people getting involved in missions.” 

Like Kate, Bobby sees missions as providing opportunities for “people to respond to needs.  The Support Circle which is working intensively with one family is an example of this,” says Bobby.  “In this situation, two Sunday School classes, Danielson and Genesis, are jumping in to help this family.” 

Bobby and Kate see the hope of Hayes Barton Baptist Church in the young couples in the Genesis Class.  “I teach them, and Kate loves them,” says Bobby.  “We work together to give them what we can.” 

The heritage of Hayes Barton Baptist Church is in its people and “the willingness of the people to come from wherever they are, come to consensus, and join together,” shares Bobby.  “I love the fact that we have the wisdom of many years and the new ideas of young people operating in this church.”

As far as Hayes Barton Baptist being a home for them, Bobby says, “This is home for us.  It is a big part of who we are; part of our identity.”

With Kate, Bobby has found that Hayes Barton Baptist Church enables them to live “a good way.”  “I try to always have one ear open to what God has to say,” says Bobby.  What a good way to live.  Listening to what God has to say and living in a way that follows what God is saying.  Bobby Hall offers us an example of someone who does that.  And he saw Vince Lombardi in person!  You can’t beat that!