Gardeners Among Us

I don’t think I can write about Elizabeth and Henry Turlington without writing about the NC State Wolfpack.  More often than not, the Wolfpack enters into the conversations we have, regardless of the sports season that is at hand.  That is what happens when people share being die-hard fans for a team.  I think the first time I remember noticing Elizabeth Turlington was in the first “Study Pray Serve” Bible study of Romans; her comments were so insightful.  We were still so new to the church that we didn’t know many people and putting names with faces was challenging, but I made a point of learning Elizabeth’s name. The first memory I have of Henry Turlington was of his red bowtie; I must have seen him on a Sunday after a Wolfpack victory.  See, I’ve already mentioned the Wolfpack.

Henry Turlington met Elizabeth on a blind date in 1964. Henry was a student at North Carolina State University at the time, and Elizabeth, who grew up on White Oak Road right near Hayes Barton Baptist Church, was a student at Peace College.  They dated three years and married in December, 1967, after Henry enlisted in the US Army.  The newlyweds spent their first married days at Fort Lee, Virginia, and Fort Riley, Kansas.

Henry was a quartermaster in the army and went to Vietnam for almost of year of service in 1968.  When Henry went to Vietnam, Elizabeth moved back home to Raleigh.  After Henry’s return, his job with Wachovia kept them on the move for four plus years.  Henry and Elizabeth with eventually two children in tow lived in Charlotte, Salisbury, Winston-Salem, and Kinston.  Henry recalls with a smile that Elizabeth “was a very good wife” through all these moves.

Raleigh came to be home again when Henry left Wachovia and bought a Manpower employment franchise which eventually, with a partner, grew and multiplied.  Hayes Barton Baptist Church became their church home in 1991 as they looked for a church in which “to grow” their faith.

“We found a family of faith here,” says Elizabeth.  “We love the flavor of Hayes Barton. We have been here so long now that we have the gift of seeing our children and their spouses and our four grandchildren here.”

Active in the church in numerous ways, the Turlingtons see Hayes Barton Baptist Church as a church which offers opportunities to serve and to grow.  Henry was chairman of the Diaconate when the church voted to build the Family Life Center and continues leading the Debt Retirement effort with a strong dedication.  “The Family Life Center is a good addition,” says Henry.  “It offers the space for receptions, sports, classrooms, the Preschool.  It is helping Hayes Barton Baptist Church grow.”  Elizabeth is likewise dedicated to Martha Ministry, a lay ministry which offers aid in times of need.  Meals, transportation, household and yard maintenance, errands, and caregiver relief are the kinds of care provided by Martha Ministry. 

“Martha Ministry grew out of my experience in Companions in Christ,” says Elizabeth.  Of her experience, Elizabeth writes:  “Companions made me stop and focus on Jesus – his life, death, and resurrection and how knowing Him has changed my life.  After a year of study, prayer, sharing… I feel I know my relationship with God through His Son Jesus better, know myself as His creation better and am more in tune with God’s will for my life.  I am eager with a joyous heart and attitude to step out in faith and say ‘Here I Am Lord’….It is exciting to grow in the Lord through opportunities He places before us.”

Henry and Elizabeth see both the heritage and hope of Hayes Barton Baptist Church in terms of growth.  “The church grew from its very beginnings, continues to grow, and will grow in the future,” reflects Henry.  “Growth of the church is our future,” adds Elizabeth. And it is about “bringing glory to the Lord and spreading His word in a changing world that needs His word.” 

The church home that Hayes Barton Baptist Church has been for the Turlingtons involves the church’s people and the Holy Spirit.  “The people make this home for us,” says Henry.  “The atmosphere also makes it home.  We are nourished here in the Lord.”  “Home is where the heart is,” says Elizabeth, “and our hearts are here.  This church enabled us to grow our faith and to walk with the Lord which is most important.

A question about favorite Hayes Barton activities brings out the fact that Henry’s birthday is December 24, Christmas Eve.  “Every Christmas Eve, Henry stands in the Living Nativity,” says Elizabeth.  “One year, hard to believe, he was even an angel,” she shares with a laugh.

A question about favorite Scriptures for Henry brings up Psalm 23 and about favorite hymns for Elizabeth highlights “I Surrender All.”  Reviewing each shows that these two people have strong relationships with the Lord, ones which witness their faith and love of the Lord.

As for their love of the Wolfpack, that can’t be denied either.  Since getting to know the Turlingtons, we’ve gone to a bowl game with them, tailgated, and attended a basketball game.  To say that we have the Wolfpack in common would be an understatement.  And isn’t that one of the best things about a church like Hayes Barton Baptist Church?  People grow to know one another through shared faith and shared lives. 

In fact, the theme of growth is one that surfaces as I write about Henry and Elizabeth. Whether growing a family, growing a business, growing a church, or growing in faith, Henry and Elizabeth are people who help grow others and the places they touch.  They are gardeners among us.