In those early days of RUF in the state of Alabama there was one who did not fit anyone’s image of a campus minister. Bill Gresham.  Bill was equipped to be a campus minister – teaching, pastoring, preaching, faithful, caring.  But he did not fit anyone’s image of a campus minister. Many times as he and I visited churches raising support and awareness of the PCA’s fledgling campus work, Bill would encounter the remark, “You are a campus minister?”

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

²⁶ For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; ²⁸ God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, ²⁹ so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. ³⁰ And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, ³¹ so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”     

When you think of a Reformed University Fellowship campus minister what is the image which comes to mind?  There are so many campus ministers out there now in RUF serving our college students from our congregations and leading unbelieving college students to the Lord Jesus that the image is broad, vast and particularly gifted. There are enough rough edges among them though (no pun intended) that we are reminded that our image of them should include the truth that they are growing in Christ, too, as much as the students to whom they are ministering. All of them are called by the Lord through their presbyteries but today they also go through assessment to help narrow down the Lord’s leading. No list of characteristics would suffice for fear of leaving some out or including faulty ones.     

Whatever the image is that you carry about in your head of what a campus minister should look like, in the early days of Reformed University Fellowship that image was up for grabs.  From Mark Lowry,(philosopher of ministry and insight), Jimmy Turner (small group wiz and experience), Ford Williams (musician and large group leader) , Bill Smith (reasoning and social conscience) , Tim Starnes (quick witted and friendly), Rod Culbertson (athletic and energetic), to Billy Joseph (I’ll let the reader fill this one in) these early campus pastor pioneers also created an image.   

In those early days of RUF in the state of Alabama there was one who did not fit anyone’s image of a campus minister. Bill Gresham.  Bill was equipped to be a campus minister – teaching, pastoring, preaching, faithful, caring.  But he did not fit anyone’s image of a campus minister. Many times as he and I visited churches raising support and awareness of the PCA’s fledgling campus work, Bill would encounter the remark, “You are a campus minister?”   

Bill came to RUF in an indirect way. His initial call was to teach Bible at Trinity School in Montgomery. During his time there he established a bible study which included a group of young men who ended up at Auburn.  Tommy Bopp and Jim Bob Harris from Trinity PCA in Montgomery graduated at the same time that Bill became the assistant pastor at Trinity in Opelika.  They asked Bill to continue to disciple them while they were at Auburn and the bible study became the core of Covenant University Fellowship (CUF), named for Covenant Presbyterian Church which was closer to the campus and a logical place for them to worship.     

By God’s leading, this discipleship group, along with others (my brother Charles included) became the core of CUF and later changed its’ name to RUF.  Bill became the campus minister in 1981 and served there until 1990 when Paul Hahn became the campus minister. Bill’s strength was dealing with men.     

Being single helped him in this area and Bill made special efforts to not be in compromising situations with female students.  There were many ladies involved with the ministry and Bill ministered to them as well but his strength was with the males.  When we would have conferences together I would get all the questions about dating and relationship building from the ladies involved in CUF.   

Bill was always careful about protecting the Lord’s reputation in his ministry when it came to his singleness. Even when we visited last year at McDonald Presbyterian Church outside of Collins, Ms. for a week of services it was clear that he still was very circumspect toward the ladies.   

Sometimes I wonder if that was why Bill did not fit anyone’s image. Being single gave him time to pastor, to disciple but also time to pursue his interest. It gave him time to travel and visit family.  But it was not the image most folks have of a pastor or of a campus minister.  The world sees singleness in odd ways while the church does too but with a more spiritual tint. Bill proved that effectiveness in ministry has nothing to do with singleness but that caution and care should be exercised because of the struggles and misunderstandings which can hinder the ministry of the single pastor.

In the midst of all, Bill proved faithful to his calling.  Teaching at Trinity in Montgomery, at Briarwood in Birmingham for 8 years and at PCS in Hattiesburg demonstrated his gift in this area.  His being state supply at 4 churches and interim pastor at 1 covering a total of 10 years demonstrated his pastoral gifts.  His service as a pastor in Belize, as well as campus ministry, showed his ability to minister cross culturally.     

Bill loved his family too.  He knew their family tree and was involved in researching his heritage. He loved visiting his nieces and nephews. When Marian and I began talk about our grandchildren around Bill, he would update us on the entire set of his sister’s children and his brother’s children.   

Bill was able to laugh at himself. He struggled with his weight which was the source of his famous snoring.  He had sleep apnea and that was the source of some great stories.  At one retreat, I had a student wake me up in the middle of the night to ask if he could sleep in my van rather than the cabin. Odd request until I realized his bed was next to Bill’s.  The clue was that he had wrapped Billy up in two mattresses to keep the noise down but it wasn’t enough. Bill was a good sport about it though. Bill and I laughed many times over that story.     

Bill was a paper pusher too.  We were like Mutt and Jeff. We would arrive at Alabama Joint Campus committee meetings with Bill loaded with graphs, plans and details always on paper.  I would have nothing.  He was great at conferences and retreats.  He planned them out, organized the event, I dealt with the people.  We were well matched.  He was an Alabama fan working at Auburn. I was an Auburn fan working at Alabama.  The Lord has a sense of missionary humor, two foreign missionaries in a strange land in their home state.    Above all else, Bill was a good friend. He befriended my brother Charles at Auburn. He and my brother Thomas were in the same presbytery for many years and Bill worshiped at Lake Crest PCA where Thomas serves as pastor.  Bill and I, along with Marian, my bride, and my children visited and preached at almost every church in Alabama with a mission’s conference helping the PCA in Alabama catch the vision of the PCA’s campus work.  We spent many hours together and became close friends. I’ll miss Bill.  His friendship in the midst of good, God ordained struggles, his patience with me and his constant encouragement will be missed.   

I praise God for Bill Gresham.  He was a good example of a pioneer. He went first at Auburn. He laid a good foundation for all that was to follow. Bill was not a boaster but he loved the Lord, the Lord’s sheep and was faithful to God’s calling as a Christian and as a pastor. May God grant to all of us pastors the privilege of faithfulness to Him no matter what image others have of us or think we should have.   

Billy Joseph is a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America.  He is the son of a longtime Ruling Elder at Trinity Church, Montgomery, William F. ‘Bill’ Joseph, Jr. who was one of the founding Elders of the PCA and who served as Moderator of the 7th General Assembly of the PCA (1979, Charlotte).   After serving as Campus Pastor at Alabama for 22 years, in 2002 Billy accepted a call to serve on the Pastoral Care team at First Church, Jackson.

 Obituary from Birmingham News on Sunday September 16, 2012

Dr. William Benjamin Gresham, Jr. passed away September 14, 2012. He was born September 17, 1950, and he was a graduate of Berry High School, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS where he earned a Master of Divinity and a Doctorate in Ministry. Following seminary, he started Reformed University Fellowship at Auburn University, which now serves over 500 students, and was campus minister for nine years. He was then a missionary in Belize for several years, after which he returned to Birmingham to teach history at Briarwood Christian School.

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