Rev. Dr. Asbury Lenox

Rev. Dr. Asbury Lenox, 85, of Baytown, TX was born in Texarkana and joined the church triumphant Tuesday, January 18, 2011. He was reared in and nurtured by Hardy Memorial Methodist Church where he received his call to preach at the age of 18. In preparation for the ministry, Lenox attended Lon Morris College, Southwestern University and Perkins School of Theology at S.M.U. Upon graduation from Lon Morris College, he was given the school's highest honor, The Founders Award for leadership and scholarship. In 1974 Lon Morris made him a Distinguished Alumnus. Southwestern University of Georgetown awarded him with an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree and in 1985 made him a Distinguished Alumnus. After three years of graduate study at S.M.U., Lenox was presented the Paul Quillian Award in Homiletics.

Since 1948 Asbury has been a Methodist minister. He has served seven United Methodist Churches: Calvert, Navasota, Marlin, Pollard Church in Tyler, Grace Church in Baytown, Memorial Drive in Houston and Moody Memorial Church in Galveston. Everywhere he proclaimed the good news of the gospel with assurance and a smile, and made everyone feel believed in, needed and appreciated. He has served twice as district superintendent, once on the Houston North District and later on the Houston East District. Under his leadership, five new churches were established: Kingwood, The Woodlands, Klein, San Marcos, and Bay Harbor. Later, he was appointed Provost of the Texas Conference and Administrative Assistant to the Bishop, serving in that position under two bishops. While an active pastor in the Texas Conference, Asbury served in the role as Chair of the Conference Board of Evangelism, later as Chair of the Board of Higher Education and two terms on the Council of Finance and Administration. He has been elected five times as a delegate to the General and Jurisdictional Conferences. When the Bi-Centennial General Conference was held in 1984 at Baltimore, MD, Asbury was elected Chair of the Agenda Committee. In 1988 the Texas Conference ministers elected him on the first ballot to head the delegation to the General and Jurisdictional Conferences.

Dr. Lenox has served on the Board of Directors of The Methodist Hospital in Houston, the San Jacinto Methodist Hospital in Baytown, as a Trustee of Southwestern University in Georgetown and of Lon Morris College in Jacksonville. In 1982 he was elected to the Board of Directors of the General Board of Pensions in Evanston, IL, where he served also as chair of Human Resources Committee and on the Executive Committee. For more than 20 years he has served on the Board of Directors of Methodist Retirement Communities. After retiring from the Texas Annual Conference 1994, he was asked by Dr. William Hinson to join the staff at First United Methodist Church of Houston as Executive Pastor and staff coordinator. He served in that role for eight years.

He is survived by his wife, Beulah; daughter, Hannah; son, George; and cousins and other relatives too numerous to name. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

His family will receive friends at Navarre Funeral Home Friday from 10:00 a.m. until 12 Noon with a private burial to follow later. A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 22, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. at the First Methodist Church Houston, 1320 Main St. @ Clay, Houston, TX 77002 with Dr. Steve Wende and Dr. Charles Millikan officiating.

In lieu of usual remembrances, contributions may be made to First Methodist Church Houston, www.fmhouston.com or Cedar Bayou Grace United Methodist Church, 2714 Ferry Rd., Baytown, TX 77520, office @cedarbayougrace.org

To view the online obituary or to post a tribute for the family, go to www.navarrefuneralhome.com

Arrangements are under the direction and personal care of Navarre Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 2444 Rollingbrook Dr., Baytown, TX, 77521 (281) 422-8111.