Ron A Stewart

Mr. Ron Stewart, 77, passed away on Friday, December 25, 2015 at St. Dominic Hospital. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 from 12-2 PM with funeral services beginning at 2 PM in the funeral home chapel. Interment will follow at Lakewood Memorial Park.

At age 12, while attending Sunday School at First Baptist Church of Hattiesburg, my decision was made to “join” FBCH. For some time I had been a believer, but had not been baptized. During a revival at FBCH the evangelist made it plain that believers should present themselves before the Church and make a public profession of faith and be baptized, which I did. Subsequently, Dr. Clyde Bryan, pastor of FBCH, baptized me into full fellowship of the Church.

Soon afterward I became involved in a Bible study group at school and began to read and study the scriptures in earnest. In 1951 my family moved to the Gulf Coast where my studies included academic studies at Gulfport High School and Bible studies of all varieties at First Baptist Church of Gulfport. God led me step-by-step to a full commitment to the study of the Bible, including the pursuit of a career teaching Bible at the college level.

I returned to Hattiesburg to attend William Carey University. It was there that I met and married my wife, Shelby Jean Pigott, in 1959. We each received our bachelors degrees in 1960. Shelby received her degree in elementary education, and I received a BA degree with a major in history, and a minor in New Testament.

That year, my wife and I moved to New Orleans where she began her teaching career at Borgnemouth Elementary School, and I enrolled in New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. In 1963, I received a BD degree with Greek and Hebrew with a major in New Testament studies.

Since the BD degree was a professional degree rather than an academic degree, it would not qualify me to teach at the college level. For this reason my family and I moved to Jackson where I enrolled in Mississippi College to work toward a MA degree. Following the birth of our daughter, Susan, my wife secured a teaching position with the Jackson Public School System at the elementary level, continuing until her retirement in 1994. I entered State Service at the Mississippi Department of Public Welfare, Hinds Co. Office, continuing my pursuit of a MA degree in Religion and Philosophy with an emphasis in New Testament studies by attending classes at night and during the lunch hour. I ultimately completed the requirements for the MA and received my degree in 1972.

Although I remained at my job, I felt there would still be a need for my Bible training. In 1972 I was asked to become the teacher for a Bible study group named the St. Matthew Prayer Band. The group met once a month for Bible study and prayer and met continuously until 2007, with me as their teacher. During this time we studied through the Bible several times. The group disbanded due to the deaths of and/or the poor health of most of the members.

In 1974 my family and I became members of First Baptist Church of Jackson. I have used my training and studies as a Sunday School teacher for most of the past 30 years in the Singles Sunday School, the Median Married Adults Sunday School, and the Senior Adults Sunday School. Much of my time and talents has also been employed in other ministries of FBCJ. My wife and I were leaders in the South Jackson area in a ministry of the Church called the Zone Ministry. My wife and I are also a part of the Homebound Ministry. Because of my lifelong love for music, I have sung for 35 years in the Sanctuary Choir, played in the Church orchestra 27 years, sung along with my wife in the Reflections Choir for 14 years, and sung with Son Rise, the men’s ensemble of the Reflections Choir.

I make no claim to be the best teacher you’ve ever known, but I do consider myself a dedicated student of the Bible and spend at present and have spent over the past 59 years a large amount of time in Bible study and Bible related study. I have, also, an enormous amount of knowledge related to Bible study. My passion is study but recognize that to possess this great treasure is not in itself beneficial to anyone including myself unless it is shared with others. Come: study the Bible with us and become a fisher of men!