1983 -- 1991 Board of Trustess of the Baptist Sunday School Board -- for my children

In June of 1991, I concluded eight years of service as a trustee on the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. I had spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars serving on that board, as had many others. When I was unable to attend the last meeting of my tenure in February of 1991, I received the following note, dated February 5, 1991, from my fellow trustees:

“Dear Larry: We wanted to let you know, as you rotate off of the BSSB, of our great love and appreciation for you. Through your brilliance, tenacity, courage, and dedication to our Lord, you have served Him and Southern Baptists well. You have served us as fellow trustees in an invaluable, and irreplaceable way. We love you. We miss you today during this final meeting of your tenure. We will miss you as we continue to serve the BSSB in your absence. But, we will continue to count you as a valued friend and brother.”

This note was signed by twenty-eight trustees. Eighteen of them were Southern Baptist pastors. On February 7, 1991, I received the following letter from Dr. Bill Anderson, Chairman of the BSSB Board of Trustees:

“Dear Larry: Yesterday, a motion was made by a trustee (Gene Swinson) that the trustees commend you for your loyal and devoted service to the BSSB. John Gilbert amended it to include all retiring trustees, but I wanted you to know that it began with an attempt to affirm you, and that I believe it would have passed easily whether John had made his amendment or not.

I have previously affirmed you personally for your work at the Board, particularly as it relates to helping trustees get to the bottom of the McBeth matter and acting, I believe, judiciously in the matter. This letter, however, is also to commend you in the name of the entire Board.”

On February 9, 1991, I received the following note from another trustee:

“Dear Larry: The past BSSB trustee meeting was just a tad lifeless without your comments and observations. I overhead several trustees mention how they might not have always agreed with you, but certainly believed that you worked harder than anyone else, and for the better cause. I want to thank you for the countless hours of research and planning that you’ve done in the past eight years on the board. Surely we will make progress now because of your diligent work.”

Earlier, on September 6, 1990, I received a letter from Dean Mathis, a Hobbs, New Mexico pastor, who had formerly been a fellow trustee; he said:

“If you do not serve on the Board again, it will change the Board’s ability to process it’s decisions in a great way…I think the single most effective trustee in the history of the Board in my time is Dr. Larry Holly. You made me uncomfortable. You put me on the spot. You defended me. You were a friend. You were an exhorter, and I deeply appreciate that…Larry, another problem you’ll just have to live with is the fact that you probably are smarter and more analytical that the rest of us. The melancholy in you brings that out. Your temperament blend is like a man going through life with the foot feed down, and then stomping on the brake. You have two needs: get it done, and do it right! You’re also like Mozart living in a land of people who think a base drum is a solo instrument….I love and appreciate you. I don’t have to tell you to keep up the good work. You’ll die working.” (original on file)

On March 18, 1991, the above pastor sent me a note which stated:

“I want to send you a clipping out of the Baptist New Mexican of March 2. It tells the story, as you will read, of the fact that the lessons on Sanctity of Life resulted in quite a response to the HMB of people seeking alternatives to abortion. I just needed to lay that trophy at your feet, because it was the persistent action on your part and people like Carlos Scott that made that all happen. There are babies alive today, because of your leadership at the BSSB; that’s worth a lot, brother. Thank you for being the tip of the spear for so many of the good things that happened.”

On April 24, 1991, I received a note from Dr. Jerry Sutton, pastor of Two Rivers Baptist Church in Nashville Tennessee. He said, “I hope all is going well with you. I greatly appreciate your tenacity and discernment.” 

On June 21, 1991, I received a letter from Dr. Jimmy Draper, who was soon to be inaugurated as the President of the BSSB. He said in part:

“…if I am elected to serve as President, and if God leads me to accept that position, I will do just that. I will be very dependent upon people like you to help me identify the specific areas where we can get a handle on it. I will be counting on you to help me if I am placed in that office….Larry, without your careful help, I would not even be in a position to accept this office. It was your study and critique that triggered the events leading up to Lloyd Elder’s early retirement. I deeply appreciate your faithfulness and the sacrifice that you and your family have made.”

On August 22, 1991, I received a letter from Reverend Mark Brooks; he said:

“Dear Larry: As I sat down at the Inaugural luncheon and saw the commemorative paperweight that was given to each guest, I realized there wouldn’t be such a gift without your diligent and sacrificial efforts. Please accept this paperweight as a token of appreciation from one trustee who knows. Thank you for all you did. I love you, and will never forget your diligence. God bless you.”

On February 18, 1992, I received a letter from Mr. Joe Knott, an attorney in Raleigh, North Carolina, and a fellow trustee on the Board. Joe said:

“I just attended my last Sunday School Board meeting. It was a love in. The trustees were tossing bouquets -- Jimmy (Draper) was catching them…My time on the BSSB was a high privilege for me…because of my association with the real heroes. You and Bob (Tenery) are at the top of that list. Your efforts, sustained over eight years, more than the efforts of any Trustee brought about the change all of us ‘lesser lights’ were enjoying in early February, 1992…

While I know the thanks of men does not motivate you, I do want to thank you for your brilliant insight and your persistence that would not be deterred. Some of the things you did are still spoken of in quiet ‘could-you-believe-it’ or ‘you-should-have-been-there’ tones. I am sure your five minute reading analysis, critique and demolition of Lloyd’s plans for the 21st Century will be incorporated into the legend and lore of the Sunday School Board for years to come. 

To bring this rambling reminiscence to an end, let me say again that while the Dan’s and the Ed’s of the world may have played the game better than you did, but Scripture does not tell us to play the game. It tells us to fight the good fight and no one knows better how to do that -- to truly contend for the faith -- than Larry Holly.

It was a pleasure to serve with you. You are one of the great champions of the faith, I have been privileged to know.”