Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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12 UCW JUNE 5-11, 2019 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Dr. John D Fuller PROFILE Dr. John D Fuller, who recently died, leaves behind a sprawl- ing legacy bigger than the huge church building complex and congregation he helped grow during his many years as the pastor at Lewis Chapel Mission- ary Baptist Church. Fuller died at the age of 74, just days after his birthday on May 23. He was honored this past week- end with three funeral services — one in Rockingham, where he served as a pastor after his retire- ment from Lewis Chapel four years ago, and two in Fayetteville. e Rev. Christoppher Stack- house Sr., who became the pastor at Lewis Chapel in 2016 following Fuller's retirement, said Fuller was like a father to many people. "I've never seen so many grown men cry at the loss of someone,'' Stackhouse said. One of the biggest lessons Stackhouse said he learned from Fuller was that where you live doesn't define who you are. Stackhouse said Fuller be- lieved you didn't have to be from New York City or Atlanta, Georgia, to have an impact on people — or the world. His philosophy was not to use where you are as an excuse to not pursue as much as you pos- sibly can or to not do what you possibly can. Stackhouse said Fuller dis- played a level of humility and in- tegrity that Stackhouse has tried to model in his own life. "For somebody that ac- complished as much as he did and was respected as much as he was, he was very humble,'' Stackhouse said. "When he came in, he didn't come in with a lot of fanfare and flash. You would take note of his stature, but you wouldn't take note of him be- cause he came in being loud and demanding attention." e Rev. Cureton Johnson of First Baptist Church on Moore Street, who retired earlier this year, first crossed paths with Fuller when Johnson was a young minister starting out. Fuller invited Johnson to come to his Lewis Chapel Church and preach one Sunday morning. "He's one of those folks who helped a lot of people along the way," Johnson said. "He pro- duced a whole lot of ministers out of his church. I wouldn't be surprised if he produced 100 ministers over there." Johnson worked with Fuller when Fuller rose to leadership positions within the Missionary Baptist Church. Fuller was president of the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina at one point in his career. "Dr. Fuller had a lot of influence among the Baptist churches of the city, county and around the state," Johnson said. "He just had a gift of leader- ship. He took Lewis Chapel when they only had a few members and took them to 3,000-4,000 mem- bers. at takes someone with a lot of charisma and giftedness." People who attended Fuller's services at Lewis Chapel, both long-term and short-term, came away impressed with his ministry. Billy King, a former Cumberland County com- missioner, has been going to Lewis Chapel since the early 1980s. He described Fuller as a spiritual and forthright person who believed in fairness and equity. "I think he really loved the Lord," King said. "We have a good-sized church, but I think he knew the names of almost every member." Marsha Mann Lake attended services at Lewis Chapel during a time in the mid-1990s when she was seeking a new church home. She recalled Fuller as being a mesmerizing speaker. "He was so engag- ing and enthralling," she said. "He makes you feel special. He was extra special in everything he did." Local pastor Dr. John D Fuller dies at age 74 by EARL VAUGHAN JR. EARL VAUGHAN JR., Senior Staff Writer. COMMENTS? EarlUCWS- ports@gmail.com. 910-364-6638. for more details call: 910.396.8933 │ b r a g g . a r m y m w r . c o m Fort Bragg Family and MWR is hiring for: • Cooks • Waiters (Banquet) • Food & Beverage A endants • Food Service Workers • Recrea on Aids • Recrea on Assistants To see specific job descrip ons and announcements visit our website. Open to the public. Qualified applicants will be interviewed on the spot. Applicants must bring the following: - Resume - 3 Professional References All a endees are highly encouraged to apply in advance on usajobs.gov. FAMILY AND MWR HIRING EVENT June 11 th │ 9 am – 1 pm │ Tolson Youth Ac vi es Center │ Bldg. 4-1431 Normandy Drive