Photo taken by Tom Childers during a gospel meeting at Beech Hill, Ripley, MS.

Vanderbilt Pierpont "V.P." BLACK

Born in Lamar County, Alabama December 15, 1918 and died in Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 2007. Mr. Black is survived by his wife of 65 years, Lourine Tennison Black. Children: Van Black and Becky Black (Ted) Norton. Grandchildren: Lance (Amanda) Black, Ted Alan Norton Jr., Jane Norton (Steve) Sewell, Dean Tennison Norton. Great Grandchildren: Banks Sewell, Mary Vanderbilt Sewell, Alex Black, Luke Black, Norton Sewell, Tennison Norton. Mr. Black is predeceased by grandson, Wade Black Norton and 6 brothers: W.A., Shields, Victor, Plato, Robert, and Warren Black. Mr. Black was a preacher of the Gospel in the Churches of Christ for 70 years: 25 years in local work, 45 years in Gospel meeting and evangelistic work. He attended Freed Hardeman University in Henderson, TN, and received his B.A. degree from Faulkner University. He received honorary doctorates from both Freed Hardeman and Faulkner. He raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Christian education. Mr. Black authored 12 books. His workbooks on stewardship have been studied in thousands of churches. He served on the boards of Faulkner University and Namwianga Christian School in Zambia, Africa. Visitation for Mr. Black will be Monday, February 5 from 6-8 pm in the chapel of the V. P. Black School of Biblical Studies at Faulkner University. Services will be Tuesday, February 6 at 1pm at the University Church of Christ. Services will be conducted by Ministers, Billy Lambert, E. R. Brannan, Cecil May, and Steve Housley. Pallbearers will be nephews: Phillip, Timothy, Titus, Nathan, and John C. Black, and brother-in-law, Billy Deaton. Honorary pallbearers will be all Gospel Preachers. Memorials may be made to the V. P. Black Ministerial Fund at either Faulkner or Freed Hardeman Universities. Leak-Memory Chapel Directing. www.montgomeryadvertiser.com - 5 Feb. 2007

"BETTER THAN THE MOVIE"

Over thirty million Americans have seen the movie, The Passion of The Christ. Last week, my 29-year-old son and his friends came by the house after seeing the movie. They were notably stunned and could hardly talk about it. This is the normal reaction of most Christians who have seen the movie.

Tuesday night, April 13, 2004, I witnessed something that was more profound than the movie about the last 12 hours of Jesus' life. At the Strickland church of Christ near Corinth, Mississippi, an 85-year-old preacher walked into the pulpit and held his audience spellbound for over forty minutes. I have heard preaching for over 50 years, but, in my opinion, "never a man spoke like this" (at least not in my lifetime).

V. P. Black raised the question: "What do you think of when you see a cross?" His eloquent words painted pictures of how horrible sin is; the depth and height of the love of God; and how sinful man crucified the only perfect man. Brother Black, unlike the movie, devoted a fifth of his sermon on the impact that the resurrection of Jesus has had on the world.

Brother Black did it all with words—words spoken without any notes and all true to the Bible. May we never lose sight of the fact that God's Word is the most powerful thing in this world to reach the lost and to build up the church (James 1:21; Hebrews 4:12; Romans 1:16).

It was one of the most remarkable presentations I have ever heard. He did have one visual, and he did not even know it. Behind the baptistery where Brother Black spoke was a stained glass window with a large cross in the center. As he began his sermon, the rays of the evening sun filled the entire window. As Brother Black offered the invitation, the sun was then shining only at the foot of the cross.

Someone has said, "When an older person dies, it will be like a library burning down." When that day comes to Brother Black, it will be so very true. I urge you to hear this man preach when you have the opportunity. And please pray that God will send us many more like him.

--- Tom L. Childers
Church Resources Director at Freed-Hardeman University, In the Freed-Hardeman University Church Resources Newsletter, "Beyond Belief" May 15, 2004 – Vol. 3. No. 8.