FLAT RIVER BAPTIST ASSOCIATION MINUTES FOR 1977

· Dr. James Owen Shurling

Dr. James Owen Shurling, pastor of Enon Baptist Church 1970-1977, died July 31, 1977 following a short illness.

Dr. Shurling was a native of Asheville, N. C. and received his education at Mars Hill College, The University of Richmond, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and North Carolina State University.

He was pastor of the Bethel Hill Baptist Church, Woodsdale, N. C. from 1960-1964; the Aulander Baptist Church, Aulander, N. C. from 1964-1%7; the Enon Baptist Church from 1970-1977. He served as interim pastor of the First Baptist Church, Butner, N. C. for approximately three and one-half months prior to his death. From 1967-1970 he served on the Virginia Baptist General Board Staff in Richmond, Va. where he was responsible for Baptist Men and Royal Ambassador work for the 1,400 Baptist Churches of Virginia.

Always interested in the teaching profession at the University level, he enrolled in the doctoral program at NCSU in 1970 and received the Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1974. He joined the faculty there and taught Sociology until his death in July, 1977. Students flocked to his courses where they found a warm, dynamic, and hymanely oriented teacher with an uncanny ability to "reach" his students. The University recently approved a new course in Sociology of Religion that he was preparing to teach in 1978. Dr. Shurling is survived by his wife, Mary Bell Moore Shurling; two daughters,

Mary Moore and Susan; one son, James 0. Shurling, Jr. called Jay. The family shall continue to reside in Oxford.

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/

urch 1970-1977, died July. 31,

eived his education at Mars Hill ptist Theological Seminary, and

dsdale, N. C. from 1960-1964; n 1964-1967; the Enon Baptist r of the First Baptist Church, onths prior to his death. From Board Staff in Richmond, Va. Ambassador work for the 1,400

University level, he enrolled in Doctor of Philosophy degree in until his death in July, 1977.

warm, dynamic, and hymanely " his students. The University n that he was preparing to teach

oore Shurling; two daughters, , Jr. called Jay. The family shall

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NAME: Shurling, James O.

DATA: Photograph

SOURCE: Enon Baptist Church Directory (NCCF) Flat River B/A

NOV~ O 1973

Pastor And Family Bike To Church The pastor of Enon Baptist

Church in Granville county and his family have taken seriously the appeal of President Nixon and Governor Holshouser to economize on fuel. Rev. James Shruling, his

wife, two daughters and a son left their residence on U.S. 158 a little earlier than usual on Sunday morning, allowing themselves plenty of time for travel between home and church some three miles away. A family size fleet of five bicycles and a lot of pedaling to make the round trip, but it was accomplished without ir cident.

Greenville Reflector Henderson Dispatch

--Re"ndersonvdie: I imes-!'Jews Hickory Daily Record High Point Enterprise Jacksonville Dally News Kannapolis Independent t1,.- Kinston Free Pres.s ~ ,(' Lenoir News Topic \/ Lexingtof' Dispatch . Lumberton: Aobesonian Morganton News-Herald New Bern: Sun-Journal Raleigh: News & Observer Raleigh Times Reidsville Review Rockingham:

Richmond Co. Journal

Pastor Th rives on Busy Enon Program Every day appears to bring

new challenge and opportunity for the Rev. James Shur ling, and if you have the impression

, that he thrives on strenuous schedules of personal work and activity, you're exactly right., The pastor of Enon B~J21ist:

Church combines a program of full-time ministry with a program for fuii-·H-me-- university teaching and sandwiches it all with the routine of performing weddings, funerals when necessary, visiting the sick and the injured and counseling with the distressed. Mr. Shurling has been on the

road of pursuit for almost 20 years, and confesses that he has enjoyed every day of it. He entered Mars Hill College 20 years ago and two years later had earned his Associate in Arts Degree. Two years later, he received the B.A. degree from University of Richmond, and that just a year after he and Miss Mary Belle Moore of Caldwell County had become husband and wife. The young minister has been studying, preaching and teaching and this appeared a

good time to settle down-and he did for four years, as student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. By the spring of 1963, he had qualified for the degree of Doctor of Divinity at Southeastern Baptist_ _ J:. e:

see No. 1, ~e 12 /

JAMES SHURLING

Academics had become an essential part of his daily routine and Dr. Shur ling remained at the Seminary as a teaching Fellow in Homolitics and continued to study and pass classroom work for the degree of Master of Theology. There must have been one

spot left on the wall where the "Rev. Mr. Shurling was accumulating framed evidence of his scholarship and achievement. That spot now has been filled, with the award of a Ph.D. degree from N.C. State University. The Shur lings have

established a partnership in their endeavors of learning, teaching, and in establishing their home and family. They have recently acquired the former R.M. Currin Sr. homeplace on Goshen Street. They are now formulating

their plans to move into the home, which will become the base of their sundry activities and undertakings. Since coming to the area,

Mrs. Shurling has not only been engaged in teaching, but also active in the Enon Church. She taught for two and a half year at Murdoch School at Butner and in February of 1973, tranferred to the Mary Potter School, where she now is a resource room teacher.

Well-prepared sermons, delivered with enough oratory to hold the rapt attention of his' congregation and a fellowship with members of his church rang in from the youngest to the oldest have made him a well- loved minister and the church has made advances under his ministry. The Shurling have three

children, Mary , 15, susan, 13, and Jay, 7. "They are all good, quiet kids and they have contributed to the quiet necessary to enable their parents to move ahead with their school work," the proud father said. When hair styles began a

sudden change and not always universal acceptance, Mr. Shurling appeared with his well-groomed jet black hair a little longer than normal and also blossomed out with a full, beard and moustache. · "How did your congregation

accept these modern extremes?" the minister was asked by an inquiring reporter. "Oh, some approved and

some didn't," He readily admitted, "but we've had no problems on this score." When someone mentioned the minister's hair he also noted that it wasn't then time to get a hair cut, but that he would get one at the proper time, and he always did. Not so long ago, when he

decided to shave off his beard, Mr. Shurling got one surprise-­ a kiss, from Cullom Hester, all in good nature. Mr. Shurling appears in his

NCSU classroom almost every day, but he has no hesitancy in taking charge of his congregational responsibilities when there is a conflick. His lectures are in the areas of sociology and liberal arts. He has a weathy background of lecture and instructional materials and he is never without words or information when he takes his place before an audience. Mr. Shurling will preside for

the centennial celebration at Enon Church on Sunday.

®xfnrh {~ 14ehger ,,. ESllBllSHEO II THE YEAR 1881 PUBLISHED MONDAY i THURSDAY

Editorial Page JOHN W. BEACH, Editor

Pastor -will Be Missed Dr. James 0. Shurling,

pastor of Enon Baptist Church, will be leaving Cit post in another month, forced to leave a position and congregation he loved by his health and a crowded schedule. · Dr. Shurling said in his

letter to the congregation that he found it "painfully obvious that I cannot physically continue to ride two thoroughbred horses," and acknowledged that his physician had advised him to curtail his stress load which he had carried for the past several years. The pastor came to Enon as

interim pastor in 1970 and at that time told the board of deacons his aspiration was to earn a doctor of philosophy degree, be a college teacher and pastor of a small Baptist church. For the past few years, he has done both,

serving the Enon congregation and teaching sociology at N.C. State University. In recent months he had also involved himself in psychiatric research. The workload was simply too much and the congregation at Enon has realized this for some time. Although his resignation,

effective Feb. 27, was not tot a I ly unsuspected, it is nonetheless a sad day for the Enon congregation which he had served well, despite the demands on his time elsewhere. We wish Dr. Shurling, his

wife and their children well and hope they remain members of our community, where they have purchased a home. His departure from the

Enon pulpit on a regular basis will leave a void difficult to f ii I.