KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP)–The widow of denominational statesmen Lewis A. Drummond was honored at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary during the inaugural Drummond Lecture Series on Evangelism.
Betty Drummond, of Asheville, N.C., endowed the series in honor of her late husband, who served as a seminary president and evangelism professor and authored books on revival and evangelism.
Midwestern President R. Philip Roberts, who was among the many mentored by Drummond, introduced Betty Drummond to the audience on hand for the inaugural lectures Feb. 22-23 by Robert E. Coleman, distinguished professor of discipleship and evangelism at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts and a friend of Drummond.
“I’m so thankful my husband gave his life for evangelism,” Betty Drummond said. “And I know that you, men and women, will spread the Gospel around the world.”
Roberts, who was introduced to his wife, Anya, by the Drummonds while on a mission trip to Poland, said the endowed lectures series will serve as a reminder for students of the task of fulfilling the Great Commission.
“Mrs. Drummond has made this very generous and gracious gift to Midwestern to help create an annual one-week event of lectures on evangelism to keep before our eyes and hearts the necessary obligation and wonderful privilege we have of sharing Jesus Christ with a lost and dying world,” said Roberts, who was a grader for Drummond at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
“We’re so privileged to have this gift, received in honor of him.”
Coleman told the chapel audience, “What a great privilege it is to be here on the day of this announcement and inauguration of the Lewis Drummond Lecture Series on Evangelism. That is a double blessing for me.”
Drummond was an “exemplary statesmen of the Gospel,” said Coleman, who described his friend as “one who exemplified evangelism in every sense of the word, a great evangelist himself, a magnificent teacher, a distinguished scholar and author, a mentor of countless young men and women who have had the call to go and preach the Gospel.”
Known as an evangelical scholar with a passion for evangelism, Drummond served as president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina from 1988-92. He also was the Billy Graham Professor of Evangelism at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Ky., from 1973-88 and director of the Billy Graham Center there. Previously he taught in Spurgeon’s Theological College in London from 1968-73 and was pastor of Ninth and O Baptist Church in Louisville from 1964-68.
At the time of his death in 2004, Drummond was evangelism professor in residence at the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Ashville and chancellor of schools of evangelism for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
–30–
