Country Parson Called To Malakoff Methodist
From The Malakoff News
Friday, March 4, 1966
Billie B. Bonner, who calls himself the Country Parson, has taken
over the reins and assumed his duties as pastor of the First
Methodist Church of Malakoff.
The Rev. Bonner succeeds the former pastor of four years, The
Rev. Thomas L. Jones who was appointed to fill the pastorate of
the Methodist Church of Grand Saline. The appointments became
necessary with the death of one of the ministers in the Texas
conference.
Bonner brought his first message to the local congregation last
Sunday, February 27.
He is a native of Smith county, southeast of Tyler, and he
entered the Methodist ministry after a varied career in business
and industry, in 1947.
Bonner says, "I got the title ‘Country Parson' from a
radio program which I had for two years on KIMP, Mt. Pleasant,
Texas. It was a weekly, interdenominational program for the
promotion of small churches of all denominations and gave a
special salute to a different one each week."
He received his education at Omen High School; Tyler Commercial
College; Stephen F. Austin State College, Nacogdoches; and
Perkins School of Theology, SMU, in Dallas. He attended Lon
Morris College and is a member of the board of Development.
Rev. Bonner has served as pastor at Homer Methodist Church,
Lufkin; Timpson Circuit Methodist Churches; Winfield Circuit;
Karnack; China-Nome; Fairfield; and Aldersgate Methodist Church
serving Alta Loma, Arcadia and Algoa communities in Galveston
County.
He is an evangelist, preaching many revivals each year, usually
in the small town and country area.
Bonner says he is a firm believer in community and civic
improvements and has for the past sixteen years channeled his
energy in this area through the local Lions Clubs. He has served
every local level office in the Lions Club and is past president
of Mt. Pleasant Texas Lions; Karnack Caddo Lake Lions and Nome,
Texas Lions.
He is a member of the Town and Country Commission of the
Methodist Church, Texas Conference; is a trustee of the Texas
Conference Lakeview Cemetery for Ministers and their families and
was honored with one of the "Rural Pastor of the year
Awards" for work in 1953-54.
In hobbies, Bonner is an artist in the "primitive" area
or "realist" area. He does plastic casting and various
kinds of handcrafts. He loves to do color slide photography
"when I can afford it." He is a member of the
International Order of Oddfellows and past-grand of John M.
Gibson Lodge No. 13 in Marshall, Texas.
Rev. Bonner and his wife began their residency in Malakoff in the
new parsonage last week, upon the vacancy of the Rev. Jones and
his family.
Submitted by Britt Thompson
If you have any information on Malakoff history please contact Britt, he is the correspondent for The Malakoff News Looking Back Column.
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