Dr. Bill F. Sheeks Bereavement Notification
Dr. Bill F. Sheeks, former assistant general overseer of the Church of God, passed away on Wednesday, March 19. He had just celebrated his 80th birthday earlier this month.
Dr. Sheeks is a native of North Carolina and was saved at the age of 12. He began his ministerial career a few days before his 20th birthday. He was ordained in the Church of God in 1962. He has been married to Eleanor since 1958 and they have two children, Cheryl Stanksy, and Randall. They are the grandparents of five grandchildren.
Upon reflection of the life of Dr. Sheeks, Church of God General Overseer Mark Williams said, “Dr. Bill F. Sheeks was a Christian, nothing less, nothing more. He loved Jesus, his family, and the Church of God. He embodied the great commandment and was totally committed to the great commission. He lived and breathed church planting, passionately believing that no city, town or village should be without the witness of the Church of God. We have lost a true apostolic visionary. The International Executive Committee honors Brother Sheeks’ lifetime of service to the entire Body of Christ.”
Dr. Sheeks served the Church of God in a variety of ministry posts, including eight years on the International Executive Committee. His first pastorate was in his native North Carolina where he pastored the Camp Green Church in Charlotte from1959-1964. That was followed by East Burlington, North Carolina from 1968-1970. In between he served as state youth and Christian education director for the state (1964-1968). From 1970-1974, Dr. Sheeks was the Western North Carolina evangelism and home missions director.
In 1974, Dr. Sheeks left his native North Carolina when he was appointed by the Executive Committee to serve in the state of Hawaii as overseer. Upon completion of his term there four years later, Dr. Sheeks’ ministry would take he and his family to the state of Illinois for the next four years (1978-1982) and then to Alabama as overseer from 1982 to 1986.
At the 1996 General Assembly in Atlanta, Dr. Sheeks was elected to serve as assistant director of Evangelism and Home Missions. Re-elected two years later, he was elevated to the director position in 1990 and served until 1994.
Upon completion of his term as general director in 1994, Dr. Sheeks was appointed by the Executive Committee to return to his home state where he was honored to serve as state overseer in Western North Carolina.
However his tenure would only last two years as at the 1996 General Assembly he would be elected to become General Secretary-Treasurer for the Church of God, a post he would be re-elected to in 1998. In 2000 he would rise to third assistant general overseer and then second assistant for two years before completing his eight year tenure on the Executive Committee in 2004.
Dr. Sheeks was highly educated, earning his first degree from Lee College (Lee University) in 1954. He received the B.A. from Catawba College in 1956, a masters in 1978 and the D.Min. in 1979 from California Graduate School of Theology.
Dr. Sheeks also served on numerous boards and committees during his years of ministry within the Church of God and was as a youth camp, camp meeting and convention speaker. He was also the author of Winning Kids, The Ministry of Senior Adults in the Church, Young at Heart, How to Plant a Church of God, Winning Everyone, and The Growth of the Church of God/America’s Oldest Pentecostal Church.
FUNERAL INFORMATION
Lying In State (Repose):
Saturday, March 22, 2014, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm
North Cleveland Church of God-Main Sanctuary
Funeral Service:
Saturday, March 22, 2014, 1:00pm
North Cleveland Church of God-Main Sanctuary
Visitation:
Family will receive friends immediately following the funeral service
North Cleveland Church of God, Bryant Fellowship Hall
Entombment:
There will be a private entombment at the Sunset Memorial Gardens
In Lieu of Flowers:
The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to: Bill F. Sheeks Scholarship Fund, School of Religion, Lee University
There are several ways to contribute to this fund. Mail checks to: Lee University, University Relations, P.O. Box 3450, Cleveland, TN 37320. Telephone: 423-614-8310 Online: www.leeuniversity.edu (Click the Alumni & Partners tab / Click the “Give” button / Complete the data and in the comment box write-“Bill Sheeks Scholarship Fund)
