Paul Honaker completes 38 years of music ministry at Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond with a musical extravaganza set for 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 26. It will be a time to celebrate a career devoted to people and their love of musical expression.
Fred Anderson
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A native of Ohio, Paul was from a family of five children and the only one to pursue music as a profession. The minister of music in his home church taught him piano lessons when he was age 10; and at about 15, he switched to the king of instruments. He has been engaged in church music ever since. He credits a high school choral director both for his introduction to the organ and for the encouragement to consider music as his career.
Upon graduation from Georgetown College in Kentucky, Paul entered the School of Music at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. The school, which has closed, had about 300 students at the time; and Paul came under the decisive influence of the legendary Don Hustad, a world renowned music professor and frequent organist for the Billy Graham Crusades. Paul can still feel the breath of Hustad on his neck as the master musician stood beside the organ to critique the student’s performance.
During his seminary years, he served as organist of Auburndale Baptist Church in Louisville. In 1974 he came to Bon Air as organist, earning $2,800 annually and expecting to remain perhaps a year. As a bachelor, he volunteered for organizations outside the church in hopes of meeting other singles. He agreed to be an accompanist for a local theatre production, but because of his work schedule, he needed to share the piano playing with another musician. Linda Fernald was the other musician; and as they talked she said something about Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center and Paul realized they had a Baptist connection. It was the beginning of a match which led to their marriage in 1979. Don Hustad, Paul’s mentor, was the organist for the wedding.
Tom Ingram, who today is the worship and music specialist for the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, was at the time minister of music at Bon Air. After Paul’s first three years as organist, Tom resigned and suddenly Paul was offered the position.
Paul credits a music professor for prompting him to try his wings. The prof told him that in order to become the complete musician, he needed to get off the organ bench and serve as a director.
“I had the confidence and security and knew what I was doing on the organ and really wanted to stay; but the reality was that the professor was absolutely right,” he said. “I needed to become the director.”
And direct he did! He initiated an annual Christmas pageant which enlarged year by year until in the final year of 1989 it was televised. He remembers that Don Hustad once observed that for years church services were limited to three congregational hymns for strategic purposes but “not a lot of ‘heart music,’ noting that the craving for heart music is what drove many “amateur musicians” out of the traditional church services.
“The challenge to musicians today,” says Paul, “is to offer heart music and find what connects with people while still trying to elevate the congregation in their musical taste.”
One pathway to the heart was the enlargement of a handbell ministry at Bon Air. The “Bon Air Belles” was created and then became the “Coventry Ringers.” Some of the bell ringers have been in the group for over 30 years. They have performed at the White House twice as well as at The Greenbrier.
Today there are four handbell groups, including ones for children and youth. Some years ago, the choir went to Austria, performed in the great cathedral in Salzburg and left behind a set of bells for the Austrian Baptists.
The Bon Air music ministry consists of the Sanctuary Choir of about 90 members who are split for the two morning services; the Golden Notes, which is the senior adult choir of about 65 members; two youth choirs; an adult ensemble; and a senior high girls ensemble, which has included 47 girls since its beginning. Some of the choirs have performed on tours.
Paul anticipates that the service on Aug. 26 will include many of these musicians as well as some choir alumni who will return for the special event.
Paul has directed a Christmas pageant for the children called “The Children of Bethlehem.” He had presented it twice in his career and wanted to see if he could still “pull it off” at age 63; and of course, he did with his usual flair. On a beautiful October day, the children were taken to a farm in the countryside of Powhatan where scenes in the pageant were filmed. In the actual live performance, the children wore the same costumes and the video was shown alongside their stage performance. It was a hit.
The greatest affirmation for the music minister came months later.
“There was a little boy in the group of singers,” he said. “One day the boy came up to me and looked up with his big eyes and said, ‘Thank you for teaching me to sing.’ That was worth 38 years of ministry just to hear that little boy affirm what I had done for him.”
No one will ever know all that Paul has done to enhance the worship experience at Bon Air Baptist Church. He has been responsible for nearly every phase—the ushers, the flowers, the litanies, the order of service, the communion and the music. The duties grew across the years and along the way he recruited a small army of about 150 volunteers who engage in various aspects of worship.
Paul believes that a music minister must love people even more than music.
“Share in the lives of the church family in times of stress and sadness, joy and celebration,” he says. “Empathize and identify with people. Be a part of their lives.”
In other words, make heart music together.
For 38 years Paul and the people of Bon Air have been engaged in ministries and music of the heart. His influence has been far flung across the city and state where he has become an icon in the church music field. He retains the same energy, drive, vision and creativity which has marked his long tenure in Richmond and surely those gifts will continue to be expressed. Heart music never loses its appeal.
Fred Anderson ([email protected]) is executive director of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society and the Center for Baptist Heritage and Studies.