With their recent major gift to the “Building Our Future … Together” campaign, Henry and Florence Langford are celebrating a total of $250,000 that they have been able to share with Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. Counting the Langfords' most recent gift of approximately $52,000 in coins and precious metals, the campaign for BTSR's future currently stands at $16 million toward an overall goal of $19 million.
“The generosity and stewardship of Henry and Florence Langford is an amazing story,” remarked BTSR president Tom Graves. “Their kind of sacrificial giving, out of the careful savings of a couple who've spent years in ministry, is astounding.”
The aim of the Langfords' latest gift is to provide two apartments within the seminary's newly renovated Kraemer Hall for ministers seeking sabbatical leave. Now 88, Henry Langford has enjoyed a diverse calling, including ministry in rural churches, substance abuse prevention and tree farming. He may be most remembered by some of his peers, however, for speaking out against racism as a Baptist minister in the South–and living with the consequences.
“My friends tell me that my ministry can be summarized by three Cs: conflict, controversy and courage,” Langford explained with a chuckle. Recently, he described his career and the events that would eventually lead to his passion for ministers in transition. “I've had a full ministry, but a turbulent ministry–speaking out about injustice. I just developed a compassion for ministers who needed special help.”
Under the influence of extraordinary seminary mentors like Olin T. Binkley and Clarence Jordan, Langford felt called to specialize in rural church ministry and went on to serve multiple Virginia Baptist churches. Following army chaplaincy during World War II, he served congregations in Louisa and Pittsylvania counties and eventually retired as pastor of the former Confederate Heights Baptist Church in Richmond.
It was while serving as pastor in Pittsylvania County that Langford wrote an article for Chatham's Star-Tribune in support of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that school segregation was unconstitutional.
Following the publication of the letter, Langford was forced to resign from his church. As a Southern Baptist minister who was ostracized for supporting desegregation, Langford found securing employment with other churches to be nearly impossible. Though painful, this difficult passage allowed him the freedom to discover another passion: preventing substance abuse. Langford spent 21 years with the Alcohol and Drug Education Council of Virginia Churches–eight as associate director and 13 as executive director. Throughout that time, however, Langford continued to notice other ministers living with the difficulties that faithfulness in ministry may sometimes incur.
“I've never been 'burned out,' but I've been 'burned up' from confronting injustice and exploitation in the world. Ministers deal with the injustices around them. For me, it was the race issue. That's why Florence and I wanted to help ministers in trouble. The seminary is the ideal place to do it, to give a base for this support for the long-term.”
The apartments provided by the Langfords will become a key physical component supporting the sabbatical leave program of BTSR's School of Christian Ministry.
When asked about what motivated them to provide a major gift for the seminary, Langford replied that some years ago, he was among those who felt that a new seminary was needed to preserve scholastic freedom. “I am so proud of everyone in the seminary, to see what it has become. At some points, I didn't see how it could be done–but they did it.”
The Langfords also lost a son, Edwin Truett Langford, and hope that a gift in his honor will keep his memory alive by helping pastors and seminarians.
As for how a couple in the Baptist ministry has been able to give $250,000 to BTSR Langford says that they simply saved. “We did it on a shoe-string budget. We forested [the Langfords were recognized for being the nation's top tree-farmers by President Carter in 1978]. I give the glory to God and the credit to my wife.”
The Langfords' most recent gift came in the form of precious metals, including coins, which they purchased as a back-up investment in the 1970s. They put in a modest amount, and it grew.
To others who may contemplate making a campaign gift to BTSR, Langford says, “Put the money where the need is. We [BTSR] get no SBC mission money. It's got to be supported. I go to that passage, “Let us work for the good of all, especially for those of the household of faith [Gal. 6:10].”
As a Virginia Baptist pastor and BTSR trustee, Joe Lewis of Petersburg finds the Langfords' leadership inspiring. “They are a testimony to what all of us can do with God's grace and a little planning. They have set a high standard, but not so high that many of us, including those in ministry, couldnÕt follow.”