The title of the blog “Rumors of Angels” is from a 1970 sermon by William C. Crouch that is the first posting of this blog. Bill Crouch was born on August 26, 1932 in Dallas, Texas. At the age of 16, after returning from a youth event at the Methodist Church Camp at Lake Bridgeport, he announced plans to enter the ministry. After attending SMU and Drew University, he began his career in the ministry. A career that continued after his formal retirement in 1999 until his death on May 9, 2008.
This blog is composed of sermons from throughout his career. The choice of sermon postings is purely random. Each posting includes the year that it was preached, where he was serving the church at the time. If appropriate there maybe editorial comments about events occurring at the time. However in preparing this blog, one of the most fascinating aspects of these sermons is the timeless nature of Bill Crouch’s sermons. “A Rumor of Angels” is a 1970 sermon that speaks to us today as well as it did to the members of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Garland, Texas.
William C. Crouch Career in Ministry
- 1956 graduated seminary at Drew University
- 1956 -1959 Director of the Wesley Foundation at University of Montana, Associate Pastor First Methodist Church Missoula, Montana
- 1959 – 1965 Pastor Trinity Methodist Church – Stony Point, New York
- 1965 – 1968 Associate Pastor University Park Methodist Church – University Park, Texas
- 1968 – 1972 Pastor St. Paul’s United Methodist Church – Garland, Texas
- 1972 – 1977 District Superintendent – Dallas Denton District
- 1977 – 1991 Pastor First United Methodist Church – Denton, Texas
- 1991 – 1997 District Superintendent – Dallas Northeast District
- 1997 – 1999 North Texas Conference Pensions Director
- 1999 – 2008 Retired Associate First United Methodist Church – Denton, Texas
Bill Crouch was that rare preacher/pastor who was great at both. Some are good to great preachers but not so good a pastor. Some are great pastors but not so great in the pupil.
Pastor Bill Crouch presided over Amy and my marriage 27 years ago. And I believe one of the reasons we have such a strong marriage was his counseling with us before hand. He took us seriously and reminded us that our marriage was not only a covenant between us as husband and wife, but was also a covenant between us and God. He was not only a great preacher, but a great role model and a great man. We were so blessed to have him!
Bill was my District Superintendant when I first entered ministry and during a difficult time of my life. He was also my friend. Some years later, he asked me to join his staff as Assoc. of Youth and Evangelism and First UMC Denton.
Bill officiated our wedding 31 years ago, and left an indelible imprint on my life. First UMC Denton was an incredible experience with a diverse yet totally united congregation. Under his leadership, the church decided to stay downtown and ministry to the surrounding community rather than move to the suburbs. Something about Bill made the daily “chores” at the office fun. I will always remember his incredible wisdom, the legacy he left with me, those silly camp songs he would get us all to sing, his family who seemed to have so much fun just being together, and the fact that Bill was one of the most genuine, authentic people I ever knew. Thanks for sharing his messages and keeping his keen insights alive.
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