Ed Beddingfield
Alma Matas
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Pastor Beddingfield, known to most
as “Ed,” is the twenty-fifth pastor of the First
Baptist Church of Fayetteville. He joined the staff in 2001
following the retirement of Dr. Glen Holt, who had been pastor
for thirty years. Background
Ed was born and raised in Raleigh, graduating from Needham
Broughton High School and then from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in political science
and history. While serving as an Air Force Officer in Alabama
he obtained a master’s degree in counseling and guidance
from Troy State University. His Master of Divinity degree
is from Yale University Divinity School, and he is certified
as a Fellow in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors.
Family
Originally from Prattville, Alabama, Ed’s wife Sarah,
teaches English literature at Mac Williams Middle School.
She is a graduate of the University of Alabama and Troy State
University. Their two daughters, Shannon and Meghan, are both
students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Interests
Ed likes playing the guitar (bluegrass, folk and blues) and
sitting on the beach reading a book. He follows the Carolina
Tar Heels in basketball and divides his baseball loyalties
between the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox.
Movies
"Key Largo" (Bryant and Basole)
"Lawrence of Arabia"
"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"
and anything with Steve Martin
Music
‘60’s R&B, Crosby Still and Nash, the Eagles,
the Allman Brothers, Alison Krauss and Union Station
Books
John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer
Will Campbell, The Glad River
William Styron, Sophie’s Choice
Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs and Steel
Shakespeare, Macbeth
Foods
Fried scallops and oysters, eastern NC barbecue, hot dogs,
Mama’s scalloped tomatoes, Granny’s asparagus
casserole, Sarah’s banana pudding
Most Unusual Fact
A bluegrass band he played with once opened a show for Goober
(George Lindsay) of “Andy Griffith Show” fame
– maybe the closest Ed ever got to “true greatness”
What I like best about
being pastor of First Baptist
"Doing my best to preach and lead worship in a way
that is genuine, engaging and relevant; taking the senior
adults to the beach; playing “pool baseball” with
the youth; talking with the kids at Children’s Time;
having the great honor of walking with church members through
both the highest peaks and the deepest valleys of their lives." |
