c. 2000 Religion News Service

ST. MARYS, Ga. _ Warren Bailey was the first of the recently departed members of St. Marys United Methodist Church to be remembered in its All Saints observances Sunday (Nov. 5).

But that was only because his name came first alphabetically among the dozen members who had died in the past year, not because he had bequeathed his congregation $60 million.

“Our virtue before God has to do with being God’s children and, last I heard, God loves all his children equally,” explained the Rev. Derek McAleer, pastor of the 201-year-old church, in an interview with Religion News Service after the congregation’s second worship hour.

A total of 374 people attended services on Sunday at the church located near the police station and city hall in this community just north of the Florida-Georgia border. A hand-bell ringer sounded a low bell as the names of each of the deceased were read.

After Bailey, a two-time mayor of St. Marys, died at age 88 on July 14, McAleer learned the church would be the recipient of some of his wealth. But the fact that it would be $60 million was not announced to the congregation until Oct. 29.

McAleer said the will listed eight heirs, with seven receiving between $20,000 and $100,000 each and the church inheriting the bulk of the estate. Bailey, a private man who divorced decades ago after a brief marriage, did not have any children.

Although he had nieces and nephews and a stepmother, it was the church that took care of cleaning out Bailey’s house after his death, passing on sentimental items to his relatives.

“We gave the clothes to a men’s shelter,” said McAleer. “We did all the family stuff.”

The primary chunk of the inheritance will come from the sale by Bailey’s executor of his 49 percent share in Camden Telephone Co., which he owned and managed with his now-deceased brothers. The church also inherited Bailey’s house and plans to use it as a rectory for its associate pastor.

McAleer described the brick house built in the 1960s as “very ordinary” with three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

“His only extravagance was a 46-inch-screen TV,” the pastor said.

The church expects to get $50 million around Jan. 2 and $10 million more by June 1, after expenses of the estate have been settled.

They don’t know for sure, but church leaders say Bailey’s gift may be the largest single bequest to a local congregation. Members of a new advisory committee have met and talked with other church leaders who are knowledgeable about large church donations as they determine the best way to deal with the huge offering.

The church’s trustee board has decided Bailey’s money will not be used for the regular operations of the church but rather for still-to-be-determined mission and ministry purposes.

“When you talk to churches that have other people paying their bills, it weakens a church spiritually,” said McAleer. “Something happens to your commitment when you hold your pocketbook from it.”

In general, the church is trying not to dwell on its newfound wealth, especially during the worship service. On Sunday, Bailey’s name was only mentioned in the list of saints and in a brief announcement that an advisory board is seeking nominations for members of a proposed foundation to handle the “Bailey Bequest.”

The list of qualifications for the board, inserted in the church’s bulletin, included a love for God, church membership and the ability to maintain confidentiality. But advisory board members said one of the leadership skills cited _ “able to say `no”’ _ also is paramount.

“I got 24 letters in the mail yesterday,” McAleer said.

He’s heard from churches across the country seeking funding for their building projects and even an inebriated caller from the Washington, D.C., area, hoping for help with his rent.

“We see ourselves as custodians of this estate and the question is, `How are we going to be wise custodians?”’ McAleer said. “Discerning between good choices is very difficult.”

Bailey joined the church at age 9 and fondly recalled his time in Sunday school.

“He was just not an active member except with his contributions,” McAleer said.

In recent years, he had donated about $100,000 annually to the church. On the church campus behind a chapel built in 1856 and the A-frame brick edifice where members have worshipped since 1966, sits Bailey Hall. The benefactor made a substantial donation in honor of his family for the two-story brick building that includes a fellowship hall and Sunday school classrooms.

But not all of his donations were in cash. Bailey also bought groceries for the church’s food pantry.

Bailey hadn’t attended the church regularly for decades. But McAleer, who visited the benefactor monthly, said he often discussed the televised services of a prominent Southern Baptist church in Jacksonville.

Carl Barnhardt, a member of the advisory committee and a lay leader of the church, said he hopes people will pray for the congregation, which is trying to focus on God and not money.

“Our mission is not to take care of $60 million and baby-sit it,” Barnhardt said. “Our main focus is still to worship God. That’s what we do.”

DEA END BANKS