MILL VALLEY, Calif. (BP)–The widow of a Methodist minister has established an endowment trust for an academic chair and other needs at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, Calif.
Barbara Waters of Roseville, Calif., said she created the trust fund based on the admiration her husband Charles had for Golden Gate’s focus on Scripture and missions.
Charles (Chuck) Waters, who died in March 2006, was a retired minister and funeral director in Roseville.
“Chuck was a man who spent morning, noon and night in the Bible and who believed fervently in the power and necessity of prayer,” Barbara Waters said. “He decided to give to Golden Gate Seminary just because he saw how they focused on the Bible.”
The trust will be funded from assets of the Waters’ estate yet to be determined.
“Chuck and Barbara spent many wonderful years ministering together,” said Tom Jones, director of institutional advancement at Golden Gate. “This gift will extend that partnership in ministry beyond both of their lifetimes.”
Barbara and Chuck met at a roller skating rink in Providence, R.I., in 1946 and were married two years later. After college and some years as a funeral director, Chuck answered a call to ministry. He graduated from Boston University School of Theology and went on to pastor churches in Massachusetts, Nevada, California and Virginia. The Waters had one son, Stanley Charles, who died following an accident in 1985 at age 36.
After retirement, Chuck served as a chaplain at Roseville Hospital and at the VA Hospital in Sacramento. He also sold Christian books, worked for a mortuary, held home Bible studies and preached at a retirement home.
Barbara Waters is active in the United Methodist Church of Roseville. An accomplished pianist, she also sings in the choir and as a soloist.
The gift is part of Golden Gate’s five-year Partners for the Future campaign, which has a goal of $13 million by the year 2010. More than 37 percent of the goal had been reached as of March 2007.
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