NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–After undergoing surgery Oct. 20 for a massive brain tumor, Harry Piland is recovering at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., with a positive prognosis for the future.
Piland, director of the Sunday school division of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention for 16 years until his retirement in 1994, was diagnosed with a fast-growing brain tumor after being involved in a car accident Oct. 15 near Forrest City, Ark.
Bill Taylor, director of LifeWay’s Sunday school group, said doctors were optimistic after the surgery that they had removed all of the tumor. Piland will undergo radiation and chemotherapy which doctors believe will eradicate any remaining cancer. Because such a tumor is subject to return, he will be monitored closely.
“There was a lot of rejoicing at Vanderbilt tonight as we gathered with the family and friends who had traveled from across the country to be with the Pilands,” Taylor said. “God still moves.”
After his retirement, Piland served as associate pastor/minister of education at First Baptist Church, Dallas, for two years. He and his wife, Pat, then returned to the Nashville area. He has served as an adjunct professor of Christian education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, and has continued leading Sunday school conferences throughout the nation.
