Billy Hornsby 1949-2011
Buzz it!
Dear Friends,
On March 23, 2011 at 9:44pm, our father and friend, Billy Hornsby went to be with the Lord. Billy’s passion for God, family, life, and leaders around the world will be long remembered.
A memorial service to celebrate Billy’s life will be held at Church of the Highlands. Please check the church’s website or the ARC website for service information. In lieu of flowers we are asking that donations in Billy Hornsby’s name be made to the Association of Related Churches (ARC).
This verse from God’s Word says it all:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8 NLT)
Words cannot express how much you mean to us. We are grieving, but not like the rest of men who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). On behalf of my family, thank you for your love and support.
Chris Hodges
28 Comments
Billy-
Thanks for believing in me and my wife- when few did. Thanks for taking a risk on a church planter like me- a no name. Thanks for breathing life into me when all I saw was death and religion and was ready to quit. Thanks for allowing us to be creative, life-giving, and find new ways to do church. Thanks for spending your whole life making other people great. Thanks for giving pastors, leaders, and church planters all around the world an opportunity to shine bright for Jesus. Thanks for allowing me to be apart of the family. New Generation Fellowship is eternally thankful.
Pastor Joseph Garza
New Generation Fellowship (ARC Plant)
What a powerful legacy Billy left for so many. He was a great man of God that loved and believed in so many people. Thank you for pouring into me when you did Billy! We will miss you.
Billy was more than a friend, he was a brother, a father & even a grandfather all rolled into one to me. He accepted me for who I am & appreciated my heart. He taught me what it really feels like to Hurt for the Lost, & I will take that with me to my last days. My heart will miss Billy for a long time to come!
I am a better man because of Billy Hornsby.
Dear Billy, thank you for extending your grace toward me and being like a Dad to me. I love you! Not only you were example for me in ministry and life, but most importantly, you were a dear friend and for this you will be greatly missed. (And thank you for the ice when the car hit me.) Praying for Charlene and the family.
Billy was such a good friend to us through the years. When he, Charlene, and the girls moved to Germany, and we met them when they visited our church, we fell in love with their sweet spirits. Billy is the one who explained to me how to raise Godly children, and I will be eternally grateful to him for that. We have reaped the fruit of his wisdom in our sons and have been able to pass it on to others. He cooked Jambalaya for us… He was always so kind and encouraging. He was a friend that is loyal and cares about you more than himself, even until the end. He helped us through our heartbreak.The thought of Billy and his stories brings a smile, even now through the tears. My heart aches, but what a life lived for the glory of God! There can be no greater thing than knowing your friend is in his reward right now. I will miss him though. Charlene, I love you!
Billy was a true friend. From his days as a state trooper he was always the same in the pulpit and out of the pulpit. When the ARC was formed who but Billy reached out to young men with vision to accomplish what God had laid on his heart years before. He will be missed by all and his legacy will live on through all the lives he touched.
Gary Sapp
Mission of Mercy
I will always cherish the time I spent with Billy to pick his brain & get his advice. He shared with me more in 30 minutes than I thought possible. His wisdom still rings in my soul long after the words were spoken. I am a much better father, believer & leader for having spent time with him. I pray I will steward well what was so kindly imparted to me through this man. May Charlene & her family receive back one thousand fold return for what has been sown to others through Brother Billy.
This world was blessed by his life and is diminished by his loss. May he rest in peace and rise in glory!
Thank you, pastor Billy for your influence over my life. I have much to be grateful for. Thank you for setting the example for us to follow.
Bro. Billy was instrumental in our lives as church planters.
We have planted a successful church in Oklahoma and he
believed in us early on when we were doing other church
plants. We are thankful for his influence in our lives. God bless his family.
I am so grateful for the friendship and mentoring I received from Billy over the years. His legacy will continue to be life-giving and impact lives.
A heart big enough to take on the continent of Europe and yet small enough to sit in our basement office with his guitar and sing one of his special songs to our little daughter.
One of the special saints I will look forward to meeting again in heaven.
Brother Billy, the seeds that you planted are producing a great harvest, see you in heaven.
My thoughts and prayers are with Charlene and Family… I pray for peace that passes all understanding. God IS Faithful! PTL for a man who stood the tests of time.
What a legacy he has left behind! A true General of the Faith, Spiritual Dad to so many, Apostle to hundreds of churches and one of the most genuine and authentic person… What I admired the most though was his passion and love for God and his family. He will be missed greatly.
Thank you Billy for all of your contributions to heaven, from the souls saved in so many ARC church plants. I’m grateful and honored to serve in one that you helped start in Carolina Chapel. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to serve, be ordained and pastor in an ARC church. You will be missed, but your legacy lives on forever.
Brother Billy was instrumental in helping my wife and I get to Holland and plant a great church in Amersfoort, NL. His legacy lives on even in the Netherlands with now 2 strong and missions minded Churches there. Can’t wait to get to Heaven and see all our great friends and Family.
Ford & Deebie Pickering
My husband and I started the 150th church plant for ARC. We couldn’t have fulfilled this dream without the wisdom and support we gleaned from Billy and his staff. I know others will now take the baton and continue to make his vision of planting relevant churches around the globe a reality. In the parable of the talents, Billy represents the man who got the most return for his investment! What a harvest he’s left behind! Billy, you will be missed.
We were ARC’s church plant #7. We will forever be grateful to Bro Billy for believing in us and encouraging us. Many souls have been added to God’s Kingdom as a direct result of his heart and efforts. But my favorite personal memory of Bro Billy is watching him play guitar with my then 13 year old son in our living room. “Thank you” seems far too small. Charlene and family, our prayer is that God will hold you close during this time. We love you.
Billy, we are forever changed by your influence our our lives! Pastoring with you at Seacoast was a wonderful experience. Some of our memories.. You made food taste so good! “try this, it will help you”, The candy drawer for grand kids impacts our family and neighborhood and it is always well stocked, and in reference to what shoes Charlene will wear today, Billy, will I wear shoe A or B ??
We love you.
Billy was one of the greatest men and leaders I have ever met. He was a tremendous example of love, strength, courage, wisdom, leadership and more. I always enjoyed the times I spent with him. The times with Billy, Charlene, and the girls in Germany were always lots of fun. Janet and I are praying for Charlene and the family.
Mark Furlong
billy wow what an impact you have made I know the word sayas trust no man but I think billy hornsby was the exeption by trusting billy you really was trusting God I love you all and will see you soon we will spend forever togather and can catch up then
MUCH FORGIVEN MUCH LOVE TONY
[...] hot off the press and you can read his comments on that here or you can buy a copy here. Here is a brief statement from Pastor Chris referring to arrangements for the memorial service at Church of the Highlands in [...]
[...] Arc blog post [...]
Although I did not have the privilege to know Billy, through all the words about his life, I learned so much. What a legacy and a testimony of God’s grace and love through this man of passion and compassion.
God be with you all.
i’m praying for all of you – charlene, charry & phil, tammy and chris, and the rest of the family. i have fond memories of brother billy from bethany – but the one that stands out the most is the memory of him singing “he’ll be coming round the mountain”. brother billy is singing in heaven now.
God bless Billy’s family during this time of loss and grieving. What a great man of God who made a profound impact on so many. Thank you Billy Hornsby!
[...] night, Pastor Billy Hornsby passed [...]
We are praying for your family. Your dad was a faithful servant of the Lord. He sacrificed so that others could have the opportunity to experience eternal life change through the power of Christ’s love. He will be greatly missed!