Rev. Dr. THOMAS BLAND Sr.

BLAND, The Rev. Dr. Thomas Albert Sr., 85, of Raleigh, N.C., formerly of Wake Forest, N.C., died Saturday, October 9, 2010 at Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community following a lengthy illness. Dr. Bland was born in Carrboro, N.C. on October 6, 1925, a son of Thomas Wade Bland and Lessie Bowden Bland. Following his graduation in 1943 from Chapel Hill High School, where he was Senior Class President, Dr. Bland earned the B.A. degree in Sociology (cum laude) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1947, and then attained the B.D. (1951) and Th.D. (1956) degrees from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. Dr. Bland later did extensive postdoctoral study and research at Yale University, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Union Theological Seminary in New York City. While working toward his doctorate at Southern Seminary, Dr. Bland was Professor of Sociology at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., from 1953 until 1956, serving as Chairman of the Department of Sociology from 1954 until 1956. From 1956 until 1993, Dr. Bland was Professor of Christian Ethics and Sociology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. In Baptist academic circles, he is remembered particularly for his expertise in developing and teaching frameworks for ethical decision-making in an ever-changing society and for his knowledge of, and substantial experience in, urban and suburban church starts and related ministries. In 1990, Dr. Bland received the Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching at Southeastern. Dr. Bland published numerous scholarly articles and book reviews and contributed chapters to several books, including Servant Songs: Reflections on the History and Mission of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1950-1988. Dr. Bland's academic and professional affiliations included membership in the Society of Christian Ethics, in the American Sociological Association, and in Pi Gamma Mu (honorary social science society). He was a Fellow in the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. Ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1946, Dr. Bland also had a diverse and far-reaching pastoral ministry for over 50 years. Prior to enrolling in Southern Seminary, Dr. Bland was called as pastor of Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Chapel Hill (1947-1948), and while in Louisville he pastored Vine Run Baptist Church in Elliston, Ky. (1950-1953). During and after his teaching career at Southeastern, Dr. Bland served as interim pastor of 41 churches, primarily in North Carolina. He was the founding pastor of four North Carolina Baptist churches, including Holly Hill (Burlington), Greystone (Raleigh), Woodhaven (Cary), and Triangle (Raleigh). For his distinguished record in helping to establish new churches, Dr. Bland received the Church Planter of the Year award from the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina in 1985. Dr. Bland was a past Chairman of the Baptist State Convention's Christian Life Committee and a member of the Convention's Council on Christian Life and Public Affairs. He was also a past Chairman of the Convention's Resolutions Committee and a member of the Ordination Committee of the Raleigh Baptist Association. More recently, Dr. Bland has been on the Missions Task Force and New Church Starts Committee of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina. Broader civic service included, among other positions, serving as President of the North Carolina Conference for Social Service and as a North Carolina delegate to the White House Conference on Children (1970) and on Families (1980). Dr. Bland was also a longtime member and Deacon of Wake Forest Baptist Church in Wake Forest, N.C., and after moving to Raleigh in 2004 joined Greystone. Dr. Bland was predeceased by his first wife, Rena Cheek Bland; his parents; his sisters, Rachel B. Woods, Marion Clark and Charlotte Ray; a brother, William O. Bland; and a stepson, Loy Connell Smith. He is survived by his wife, Eunice Andrews Smith Bland of Raleigh; a daughter, the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bland Biggar of Concord, Mass., and Saco, Maine, and her husband, Ray; a son, the Rev. Dr. Thomas A. Bland Jr. of Morganton, N.C., and his wife, Pat; a stepdaughter, Melba Smith Gropper and her husband, Dean, of Todd, N.C.; a stepson, Brian Smith of Boone, N.C., and his wife, Jill; a daughter-in-law, Betty Lewis Smith of Richmond, Va.; five grandchildren, Chris and Andrew Gropper, Connor Smith, and Eleanor and Edward Bland; a brother, Ralph Bland and his wife, Susan, of Gibsonville, N.C.; a sister-in-law, Gwen Bland of Charlotte, N.C.; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. A memorial service will be held at Greystone Baptist Church, 7509 Lead Mine Road, in Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday, October 12, at 11 a.m. Participating will be the Rev. Drs. Randall Lolley, Thomas Jackson, Cynthia Bland Biggar, Thomas A. Bland, Jr. and the Rev. Phyllis Mayo. The family will receive friends at 10 a.m. in the church's Gathering Room and then again following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Wake Forest Baptist Church, 107 E. South Ave., Wake Forest, N.C. 27587, Greystone Baptist Church, 7509 Lead Mine Road, Raleigh, N.C. 27615 or Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community, 1500 Sawmill Road, Raleigh, N.C. 27615. A service of Bright Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 405 S. Main St., Wake Forest, N.C. 27587. (919-556-5811). www.brightfunerals.com


This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.