RSS

E-mail

Twitter

Facebook

Life in the ministry is Bob Fowler’s calling

By Pam Edmonson
Citizen Journalist

Bob Fowler’s Garner roots go deep.

The Fowler family

The son of Bobby Fowler (of Fowler & Sons) and the grandson of Wimpy Williams, Fowler still gives directions using Wimpy Williams’ store as a reference point.

He attended Wake Christian Academy, where he found his vocation. WCA required students to take a religion course in tenth grade. His tenth-grade teacher said Fowler elected to take Child Evangelism Fellowship to get out of taking a religion class. Fowler doesn’t admit to that, but he won’t deny it either.

CEF required inside study and outside application. Fowler’s outside assignment was to teach Bible school to children in the Chavis Heights projects in southeastern Raleigh. Having been brought up in a Christian home, sent to a Christian school and sheltered from many negative aspects of life, Fowler had never been exposed to poverty and drugs until that project.

It opened his eyes in multiple ways.

Finding your life’s calling

“I learned more from teaching that year than in all prior years learning in Sunday school,” Fowler said. “Teaching those bright-eyed children and realizing that their answers to my questions were the very words I had spoken to them humbled me and hooked me forever.”

Fowler had found his life’s work. He participated every year and began fulltime with CEF in September 1987, after he graduated from Word of Life Bible Institute. That year he met his would-be wife, Martha Fowler. They married in 1991 and now have two sons, Daniel and Jacob. All are involved in CEF ministry.

Fowler became director of Child Evangelism Fellowship of Greater Raleigh Area in 1992. The ministry is year-round with the Good News Express, a mobile teaching trailer that doubles as a classroom and that is driven regularly into Wake County public housing areas and mobile home parks.

A full-size bounce house is set up behind the mobile classroom for neighborhood kids to have fun on. Then they are taught the story of Christ in the trailer classroom setting. For their participation, the kids are treated to snow cones.

Making an impact beyond yourself

Fowler isn’t the only Garner connection to CEF-GRA. The staff includes Connell and Kathy Price, Archie Gunn and Tina Woodard, all from the Garner area. Local businesses, such as Bannister Properties, Bryan-Lee Funeral Home, Community Chiropractic and Cottman Transmission, have helped support the Good News Express.

Fowler has been working for 25 years and will continue his work with CEF as long as he is able to do so.

“I realized I could make a difference that would last far longer than I would,” Fowler said.

Bob Fowler’s ministry and CEF are donor-supported. Anyone wishing to help can make checks payable to CEF-GRA and mail to P. O. Box 848, Garner, NC 27529.

 Print This

Leave a Reply

Comments are subject to moderation. Remarks that are rude, unrelated, or otherwise inappropriate will be removed.