Sue Myrick: “it is a true honor for me to have Dr. Harold Bales here to offer prayer to us at this most difficult time in our…”

“it is a true honor for me to have Dr. Harold Bales here to offer prayer to us at this most difficult time in our Nation's history. Dr. Bales and his wife, Judy, have been friends of my husband, Ed, and myself for over 20 years, as well as pastor. Judy and their daughter, Suzannah, are here with him today. He has served in many capacities in the Methodist Church, from being a pastor to organizing the World's Fair in Knoxville to administrative positions; and many years ago in Charlotte, he was among the first to recognize our growing problem with homeless people. And our church, First United Methodist, was among the first to start a program uptown to help. He was also instrumental in building our homeless shelter. When tornados raked through North and South Carolina in 1986, Harold was one of the first responders, not only with spiritual leadership, but also in a relief and recovery effort in the basement of First Methodist, over a hundred miles away. Recently he has battled cancer, but that has not stopped him from caring and working for others. Harold relieves many tense situations with his wonderful sense of humor. He always makes everyone feel comfortable, and he has always got a real story to tell that is funny as the dickens. He also writes poetry. One of his masterpieces is called Ode to Okra. Yes, that is the vegetable. Harold loves okra.”