All Saints Banners

A Tribute to the Banner Ministry 1992-2024

In 1994, two special ladies in our church, Maye Gentry and Laura Studstill, began a beautiful tradition with the creation of banners for All Saints Sunday. These banners, each a piece of art and history, honored the lives of our beloved members who had passed away, providing comfort to their families. For 30 years, these banners were a visible expression of love and remembrance in our church.

Eight years ago, Miss Maye and Miss Laura retired from the ministry they had so lovingly nurtured, and we were asked to continue the tradition. We had helped on occasion over the years, and they trusted us to continue their work. At that time, we agreed with the unspoken understanding that we would continue this ministry until both ladies were rightfully honored with their own banners.

Sadly, Miss Laura passed away in 2022, and Miss Maye followed in 2024. Their absence has been deeply felt by all who knew them and by those whose lives they touched through this ministry. Each banner, measuring 4 feet by 6 feet, requires many hours of work. The process begins with conceptualizing the design, which is often influenced by the number of names to be included. Materials are purchased, and then the creation begins. The banners are sewn together, and names, verses, and pictures are cut—some by hand, some by machine. Within two weeks of All Saints Sunday, the newest banner is measured, assembled, and hung in the sanctuary, alongside the older banners, which are carefully brought out of storage, refreshed, and displayed once again. In recent years, however, we have encountered two challenges: the growing number of banners has made it difficult to find enough space in the sanctuary to display them all, and the size of the banners has made storage increasingly difficult. After much prayerful consideration, we have decided that the time has come to bring this particular ministry to a close and begin a new tradition for All Saints Sunday.

The banners have been carefully photographed and are now available for viewing on our website, so that the history and love they represent can continue to be shared. We will always honor our dearly departed members on All Saints Sunday, but this ministry—created with so much love by Miss Maye and Miss Laura—will now live on in the memories of those who have been touched by it. We are deeply grateful to Miss Maye and Miss Laura for their tireless devotion and the beauty they brought to our church through this ministry. It has been an honor for us to be a small part of their legacy.

Laurie Obert-Thorn and Kara Turk

View our All Saints Banners Below:

1994 – Ben Griffin, Ben Porter, Edith Lollis, Frances Underwood, A H Foster and Israel Mannheim

1995 – Marion Lee, Buna Hornes, Betty Smyth, George Mc Kinney, Lee Doolittle, Guyton Rhodes, Claude C King, Margery Setzer, Kathryn Adams, Mable C Cook, Jack Willoughby, Azalee Gatlin, Julia Taylor

1996 – Lina Arnold, Sarah Baker, Billy Edenfield, Dorothy Twitty, Inez Cabero, James Eaton

1997 – Billy Mullis, Miriam Markert, Ralph Brown, Bess Porter, Mary Comer Coley

1998 – Billie Talton, Hildred Slaton, Rod Porter, Gladys Porter

1999 – Janet Burich, Hazel Petty, Ouida Lollis, A T Fountain, Barbara D Lawson, W T Bowen, Sarah Mannheim, Dorothy Kime, Lillian Robertson, Robert Delamar, Gene Hamby

2000 – R O Leighton Sr, Iris Kind, Phylis Bellar, Rachel Harrell, Grace Proctor, Leonard Delamar, J T Goodman, Marcus Ward

2001 – Peggy York, Eudora Lowery, Dorothy Rhodes

2002 – Paul Dent, Amy Bembry, James Coley, Ruth Gibson, Hazel Hyatt, Mary Willcox, Martha Talton, Opal Lancaster

2003 – Arielle Sikes, Modena McKinney, Diana Cabero, Linda Adams, Teena Rhodes

2004 – Tom Baker, Lois Nelson, Melvin Swick, Whitey Lollis, Charlie Coffey, Haskins Bailey, Genevieve Hoss, Maude Brookins, Franklin Jones, Frank Grinstead, Virginia Johnson

2005 – John Lee Jr, Mae Dawkins, Florene Faulk, Jack Braswell, Charles Robertson

2006 – John Adams, Rene Mullis, Art Goddard, Bobby Gentry, Frank Kinard, Maurice Arnold, Hortense Gunter, Larisa Bufffington

2007 – Foster York, Nora Belle Clark, Jeanette Henry, Sylvia Curry, Julia Evans, Jack Abernathy

2008 – Maude Bowen, Ruby Coffey, Dudley Moore, Gary Sinyard, David Kilgore, Margaret King

2009 – Fred Liggett, Mozelle Bailey, Dolores Waller, Bertha Lord, Bobby Leighton, Jean Norris, Rena Myers, Gladys Thompson, Oscar Stembridge

2010 – Etta King, Doris Coody, Marvin Hoss, Mandy Griffin, Martha Liggett, Catherine Sapp

2011 – Walter Baker, Marvin Peavy, Robert Coody, Nancy Coleman, Edward Hermann, Audrey Newsome, Mark Bufffington

2012 – Dale Payne, Harlow Coody, Doris Walker, Miriam Curth, Wilson Cradle, Alice Lancaster, George Newsome

2013 – Elaine Dent, Laverne Mirt

2014 – Bea Brown, Ray Mixon, Melinda Swick, Mary Goddard, Gerald Green, Buddy Conway, Belle Phillips

2015 – Fred Wynne, Greg Spears, Steve Studstill, Wayne Wetherington

2016 – Bob Lamar, Larry Harper, Ricky Willcox, Florence Swick

2017 – Evelyn Dunagan, Paul Williams, Ted Coleman, Pam Griffin, Faye Dunn

2018 – Frances Jones, Eleanor Vickers

2019 – Nell Baker, Jimmy Curry, Kimberly Tripp Gunkel, Tommy Johnson, Betty Quick, Peggy Reeve

2020 – Paul Quick, Jeff Taylor, Dorothy Wynne, Boree Watson, Chester ‘Skip’ Garis

2021 – Hal Oberg, Niel Wall, Larry Faulk, Betty Hermann, Nellie Coley, Annette Hall, Johnnie Mae Helms, Brenda Elwell

2022 – Jimmy Tripp, Kay Bergh, Randy Coody, Nicky Cabero, Johnson Hall, Andrew Cabero, Eric Johnson, Laura Studstill

2023 – Tom Arnold, Phil Bennett, Linda Cabero, Harris Churchwell, Delmar Clark, Ben Cooley, Johnny McCune

2024 – Hugh Lawson, Jean Wall, Bill Dent, Anna Taylor, Tommy Grinstead, Harriett Mashburn, Dennis Young, Betty Paris, Bill Boys, Ann Harris, Judy Jones, Maye Gentry