For the love of God is broader than the measure of our mind;
And the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.

The above lyrics are from the hymn, There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy, one of Betty Bedsole’s favorite hymns. Her love for God and trust in God’s  faithful provision reverberate throughout this hymn. Music education and Christian service are the keystones of her vocation. Betty recently joined Smoke Rise as an associate member and currently resides in Madison, Florida, near one of her sisters.  However, her connection with our church, unbeknownst to her, occurred much earlier in her career.

Born in Tar Heel, North Carolina, Betty is the oldest of seven siblings. In third grade, Betty made her profession of faith in the First Baptist Church in Folkston, Georgia; but it was in high school that she felt called to dedicate her life to Christian ministry. She remembers leading the music during “College Night at Christmas” at her church, and it was then that she realized her deep desire to serve the Lord through her love for music. The path wasn’t always clear, but Betty trusted in God’s goodness. Looking back, she remembers, “I just walked through the doors that were open.” After graduating from Stetson University, she enrolled in Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and graduated in 1968 with a Master’s degree in Church Music. While in Texas, she also served as the music assistant at Park Cities Baptist Church. However, Betty longed to interact more with children and recalls praying for discernment and direction from God.

“Here is my life, I want to give it-
Serving my fellow man, doing the will of God.”

That chorus from Here’s My Life became a mantra for Betty as she navigated the next few years – trusting God would lead her through the right doors. “No matter where, no matter when, Lord, I will go where you want me to go.” As is often the case, we don’t understand why God leads us down certain paths until we look back and see how one event influenced the next.  During the years that followed her work at Park Cities Baptist Church, Betty found herself teaching music in elementary and middle schools. It was a rewarding but hard season, and she began to pray for a way back to church music. Before long, God opened a door at First Baptist Church in Dallas, where she became the Children’s Choir Coordinator.

With prayers answered, this was an exciting time for Betty. First Baptist Dallas had a large Young Musicians Choir and, along with providing training for leaders of preschool and children’s choirs, Betty was kept very busy!  Her heart was full, and she was happy. However, it wasn’t long before God opened another door.

While serving at First Baptist Dallas, Betty received a letter from the Baptist Sunday School Board inviting her to become a consultant for preschool and younger children’s music for the Church Music Department. Betty packed her bags and moved to Nashville, where she gleaned from all the skills she had learned to that point. She traveled throughout the country providing training for preschool and children’s choir leaders as well as serving as music director for children’s choir camps. She was also a contributing author of More Songs for 4’s and 5’s, which was used in many Baptist churches. As Betty grew in her vocation, she began to realize that music education is more than just training for performance. A child’s experience in choir spiritually forms the heart and mind while preparing them to lead in worship.

It wasn’t long before another door opened and the dean of the School of Church Music at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary offered her the opportunity to join the music faculty. She was offered a position as assistant professor of church music. During her time at Southern, Betty and Danny Vancil crossed paths. He was a student in her children’s music class. And Danny wasn’t the only one influenced by Betty’s gifted instruction. Naomi Walker fondly remembers Betty serving on her doctoral committee. For 14 years, Betty taught at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and, during this time, earning her doctorate in music education from the University of Illinois.

Her experience at Southern was the beginning of a 40-year vocation in higher education, serving as a professor of church music, music education and voice. Dr. Bedsole also taught at Palm Beach Atlantic University and then concluded her career at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. Her position at Union was especially sweet because it was here that all her paths converged in this one place. She not only taught music education classes and supervised student teachers, but also served as director of the Community Music Center. This center provided private lessons and choirs for children and youth, as well as music camps in the summer, similar to our Arts Academy at Smoke Rise.

When asked what advice she would give her students today, Dr. Bedsole replied, “We aren’t promised an easy life, but God will be with us in our experiences as we move from place to place, giving us strength and providing rewarding experiences to look back on with great joy!”

In high school, Betty offered her life in service to God, trusting that God would direct her path—which is exactly what happened.  Door after door opened and she stepped through, all the while experiencing the wideness in God’s mercy.

– Mitzi Ethridge-Cantrell, Pastoral Care Associate