Stories: Freddie Smith

A Story About Vance Havner
By Freddie Smith

Dr. Havner was coming for a week in our pastorate, beginning on a Sunday morning. He was already in Florida preaching at First Baptist Ft. Walton Beach. On Tuesday morning my secretary said I had a call and she thought it might be Dr. Havner.

I answered and it was him. My first thought, he is having to head back to Greensboro; not feeling good. Well, he was feeling fine; and wanted to know if I was going to be in town the rest of the week. Most of the time, Dr. Havner would head back to Greensboro on Thursday and stay till Saturday and head where he was preaching. But he decided and I was delighted to come stay with me for a couple of days before the meeting. I picked him up at airport, drove him to the hotel. That night, we had dinner together and just visited and laughed. A night to remember. But what really got me was when he said, “Let’s go to Disney World tomorrow.” I was going to Disney World with Dr. Vance Havner!! We did!!

I have had the privilege of having him preach, visit in our home, but a couple of places he and I went was Disney World and then, in Ft. Myers, spent a few hours at Thomas Edison Home. A rare gift from God for me to have had such special moments with my dear friend, Dr. Vance Havner.

He is gone from us in the physical but he is still with us in ways that would surprise him to no end. Why he never gave thought of computers, web sites, books being sold at the price they are now.

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