When we started the Good News Journal in the fall of 1997 it was a huge leap of faith. From a business perspective we didn’t have the finances or the expertise to start such an undertaking. But God provided the finances and put a number of people in our path that made our journey easier.
One of those people was Pastor Frank Huffman, a big man, whose huge heart for people and love of the Lord were evident to anyone who met him.
Early on, we had an office in downtown Mt. Airy, NC. Whenever discouragement and stress invaded our office Frank seemed to show up, with his jokes, a positive word of encouragement and a prayer. His visits were invaluable to the Good News Journal in those early days and he was a blessing to me personally.
No matter what was going on you couldn’t be around Frank long without smiling. I often marveled at how one man could know so many “corney” jokes, but Frank was never without one.
In addition to the encouragement he brought, Frank was an excellent story teller and contributed over 500 articles to this publication over the 28 years we have been publishing. You can find one of my favorites from 10 years ago on this page. Enjoy and be blessed by it.
On December 20th, 2024, the Good News Journal and our community lost that special person as he stepped out of this life into the arms of Jesus and eternity. Frank loved life, he loved people, he loved his family and friends, he loved his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and was proud of each one of them. He loved his wife “Trudy” to the moon and back. But more than all of that he loved his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
His life was filled with many adventures and he was a man of many talents. He proudly served in the United States Navy as a “Plane Captain” on an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War. He tried his hand at professional wrestling. At one time he was ranked in the Top 100 of Professional Pool Players. He worked as a piano and organ salesman and learned to play the keyboard.
In January of 1972, he gave his heart and life to Jesus and as a result got his entire family into a local church where he was involved in bus ministry. The family lived in Roanoke, Virginia, from 1976-1992 where he operated a janitorial business. While in Roanoke, Frank pursued education and ordination in pastoral ministry and pastored a church there. He acquired a Master of Biblical Studies and a Doctor of Sacred Theology from Mid-Atlantis Seminary.
In 1993, He moved to Mount Airy where he took a job with “Miracle Ear” and used that opportunity as a ministry to those he encountered. There were many times people could not afford a hearing aid and Frank made sure they got one, even if it came out of his own packet.
He pastored Friend’s Union Church in Pinnacle, NC, Galax Friends Meeting in Galax, Va., and Pilot Mountain Community Church. He served 10 years as NC State Chaplin for the Disabled American Veterans and Chaplin for the Mount Airy Lions Club.
Thank you Pastor Frank! Your contributions to your community, to all the people you touched, to the Good News Journal and to me personally will always be remembered.