August 12, 2002
Texan's freshly brewed ministry honored by LifeWay & friends
___By Mandy Crow
___LifeWay Christian Resources
___GLORIETA, N.M. (BP)--Amid the laughter, tears and good-natured jokes, friends, family and co-workers gathered at LifeWay Glorieta Conference Center recently to celebrate the servant leadership of Bob Cooper.
___Cooper, a longtime Glorieta employee, was honored July 18 with unveiling a life-sized bronze statue and recollections of favorite stories. Called "the minister of the coffee pot," Cooper started working at Glorieta after retiring from his own office supply business in Fort Worth.
BOB COOPER stands with a new statue depicting him pouring coffee for guests at Glorieta Conference Center. The Texan has served at the New Mexico retreat 24 years, and his face has been familiar to thousands who visit Glorieta for training.
___The statue, which depicts Cooper pouring a cup of coffee, will stand outside Glorieta's dining hall permanently as a reminder of Cooper's servant leadership, said Mike Arrington, vice president of corporate affairs for LifeWay Christian Resources, an agency of the Southern Baptist Convention. The statute was paid for with donations from fellow Glorieta employees, volunteers and friends of Cooper.
___Cooper, who turned 80 June 30, has served Glorieta Conference Center nearly 24 years, spending many of those years quietly pouring coffee and welcoming guests to the dining hall. A 1947 graduate of Baylor University, Cooper and his wife, Sue, live in Dallas when not at Glorieta and attend Park Cities Baptist Church.
___For many, Cooper's service was more than a much-needed dose of caffeine every morning.
___"His faithfulness and devotion to Glorieta are traits that we can all admire," Arrington said. "He's poured over 5 million cups of coffee, and I feel like every one of those cups of coffee is a relationship."
___Jess Moody, retired Southern Baptist pastor, author, storyteller and one of Cooper's many friends attending the ceremony, compared his service to the biblical example set by Jesus.
___"Jesus could convert small things--a little mustard seed--into great evidence of providential care," he said. "The cup became the symbol of salvation. This statue is a small imitation of something greater, and there is no statue on this earth that can do justice to such a good Christian man as Coop."
___In addition to sharing funny stories about Cooper, several highlighted his compassion for others, shown in a steaming cup of coffee, a smile and a sincere concern about a guest's small problems.
___"I've been fortunate to go to many conferences" on servant leadership, said Larry Haslam, retired director of Glorieta. "The greatest lesson I've ever been privileged to learn on servant leadership was watching Bob pour coffee."
___Rick Tanner, general manager of Glorieta, said the newly unveiled statue has special meaning.
___"Bob puts a face on Glorieta," he said. "The thought of what Glorieta would be without Bob Cooper is a thought I just don't want to have."
___Cooper, who has no plans to retire from his coffee pot ministry, said the ceremony in his honor was simultaneously overwhelming and wonderful.
___"This has been a lot better than a funeral," he said. "I'm overwhelmed by this. It's just been a wonderful day. This is the best feeling in my life. It's the best feeling I've had since Baylor beat Texas A&M in football."
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