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A UMNS Report
By Trisha Johnson*
6:00 P.M. EDT August 22, 2011
In June 2003, in honor of Father’s Day, UMTV featured
the Bryan family. For seven generations, at least one
member of the family has served as a pastor.
Bishop Alonzo Monk Bryan, known for his sense of humor and deep
spirituality, passed away Saturday, Aug. 20, in Dallas. He was 97.
Bryan, who was known as Monk, served as Nebraska Area bishop of The United Methodist Church from 1976 to 1984.
“Humorous, joyful, intelligent, these are just a few words that describe who Monk Bryan was,” said Nebraska Area Bishop Ann B. Sherer-Simpson. “His commitment to Christ and to The United Methodist Church enabled him to lead the Nebraska Conference (Area) well. He continued serving throughout his retirement, and we celebrate his life in ministry.”
Preaching was something of a family business. Bryan followed his father,
grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great grandfather into the
ordained Methodist ministry after his education. He graduated from
Weatherford College, Baylor University and Southern Methodist
University’s Perkins School of Theology, with additional studies at Drew
University and Iliff School of Theology.
In 1939, Bryan was ordained deacon as a member of the St. Louis Annual
Conference, which is now the Missouri Annual Conference. He served
churches in the Central Texas and Missouri conferences, including Missouri United Methodist Church in Columbia, Mo., which he led from 1957 to 1976.
Bryan had been a member of the World Methodist Council since 1951,
attending most World Methodist Conferences until recently. In 1976, the
South Central Jurisdictional Conference elected him to the episcopacy
and assigned him to the Nebraska Area. He retired in 1984.
The Rev. Richard Turner remembers the bishop fondly. Under Bryan’s
leadership, Turner served as district superintendent for what was then
the South Central District in the Nebraska Annual (regional) Conference.
Turner said every bishop comes with special gifts. Bryan’s gift was his
focus on spiritual nurturing, or what United Methodists call pastoral
care. Another strength Turner recalled was Bryan’s ability to bring
cabinet members together for quiet centering and prayer time as each
leadership meeting began.
“I appreciated the careful way in which he tended to spiritual matters for his cabinet leaders,” Turner said.
Bryan’s Texas roots remained important to him throughout his life.
“He had a saddle in his office,” Turner recalled. “He was sort of a
cowboy at heart, but at the same time he loved classical music.”
Grove added that his friend cherished the history of Methodism in Texas,
a history many in his family had lived. “Oh yes, he was very proud of
being a Texan,” Grove said.
Twila and “Monk” Bryan. A UMNS web-only photo courtesy of the Council of Bishops.
Bryan married Corneille Downer of Waco, Texas, in 1941, and they were
blessed with three children. His family’s tradition of ordained ministry
continued with his son, the Rev. Jim Bryan and grandson, the Rev. Andy
Bryan.
Corneille Bryan passed away in 1989. In 1992, he married Twila Stowe,
widow of Bishop William McFerrin Stowe. They lived in both Dallas and
Lake Junaluska, N.C., until moving to Presbyterian Village North, a
retirement home in Dallas.
Bryan is survived by his wife, Twila, of Dallas; daughter Lucy Barlow,
and her husband, Sam, of Dallas; sons Robert Bryan, and his wife,
Virginia, of Madison, Wis., and Jim Bryan and his wife, Caryl of
Columbia, Mo.; and his seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Extended family also includes Twila Bryan’s children, Bill and Mary
Frances Stowe; Twila and Bob Gass; and Martha Stowe and Ken Benson.
A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24, at First United Methodist Church in Dallas.
In lieu of flowers the family would welcome donations in Bryan’s name to
the Corneille Bryan Native Garden at Lake Junaluska, N.C., or your
church or charity of your choice.
*Johnson is the communications coordinator for the Nebraska Annual
(regional) Conference. Heather Hahn, a multimedia reporter for United
Methodist News Service, contributed to this story.
News media contact: Heather Hahn, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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