Pastor was cornerstone
of isle Baptist church

The Rev. O.W. "Dub" Efurd served his 46th year of ministry this year as interim pastor at Mililani Baptist Church joining in the congregation's 30th-anniversary celebration.

"It was coming full circle for him" because Efurd was the church's first pastor, said the Rev. Dan VanAlstine, senior associate pastor at the church. "We had no idea it would be his last assignment here on earth."

Efurd, 68, died Tuesday in Wahiawa General Hospital of complications from pneumonia.

He had served the Southern Baptist denomination for 42 years in Hawaii and retired in 2003 after 14 years as executive director of the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention.

George Iwahiro, a past president of the convention, said Efurd was instrumental in the growth of the denomination here to 117 congregations from 82 with more than 20,000 members. He said one of the veteran pastor's initiatives was creation of a conflict resolution team which mediates when dissension arises in congregations or between members and pastors.

"We lost a great pillar in the Christian community," Iwahiro said.

Efurd's earliest local assignment was as founding pastor of the Kona Baptist Church on the Big Island, where he served for nine years. After his first 13-year ministry at Mililani, he was named association director of missions for Oahu. After retiring in 2003, he became president of the Hawaii Baptist Foundation, which manages the funds of the church statewide organization.

"His heartbeat was in helping churches maintain quality of care and support for its members," said the Rev. Veryl Henderson, convention executive director. "He led a lot of workshops and conferences on strengthening churches financially, helping prepare for building expansion. He was an encourager, a church strengthener," said Henderson.

"Dub has always been a blessing wherever he has been, humble and gentle in his leadership," said VanAlstine. "He was always the best possible example of what Christian leadership should be, a servant model, caring about others."

Efurd was born in Fort Smith, Ark., and grew up in Roland, Okla. He graduated from Oklahoma State University and received a master's degree at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1993 he earned a doctor's degree from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.

He is survived by wife Grace; son Steve of Plano, Texas; daughter Laura of San Francisco; brother Wayne Efurd; sister Mildred Shackelford of Roland, Okla.; and three grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. Aug. 28 at Olivet Baptist Church, 1775 S. Beretania St. Friends may call after 2 p.m.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Hawaii Baptist Foundation, Dub Efurd Memorial Fund, 2042 Vancouver Drive, Honolulu 96822. The funds will be distributed to his favorite charities.