Initiated in 1992, he has the same paddle hanging in his home as any other FarmHouse alumni might, however, as an honorary fraternity member his story is quite unique
Local pastor James Bond, better known as JB Bond, served as pastor of Countryside Baptist Church in Stillwater for 27 years until a little over a year ago, when he and a group of local families set out to establish the new Stillwater Bible Church.
Pastor Bond graduated from Delta State University in Mississippi and spent the first part of his career coaching in a variety of capacities. Starting out as a high school coach, his great leadership abilities propelled him onto the athletics scene at Mississippi State University. After spending eight years on the coaching staff at the university, he left to follow a calling to enter into ministry. He graduated from the Dallas Theological Seminary in 1985 and accepted an offer to become the first full time pastor at Countryside Baptist Church here in Stillwater.
In the early ‘90s, the members of FarmHouse started the tradition of kicking off each semester attending church as a chapter and Countryside Baptist was the church of choice. Countryside was also the local church home for many FarmHouse members for many years. The men of FarmHouse were drawn to Countryside Baptist likely due to the fact that, unlike many professors on campus, Pastor Bond has the innate ability to capture the full attention of whomever is listening. When tragedy swept in and a young member of FarmHouse passed away, Pastor Bond was there to pray with and support all the members. The men of FarmHouse came to admire Bond so much that it was decided to ask him to join the fraternity as an honorary member.
The admiration was mutual. Pastor Bond had developed a great appreciation for the men of FarmHouse and the ideals upheld by the fraternity. “It was a great honor to become a part of this great group of men,” Bond said. “It was very encouraging to be asked to become an honorary member. I am proud to be a part of the FarmHouse Fraternity.”
Since becoming an honorary member, Pastor Bond has taken the time each year to meet with the new members of FarmHouse to encourage spiritual growth and to provide inspiration for diligence and hard work throughout life. As members of the Greek community, we strive to serve not only our alumni, our campus and the world, but also each other. We go the extra mile to give back to the community that has given us so much. Bond said he views Greeks as “ leaders on campus and in the community.”
As a Stillwater resident and father of two women who were Greek at OSU, Pastor Bond has much respect for the qualities exemplified by members of the fraternities and sororities and sororities here at Oklahoma State. It is reassuring to know that all the work your chapter puts into homecoming and its various philanthropic endeavors does not go unnoticed. “Both the campus and the community would be vastly different without the presence of the Greek community,” Bond said. “I am thankful for the impact of Greeks on campus and in the city of Stillwater.”
Although he was never a pledge or president of the IFC at OSU, Pastor Bond’s story is enormously important to my fraternity. Just as FarmHouse has recognized Pastor Bond as a man who exemplifies the ideals of the fraternity, many other chapters have initiated respectable individuals as honorary members.
Grover Cleveland became an honorary member of Sigma Chi in 1893. First Lady Lucy Hayes was an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Barbara Bush is an honorary member, or alumni initiate of Pi Beta Phi. I could go on, but the point is that when we graduate from college and enter the real world, we may not always have a fellow Greek to look up to. We should all be able to recognize those individuals who embody the same ideals we hold dear, despite that person’s Greek affiliation or lack thereof, and look to them for guidance when needed.
