Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Cappses Head To Missionary Work

Dr. William R. `Billy' and V. Elizabeth `Betty' Crawford Capps have joined the nearly 4,200 Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board workers sharing Christ in 127 countries among 336 ethnic people groups.

The Cappses were among 63 people appointed by the Foreign Mission Board April 8 during a service at the State House Convention Center in Little Rock.

These missionaries are the last group appointed by the Foreign Mission Board before it becomes International Mission board in June.

The new missionaries will fill diverse job assignments from starting churches to using construction, education and business as tools of ministry.

In 1996 Foreign Mission Board missionaries helped lead 283,674 people to Christ and baptism. They and their overseas partners started 2,367 churches and reported a record 4.10 million members in 39,876 churches overseas.

The Cappses will live in Honduras. Missionaries in Honduras have focused their work on human needs projects due to natural disasters, such as hurricanes, flooding and droughts, that have plagued Honduras in the last couple of years.

Dr. Capps is a dentist, and will use dentistry as a ministry in starting and developing churches. Mrs. Capps will be involved in a variety of outreach ministries.

Dr. Capps attends Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He practiced dentistry in Hope from 1971 to 1996. They are members of Lakeside Baptist Church in Hot Springs.

Born in Prescott, Billy is the son of Austin and Mary Lou Capps of Gurdon. He grew up in Gurdon, lived in Hope 25 years, and now considers Hot Springs his hometown.

He received the bachelor of arts degree from Hendrix College in Conway, and the doctor of dental surgery from the University of Tennessee in Memphis.

He served in the U.S. Navy.

Born and reared in Knoxville, Tenn., Betty is the daughter of Frances Crawford of Hot Springs and the late Riley Crawford.

She received her bachelor of science degree from the University of Tennessee School of Nursing in Memphis.

The Cappses, who have three grown children and one grandson, will go to the Foreign Mission Board's training center in Rockville, Va., in August for an eight-week orientation before leaving for overseas.