Chaplain Stewart Pickle
Decatur & SOUTHWEST CITY
E: stewart.pickle@simfoods.com
C: 479.238.5759
What did you do before coming to Simmons?
My wife and I retired in 2015 after 40 years as missionaries in South America (18 years) and four areas of the United States (Fort Lauderdale, Northern Virginia, Alaska, Georgia, and Texas). We taught ESL in our church here in Siloam Springs. I am also volunteer chaplain at NW Arkansas Regional Hospital Siloam Springs.
When and why did you become a Chaplain?
When we retired, moving back to Siloam Springs, a leader in the church challenged me to become a volunteer chaplain at the local hospital. Since I had visited people in the hospital as a pastor and missionary, I decided that it would let me serve people. When two Hispanic children drowned, I was called because I spoke Spanish. One was resuscitated, the other was not. I was able to minister but I realized there must be some skills I did not have. Chaplain Larry Hendren suggested that I prepare through CPE. He was right. As I prepared, I became aware of the call to be a Chaplain.
Where did you go to school?
I went to Siloam Springs schools, then John Brown University (where I met my wife)
I graduated from Oklahoma University in Chemistry
I graduated from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
I graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
I finished 4 units of CPE at Washington Regional Medical Center, Fayetteville, AR
Where have you lived?
Siloam Springs and on the Illinois River in Oklahoma, Texas, Lousiana, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Florida, Virginia, and Alaska.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I enjoy spending time with my family, gardening (especially vegetables and plants that host butterflies), fishing, and canoeing.
What are some favorite quotes?
“The well do not need a doctor, but we are all broken.”
"Jesus: “I have come that you might have life . . . abundant life.”
“You haven’t failed until you give up. Now get back on the horse.”
“You have the same equipment every other person has. You can become a person of worth.”
“This too will pass.”
“Things are being done every day that couldn’t be done.”
“Fear not, I AM with you.” (Jesus)
“I want mercy, not justice.”
Do you have any pets or raise any animals?
We have a toy poodle--our first--who is amazing and clever. He is teaching us, but we are slow learners. We have had three amazing German shepherds that we trained. We had cats, but several of our close family members are allergic to them.
If you could do anything for one day and money were not an issue, what would you do?
I would love to go deep sea fishing in the Gulf Stream off Florida.
Who are the most influential people in your life?
A man who mentored my father, George Washington Carver. (I never met him.)
My wife (we have been married for almost 60 years).
A street evangelist named Leo Humphrey who ministered in New Orleans during the Hippie movement.
Henry Blackaby (Experiencing God)
Bertha Smith (Missionary to China)
Alex Herring, Jr. (Missionary to China)
Pastor E. F. Hallock, Jr. (Kept a prayer diary with over 50,000 answered prayers)