By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — Recalling critical moments in warfare as a Special Forces artillery commander as part of a 16-year career in the U.S. Army, keynote speaker Edward Graham, the Chief Operating Officer of the Boone-based Samaritan’s Purse worldwide disaster relief organization, brought into focus the importance of having a stable “baseplate” as we go through the ups and downs of life and living. On July 30, he spoke in front of a standing-room-only crowd gathered at Chetola Mountain Resort for the “Summer Special Breakfast” of the Men’s Connection bible study group.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary suggests the term “baseplate” entered the English language for the first time in 1788, as “… a plate that serves as a base or support.” While the Encyclopaedia Brittanica Company does not specify in what context the word was used, it is a pretty good bet that the historical purpose of a baseplate was along the same lines as described by Graham: in a military setting since the late 1700s were marked by several wars across Europe and in North America.
Graham recalled how important it was to have artillery, firing explosive ammunition projectiles high into the air to fall on enemy targets some distance away — sometimes even firing from behind your own front lines of infantry — to be from a firm foundation. The slightest imbalance or shift in the baseplate could cause the best mathematical calculations to go awry, missing an intended target and even endangering your own troops. The artillery baseplate, he said, could be affected by factors such as weather (sinking unevenly into mud, for example), as well as by the compression of artillery rounds being fired from the baseplate time after time after time.
By the end of his talk, with unusually graphic and straightforward descriptions of warfare, Graham compared the military application to a baseplate for living instilled in him by his mother at an early age. In particular, he stressed the importance of believing in the Holy Bible.
“You must have faith that every word in the Bible is truth,” he stated in his closing remarks.
Graham credited former Appalachian State University football coach Jerry Moore for choosing the baseplate theme.
“I had something else in mind for this talk,” said Graham, “but when I asked Coach Moore he said I should talk about the baseplate (theme) I had shared with his football coaches several years ago, in a fireside chat. When the Coach says it, I listen.”
The Men’s Connection bible study group grew from a meeting of six men from Blowing Rock and Boone in about 2007 as a way of getting together for studying God’s Word and for Christian fellowship. From an early meeting in an individual’s home, the group grew to meet at a fast food restaurant and then to Chetola thanks to the generosity of fellow Christian, the late Kent Tarbutton, before the property was sold recently to new ownership led by Warren Cathcart.
Today, as many as 80 men (in the summer and fall seasons) meet throughout the year. The average number in the winter months is closer to 25, but the attendance swells during the time when seasonal residents come to the High Country.
For the Summer Special, the group actively solicits the attendance of wives, significant others and community members. Previous speakers have included Stan Smith, a Hall of Fame tennis champion; James Morgan, the former CEO of Krispy Kreme; and Bobby Richardson, Hall of Fame second baseman for the New York Yankees in the 1950s and 1960s, among others.
The studies often examine a particular theme in the Bible, even focusing on an individual book for an extended period of time, the discussion led by a known Bible scholar. The current theme is an examination of the Book of Acts, led by Blowing Rock resident and a Men’s Connection founder, Tucker Yates, who in 2012 penned Heaven Bound: An Incredible Journey to the Perfect Destination, available on Amazon and other booksellers.
