Jacques Kearns* (1998) began his service to the Guild after being a member for many years but never attending an event. He first encountered handbells at a choral festival and prayed he would be delivered from ever having to work with them. Soon after he became the minister of music for a church in Augusta, Georgia, who had one of the first sets of handbells in the Southeast. In his typical style, he set to work to learn about the instrument and began to train ringers. He served as chair of Area IV for five years, was elected national treasurer for two terms, and in 1991 elected to the six-year cycle of the presidency. His continual willingness to give of himself, both to the Guild and to individual members, spoke volumes about his faith and his character. Throughout his association with the Guild there seemed to be nothing the organization asked of him that he was unwilling to do.
