July 26, 2024
Leaving behind a legacy is something that all Christians should strive for during their lifetime. Specifically, the love we have should be so unrecognizable to the culture that we shine in the darkness. One couple’s legacy, William Everett and Teresa Bennett, does just that. After starting their family, Teresa prompted her veteran husband to purchase a printing press so that they could support their family with their own business.
Teresa was familiar with the determination and hard work involved in family businesses because of her ancestors, the Fowlers’, dedication to build a nearly 300-acre family farm in the early 20th century. Forsyth County purchased many acres of this land in 2001, and many facilities, including the family home, still hold the Fowler name. Despite what many would do with such a large inheritance of money, Teresa and her brother, Ben - who were both Georgia Baptist Foundation donors - invested their money into Kingdom causes.
Once Everett and Teresa began their printing business, Bennett Graphics, in the late 1960s, their continued success allowed them to sow into ministries within Georgia and the United States. The Bennetts felt a particular call to invest in the lives of children and healthcare organizations such as Hawaii Baptist Academy, Georgia Baptist Children’s Home & Family Ministries, and Baptist North Hospital (now known as Northside Hospital in Forsyth), among many other organizations.
Regardless of their financial contributions, the Bennetts were also faithful members of their church home. They were confident in the Lord’s provision and protection of their business and proactively drafted an estate plan that would benefit their church, where Mr. Bennett was given the title of ‘deacon emeritus.’ Throughout the community, the impact of the Bennetts was recognized in the naming of a highway, hospital facility, and the commissioning of a citizenship award. Their business, Bennett Graphics, unashamedly shares that, “The Bennett family has built its establishment on the basis of Christian ethics and its value system.”
The fruit of Everett and Teresa continue to be seen even after they have now both passed away. The Georgia Baptist Foundation is blessed to continue the legacy of the Bennetts by investing their gifts to our ministry to perpetually impact the world for Christ.
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Courtney Fields Allen is a marketing associate with the Georgia Baptist Foundation.
