Samford University’s former campus minister, professor dies
Updated Feb 23, 2021;
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Barnette died on Monday, Feb. 22. He was 59.
Barnette retired from the university this year and a scholarship was endowed in his name.
Last year, Barnette was diagnosed with Creutzfeld-Jakob disease, an untreatable degenerative brain disorder. He had recently been in hospice care.
Barnette had also served as senior pastor of Brookwood Baptist Church in Birmingham since 2016 and teaching pastor since 2008.
“Jim was a gifted teacher and preacher,” said Brookwood interim Pastor Blake Dempsey. “He blessed our congregation with over 700 sermons in nearly 1,200 services. Beyond his teaching and preaching ministry, Jim befriended many, from Mountain Brook to Inglenook to Cape Town, South Africa. His absence is a tremendous loss, but his words of faith and love still linger in our hearts and we are all better off for having known him and having been loved by him.”