Today, Jim Gardner will preach in front of his 500-plus congregation at Northside Church of Christ in Benton, just like he has every Sunday since 2010. But this Easter Sunday will be especially difficult, as it marks the anniversary of his mom’s death.
“It is not only the day when the religious world celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, but for my family personally, it will make three years since my mom died,” Gardner said. “The reality of the empty tomb means this death doesn’t have the last word.
“This Easter means the most to me — more than hunting eggs and all the other stuff.”
Sherry Gardner was 69 when she died.
“I think it is important because we see death as the end of everything,” Gardner said. “And the message of Scripture, Jesus’ resurrection, means it is not the last word.
“This Sunday will be different. It will be different because you are celebrating your hope, and yet missing your mom at the same time just because of the day.”
Sherry was a member of Northside, and Jim still preaches out of the last Bible she ever bought. Jim said Sherry had “a big heart for Jesus and a big heart for people.”
“If there is no Easter story, none of this makes sense,” Gardner said. “It is the hope beyond this life that gives this life meaning.
“That’s ultimately, not just Easter, but what every Sunday is about, being able to celebrate the hope we have through Jesus. You serve, and you celebrate; that’s what church is about.”
Northside has seen a steady growth since Gardner was hired as its pastor, but he said it has nothing to do with him.
“We have been blessed with growth,” Gardner said. “There are a lot of people in this church who have a real heart for the people in this community.
“They give a lot of time and energy to serve the needs of Benton and Saline County, and they do it well. Any growth the church has experienced has been because of that and not because of me.”
Along with being a full-time pastor at Northside, Gardner also serves as the voice for the Benton Panthers for football, basketball and baseball.
“To me, it is about having an opportunity to highlight and celebrate with the kids and their athletic accomplishments,” Gardner said. “Seeing when the kids are rewarded for the hard work they put in — to be a part of capturing those moments for them, their families and their friends is a very special opportunity for me ….
“… I have been lucky to be a part of that for the past five years.”
Brad Harris has been the head coach of the Benton football program since 2016. He said that over the years, he and Gardner have become good friends.
“Jim is an awesome guy,” Harris said. “He is a Benton
Panther through and through. He has made me feel very welcome since 2014 and since I have been head coach.
“He is a tremendous asset to the program and community. He is a huge supporter of our program and school. He is more than just a person I work with.”
Harris said Gardner spoke to his team before a game one season, and his advice has stuck with the program ever since.
“He told the guys, ‘Be where your feet are. Live in today, and take pride in being a Benton Panther,’” Harris said. “His big challenge was to enjoy the moment. It is something I have tried to preach to my players, but I thought Jim worded it real well.”
This fall will make the sixth season in which Gardner has done play-by-play for Benton. He started in radio in 2011, working alongside Jim Landers and Mason Woolbright, calling Benton Junior High School home football games. He would also write game summaries and recaps for the local newspaper.
“We were actually living out west,” Gardner said. “And when Jim [Landers] got KEWI online, I could listen to the Panther games, and I did every Friday night.
“When we came back, I wanted to be involved where I could. I realized there was an opportunity there with the newspaper to do the junior high games, and that kind of bled into the opportunity with Jim [Landers].
“That’s really where it started.”
The first game Gardner called as a color commentary was in 2013, when the Panthers hosted Arkadelphia High School at the new football stadium. But he said while he gets excited for every game, last year’s Salt Bowl in Little Rock made him more nervous than any other game.
“Before, with the local station, you could only hear it in Benton and parts of Saline County, but after we got picked up by 106.7 out of Little Rock, that reaches from Arkadelphia to Russellville to Searcy and parts of Magnolia,” Gardner said. “Knowing that it was basically the only football game in Arkansas because the Razorbacks had already played, I had more nerves before that game than any other.”
He said the move to Saturday is “pretty cool” for the Salt Bowl.
“That day was all about Benton-Bryant,” Gardner said. “I think it was successful enough, that going forward it is always going to be on a Saturday.”
The radio team for the Benton Panthers includes John Penn, Terry Benham and sideline reporter Dio Vannucci.
“Jim is tireless,” said Vannucci, who also serves on the Benton Touchdown Club with Gardner. “That’s the type of person he is. He prepares for the Benton Panther games in the same way I imagine he prepares for his sermons.
“He spends so much time doing it. He is very dedicated and works tirelessly. He does a phenomenal job.”
Vannucci said that in 2016, when Benton played Jonesboro High School in the playoffs, it was freezing cold and windy. He lucked out and was able to be in the booth with Gardner after one of the other guys was out sick.
“I got to be in the booth with Jim,” Vannucci said. “He takes stats while the game is going on. He has a good feel of the game. He could be a professional broadcaster.
“It is one of the most exciting things to be around. The energy he has when is announcing — it makes the game more interesting.”
Vannucci said the Panthers broadcast is one of the most watched and listened-to broadcasts in the state.
“We have a pretty big reach,” Vannucci said. “And it can be attributed to Jim. He is the rock that we all anchor from.”
Vannucci said it “blows his mind” how well prepared Gardner is for games.
“He spends time during the week talking to the other team’s coaches and radio teams,”
Vannucci said. “He puts in a ton of effort to provide a product.
“People will stop me and talk about how great the broadcast is. That’s an attribute to Jim. He is on par with any college or NFL broadcast, with the research he puts in.”
Gardner said he fell in love with the Benton Panthers after attending his first-ever Benton football game in 1977.
“Benton was playing Camden,” Gardner said. “And my parents took me to that game. It is the first game I remember going to. I fell in love with it.
“There is something about the rhythm about one game a week, having the buildup and excitement of getting ready for it. I really enjoy Friday nights in the fall, for sure.”
Gardner lives in Benton with his wife, Mandy, and their two daughters, Trae, 19, and Tori, 14.
“There is just no part I don’t enjoy,” Gardner said. “My heart is for this community. I feel blessed that God has provided a couple of opportunities for me to try to serve the community.”
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.