Pastor Kermit Harpold

June 20, 1950 - August 13, 2021

Kermit Edwin Harpold, 71, of Crossnore, NC, went to Heaven on the morning of Friday, August 13, 2021. He is survived by his loving wife of 38 years Becky, his three daughters Heather (Teddy Hughes), Summer (financé Chad Wells), and Keeli (Jonathan Fawcett), five grandchildren Magi and Aly Vettese (Heather), Anneli, Adelina, and Jack Fawcett (Keeli), and eight siblings Clayton Harpold, Glenn Griffith, Jeter Griffith, Bryan Griffith, Nancy Griffith, Robert “Reo” Griffith, and his step-brother Grady Spain of Wichita Falls, TX, and half-sister Carla Harpold of Norman, OK. He was preceded in death by his father Carl Edwin Harpold and his mother DeLois Burnette Griffith. Services for Kermit will be at Reins-Sturdivant in Newland, Tuesday, August 17, 2021. Visitation will be from 12:30 PM-2 PM, with the funeral service directly following at 2 PM. In honor of the love Dad/Papaw had for color and tropical destinations, we invite you to wear your favorite colorful outfit. No tie is required. Kermit was a teacher, a coach, a sign maker, an artist, a talented bluegrass musician, and a force to be reckoned with in the kitchen. But these things did not define him. Ultimately, Kermit was a believer, a friend of Jesus Christ, and a preacher of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, demonstrating the will of our Father “on earth as it is in Heaven” with signs and wonders confirming the Word that was preached according to Mark 16:20. He lived out the Great Commission, boldly sharing the simple Gospel truth that we are saved by grace-not by our good works, but by the work on the cross by which Jesus said, “It is finished!” Kermit shared the Good News, that we are saved by grace because of Jesus’ unconditional love for us. He made it simple for anyone to receive Jesus into their life-"that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Kermit believed God’s Word that tells us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). It was important for him to show the world that God is good, God is love, and God loves you. He knew that without the power of the Holy Spirit, mere words wouldn’t be enough for many to come to faith in Christ. He wanted people to know how much Jesus loved them and saw hundreds set free from sickness, infirmities, pain, and oppression in Jesus’ name. Kermit, believing John 14:12 and filled with the Spirit, saw the Lord work a multitude of miracles in the lives of people he prayed for. He witnessed the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, cancer healed, barren parents have children, addictions broken, and even the dead raised. The Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus Christ, and Kermit wanted everyone to experience the tangible reality of the goodness and glory of God. Kermit’s desire to see the Body of Christ empowered for evangelism made him an effective teacher on the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. From there, he sent and accompanied other believers into the streets where he saw many saved, healed, and delivered by the power of Jesus, all while equipping and encouraging other believers to do the same. For so many, the Gospel of Jesus Christ became real and extended far beyond the walls of the church. Kermit loved ministering wherever he was-at work, in restaurants, on vacation-and never retired from preaching the Gospel. But he and Becky also took the Good News to Jamaica where they made dear friends, witnessed astounding miracles, and saw several new believers enter the family of God. They also ministered in Nairobi, Kenya and to African congregations across the United States. He loved going to a local prison each week to share with the inmates about the hope and freedom available in Christ. Kermit served in several ministries throughout the years-including a church with his daughter Keeli on Appalachian State’s campus and a second church with her in Boone-but most recently, he pastored Destiny Church in Spruce Pine, NC, with his wife Becky. Kermit wanted everyone to see themselves as the Lord saw them. He often asked the question, “On a scale from 1 to 10, how righteous are you?” When everyone gave a number less than 10, he asked, “How righteous is Jesus?” When they acknowledged that Jesus was a perfect 10, he quoted the Scripture, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God IN HIM” (2 Corinthians 5:21). When they realized they were answering based on their own good or bad works and not on the finished work of Jesus, they changed their answer based on their identity in Christ: 10! “If you could do anything without the fear of failing, what would it be?” Kermit had a gift of challenging others and opening their eyes to their true calling. But the most important question he would ask was, “There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who know Jesus Christ as their Lord and those who are about to. Which one are you?” The Care of Kermit and his family has been entrusted to Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home of Newland.