Lawanna McIver Fields
Did you know Lawanna? Please share your stories and photos, and help spread the word about this page!
Lawanna McIver Fields, age 87, passed away peacefully on November 5, 2022, in her home in Nashville, TN. She was born on May 13, 1935, in Detroit, MI and grew up in Anniston, AL. She is a graduate of Samford University in Birmingham, AL with a degree in Speech and Drama. Her Master's degree is from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, TX.
Lawanna was married to Dr. Bruce McIver for 43 years until his death in 2001. They served Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, TX together as Pastor and wife for 30 years. Upon retirement, Bruce was named Pastor Emeritus by their congregation. They have 3 daughters: Kate McIver, Shannon Tomney and husband Glenn, Renie McCarthy and husband John, 5 grandchildren: Emily Fox and husband Randy, Drew Allen, Ali McCarthy, John McCarthy, Kyle McCarthy, and 2 great grandchildren, Knox and River.
In addition to serving the Wilshire Baptist Church community as a pastor's wife, Lawanna's professional career was launched in 1973. Her dramatic first-person presentations based on best-selling autobiographies were given across The United States and Great Britain. She was the 1983 feature personality for the International Christian Booksellers' Convention in Blackpool, England.
From 1983 to 1986, Lawanna worked with the nationwide cable network, ACTS (American Christian Television System). She co-hosted LIFESTYLE, a daily magazine format program. She also co-hosted the network's live daily call-in talk show, LIFELINES.
Lawanna served on The Southern Baptists' Home Missions Board of Directors for 8 years. She led conferences in Costa Rica for all Central American missionaries under the auspices of the The Foreign Mission Board, and in Alaska for missionaries and church workers. She served as Trustee for the University of the Americas in San Antonio, TX for 6 years.
Travel has always been a primary joy to Lawanna. She hosted tour groups to Great Britain and Europe for 15 years.
Together, the McIver's were acclaimed as a unique "speaking team" for conventions, banquets, conferences, retreats, and worship services. In 1999, Lawanna and Dr. McIver were presented the Norvell Slater LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT COMMUNICATORS AWARD by the Dallas Chapter of the International Religion Communicators' Council.
Lawanna worked alongside Dr. McIver editing his popular books, "Stories I Couldn't Tell While I Was A Pastor" and "Just As Long As I'm Riding Up Front" (Thomas Nelson and Guideposts Books). She also edited his 4th and final book, "Riding the Wind of God" (Smyth & Helwys), released in March 2002, just 3 months after Dr. McIver's death.
After Bruce's passing, Lawanna met and fell in love with Dr. W.C. Fields whom she married in 2003. W.C. shared Lawanna's love of travel and together they visited many new destinations and enjoyed years of companionship and life experiences until Dr. Fields passed away in December of 2018. Lawanna loved her new home in Nashville and the way her McIver-Fields family expanded with more children and grandchildren.
The Wilshire community describes Lawanna so well in the way she loved her family and her friends by saying, "Members loved Lawanna for herself, appreciating her exuberant joy, sensitivity to other people, and delightful, vivacious personality." Her friends and family will miss her so much, but know she is resting in Heaven with her loved ones and her Lord and Savior.
A celebration of life will be held for Lawanna on Friday, Nov. 18th at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, TX. The service will begin at 11:00 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Pathways to Ministry Program at Wilshire Baptist Church.