Please Click Here on this hyperlink to access this video. It will make you feel proud to be an American.
I am grateful to Stan Oliver my friend since meeting him at Emmanuel College in 1952, my freshman year at Emmanuel College, for sending this link to this marvelous story, "Just a Common Soldier" in video. It touched me deeply, and I trust it will you.
Please Click Here on this hyperlink to access this video. It will make you feel proud to be an American.
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I remember very vividly that we have shared this marvelous video entitled, "Mansions of the Lord" in previous years in Hugh's News. The response was so positive and widespread I felt I should share it with you on the Memorial Day, May 29, 2017.
You may Click Here on this hyperlink I have prepared for you to see and hear this moving song in remembering the men and women who have paid the supreme sacrifice by giving their lives in battle defending our great nation from our enemies in times of war. The singing is superb, and the photos will get your attention and touch your heart deeply. There is no doubt about it children are greatly affected by war and loss of their fathers. Today, let us remember not only men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice, but their spouses and children in their sorrow and grief. Philippians 4:6-9 A Memorial Day Benediction from God's Holy Word
6 Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. KJV It Takes A Lifetime
It takes a lifetime to learn how to live How to share and how to give How to face tragedy that comes your way How to find courage to face each new day How to smile when your heart is sore How to go on when you can take no more How to laugh when you want to cry How to be brave when you have to say goodbye How to still love when your loss is so great How to forgive when your urge is to hate How to be sure that GOD is really there How to Find Him, Seek Him in Prayer --Author unknown You have prayed for Janice Robinson Russ and Bishop Wesley Potter. We have a testimony . . . a good word to share with you . . . your prayers have been heard in heaven.' The Good News is: The Cat Scan that was done to look at cancer cells in Janice Robinson Russ' body reveal the cancer cells are shrinking. For that, we praise God, and raise our voices toward heaven in gratitude and thanksgiving and praise. What an awesome God we serve. He still heals. He specializes in things thought impossible and He can do for Janice what no other power can do. Let us trust Him for a creative miracle of healing for Janice Robinson Russ. Janice needs to learn how to swollow again. We want the feeding tube removed so that Janice can eat good food again. Wesley took Janice on Saturday to get her hair cut, shampooed, and styled. You know she has to feel better. Believing prayer for Bishop Wesley Potter in Conroe, TX. I talked with Peggie Flowers Potter, Wesley's wife by telephone. Peggie reported that Wesley is doing much better. He was able to wheel himself down the hall in his wheel chair. He is able now to make coherent sentences and he is acclimated or oriented to time, person, place, and situation. He has a sore on his back and one on his right heel. I think it will be a God-Idea for someone in each of our IPHC Churches to stand in proxy for Janice Robinson Russ, and a man to stand in proxy for Bishop Wesley Potter. A woman can stand in proxy for Janice. Have the pastor and elders of the church to anoint the designed person with oil, and the prayers of faith will bring about a creative miracle for Janice and for Wesley. Let's declare today, Sunday, May 28, Miracle Healing Sunday. Before you talk, listen.
Before you react, think. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try. ZiglarFamily.com
1. Prayer and the Secret Place The practice of personal, at-home, daily prayer has reached an abysmal low. Prayer at church can't replace prayer at home. When Christians do pray during the week, they pray on the run. No quality relationship can be sustained with such a low investment of time and priority. 2. Prayer - The Secret to Spiritual Power Jesus assumed we would have a secret "place of prayer!" It may be a closet or a corner, a room or a rocking chair. It may be a garden or a vista point. Such a place is sacred. Being in the place is a signal to God of our seeking, searching heart. God shows up in public with those who meet him privately. Pastor C. J. (Pop) Abbott had a well-known habit of daily secret prayer by his bedside. Frequently and fervently he prayed there. Great prayer warriors have often knelt at their bedside so regularly, lingering there, that their knees wore grooves into wooden floors. Many developed prayer callouses on their knees. 3. Prayer - Moving from Duty to Delight Most of us think of prayer as work! Prayer is seen as a duty, not as a glorious privilege. Some Christians approach prayer as something necessary but undesirable. "I know that I should pray. That to grow in Christ I have to pray!" We lament, "If we are going to see revival, we must pray!" It is as if prayer is a kind of spiritual castor oil - not pleasant, but essential. It is true, we should pray. We must pray. But healthy prayer moves beyond duty to delight. Drawn to God by love, not always driven by necessity, we long for His presence. Imagine someone saying to God, "In order to get this noble outcome, how much time do I have to spend with you? An hour? What would 15 minutes get? I want this blessing, this revival, but I want it with as little time spent alone with You as possible!" 4. Prayer - Worshipful Love We see prayer as one component in worship. It is one of many things in a worship service. At its heart and in its purest form, prayer itself is worship. And the heart of worship is our love of God. Such love demands passion. Passion is essential in our relationship with God. 5. Prayer - The Empowerment to Action The Bible is a record of prayer - of praying men and women and what they accomplished. Praying believers have been change-agents whose mark on history seems timeless. Moved to act in faith, they accomplished things far beyond their own limited capabilities. The Scripture is a record of culture shifts affected by the energy from another world. Prayer moves us to action, and what is more important, it ties that personal action to the intervening action of God. Comment on this blog>
Read more blogs by P. Douglas Small> [1] For an extensive listing, see Lockyer, All the Prayers of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1959). [2] See The Praying Church Resource Guide, Section 3 for definitions of each of these prayer functions. P. Douglas Small, The Praying Church Resource Guide (Kannapolis, NC: Alive Publications, 2013). P. Douglas Small is founder and president of Alive Ministries: PROJECT PRAY and he serves in conjunction with a number of other organizations. He is also the creator of the Praying Church Movement and the Prayer Trainer's Network. However, all views expressed are his own and not the official position of any organization. Dr. P. Douglas Small serves as a member of the board of trustees for Holmes Bible College in Greenville, SC. Dear Members of the IPHC Council of Bishops: I had the distinct honor of serving as the presiding officer for the PACIFIC WESTERN NETWORK MINISTRIES ANNUAL CONFERENCE [PacWest] Session on May 20, 2017. What a special privilege to serve Bishop Stan and Kathy Reynolds and be with our family members in PacWest. The Conference was hosted at the beautiful Fremont Marriott hotel in Fremont, California. Fremont is home to the Tesla automobile manufacturing plant in addition to other Fortune 500 companies. A little over 200 delegates and special guests attended the two-day event. Preceding the Saturday Conference Session, the Conference hosted a day of training on Friday, May 19. Dr. Hans Finzel author of the award winning and bestselling book, The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make, taught three sessions. Hans’s focus was “All Things Leadership.” During the Friday evening service, the Conference was challenged by the inspiring testimonies of Maryham Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh. Held captive in Iran, Maryam and Marziyeh recounted how God used their 259 days in Evin Prison to bring about a miraculous reversal by “shining light into one of the world’s darkest places, giving hope to those who had lost everything, and showing love to those in despair.” If you have never heard their testimony or read their book I encourage you to visit their website at www.captiveiniran.com. Clergy Credentials Were Issued As Follows: Ordination [1]
Minister’s License [2]
Local Church Minister’s Certificate (4)
It Was An Honor As The Presiding Officer To Recognize The Following Conference Attendees:
Bishop Reynolds’s State of the Conference Report was exhaustive and articulated his vision for PacWest with passion. I admire and commend Bishop Reynolds’s emphasis and commitment to planting churches. PacWest has also developed a culture of honor. Bishop Reynolds modeled this as he honored seven church planters, Conference Executive Council, and Conference Ministry Directors/leaders publicly. Several videos were used to highlight different conference ministries. Susan Bagley produced one in support of M25 Ministries that was hilarious and allowed us all to see a totally different side to “saintly” Susan. General M25 Director, Gary Burd would be smart to use Susan’s creation for his denominational promotion of M25. This was my second presiding assignment this year in which I have witnessed something in both Conference Sessions [Pacwest and Northwest Latin] that I have never witnessed before; and that is that the Conference took the time to honor Bishop Reynolds and his wife Kathy with a special time of recognition and presentation. May every benefit and gift that comes from God, be graced on Bishop Stan and Kathy Reynolds. The Reynolds are choice servants and the Pacific Western Network Ministries Conference has tremendous growth potential for the Kingdom’s sake! It is always a privilege to serve this part of our family. They are welcoming, loving, and affirming. I have never left PacWest without feeling refreshed in my spirit! -Tal- [Editor's Comment: Bishop Tal Gardner did such a great job in describing the PacWest Conference I felt I was present. I have visited in that conference and the California people are marvelous. When I visited there I was promoting Chaplains Ministries, IPHC and trying to recruit new military chaplains. May God bless the members of this great conference.] We are delighted to welcome Bishop Tim Lamb, our conference superintendent, to preach in our Sunday morning worship this Sunday, May 28, at Christian Life Worship Center in Athens, Georgia, at 11 o'clock. Bishop Lamb has served successfully as a pastor for many years prior to being elected by the delegates to the LifePoint Conference to be our conference superintendent. He is an excellent preacher and always has fresh bread from the Word of God to feed the flock. He makes the Bible come alive and applies Biblical truth to daily living where the rubber meets the road. We invite you and your family, as well as friends, to worship with us this Sunday, May 28, 2017, at Christian Life Worship Center at 11 o'clock. Our church is located at 125 Kathwood Drive, Athens, GA 30607. It is one mile north of the Athens Perimeter just off US 129, the Jefferson Highway. You may join us for Sunday school at 10 o'clock. We have classes for every age group including a well-staffed nursery for your children. Melvine Morgan serves as one of three reserve Sunday school teachers for the Sunday school class called Celebration Class at Christian Life Worship Center in Athens, GA. The Celebration Class is a cross generational gathering of various ages of adults that meets on Sunday mornings to celebrate Jesus and study God's Holy Word, the Bible. Lavon and Arlette Revells are the teachers or facilitators. There is never a dull moment and they know how to get class members involved in the discussion of the subject material. Melvine brings to the classroom many years of being a Christian and a student of the Bible. She is a graduate of Holmes Bible College and High Point University. She studied the Bible under the dynamic teaching of the late Dr. Paul F. Beacham. She has great ability to stir up discussion of the Bible study, and enable students to see how they can apply the Bible truths in their daily lives. When we were pastoring Tarkenton Memorial Church in Athens, Melvine had 75 adults registered on her class rolls with an average attendance of 50 every Sunday. The class begins at 10 o'clock. We meet in the fellowship hall, better known as Stephanie's Place. You may enter the class room, that is located on the lower level of the Christian Education facility joined to our church, from the parking lot. You will see the entrance door to the right of the beautiful rose garden. We hope to see you Sunday, May 28. Come and bring a friend. For those attending our church from out of town, Christian Life Worship Center, formerly Tarkenton Memorial Church, is located one mile north of the Athens Perimeter or Loop 10, just off US Highway 129. The address of the church is 125 Kathwood Drive, Athens, GA 30607. Come and bring a friend, neighbor, relative, or an associate. Everybody ought to be in Sunday school. John 20:19-23 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." NKJV [Editor's Comment: This was the first evening following the resurrection of Jesus early that morning. Here Jesus appears in bodily form and enters the upper room without opening the door that was locked. His glorified body could pass through the door without any damage to the door. He greets them with "Peace." He wanted to calm their fears. They were meeting behind closed and locked doors for fear of the Jews. Jesus showed them His hands and His side. The disciples were glad when they saw Him. That must have been an overwhelming experience they would never forget. Again the second time, Jesus said, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." When He made that declaration Jesus breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit." This is another version of the Great Commission. You have to be very close to people to breathe on them. Jesus did that to each one. It was Andrew Murray who said, "Missions are the typical work of the Holy Spirit. No one may expect to be filled with the Spirit if he is unwilling to be used by God for missions." Now is the time to prepare for Pentecost Sunday which is Sunday, June 4. Dr. Luke tells us in the Book of Acts, chapter 20, that the Apostle Paul was eager to be present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. "For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost" (Acts 20:16, NKJV). Melvine and I went to the Upper Room where the 120 disciples of Jesus Christ were assembled on that first Pentecost Day when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon each one of them. Jesus is the Baptizer with or in the Holy Spirit. This gift was sent from the Father and the Son. Jesus never baptized anyone in water. He delegated that to His disciples. He reserved for himself the Scriptural promise that He, Himself would baptize born again, sanctified believers with the Holy Spirit.
Have you received the Baptism with the Holy Spirit since you were born again and sanctified? If not, now is your time to receive this gift from the Father and the Son. I pray that every believer in the IPHC and other churches will be filled with the Holy Spirit.] Hackers have stolen a copy of the new “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie and are holding it for ransom.
Yeah. They could release this movie illegally. I guess you could say it’s a “pirated” video. The institution of marriage offers an excellent illustration of sanctifying grace. When a young couple marries, the union can be successful only if they spiritually, mentally and emotionally forsake all others-–all former suitors-–so that they are set apart in their hearts from all past courtship relationships. They must be “sold out” to each other, for better or for worse, until death parts them. While marriage is a wonderful illustration of sanctifying grace, no illustration is perfect. Only Jesus is our perfect example. “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth,” Jesus prayed for His disciples in His High Priestly prayer. And He went on to petition: “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified” (John 17:17-19). Jesus is not only the perfect model; His example is also the clearest definition of sanctifying grace. The term as Jesus used it describes a lifestyle that is set apart or consecrated, soul, mind and body. For all of Jesus’ followers this calls for forsaking one’s old way of life (all old courtship friends and attractions) and confessing wholeheartedly (saying “I do”) to a new lifestyle of obedience to the heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. This understanding expresses the meaning of the Greek word, hagiazo. To sanctify is to be set apart. The basis of this set apart lifestyle in the church is the Word of God, which is always the truth to which the Holy Spirit witnesses. Jesus earnestly prayed for the disciples to grow in the truth. Our sinless Lord as the living Word of God made His decision in eternity to become man and set Himself apart from all others to achieve His strategy to save the world. Salvation comes from Jesus alone, by faith through grace alone, without any aid from anybody or anything. This is no doubt part of what the writer of Hebrews had in mind: “During the days of Jesus' life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One Who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered and, once made perfect, He became the Source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:7-9). The phrase, “He learned obedience” does not suggest Jesus had been disobedient in His past. Instead, the sense of the statement is the man, Jesus of Nazareth, “learned the [wisdom of] obedience” because of what He suffered. Nor does the phrase, “once made perfect,” assume a time when Jesus was imperfect. Instead, the Biblical concept of sanctification is best defined by the term, set apart. When Jesus made His decision a final time in Gethsemane to drink the bitter cup of the sins of the whole world, He was indeed perfected in the sense of being totally set apart unto the Father’s plan and dedicated to the mission ahead. His objective was to pay the price and become “the Source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9). In the Gospel, this separation embraces an intentional departure from the world and its value system, and the institution of marriage illustrates it well. It is normative for this spiritual change to happen in a major life situation, often identified as a life changer and sometimes as a crisis. Jesus the Son of God is looking for followers who will bond to Him and Him alone as their first loyalty. The cross of Jesus is history’s greatest life changer. Using the word picture of marriage, this union begins with a courtship phase that matures into a willingness to make a lifetime commitment in matrimony. In theology, the doctrine of salvation includes both the new birth and sanctification. What begins in courtship culminates in the moment when a couple says “I do” at the altar of God. With those words they enter into a “sold out” union, each to the other. From that highly special moment of truth, they begin a lifetime of growing. When temptations arise, it is also necessary to reaffirm the covenant of faithfulness that reveals what is meant by “keep thee only unto him,” or “her, so long as ye both shall live.” A 50-year marriage, for example, will have many of these reaffirmations. The Apostle Paul described our relationship with Jesus Christ with the language of the “old man” and the “new man.” The old man and the old way of life must “die” for the “new man” and the new set apart life in Christ to blossom (Romans 6:6; Ephesians 2:5; 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-11). Marriage too assumes a “death” to yesterday and a sold out commitment in all our tomorrows of each to the other. This understanding reveals the rich meaning of the word, sanctification. The set apart experience can be summarized as separation from the old values and worldly attractions that actually lead to death: the path of one’s yesterdays. It then embraces separation unto or resurrection unto total commitment to Jesus’ teaching and values, including His international vision, for all of one’s tomorrows. The blood of Jesus through the Word of God is the agent that cleanses the heart, and the Holy Spirit is the power that makes this transformation possible in a new lifestyle. It is essential to recognize the heavenly Father set Jesus apart from eternity, and sent Him into the world to challenge the culture and save the world. Jesus, in turn, set apart His disciples and commissioned them to confront the world’s values and attractions with the Gospel message and win people to Jesus. The disciples had the awesome responsibility to spread the good news everywhere they went. Assisted by the prophets, they faithfully laid the foundation of the church. This even included writing the New Testament Scriptures that would become the written standard for truth in every generation (Ephesians 2:20-22; 2 Timothy 3:16). What special and awesome trust. It is a fact that Jesus sanctified Himself, or set Himself apart from any relationship or any desire that would hinder His union with His Father and the fulfillment of His plan to save the world. Can anyone dispute that Jesus lived wholly set apart from the world and unto His Father? This set apart reality expresses the holiness of God as it was lived out perfectly in Jesus Christ. The Lord’s commitment included willingness as Israel’s Messiah to go to the cross to make salvation possible for “whosoever will,” and do it even if national Israel rejected Him. Jesus’ disciples saw the effects of the Lord’s total separation; and, empowered by the Holy Spirit, became motivated to live the same set apart lifestyle.\ The writer of Hebrews contrasted Jesus, the perfect High Priest of the New Covenant, with Israel’s flawed high priesthood: “When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctified them [hagiazo, set them apart] so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:11-14). Our sinless Lord as the living Word of God volunteered in eternity to become man, and set Himself apart from all others to achieve His strategy to redeem mankind. Salvation comes from Jesus alone, by faith through grace alone. The hymn, Rock of ages, says it well: “Nothing in my hands I bring; simply to thy cross I cling.” The blood of Jesus is the agent of sanctifying grace. Yes, the term, hagiazo, embraces the idea of separation–-[set apart from sin and set apart unto service to God; set apart even unto death]. Let it be restated: the ultimate example of set apart living was the sacrifice of the Lord Himself on the Hill of the Skull (John 19:17). The institution of marriage illustrates this with excellence. It should not be missed in this discussion that the writer of Hebrews used the term, “eternal Spirit,” to describe the role of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ sacrifice. In doing so he attributed eternality to the Holy Spirit. Eternality is one of the attributes of Deity. The Holy Spirit is the administrator of the cleansing blood of Jesus. Known only to God are the millions of martyrs through the centuries who have been inspired by the Holy Spirit to set themselves apart from this world at the price of their own blood (see Revelation 6:9-11; 12:11-12; 16:6; 17:6; 18:24; 19:2, 13). Estimates in the twentieth century alone soar as high as about fourteen million. THINK ABOUT IT: A husband and father will become so bonded to his wife and children he will put his life on the line to protect them. It is a sobering thought, but the word picture fits. Sanctified or set apart living calls on all believers to be willing by God’s grace to die for Jesus Christ and the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3). The meaning of living a set apart lifestyle unto Jesus Christ is also beautifully modeled in the relationship between Naomi and Ruth, her daughter-in-law. Naomi urged Ruth, who was a Moabite, to go back home to her people and her gods. But Ruth’s response is superlative in expressing the change that had happened in her heart as she watched how her mother-in-law handled unspeakable grief and loss-–the deaths in a foreign land of her husband and two sons, her only children. The commitment that followed set her apart in her heart from the idolatry of Moab. In her soul, mind and body she walked away from her upbringing and Moabite culture. She also became an example to the Lord’s followers in ancient Bethlehem of what being set apart meant to her. Even to this day, over 3,000 years later, we celebrate her example: “Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me” (Ruth 1:16-17, KJV). The fruit of set apart living by a Godly pastor, or teacher, or parent, is often multi-generational, reaching far beyond what the first generation lives to see. Ruth became the great-grandmother of King David, and is a mother in the lineage of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5). Ruth had the heart of her Messiah over a thousand years before Jesus came. Her story illustrates vividly how millions of believers in Jesus Christ “die” to the old desires of the flesh, and become bonded in their hearts to Israel’s Messiah. Whither thou goest I will go. Wherever thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people will be my people my love, Whither thou goest, I will go. For as in that story, long ago, The same sweet love story, now is so, Thy people shall be my people my love, Whither thou goest, I will go. By: Guy Singer The Apostle Paul also chose to use marriage to illustrate the Lord’s obvious love for the church that He died to establish. One day Jesus will “present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:27-28). Paul was not teaching here a doctrine of physical marriage to Jesus. Instead, until the great day arrives of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, wedded bliss will remain a beautiful illustration of set apart living. We are delighted to welcome Bishop Tim Lamb, our conference superintendent, to preach in our Sunday morning worship this Sunday, May 28, at Christian Life Worship Center in Athens, Georgia, at 11 o'clock. Bishop Lamb has served successfully as a pastor for many years prior to being elected by the delegates to the LifePoint Conference to be our conference superintendent. He is an excellent preacher and always has fresh bread from the Word of God to feed the flock. He makes the Bible come alive and applies Biblical truth to daily living where the rubber meets the road. We invite you and your family, as well as friends, to worship with us this Sunday, May 28, 2017, at Christian Life Worship Center at 11 o'clock. Our church is located at 125 Kathwood Drive, Athens, GA 30607. It is one mile north of the Athens Perimeter just off US 129, the Jefferson Highway. You may join us for Sunday school at 10 o'clock. We have classes for every age group including a well-staffed nursery for your children. Melvine Morgan serves as one of three reserve Sunday school teachers for the Sunday school class called Celebration Class at Christian Life Worship Center in Athens, GA. The Celebration Class is a cross generational gathering of various ages of adults that meets on Sunday mornings to celebrate Jesus and study God's Holy Word, the Bible. Lavon and Arlette Revells are the teachers or facilitators. There is never a dull moment and they know how to get class members involved in the discussion of the subject material. Melvine brings to the classroom many years of being a Christian and a student of the Bible. She is a graduate of Holmes Bible College and High Point University. She studied the Bible under the dynamic teaching of the late Dr. Paul F. Beacham. She has great ability to stir up discussion of the Bible study, and enable students to see how they can apply the Bible truths in their daily lives. When we were pastoring Tarkenton Memorial Church in Athens, Melvine had 75 adults registered on her class rolls with an average attendance of 50 every Sunday. The class begins at 10 o'clock. We meet in the fellowship hall, better known as Stephanie's Place. You may enter the class room, that is located on the lower level of the Christian Education facility joined to our church, from the parking lot. You will see the entrance door to the right of the beautiful rose garden. We hope to see you Sunday, May 28. Come and bring a friend. For those attending our church from out of town, Christian Life Worship Center, formerly Tarkenton Memorial Church, is located one mile north of the Athens Perimeter or Loop 10, just off US Highway 129. The address of the church is 125 Kathwood Drive, Athens, GA 30607. Come and bring a friend, neighbor, relative, or an associate. Everybody ought to be in Sunday school. Ken Phillips, Director of Men's Ministries at Christian Life Worship Center in Athens, GA, is happy to announce that James Lance will be our speaker as well as sing for us this Saturday, May 27 at 5:30 p. m. in our church fellowship Hall, known as Stephanie's Place. You may enter the room from the parking lot adjacent to a lovely rose garden in full bloom on the lower level of our church education wing. We will be grilling hot dogs and hamburgers with all the trimmings. You will enjoy a delicious hot dog and a hamburger grilled to perfection by our director, Ken Phillips. Ken is giving Randy Jackson, our Master Chef a break for this Memorial Day weekend. More important than the food, is the fellowship and communications of men who love the Lord Jesus Christ and who have placed their trust in Him for salvation and eternal life. For those attending our church from out of town, Christian Life Worship Center, formerly Tarkenton Memorial Church, is located one mile north of the Athens Perimeter or Loop 10, just off US Highway 129. The address of the church is 125 Kathwood Drive, Athens, GA 30607. All men are invited. Come and bring a friend. Better yet, bring your son or sons. Psalm 19:14
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer. NKJV [Editor's Comment: When we had LifeLiners for youth in the IPHC this is the Scripture benediction we quoted at the close of our Sunday evening meetings. Moody Presley, the middle brother of Jackson and Charles Presley wrote a song for us to sing. Lifeliners, Lifeliners, We are sailing on life's stormy sea. We are the Lifeliners, Ready to help the lost; Ready to go and bring them in, bring them out of sinking sin. Get them the word of God, Whate'er may be the cost, Tell that our Christ will save their soul! Sail on, heaven's our goal. (Lively march tempo) Should the Lord allow me to live to December 15, I will be 85 years old. I have lived long enough to remember a lot of our church history. I went to a General Conference at Franklin Springs when I was about 5 or 6 years old. That was when we had a large auditorium in an old building where the Advocate Press was housed. Two lawyers walking through the woods spotted a vicious-looking bear.
The first lawyer immediately opened his briefcase, pulled out a pair of sneakers, and started putting them on. The second lawyer looked at him and said, "You're crazy! You'll never be able to outrun that bear!" "I don't have to," the first lawyer replied. "I only have to outrun you." Melvine and I met in church in 1958. It was in the Appomattox Pentecostal Holiness Church in Virginia. A young man from Birmingham, Alabama, met a young woman from Draper, North Carolina. For Hugh it was love at first sight. As I stood to play my Olds Super Trombone, I saw Melvine in the congregation and fell in love with her at first sight. For two years I courted Melvine, and every opportunity I had to drive to Draper, NC, from Greenville, SC, I drove to see the love of my life. Melvine's parents, Russell and Frances Shropshire Stewart, were kind and gracious to me. I loved her local Pentecostal Holiness Church that had a number of married couples who loved going to church, and having fun with each other after church in the homes of these couples. In January 1960, I proposed to Melvine. She said "Yes." The hardest assignment I ever had was to ask Melvine's father if I could marry his daughter, Melvine. I rehearsed what I would say, and the fear I had faded into a calmness and peace when Russell Stewart gave me his blessings. Melvine's mother and Melvine planned a formal wedding at her church. Melvine was a fourth grade school teacher, and all of her students and their parents came to our wedding. The church was packed. It was a hot day in August--August 13, 1960. Eugene Balding was the pastor of the Draper Pentecostal Holiness Church and officiated at our wedding ceremony. We had a lovely reception at William (Dink) and Myrl Blackwell's lovely home that had been built by George and Elsie Fisher when he was their pastor prior to going to South Africa to be missionaries. The year 1960 was big year for me. I graduated from Furman University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a double minor in English literature and speech. In addition, I completed three years of Bible study under the teaching of Dr. Paul F. Beacham and Mr. Jesse Daniels. What I learned and experienced at Holmes Bible College became the foundation of the Biblical theology and Christian formation for my personal life and work and ministry in the church. Not only did I graduate from college, but I was ordained in 1960. Robert L. Rex ordained me at River Springs Camp Grounds where our Alabama Conference was held. But wait, I got married on Saturday, August 13, 1960. Following Melvine and my honeymoon in the mountains of North Carolina, we drove to Wilmore, KY, where I enrolled at Asbury Theological Seminary. Mind you, we went to Wilmore without jobs, a place to live, and very little money to enroll in seminary. God in His providence provided us a place to sleep the first night in the Guest House of the seminary. The next day, the Lord enabled us to find a furnished basement apartment owned by Joe and Joann Fletcher. Joe was the butcher at the local IGA grocery store, and Melvine was hired (a miracle) at the Versailles Elementary School, 17 miles from Wilmore, where she taught the 3rd grade our first year in Kentucky. I had to have $200 to register at Asbury Theological Seminary but I did not have that kind of money. I was able to borrow $200 at the Wilmore Bank. However, my brother-in law, R. H. McDuff, sent me a letter with $200 it it. I was able to pay off of the bank loan without any interest, and was able to register as a student in seminary. Little did I know that a Methodist lady from Sebring, Florida would be the donor of a scholarship for all three years. She paid one-half of my tuition every quarter while I was as a student. She wanted to invest in a Pentecostal Preacher boy, and I was that boy. Melvine taught school in Versailles and then in Wilmore and helped me get through seminary. I worked in the IGA store and made enough money to purchase most of our groceries. During my senior year, I served as the minister of music at the Wilmore Presbyterian Church. and Melvine directed our children's choir. God enabled me to finish college and seminary without taking out a student loan. I was able to use my GI Bill to finish college following a three-year enlistment in the Marine Corps. And at Asbury a Methodist lady helped me, as well as Melvine by teaching school. I made a commitment to God in college and seminary that I would not study on Sunday for any exam or class. God honored that and I graduated in seminary in the top 6% of my graduating class. I worked hard and enjoyed taking classes at Asbury Theological Seminary and making friends for life with my professors and fellow students. During my second year of seminary I was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army Staff Specialist Program for Chaplain Candidates. I attended and graduated from the Army Chaplain Officer Basic Course at Fort Slocum, NY, on David's Island about 30 minutes by ferry boat from New Rochelle, NY. One week was spent in the field at Fort Dix, New Jersey. The good Lord helped me to graduate from Asbury Theological Seminary in May 1963. Melvine and I were debt free. God has supplied all of our needs. Leon O. Stewart was my conference superintendent. I applied to him to pastor a church. There was only one church available that year. It was the Brownville Pentecostal Holiness Church near Evergreen, AL. My weekly salary with out any gas allowance was $35 a week. The church did furnish us with a parsonage, but no furniture. The fist night, we slept on the floor. When the people learned about it, they rallied and brought beds and furniture until we could purchase our own. Leon Stewart said it is a small church of only 66 members, but it has great potential. He told the truth. Every church has great potential if you work at it, give it your best and depend on the Holy Spirit and the people to help you. Our local church grew and was filled Sunday morning and evening. I got three raises while I was there for two years. It was there that Jesus baptized me with the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues. I spoke in tongues off and on for three days. I needed all of that for my ministry as a pastor and as an Air Force chaplain. That glorious experience changed my life and my ability to read and study the Bible. It was during this pastorate that Greg was born in June 1964 at the Evergreen Hospital by C-Section. We had lost our first child, Julia Frances, while in Wilmore due to our doctor's mistake. He failed to exam Melvine properly. She has a curvature in her spine and could not have a child by natural birth. Julia Frances is buried in Lexington Cemetery in the Children's Section. It was from the Brownville P. H. Church that God used Bishop J. A. Synan to call me to ask me to go into the Air Force Chaplaincy to fill the vacancy when Chaplain, Colonel Eugene Myers, USAF was killed in an Air Force Military Transport Plane crash over Manila, Philippines. There were 57 people who died in that tragic airplane crash. Since there was no one else qualified and interested in being an Air Force chaplain, I resigned my Army Reserve Officer Commission as a Chaplain to be commissioned in the Air Force Chaplaincy. So, in May 1965, we left Brownville in a brand new Dodge Polara to drive to McChord AFB. Tocoma, Washington for my first assignment as an Air Force chaplain. It was there in Washington State that our Stephanie Ellen Morgan was born on November 19, 1966 at Madigan Army General Hospital at Fort Lewis Army Post adjacent to McChord AFB. Melvine's mother flew out to Seattle to be with us and help Melvine and me with Stephanie. God has been good to us, and He continues to bless our lives. |