part 3
Brother Abbey built our second house. We moved
into it before it was finished. About this time, our fourth
baby was born, a daughter, Donna Jean, born March 26,
1937. God blessed us again with another beautiful child
after twelve years. We felt like we were having a second
family again. Our son Vern did not want to accept the
baby because he wanted a brother so badly.
We still had no water in the house. We had a well in
the yard, but it went dry, so we had to carry water one
block up a hill to do washing, bathing and use for drinking
water. We knew if we would be satisfied with what
we had, the Lord would provide better. Our test was getting
harder.
We were expecting our fifth child. One Easter Sunday,
I was home with our daughter Donna Jean, then
three years old. She was very sick with scarlet fever.
Brother Abbey was at church teaching the Bible class.
All of a sudden, the fire whistle blew, disturbing the
class. Brother Abbey said, “That could be my house,
but the Lord will take care of it.” It really was our
house!
I ran to get Donna Jean to take her to the neighbor’s
house (the Folgersonger’s) where we stayed until a
friend of theirs let us use their home while they were on
vacation. We stayed there until Brother Abbey rebuilt
the house enough so we could move into it again. We
lost everything.
Our precious saints had so much love and compassion;
everyone put their shoulder to the wheel. The sisters
made quilts and clothing for the children, helping
us regain what we lost, even better than we had before.
God came through again, as He said He would.
Three months later, our fifth child and fourth daughter,
Sarah Ann, was born, July 10, 1940. She was our
last child. She is so dear to our hearts.
We sold the house and moved to James Street, closer
yet to the church. Our next-door neighbor was another
convert of ours. We talked and prayed with Sister
Eunice Ming until she received the Holy Ghost. She is
still attending South Flint Tabernacle with her husband,
Brother Ming.
Our oldest daughter, Dorothy, and Shirley both married.
Then our only son decided he would marry. We had
only our two youngest daughters, Donna Jean and Sarah
Ann, with us.
The church continued to grow. Brother Paddock
from Kalamazoo, Michigan, came and with the church
elders searched the Scriptures. Brother Paddock showed
them how to set up a church system.
In the mid-fifties, South Flint Tabernacle started a
major building program. An all-brick building was
erected around the old church. Church services continued
throughout the new construction. Once the roof
was on and the new brick church was finished, they tore
down the old building. Church services were held in the
basement.
In 1956, the large addition was completed and services
started in the new auditorium.
The Lord continued to bless us in a marvelous way.
Souls were receiving the Holy Ghost; a revival spirit
never left us.
Brother Herbert Pope was the Sunday School
Superintendent for thirty years, from 1933 to 1963.
Brother Pope is now the oldest attending saint of South
Flint Tabernacle from the Lincoln school building. He
also was an elder and trustee. Brother Tom Johnson was
secretary-treasurer for about eighteen years. He also
was an elder and trustee until the Lord called him home.
Brother Orvis Bertram was an elder also and is now at
home with the Lord.
Brother Gary Richardson was a full-time Associate
Minister, Musical Director, Youth Director and Sunday
School Superintendent. His untimely death in an automobile
accident at Charlotte, Michigan, March 1, 1966,
ended a valuable ministry. Brother Abbey was very close
to Gary. He was like a son to us. We loved him so dearly.
Brother Abbey had Brother Gary in mind someday to
take the church, but God knows best for us.
My mind goes back to the time Brother Abbey purchased
a Cadillac ambulance. His purpose was to make
a camper out of it (he never did). Instead, he left it
around the house for me to drive as a second car. People
would stop for me to pass them and would not go on
from a red light until I went, thinking I was an ambulance
driver, of course. I was totally embarrassed, so
I did not care to use it any more.
I convinced Brother Abbey that I could not use it, so
he decided to take it to Florida, where we had a cabin.
This was a place we went for rest when it was needed.
Brother Gary and one of the brethren were to drive it
as far as the national conference, and then I drove it the
rest of the way to Florida. Brother Abbey was in a
pickup truck hauling some things we needed.
I could not wait to get it there because I knew it
would be my last time to drive it, although it was not!
To my amazement, Brother Abbey decided to make one
more trip back to Michigan in it. Back we went. When
we returned to Florida again, we took Brother Abbey’s
sisters with us. While I was driving, Brother Abbey
would lie down in the back to rest and would raise the
shade so people could see him. They would think he was
dead, I guess, staring and carrying on. There I was—
embarrassed again! Thank God that when we arrived in
Florida Brother Abbey finally traded it off.
At this time, Brother Abbey was having a lot of problems
with his health. The doctor diagnosed it as his
heart. The doctor told him he could not go on as a fulltime
minister, that he would have to slow down.
Even though he took frequent trips to Florida for
rest, his heart was still with the church he loved so dearly.
He just could not give up.
On the tenth of August, Brother May called Brother
Abbey from Battle Creek, Michigan, asking him if he
would come for the weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The doctor told Brother Abbey not to preach, that
he should preach only once a week since he put so
much into it. Brother Abbey told me that he had to go
where God had work for him to do. “If I die in the pulpit,
it would be a wonderful way to go.”
We went by Sarah’s house to let her know we were
going for the weekend. Sarah looked at him in surprise
and asked Brother Abbey not to go. She had tears in her
eyes. He told her he would be all right.
We arrived at Brother May’s home in Battle Creek.
I had to do most of the driving since Brother Abbey was
not feeling well then.
He preached on Friday night. Oh, how the Lord
blessed in a glorious way! Saturday night the Lord
blessed everyone in that church.
On Sunday morning, Brother Abbey began to
weaken in strength. He preached Sunday morning. After
that his condition worsened, and he felt he should go to
bed.
He was not able to preach Sunday night. Brother
and Sister May went on to church, and they had special
prayer for Brother Abbey. At 3:00 A.M. August 14, 1967,
at the age of 63, the Lord called him home. He fought
a good fight; he had kept the faith.
He was pastor and founder of South Flint Tabernacle
for thirty-five years.
After his death, I moved to Florida where my daughter
Sarah lived.
South Flint Tabernacle has had several pastors since
Brother Abbey’s death: Brother Arthur Pruitt, Brother
Herbert Irvin, Brother Nathaniel Wilson and Brother
Robert Henson, who is now the pastor.
God has kept his hand on the church and brought it
through many things. I thank the Lord that our labor is
still going on, the church is still growing and going on
in the faith. That was our desire from the start, to see
many souls won for the Lord.
* * * * *
This passage, specially noted in Brother Abbey’s
Bible, has always stood out to me:
“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you
that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are
called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering,
forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to
keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”
(
Ephesians 4:1-3).