Early Religious Influence
 
INTRODUCTION TO THE PENTECOSTAL MESSAGE
 
I would like to share with you a portion of the story of my life. On September 9, 1910, I was born to Henry and Della Jolly of Carbondale, Illinois. I had one brother, Lowell, and four sisters, Marie, Mertie, Rose and Mary. Soon after I was born, our family moved from Carbondale to a farm near Cobden, Illinois, which is approximately five miles from Anna, Illinois.
During my early childhood, I didn't have the opportunity of much religious training. However, my mother was a faithful Bible reader and prayed daily. She felt very deeply about the salvation of her household. My mother was preparing to enroll the children in Sunday school at the Limestone Baptist Church, when we were visited by a young man named Ford Johnson. He lived just down the hill on another farm.
Brother Johnson had recently received the gift of the Holy Ghost and had become acquainted with the Holy Ghost people in Anna. When my mother began talking with him, she found out that he was Pentecostal and had received the Holy Ghost. She showed such interest that Brother Johnson invited our family to go to church with him at Anna, Illinois. At that time many revival meetings were being held in that part of the country, and several Pentecostal ministers had already located around Anna. Many people were receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. This was my introduction to the Pentecostal message.
 
MY FIRST EXPERIENCE OF FEELING THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD
 
It was shortly after my parents contacted the Pentecostal people through Brother Ford Johnson, that I had my first experience of feeling the spirit of the Lord. I was five years of age. I was playing out in the yard with some imaginary coal cars I had made out of match boxes, when all of a sudden a strange, melancholy feeling came over me. It dawned on me that everything I was playing with was just "play things" and there was nothing real about what I was doing. As I looked up to the sky and thought of how unreal these things were and possibly I was dreaming of the time when I would see some of these things materialize, a strange feeling came over me. I didn't know what it was then, but now I know.
It was the power of God that came upon me so great that it broke me to pieces. It felt like it jarred me all over and I ran in the house crying. My mother thought a snake had bit me or that something had happened, and she began to examine me to see if I had been hurt. I told her I was not hurt but was afraid. Then she asked me what had happened and I told her about the strange feeling, and I didn't express it in these words but now I can say it felt like the atmosphere was charged with the power of God and it frightened me. My mother knew something about the spirit of the Lord because she read her Bible and naturally she understood what had happened to me. Nothing more was said about it until we moved to Anna. It was in Anna, Illinois that the Lord began to deal with me in a definite way.
I remember one night while we were walking home from church the folks were talking about backsliding and I said, "a sinner in the hand of God is like a greased ball in the hand of someone; they can't hold on to it properly and it slips out of their hand. That is the way people slip out of the hand of the Lord." I recall it caused quite a rejoicing because I was just a small child and the folks that were walking along began to praise the Lord just to hear my illustration of a person backsliding.
 
 
 
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH BROTHER SOWDERS
 
It was during the year of 1912 that Brother William Sowders received the Holy Ghost over at Olmsted, Illinois. He and several ministers immediately began evangelizing the various towns in Southern Illinois. By this time there were several other Pentecostal churches in Anna, when Brother Sowders arrived in 1916 and he soon became acquainted with all of them.
His first services were held in a little mission down on Railroad Street. This "little mission" was formerly the "potato house" that was used by the farmers when they brought their potatoes in town to sell to the merchants. After the potato season was over Brother Sowders and some of the brethren would rent the building and clean it up and have services there. This is where the Pentecostal movement started in Anna, Illinois, as far as Brother Sowders and this body of people is concerned.
My father at this time was employed by the Illinois Central Railroad Company.  He rented a large house for $12.00 a month. My parents put up extra beds and made a sort-of "stop over hotel" to keep ministers when they came to Anna to be with Brother Sowders. Of course, there was no charge for staying in our home. There were eight in my family, including my father and mother, and she did the cooking and house cleaning with the help of my four sisters. My brother, Lowell, and I were too small to help much. Brother Sowders used our home to send the preachers to, and this is how I got acquainted with many of the Pentecostal preachers.
 
THE LORD CHARGED MY MIND WITH WISDOM
 
I can well remember sitting in meetings, both in prayer meetings and in the little mission also when the power of God would be falling, and people would be rejoicing and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. When the ministers would preach I can still remember how my heart would respond to it. I just seemed to fit in and understand that it was right and there was nothing unusual about feeling the power of God. Tears would come to my eyes and I would feel the presence of the Lord all around me. Then my mind would become active, and it seemed as though the Lord charged it with wisdom and knowledge to know what was going on in the church.
There were numerous times, too many to mention, that I felt the spirit of the Lord. I watched the demonstration and manifestation of the power of God in our services. Different persons would go through all kinds of manifestations, and then the power of God would fall and we would see people rush to the altar and come through speaking in other tongues. I always stood close by so I could hear them when they began speaking in tongues. When they would get to where they could talk again in their native tongue they would say, "Jesus Is Coming Soon." That always frightened me. I had a dread and fear that when Jesus came the world would burn up and bring an end to everything. Naturally, I was frightened when I heard it mentioned, but I finally became used to it when I heard Brother Sowders preach a few messages on how glorious it was going to be when the Lord came and what he would do for the people of God. His words took away the fear of the coming of the Lord.
 
FROM THE "MISSION" TO THE "OLD ACADEMY"
 
Brother Sowders later moved from the mission to a big two-story house called the "old academy." It had been used as a college and was a beautiful old building with fine woodwork. On the first floor of the building were two large rooms divided by a big sliding door. Brother Sowders took out the door making one large room. He carpeted the room and put seats in and built a little platform. Brother Sowders lived in three or four rooms on the first floor located in the back of the building. Our family occupied the upstairs apartment, which had six or seven rooms.
Brother Sowders opened the church there for preachers to come in and out, and this gave me an advantage of seeing and hearing most of the early preachers that are responsible for this body of preachers and this activity being in existence.
Later, several other ministers came to be with Brother Sowders. Some were Brother George Aubrey, Brother Mc Calla, Brother Charlie Wynn, Brother Pless Houseman and many others. Finally, Anna became the center for the Southern Illinois churches. Pentecostal people would come there to spend time with Brother Sowders and to conduct revival meetings.
 
PREACHERS MEETING CONDUCTED BY BROTHER SOWDERS
 
After Brother Sowders became the pastor of the church, he made provisions to take care of people who came by Anna. He opened up a center for preachers to come together and later on they held camp meetings. The first preachers’ meeting held in this body was at Anna, Illinois, in the year of 1919, and was conducted by Brother Sowders.
As time passed, many people came who didn't understand the message Brother Sowders was preaching. I saw a lot of wild fire, fleshly manifestations, and people who didn't have control of their spirits flare up and do and say things that caused trouble in the church. Preachers would come by and preach strange doctrines. Eventually, it split the church in Anna.
Brother Sowders and the older brethren who loved the church and wanted to keep things moving for God set up meetings for the ministers to discuss the various teachings. Brother Cletus Barringer, Brother Will Womack, and other brethren began teaching that "Jesus was God," and "Baptism in Jesus Name." Brother Sowders and Brother Bob Shelton baptized my father and mother in water in the city reservoir at Anna, Illinois. There were two separate baptismal services held. Brother Sowders and Brother Shelton baptized the people in the "Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost" who were supporting their message. The people Brother Barringer and Brother Womack succeeded in pulling off with them stood down the way and waited until Brother Sowders had finished his baptismal service. Then they had their service and baptized their people saying, "I baptize you in the Name of Jesus Christ."
I saw both groups shouting and this puzzled my mind, because I knew there was a split. I knew these people had pulled off and were not fellowshipping with us or attending our church anymore. Naturally it puzzled my mind. I thought when they quit our church and pulled off, the Lord would not bless them anymore. When I saw the Lord blessing them I wondered in my mind, "Now, how can they have the spirit of the Lord with them and be so bitterly opposed to us? How can we have the spirit with us and be opposed to them?" It caused me to have questions and perplexities in my young mind. I knew there were things that needed to be explained that were not being explained to the people.
The battle around Anna became hotter, and the people became so separated and divided that they are still divided to this day. This was way back in the early days of the Pentecostal movement, around 1917 to 1918, that some of these things happened. And today, over fifty years later, the churches are still separated. At different times through the years the church shifted back and forth from Anna to Jonesboro. The time finally came that Brother Womack, with the help of Brother Sowders, built the church at Davie and Brady Mill Road. From that time until now, the building has been improved and beautified and the saints are still worshipping in this same building today. During the time Brother Dewayne Jolly pastored the church, he directed the building of a new educational building and remodeled the church. Several ministers have pastored the church there, and at the present time I am directing different ministers to share in taking care of the assembly.
After the work began to suffer and divide in Anna, just a small group of people held on, but they were not too favorable toward Brother Sowders. My mother and several other saints began having dreams concerning the Anna church and the condition it was in. Brother Sowders took these dreams along with his own observations and leadings of the spirit and saw that his work was terminating in Anna. As far as he was concerned, there would not be a strong church built in Anna.
 
BROTHER SOWDERS MOVES TO EVANSVILLE
 
Some of the Pentecostal people around Evansville, Indiana, contacted Brother Sowders and asked him to come and pastor the church at Maryland and Raleigh. When he left for Evansville our family was left stranded in Anna without a church.
I will never forget the day Brother Sowders left Anna to move to Evansville. I was just a small boy playing out in the front yard. A street car ran right in front of our house connecting Anna and Jonesboro. When I saw Brother Sowders board that streetcar with his suitcase in one hand and a briefcase in the other hand, I asked my mother where he was going. She said, "He is going to Evansville, Indiana." The word was almost too large for me to pronounce. I could hardly keep it in my mind because the name sounded so large it made the city sound large too. In my childish mind I was comparing it to the small word, "Anna".
Then, it seemed so far away that we would never see Brother Sowders again. I can remember how melancholy I felt and how my heart sank when I saw him leave. I didn't know if I would ever see him again.
 
I PLAYED MY GUITAR IN THE CHURCH BAND
 
One reason I was sad and sentimental was because the people in the little mission had been so nice and the people so closely knitted together. Brother Sowders provided a nice orchestra for the young people; my sister played the organ; my brother, Lowell, played a banjo; my father played the violin. One of my sisters played a guitar and I played the drums. But when Brother Sowders left, the church broke up and we felt like the bottom had fallen out of everything for us.
Immediately after Brother Sowders left Anna, my father began to look for employment in another city. He wanted to leave the railroad, because he was living in Anna and riding the train back and forth to Carbondale to work. He had heard about the coal mining boom near West Frankfort and Johnson City, so one of my brothers-in-law went to West Frankfort and after he got a good job in the union he enticed my father to move there.
At this time Brother Sowders was also trying to get our family to move to Evansville with him. My father, for some reason, wouldn't go. We eventually moved to West Frankfort and he worked in the coal mines. We would go from West Frankfort to Anna when the mines shut down during the summer months and would work in the fruit orchard. When the fall season came, we would go back to West Frankfort to work in the coal mines
Brother Ford Johnson, Brother Shoemaker, and Brother Dillard Myers held a few meetings at Brother Martin's church in West Frankfort. It created quite a bit of activity but the church was soon split with Oneness doctrine and various other teachings. It became such a reproach that nothing was ever accomplished in the work of the Lord in West Frankfort.
During this time of confusion in the church, my father received word of work that was available around Granite City, Illinois. They had twenty-two factories and steel foundries, so we moved to Granite City and my father found employment at the steel foundry.
 
 
Conversion and Baptism
 
"IF YOU WILL LET ME, I WILL USE YOU TO REMEDY THE CONDITION"
 
We lived in a house that was located near two Pentecostal churches. From the front porch of our house you could see the Oneness church. From the back porch you could see Brother Cook's church. I was a young man and was getting deeper and deeper in the sins of the world. At this time I worked at the Nash Garage in the daytime, and at night I played music in a tavern with Bob Hastings and his band.
One evening I started out as usual. I had my car parked in the front of the house, and as I started to leave my mother stopped me in the living room and said, "Tom, don't you think it is about time you stopped running around and began to think about your salvation?" She pointed out to me the dangers I could get involved in and the troubles I would find. She was trying to persuade me to go to church with her.
I said to her, "I don't care anything about church. I am not ready to make that kind of change. If I did, I would go some place other than to one of these two churches." I told her about my feelings concerning the two churches. "Right down the street are people with the baptism of the Holy Ghost and the people in Brother Cook's church have the Holy Ghost, yet they will not speak to one another. The ministers are against each other. Don't ask me to go there in a mess like that. I don't believe in it and there is something wrong for a condition like that to exist." I said, "Just let me alone. Don't bother me with it. I don't believe in it. I do believe in God, I believe in the hereafter, and I believe the Bible is God's book. I just don't understand or believe in what is going on in those two churches, and until something happens that is better than what I see, I choose to stay where I am."
With that I turned and walked down the steps. I was going to get in my car and go out on my usual Saturday evening with the boys. As I walked down that flight of steps, a voice rang out from inside me. It seemed the voice came out from the inside of my body. The voice said, "If you will let me, I will use you to remedy the condition."
I didn't know at the time what the voice meant. I felt very strange when the voice rang out, bursting upon my soul. I tried to ignore it and went out that night trying to forget the voice, but it kept ringing out as I went from one tavern to another. The voice tormented me every time I got quiet. It would say, "If you will let me, I will use you to remedy the condition." I knew right there my soul was impregnated with the Word of God and I would have to do something about it.
 
AS I LISTENED TO BROTHER SOWDERS TEACH,
THE SEED OF THE KINGDOM FELL INTO MY HEART
 
Several years after we moved to Granite City, I took my mother to Evansville to visit. We attended the service with Brother Sowders at the church on Maryland and Raleigh. While I was sitting on the back seat of the church and was listening to Brother Sowders teach, the seed of the kingdom fell into my heart. I fought to keep back tears and in my heart I was saying, "If Brother Sowders makes an altar call, I'll go!" But an altar call was not given that night.
Later on I went to church at Brother Ralph Cook's church in Granite City, Illinois with my mother. Brother Cook invited Brother Sowders and the ministers from this body to come and visit his church. I can remember when Brother Reva Mears came and held a meeting for him. After the little mission burned down on Illinois Avenue, Brother Cook built a new church at 21st Street between Illinois Avenue and Dewey Avenue.
 
I WENT TO THE ALTAR AND WAS CONVERTED
 
Eventually, Brother Frank Peach from Mt. Carmel, Illinois came and held a revival meeting for Brother Cook. During this meeting approximately two hundred persons received the gift of the Holy Ghost. I was greatly impressed by Bro. Peach.  I was working at the Nash Motor Company as a mechanic. During the day Brother Peach would come by and visit with me and invite me to church. It was during this meeting in November of 1931 that I went to the altar and was converted.
Before Brother Peach left Granite City he told me he was going back to Mt. Carmel to hold a meeting. He asked me if I would come and bring my guitar and help with the music. I was playing my guitar at Brother Cook's church, but I accepted the invitation from Brother Peach.
 
I RECEIVED THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST, FEBRUARY 8, 1932
 
In February of 1932 I attended the meeting at Brother Orval Doane's church in Mt. Carmel, Illinois. Brother Peach had to leave so Brother Clyde Dixon came and held the meeting for Brother Doane. On February 8,1932, I received the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The experience of receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost was an outstanding one and has lived with me all of these years. While I was seeking the Holy Ghost, the Lord was asking me questions so fast I could not say "yes" or "no" fast enough. There was just one question right after the other. The Lord was talking to my inner man and I was saying with my lips, "Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord." I was praying with my lips but the Lord was talking to my heart.
 
WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO DIE A MARTYR?
 
He was asking me, "Will you give this up? Will you quit doing this? Will you not do that?" He kept bringing my whole life up in front of me, asking me if I would give these things up. I was saying, "Yes, Lord, Yes, Lord" with my heart but with my lips I was still saying, "Praise the Lord." All of the time, I was dying and was letting all of these things pass in front of my mind. In my heart I was saying, "Take it away, Lord, Take it away. Give me the Holy Ghost. I'll quit doing this and I'll quit doing that." I was going through a process of death. It was just like a man on his deathbed with all of his life coming up before him. That is what will happen to you when you die. Your whole life will come in front of you in a few seconds time before you depart this life.
God was flashing my whole life and nature right up before me. I was trying to forget the things of the world and die to my nature and give my life to God. Finally, the Lord asked the question, "Would you be willing to die a martyr for the gospel of Jesus Christ?" and I stopped. I had been saying, "Yes, Lord; No, Lord" while the Lord was asking me those questions, but when he asked me if I would be willing to die a martyr for the gospel of Jesus Christ I didn't answer. I stopped saying anything. I began to think, "Oh, Lord…to be burned at a stake…to be put in a barrel of rattlesnakes…to be thrown into a lake…to have someone beat my brains out…to have someone pull my finger nails out by the roots…and to have my body pulled apart on a rack!" I had read the Fox Book of Martyrs and had heard preachers tell about how the saints suffered the atrocious crimes of the Roman world and the Catholic Church.
Some of the other horrible things I had heard about came to my mind…they would tie a man to a stake and start a fire burning around him. They would burn him until the pain became so excruciating that he couldn't stand it and would finally die. As these things were flashing through my mind I thought, "My God, could I stand these things? Could I die like that for preaching? Would I compromise? Would I give up?" It tormented my mind. My thoughts were in a whirl and I kept saying to the Lord, "I don't know whether I can or not…I can't get the consent of my mind…I don't know if I could stand it…I don't think I could."
As I was arguing with myself, God kept saying to me, “Would you be willing to die a martyr for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ? Would you die a witness? Are you willing to suffer for my sake?”
Finally, another thought came to me, "I have to go out of this life in some way…I could die in a flaming wreckage of an airplane or car…I could burn up in a house and it wouldn't be for Christ’s sake…I'll fill a casket or be burned into ashes…If I don't die for Christ's sake, I'll die a compromiser, I'll die a coward, I'll lose out with God."
 
I SAW JESUS! AND BEGAN TO SPEAK WITH OTHER TONGUES
 
And still the Lord kept asking, "Tom Jolly, would you be willing to die any prescribed death for preaching the gospel?" As I looked up, there was a cloud hanging right over my head. I looked right into and said, "God, by your grace, I will." When I said this, I saw Jesus, and began to speak with other tongues.
 
 
Preparing for the Ministry
 
I SPENT SIX MONTHS IN MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY
 
After the revival meeting closed at Mt. Carmel, Brother Dixon invited me to travel with him to visit some of the assemblies. Later he went to Mayfield, Kentucky to pastor a church. Before he built the new church he decided to take a trip to Florida. He asked me to stay in Mayfield and pastor the church while he was gone. I stayed there for about six months. When Brother Dixon returned, I left Mayfield and was free to travel again. I left there and went to the Elco Camp Meeting.
During this time I traveled a lot and visited many churches. Brother Jess Johnson and I traveled through Missouri. We visited with Brother Emmit Mullaneaux at Sedalia, Missouri, and Brother George Lawson in Indianapolis, Indiana.
 
I SPENT MOST OF MY TIME STUDYING AND PREPARING FOR THE MINISTRY
 
Occasionally, I would go back to Granite City to visit with my parents. While I was with them, I would spend most of my time studying and preparing to work in the ministry. I needed money to attend the meetings, so I set up a car repair shop in my back yard, where I serviced Black and White Taxi Cabs. There were times when I studied all night. If I had any time during the day, I would study.
One day while I was upstairs studying, several boys from Brother Cook's church came by and asked me to go down to Gabry Slough with them. They called to me and said, "Come and go along with us!" I asked them what they were going to do and they said, "Oh, we're going to just browse around." I told them I was engaged in an important Bible study and I felt I needed to stay there and continue my study."
Herby Snelling called back to me and said, "Alright, Old House Cat, just stay at home. You don't want to be sociable. You don't like our company." I tried to explain to them, that I had something more important to do than just browse around.
Brother Len Johnson was the musician of the body and at that time was trying to organize bands around Granite City and St. Louis. He didn't have a car, so I used my car to drive him around to make contacts with various ministers. We visited Brother Lohman and many other ministers in the St. Louis area. During this time he organized a band for Brother Cook in Granite City.
 
I MOVED TO LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY TO LIVE WITH BROTHER SOWDERS
 
Brother Johnson received a letter from Brother William Sowders, asking him to come to Louisville, KY and start a band in his church at 912 West Market Street. When Brother Johnson read the letter to me he said, "I feel impressed to go. I feel like Brother Sowders needs me and the Lord will bless me if I go." At that time I owned a 1928 model Dodge coupe, so I offered to drive him to Louisville.
Brother Johnson was so happy when I offered to take him. We loaded his personal belongings in the car. We put everything we could in the trunk and tied the rest on the side. Then, Brother Johnson; Reba, his wife; Paul, his son; and I started to Louisville. We arrived there and went to Brother Sowders home. He welcomed us with open arms and prepared a place for Brother Johnson in the home of one of the saints. Brother Sowders opened his home to me and gave me a room in the front of his apartment. He lived in an apartment above the mission at 912 West Market Street.
While I was staying with Brother Sowders the Lord began to talk to me, and also to Brother Sowders more definitely about my future in the ministry. It was in Louisville, Kentucky, at Brother Sowders church that my ministry began. It was in his home that I received one of the most outstanding experiences with the Lord since I had received the gift of the Holy Ghost in Mt. Carmel, Illinois.
 
BROTHER SOWDERS PROPHESIED "THE LORD IS GOING TO USE YOU
MIGHTILY IN THE WORK OF THE LORD"
 
I drove Brother Sowders back and forth from Louisville to Evansville, where he still pastored both assemblies. After one of these trips we arrived back in Louisville very late one night. I was awakened by Brother Sowders preparing breakfast for us. I came in where he was and talked with him while he prepared breakfast.
When we sat down to eat he looked across the table at me. I could see tears in his eyes and the presence of the Lord filled the room so great, I broke up and began crying. While we were just sitting there looking at each other and crying, the Lord was talking to Brother Sowders. He told me later what the Lord said to him. Also, Brother Sowders, related this experience many different times in meetings telling what the Lord had said to him concerning my future in the ministry. The Lord said to him, "Remember back in Anna, Illinois when people turned against you? Mother and Daddy Jolly stood by your side and helped to furnish finance for your welfare; They kept you and Bertha in their home; They fed you and helped to take care of you while you were in Anna; You see Tommy sitting over there? He is a reward for what his parents did for you and I am going to make a great minister out of Brother Tommy."
During this experience I didn't know what the Lord was saying to Brother Sowders, but I did know I felt the great presence of the Lord. The spirit of the Lord kept filling the room greater and greater until we both began to speak in tongues. We raised our hands and praised the Lord. I still didn't know what was happening but thought we were just thanking the Lord for the meal. I did notice a substance filled the room. I opened my eyes and I could see nothing in the room but a milky, white substance. I couldn't see the furniture in the room. The kitchen cabinets and the stove and refrigerator were across the room but this milky substance filled the room until I couldn't see through it. We were both shaking under the power of God and the Spirit of the Lord was anointing us.
Brother Sowders, being older in the ministry and with more experience, explained this experience to me. He said, "Brother Tommy, look up! The Lord has great things for you. The Lord is going to use you mightily in the work of the Lord. We both praised the Lord. 
 
BROTHER SOWDERS SAID, "I AM GOING TO LET YOU COPY THIS NOTEBOOK"
 
A few days after this experience, Brother Sowders came to me with a black notebook and a yellow piece of paper in his hands. He came into the room where I was studying the Bible and said to me, "I have in my hand a typewritten sheet of paper with the subject of "Hell" outlined on it. I also have a notebook (he began opening the notebook) with fifty subjects that I have compiled over the past eighteen years." He said, "I am going to let you copy this notebook. I want you to go down to the store and get a notebook. When you come back you can use my desk in the hallway." He told me to write the subjects down and use them for my study. "But," he said, "Before I give it to you I want to quote a scripture to you that Paul gave to Timothy, 'and the things that thou has heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.' I am going to ask you not to give this notebook to just anyone, but you use your best judgment as to whom you should give it to. I wouldn't want them given to just anyone."
When I left, I took about three steps at a time down that flight of steps. Around the corner I went as fast as I could to a little store. I bought a notebook as near like the one Brother Sowders had as I could find. I rushed back up stairs and all the rest of the day, and even the next day, I was copying those scriptures in my notebook. I still have the notebook with the original subjects just like I copied them out of Brother Sowders notebook.
I read the subject on "Hell". It was so sensible, so reasonable, and was backed up with many scriptures. Brother Sowders asked me what I thought about it and I said, "Brother Sowders, I don't know too much about the Bible but I don't see anything wrong with it. It is very reasonable. It is appealing and I don't have anything against it." He said, "Alright, you can make a copy of this also." I still have the notebook and writings he gave me.
After we had been in Louisville about three months, Brother Johnson rented a house so I moved from Brother Sowders home and lived with Brother Johnson until I left Louisville. I stayed in Louisville about one year.
 
"YOU'RE GOING TO MARTINSVILLE FIRST"
 
While I was attending a meeting there, I had my brief case…Bible, notebook, dictionary, and a few other things with me. It was a small case and when I would try to close it I would have to press it together to close it. While Brother Sowders was talking one day, he explained how God had used men in the ministry. He reached down and picked up my brief case, opened it up, and said, "Now, I want you to look at Brother Tommy's briefcase. He has it crammed full of Bibles, dictionaries, notebooks and I don't know what else, but look at it! His heart is just as full as this briefcase. If he doesn't get out of here and use some of this knowledge the Lord is giving him he is going to stagnate.
The brethren had a laugh out of it, but I was embarrassed. I thought, "My, Brother Sowders surely isn't asking me to go out and preach or hold a meeting." But just before the service was over, Brother Willard Middleton, who was pastor of the Martinsville, Indiana church, turned to me and said, "You're going to Martinsville first. I'm going to take you back with me from this meeting." Of course, I recoiled and went to Brother Sowders after the service and said, "You don't mean for me to go anywhere, do you?" He said, "Sure, wherever you want to go." I told him Brother Middleton had asked me to go to Martinsville, but I did not feel I could help a man like Brother Middleton. I didn't feel I was in a condition to help him. Brother Sowders told me to go that I needed exercise and he told me to give out some of the good things the Lord was giving me. He told me I had been sitting around him, listening to him on Sunday afternoon, and had received the Word of God. He said to me, "You go and the Lord will bless you."
 
 
 
Travels – Work – Study – Experiences
 
THE FIRST MEETING I CONDUCTED WAS IN MARTINSVILLE, INDIANA
 
In 1933, I went to Martinsville, Indiana and conducted my first meeting. While I was there I did as much manual work around the church as I did preaching. I always took my work clothes along when I visited the assemblies. I janitored Brother Middleton's church; I worked on his car and cut the weeds around the church; Sister Middleton took sick with strep throat, so I cleaned up the house for her. I cooked meals and washed the dishes.
While I was with Brother Middleton, I just seemed to fit into his services. I played my guitar along with the musicians. When the time came to talk, Brother Middleton would turn to me and say, "Alright Brother Tommy, get up and say something." I would get up and the Lord would bless me. People would come to the altar and receive the Holy Ghost. Around twenty people received the Holy Ghost in Martinsville while I was there and Brother Middleton was very happy about it. Brother Middleton bought me a new Bible, which was my first new Bible since I received the Holy Ghost. I stayed there for about six months.
 
I WAS SEEMINGLY CAUGHT AWAY IN THE SPIRIT
 
From Martinsville, I branched out and went through Mt. Carmel, Eldorado and on down to Harrisburg, Illinois. I was getting very perplexed because I was running out of money. My parents were still living in Granite City and I could have gone back there and got a job at Dawson’s Garage. They were making me an offer if I would go to work for them, they would give me a machinist license in two years and let me work in other parts of the shop while he was teaching me to be a machinist and run a lathe. He offered me $l5 a week. But I sat there at the crossroads at Harrisburg and prayed and asked the Lord what I should do.
All of a sudden, I was seemingly caught away in the spirit. I wasn't aware when I started the motor in my car and was driving down the road, when I came to myself. I was headed south on Route One. I kept driving and soon arrived in Paducah, Kentucky, where Brother Garland lived. He had a small group of people attending the church that was north of Paducah. Brother Garland was having trouble in his church financially, so during the day he sold hamburgers to the school children for his livelihood. The Lord blessed me while I was there with him. I talked to the men in his assembly and I raised enough money to buy a new Ford V-8 for Brother Garland. The people were very poor but they were glad to do what they could for Brother Garland. The church was blessed and I went on my way, happy that I was able to do something for Brother Garland and the people in Paducah.
 
WHEN I VISITED AN ASSEMBLY, MY LABORS WERE PHYSICAL AS WELL AS SPIRITUAL
 
When I visited the assemblies, I would always help the pastor redecorate the church, put a new roof on or whatever needed to be done. I didn't sit around the fire and ask what was in the refrigerator. I didn't sleep all day long. I went to a brother's church to help him.
When I visited Brother Monroe Osborne at Cairo, Illinois, I worked for two weeks helping to redecorate the church. I overhauled Brother James Sowders Model A Ford while I was with him. I ran into more work than I expected and the devil talked to me while grease was dropping in my face. He said, "You ought to be studying. You ought to be in the house reading the Bible." But Brother James Sowders’ car needed to be overhauled. I got the job done and in my fifteen minutes of study at the close of the day, I remembered more scriptures and got more thoughts from God than if I had studied all day. It was because I was willing to serve first.
You will not lose time when you are discharging your duty in physical labors around the church. Watch the men who serve and take the lowly way. You can read the Bible all day and not get a crumb out of it. That is, if there is something that needs to be done around the church. You can work all day around the church and study five minutes and God will give you a revelation that will beat a week of study. I found that out by experience.
Finally, I went down to Poplar Bluff, Missouri to help Brother Phelps. Brother Dixon asked me to go and see if I could be a blessing to the people. I stayed through the hottest part of the summer and it was getting late in the fall when I felt impressed of the Lord to leave Poplar Bluff. From there I went back to Granite City.
 
EXPERIENCES WITH BROTHER AUBREY AND BROTHER SHELTON VISITING 52 CHURCHES
 
I contacted Brother Bob Shelton and went to Olmsted, Illinois to be with Brother Shelton and Brother George Aubrey. This is where I heard Brother Shelton and Brother Aubrey talking about Brother Shelton's work in Palestine. Brother Aubrey was telling Brother Shelton he should close the work in Palestine and come back to the States. We knelt and prayed, just the three of us. You can't imagine how I felt kneeling and praying with two of the greatest men I had ever seen.
We prayed that God would show Brother Shelton what to do. While we were praying, Brother Aubrey spoke up and told Brother Shelton, "I've got the Word of the Lord for you Brother Shelton." Brother Shelton said, "Alright, what is it?" Brother Aubrey told him, "You go back to Palestine and get your wife; or send for her and come back to the States and settle here." Brother Shelton said, "Good is the Word of the Lord."
Then I spoke up and said, "Brother Shelton, I will drive you around to the churches and we will raise enough money for you to send for your wife. It will take about $400. I will stay with you until you get enough money to pay for everything. Brother Aubrey handed Brother Shelton $l00, and we started on our trip. This is when I visited most of the fifty-two churches. While we were traveling around and visiting the different churches, the Lord was talking to me and preparing me to pastor a church.
I stood with Brother Shelton until he passed away. As he lay on his deathbed, I lifted up his boney hands and held him up before the Lord. Another minister was on the other side of his bed. I spoke to him and said, "Let's take Brother Bob's hands and hold them up before God." As I was holding them up before the Lord, the Lord spoke to me and said, "Tell his wife that he is not going to get well. He is going to die soon." When I got outside of the house I called his sister first. Before I could say anything to her she said, "Brother Tommy, what do you think about Bob?" I said, "Well, I have sad news for you. The Lord just spoke to me and told me to tell you that Brother Shelton is not going to get well. It is just a matter of time." She began to cry and said, "Shall I call Sister Lizzie?" I said, "Yes, tell Sister Lizzie." She asked me to tell her and she called Sister Lizzie outside. I said to her, "Sister Lizzie you know that Brother Bob is very sick and you see him weakening all of the time," As easy as I could, I told her, "Brother Shelton is going to die."
As we were leaving the yard I turned to Brother Harvey Sumner and said to him, "Brother Shelton will be dead in two weeks." In eleven days Brother Shelton passed away.
 
THEY PRAYED AND PROPHESIED OVER ME
 
I am glad I was back in the early days of this movement and had the opportunity of being with these ministers. I talked with these men; I heard their experiences; I traveled with them; I ate with them; they prayed with me and prophesied over me. I treasure those personal experiences I had with them. I thank the Lord for the privilege of being with these men that God called. I was one of Brother George Aubrey's pallbearers when he passed away. I helped carry his casket up the hill to the cemetery where he was buried at Olmstead, Illinois.
I preached the funeral service for Brother William Sowders in 1952. I also conducted funeral services for Brother Monroe Osborne and his brother, Vernie Osborne and for Brother Dudley Fraze of St. Louis.
During the time I traveled with Brother Bob Shelton, we visited fifty-two churches. Just before our trip ended we decided to attend a meeting at Elgin, Illinois. During the meeting, we heard about another meeting at Detroit, Michigan so we attended it also. The morning we left Detroit, Brother Shelton asked me to wait for the morning mail to arrive before we left.
The mail carrier arrived a little earlier than we expected and we missed seeing him. Brother Shelton told me we would have to leave, but I said to him, "I'll go check the mail box to see if we might have missed the mailman." Sure enough, we had missed him and there were some" letters in the box.
I received a letter from Brother Vachel Davis of Eldorado, Illinois asking me if I would consider coming to Eldorado to help them. In the meantime, he had written to Brother Sowders at Louisville asking for help. Brother Sowders told Brother Vachel to locate me and ask me to come and help them in Eldorado.
So, we left Detroit; stopped at a few churches, and finally arrived at Olmstead, Illinois. I let Brother Bob Shelton out of my car and our itinerary of travels was finished.
 
 
Calling to Eldorado
 
WHEN I LAID MY HAND ON THE LETTER FROM ELDORADO,
THE POWER OF GOD SATURATED ME
 
I left Olmsted and went to Granite City to be with my father and mother for a few days. My family was very discouraged with conditions there. It was during the depression and times were hard. One night I laid these three letters I had received at Detroit on the bed. All three letters were inviting me to come to different churches to help them. One of the three letters was from Brother Vachel Davis of Eldorado, Illinois. I knelt in prayer and this is what I said to the Lord, "Now Lord, when I touch the letter from the place where you want me to go, let me feel your spirit." I did this because it was the way the older ministers had taught me to watch for the spirit as a witness.
When I laid my hand on one of the letters nothing happened, but when I laid my hand on the letter from Eldorado the power of God just saturated me. The glory of the Lord came down and I began to cry and rejoice in the spirit. The next morning when I arose I told my parents about the letter from Brother Vachel and that I was going to Eldorado to spend the weekend and then go on to the meeting at Cairo, Illinois.
I arrived in Eldorado in the middle of the week and stayed for the weekend. Brother Vachel Davis had about six people coming to services. They were discouraged and ready to close the door of the mission when I arrived. When I started to leave on Sunday night I said to them, "Well folks, I don't know whether I will be back or not, I don't feel too much from the Lord about staying but I have enjoyed being with you. If I feel the Lord in it at all I will come back sometime."
Sister Hafford, Brother Vachel's sister, spoke right out and said, "You'll be back, Brother Tommy." I said, "Well, if the Lord leads, I'll come back." But she said, "The Lord has already spoken. The Lord told me you are coming back." I answered, "Well, alright. Good is the Word of the Lord. I'll pray and when the meeting is over at Cairo, I'll let you know what I am going to do.
I left Eldorado and went to spend some time with Brother D.M. Osborne at Cairo, Illinois and stayed with him a few days after the meeting closed. In the meantime, the Lord began talking to me about Eldorado, so I went back. I didn't have a place to stay so after spending a few days in Brother Vachel's home, Sister Hafford prepared a room in her home for me and I lived there until my parents moved to Eldorado.
 
“STRETCH FORTH THY HANDS, ANOTHER SHALL GIRD THEE,
AND CARRY THEE WHITHER THOU WOULDST NOT.”
 
The Lord led me very definitely to Eldorado. I have many witnesses that satisfy my own heart. Many confirmations have been given that I am in the perfect will of God in Eldorado. One of them was knowing that God always does things differently than man. The Lord told Peter, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, when thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkest whither thou wouldest; but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldst not."
During the time I was driving Brother Shelton around to the different churches, we drove through Eldorado on one of our trips. At that time the coal mines were still working. It was a cloudy day with a drizzling rain and it just seemed to add to the ugly, foreboding appearance of the town. We started to drive around Eldorado, but I said to Brother Shelton, "Let's drive through town and see what the place looks like." We drove down the main street. As we turned on Fourth Street to go out to the other side of town, I remarked to Brother Shelton, "What in the name of common sense impels people to stay in a God-forsaken place like this?" We just drove on and I thought nothing more about it, only that I felt sorry for the people who had to live in that dirty coal mining town. The buildings were run down; everything was unpainted; and you could see there had been no improvements made in many years. It was one of the worst looking towns in Southern Illinois. I didn't realize that God foresaw my future and knew that He would bring me to Eldorado to live. Little did I realize that I would spend forty years here.
It has happened. The Lord sent me to Eldorado to train me and to work with me. He didn't put me in a big city where I would be distracted with a lot of noise. He sat me down in a quiet little town. Year in, and year out, I had time to sit and read, study and meditate. I had enough activity in my church to keep me busy, I had enough experiences the Lord could point them out to me and show me how to use them.
I had experiences too numerous to mention. The Lord certainly confirmed my coming to Eldorado by giving the people dreams and visions. He spoke to their hearts and at times when I would become discouraged and think I was going to leave, the Lord always came to my rescue. He would say to me, "Stay here. Don't leave." He gave me promises and told me, "If I would prove myself and work right, I could take a small church with a few people in a poor town, and could build it into a big strong, thriving church. This, I have done in Eldorado.”
 
"GOSPEL MISSION"
 
The little building where I started having services in Eldorado was a small, crude building. We had very few facilities available to work with. The building was 39 feet long and l6 feet wide, that is, at each end. It was 18 feet wide in the center of the building because it bulged in the middle. This caused the roof to sag. The building was not sealed, so we painted the ceiling on the inside with a gallon of paint given to us by Sister Mildred Baker.
We paid five dollars a month rent and one dollar a month for the light bill. The building was divided into two sections with just a thin partition between them. We had our mission on one side of the building. On the other side was a tire shop. The men who owned the shop had no use for Pentecostal people, so they would work on Sunday. They would turn on steam to vulcanize tires and keep a hammer going all during the service. We tried to have church with all of that noise going on. If I asked them to cooperate with us and consider us, they would curse us.
On the other side of the mission was an elderly woman who was hard of hearing. She would play her radio so loud it would vibrate the building. When I asked her to turn the volume down, she would curse and revile us. Eventually, a saloon moved in just two doors from the church. I tried to stop this by writing to the State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. They sent a man down to investigate my request but they wouldn't do anything. They wrote me a letter saying, "We can do nothing about closing the saloon because we don't consider your place of worship a church. The law applies to a church, not a mission." We had to put up with the drunks and noise disturbing our services.
The few people who attended our church were poor, but the Lord definitely showed me not to go to work when I considered getting a job. The Lord told me, "I will supply your needs. I am only testing and trying you. If you will stay here the time will come, you will not lack for finance. These people will be blessed and I will bless you." I have found the Word of the Lord to be true.
God told me when I first went to Eldorado to go ahead and start with a lowly group of people. At times I would think, "My goodness, I have more ambition than this. I can't work off all the zeal I have with just a hand full of people like this." I was thinking of all the thousands of people in the United States and here I was cramped down in this little town." But I stayed and God has blessed me.
Through much tribulation we built a church. The building we had at the beginning was so hot in the summer we could hardly stand it, and so cold in the winter we couldn't keep enough fire in the three-legged stove to keep the building warm. The only music we had was my guitar, so I led the singing. We had a piano but no one to play it. Eventually, Brother Len Johnson came from Louisville and started a little band for us and we had better music for the church.
Times were very hard around Eldorado and people had little money. This was during the days of rationing when the government was rationing clothing and commodities to the poor. Eldorado was a blighted area and everyone was poor but the saints shared their rations with me. My father and mother were still living in Granite City so I moved them to Eldorado. We rented a small three-room house and this is where they settled down and spent the rest of their lives.
 
I DREAMED I WAS AN INMATE IN A PENITENTIARY
 
The Lord began to deal with my heart. He gave me a dream about being an inmate in a penitentiary. In the dream I said, "Lord, am I going to jail?" The scripture in Ephesians came to me where Paul said, "I, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation where with you are called." A few verses below that says, "When the Lord ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto them." Jesus captured these men and made them prisoners unto him. They loved the prison, they loved their guard, and they followed him to the end of their days carrying the message of salvation to the world.
In my dream I was thinking, "It is not so bad to be a prisoner. It's not so bad to be a servant since we have such a wonderful master. It's not so bad to be in God's jail when we have such a wonderful warden. He puts us in jail for service and he is going to give us everlasting life for serving."
After I had been sentenced, they took me across a mote, which is deep water surrounding a prison wall and is designed to keep prisoners from escaping. I saw one of them recently when I visited India, and another in Japan where Hirohito lived. Surrounding the palace where Hirohito lived was a large mote of water. During the day the only entrance to the palace was by crossing a bridge over the water. During the night the bridge was lifted and no one could get to the castle. That was the way the prison looked in my dream. I looked at the mote and said, "I'm in here! I'm stuck! I can't get out of this place! When that bridge goes up, it is settled! There is no way out!"
A guard took me through a gate over to my cell and said to me, "Make yourself at home. You are in here for a long time." I looked back at him and wondered, "How long?" I didn't know what I had done to be sentenced here and now he was telling me that I would be here a long time. He turned and walked away.
I unpacked my suitcase and fixed my bunk. Some thoughts were going through my mind, "Well, this is it. I am here and locked behind closed doors. There is no way to get out. I don't know what this is all about." Then the guard came back and said, "I have some instructions for you." He took me out in the bullpen and showed me around. (The bullpen is the place where the inmates exercise). He showed me a lot of churches all around in the bullpen. He said, "Look, this is your exercise ground. You can go to any of the churches you want to." He pointed back to the cellblock and said, "Do you see that big round siren?" I told him I did and he said, "When the siren goes off, you get back to your cell immediately and don't lose any time doing it." Again I told him I would.
He turned to leave, but as he did, he gave me some final instructions. "You can work in any of the churches you want to, but report back to your cell when the siren goes off." I picked out a white church and thought, "I'll go to this one first." The time came when I went into that church. It had the brightest lights I had ever seen. A woman dressed in white was standing in the pulpit. There were about twenty-five people in the congregation. When I walked in the woman stopped speaking, looked up at me, and said, "I told you! We have been praying for help and here is Brother Jolly. He has come to help us. I am going to turn the church over to him. From now on he is your pastor." She turned and sat down. When I started to conduct the service I heard the buzzer and I took off as fast as I could to get back to my cell and to report to the guard.
The Lord was telling me, “Your cell is Eldorado. When you feel the need, or when I tell you to come back to Eldorado, you report there. You are needed back at your cell."
 
"THANK YOU LORD, YOU HAVE LED ME PERFECTLY"
 
I went to Galatia, Illinois in November of 1934. I went to a white church like the one I had seen in my dream. The town contributed the electricity to churches and this church really took advantage of it. They had 300 watt bulbs hanging down by a cord from the ceiling. It was just like I had dreamed. Women preachers in those days dressed in white and Sister Iowa Sinks had on a white dress. When Sister Sinks saw me, she told the people, "You know we have been praying for help and I have been telling you that help is coming. Now, we have Brother Jolly with us. He has moved to Eldorado and is going to take over the church. I am going to ask him to come over here and help us. Whatever his wishes are, whatever nights he wants to have services, and however he wants the services conducted, we will cooperate with him. I am going to turn this church over to him this night. He will be your pastor and I will help do what I can."
The dream of the penitentiary came before me just as plain and I said, "Lord, thank you. You have led me perfectly!"
I took over the church at Galatia and we continued to have services for some time. Later we moved to another building and eventually we closed the church at Galatia and the people moved to Eldorado.
In the meantime, we wore out three cars. Brother Fred Sinks had an old Essex. Later we bought a seven-passenger car to bring the people from Galatia to Eldorado for church. Eventually they began to move to Eldorado. Sister Springs was the only saint who stayed in Galatia, but her daughter brought her to church at Eldorado.
 
THE LORD SAID, "I'M PAYING YOU JUST WHAT YOU'RE WORTH"
 
During our financial struggle I went down to the Ford garage and applied for work. Mr. Spear told me to come to work on Monday morning. During the day I would work in the garage and the evenings we didn't have church I could sell cars. I agreed to this, but that night the Lord gave me a dream.
"A man walked up to me and handed me a check. He told me he didn't need my services any longer." In my dream it took me back to the Tri-City Garage in Granite City, Illinois where I worked before I received the Holy Ghost. My boss came to me with the last check I was to receive. When he handed me the check he said, "Well, this is it! We are out of business and this will be your last check." This same thing happened in my dream. The next morning the Lord told me, "I fired you at the garage not to go back any more." I went down to the Ford garage and told Mr. Spear, "I have heard from the Lord, Mr. Spear. I am not going to take the job. You can give it to someone else." He told me if I needed work later to come back, there would be a job waiting for me.
The Lord was testing and trying me. Going down the railroad track one night, I was considering attending a meeting scheduled the next week. I didn't have any money. I said to the Lord, "Lord, how can I go to the meeting? I have only eight cents. I can't drive my car and I can't attend without finance." (The offering over the weekend had been eight cents). I said, "Lord, I'll hitchhike to get there, but I would rather drive my car." I had said this in a complaining way, and the Lord answered me back, "I am paying you just what you are worth." This humiliated me. I said, "My goodness, am I an eight-cent preacher? Lord, you never lie. If I am only worth eight cents, I'll try to do better."
I began to pray. I fasted and studied my Bible. I gathered all of the information I could get from everyone to help in my ministry. With the Lords help I got over my humiliation. I do not mean to say that I feel, even at this time, that I am worth what I am receiving in benefits from the church. I do say that I am handling more money and I thank the Lord for blessing his people with adequate finance to take care of the financial needs of the church.
One Saturday evening I had spent all of my money except sixty cents. No one knew of my financial needs but my mother. When Sister Sinks received the offering, she pointed out some of the unfinished work on the building. She asked the people to do their best in giving and we received the largest offering that night we had received. Thirty dollars were given and from that time until now the Lord has supplied our needs.
 
THE LORD SAID, "FROM THIS NIGHT ON, I AM GOING TO BLESS YOU IN ELDORADO"
 
One night I was in a discouraged condition at the church in Eldorado. I was looking at the hopeless condition of the church and the town. I was contemplating writing to Brother Sowders, or talking to him, about leaving the town and trying my ministry some place else. All of a sudden the spirit of the Lord began to move among the people. The congregation was small and I could feel the Lord wanting to do something special.
I didn't know just exactly what the Lord wanted to do, but the spirit of the Lord began to move upon the people. I felt the anointing of God came upon me. The spirit lifted me up and stood me behind the Bible stand. I scarcely had to exert any energy to stand up. It seemed I was picked up by an invisible force. My hands went up in praise. The saints were standing and praying. A cloud of glory over-shadowed me and the Lord began to talk to me out of a cloud. The Lord said, "From this night on I am going to bless you in Eldorado. I will bless you with people and with finance. You will never lack for money to carry my work on in this place from this night on. You will always have a following. I am going to make you the head and not the tail. I will give you the cream of the crop in this part of the country." The Lord talked to me all the time the spirit was falling on the congregation. The Lord was telling me that if I would stay there and work with the people, treat them right, he would bless me and I would have a great place in Eldorado some day. I said yes to the Lord. I became reconciled and began to praise the Lord for the promises he had made to me. In return I made the Lord some promises. From that night on it has happened just as the Lord said.
 
McLEANSBORO - WEST FRANKFORT - STONEFORT - NORRIS CITY - NEW HAVEN - JOHNSON CITY
 
In another dream, someone was knocking on my door. When I opened the door a man was standing there and was wearing a blue serge suit. He said, "Brother Jolly, I am from McLeansboro, Illinois. There are a few people in this town trying to have church. We heard you were in Eldorado and I have come to ask you to help us. I was asked to tell you we won't take "No" for an answer." I had been awake for about five minutes when I heard a knock at my door. I jumped up and went to see who it was. I was surprised to see a man in a blue serge suit just as I had dreamed. He began to say, "Brother Jolly, you don't know me. My name is Brother Mayberry from McLeansboro, Illinois. We have a few people struggling to have church services and we need your help. The people asked me to come ask you to help us. They wanted me to tell you we won't take "No" for an answer." I told him I had just dreamed exactly what I was seeing. I went to McLeansboro, Illinois in January of 1936.
The next town I went to was West Frankfort, Illinois in 1940.  At one time they held "all night" services. They would start the service at 10 o'clock at night and continue until 2 o'clock in the morning. The first time I went to one of the meetings, they asked me to speak. While I was speaking, I invited the people to attend the Saturday evening service at Eldorado.
At 10:30 the next Saturday evening those people walked in the door of our church. The band was playing and they began to shout and dance down the aisle. I welcomed the minister and the people, and the Lord inspired me with a message for them that night. They were so touched by the message and the spirit of the Lord when they returned later they brought the deed to their church property. They gave the church property to us and accepted me as their pastor. Brother Beryl Clark worked with me and we brought the church out of the condition it was in. We still have most of the people with us today in Eldorado and DuQuoin.
I went to Stonefort, Illinois and held services in a home. Every baptized person in the town of Stonefort came to that meeting. All of them moved from Stonefort to Eldorado.
I went to Norris City, to New Haven and to Johnson City. There are seventeen towns around Eldorado and I drew people from all of them. I had a church in Harrisburg for a short time but we closed it and the people came to Eldorado. Brother Charles Sherman came to one of the churches in Harrisburg inquiring of a Pentecostal church. He heard about our work in Eldorado and came over to be in a service with me. This is where I became acquainted with Brother Sherman.
I blended the people of all of these churches into the church at Eldorado. One night the Lord overshadowed me with a cloud of glory. He told me from that night on I would never lack for finance; I would never lack for words; I would never lack for a following." He gave me other promises contingent upon my staying, working with the people and treating them right. The Lord said, “I will bless you in this place.”
God began to bless us then and other baptized people came to worship with us.
The Lord told me I would be in Eldorado a long time. He cautioned me one night when I started to reprove some of the small children sitting on the front row of seats. The children would get restless during the service so I started to scold them. A voice said to me, “Ah, don't do that. These children will be saints in your church. They are going to grow up and you will be their pastor. They will long remember what you say to them and how you treat them.”
I am glad the Lord talked to me like that. It was like a flash of lightening that went through my mind. My hard spirit changed and when I looked at the children I smiled at them. They straightened up and smiled right back at me. That is all I had to do when they would become unruly. I smiled at them and they smiled back. These children have grown up in my church and they still love me today. I caution the Sunday School teachers to be kind to children and teach them to love the church.
 
 
"WHERE IS THY FLOCK THAT WAS GIVEN THEE, THY BEAUTIFUL FLOCK?"
 
The Lord kept talking to my heart about Eldorado. I tried to get away from Eldorado but when I would leave I would always hear my buzzer. I visited Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and made all of the contacts I could while I was there. I felt it was time for me to leave Eldorado and move to a larger city. I rented a room on the seventh floor of the YMCA building. The last night I was there I felt dejected and lonely. I never felt more lonely in my life. I was standing looking out of the window and feeling that I was the only person left in the world. The most terrible feeling came over me. I said to the Lord, "Lord, what is the matter with me? Why do I feel this way?" My Bible was on a table across the room and I felt impressed to open it and read. As I opened the Bible, I put my finger on the scripture in Jeremiah: "Where is thy flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?" I said, "Eldorado, and I am going back there." When I said this, my heart was made glad. I told Brother Borton, "We are leaving the first thing in the morning." He said, "What? I thought we were going to stay for awhile." I read him the scripture and said to him, "I have left my flock in Eldorado; I hear my buzzer and I must get back to my cell."
It was necessary in 1936 to move from the mission. I was praying and seeking the Lord's will about what I should do. During a message to the congregation one Sunday Evening, two young girls came in and sat down in the back of the church. I felt impressed to change my message and give an evangelistic appeal. Both girls came to the altar and received the Holy Ghost. They were Sister Wilma Jones and her sister, Helen Stall.
Some of these experiences were "Mile-Posts" to me. I saw the Lord wanted to add to our congregation, and we were strengthened both spiritually and financially by the increase.
 
BROTHER WILLIAM SOWDERS VISITED ELDORADO
 
Brother Sowders came to Eldorado and held a meeting for us. Our dining room was not large enough to accommodate very many people, but we prepared meals for everyone who cared to eat with us. As the church grew, I knew our facilities were inadequate. We needed rooms for classes. We needed a larger dining room. We began to save money to provide for our needs.
 
BUILDING PROJECT COMPLETED 1939 5TH AND MAHONEY
 
Before I started to build the new church in Eldorado, I took my plans to Brother Sowders. He rejected them because Brother Reva Mears had built a tabernacle at New Haven, Illinois. Brother Sowders felt the size of my building would conflict with Brother Mears work so he advised me to cut the size of the building to 33 x 52 feet. I wanted to be obedient to Brother Sowders but at the same time I felt that it would be too small. I built according to his suggestions and added three rooms on the back of the building.
Our finances were limited and we did as much of the work as we could. I believe we paid $275 for the lot. We paid $25 for the lot next to ours later. The deed was $5.00, making a total cost of $305.
We purchased lumber from the sawmill for two dollars a hundred feet. It was so green the sap would fly out of it as we sawed it. We hauled sand and gravel on an old truck a dealer let me use. I hauled the gravel at night and the boys made blocks in the day. We made 3,300 blocks to build the church. The reason I hauled the gravel at night was because the truck didn't have a license and I didn't have chauffeur's license.
I overloaded the truck with sand the next day for making blocks. The first day we made seven blocks. They kept cracking and breaking. An old gentleman came by one day and explained our trouble. When we understood how to make the blocks, we began making 400 a day.
The building had no ceiling; it had a dirt floor; we didn't have money to install windows so we put cardboard over the windows keep the cold air out. We heated the building with a big furnace located in the middle of the floor. We were so thankful to have a building of our own we didn't mind the inconveniences. The three-room apartment was added for my parents to live in.
We contracted to pay five dollars a month on material for the roof. The rest of the building was completed as we were able to pay cash for the supplies.
We held our first service in the church in the fall of 1939.
 
TRAINING MEN FOR THE MINISTRY
 
The Lord spoke to me about the necessity of training for the ministry, so I made preparations in my home for young men who were interested in this type of preparation. I divided the attic of my home into rooms and installed facilities. Brother Bill Irvin, Bob James, Beryl Clark, and Lester Hall stayed there for several years. Many of the other ministers stayed for weeks at a time. We studied together until these men became trained well enough to pastor churches.
 
BUILDING EXPANSION COMPLETED, 1949
 
When we enlarged the building, the glory of the Lord filled the house and I saw people from the platform to the back of the sanctuary with uplifted hands, shouting and praising God. 1 knew I would have to build even larger in the future. The building had been enlarged to 40 x 100 feet. During two meetings over seven hundred people were in attendance. We enjoyed some wonderful schools, fellowship meetings, women's meetings and special classes in this building.
 
NEW BUILDING AT 3RD & MAHONEY, 1964                                                                                                                                                                                            
 
As the total membership rose to more than five hundred, we began to consider seriously another move for Eldorado. After much prayer and counsel, twenty-five acres of land were purchased on October 18, 1962. This land was formerly O'Gara Coal Mine #8, located on Third and Mahoney Streets. Still waiting to know the will of God, we delayed starting to build until June 25, 1964. Losin Moore from Sikeston, Missouri agreed to shoulder the responsibility of building the large structure with labor that was to be donated and largely unskilled. From all over the United States men came to help build a beautiful new edifice as a crowning symbol of the success of Eldorado Gospel Assembly. Tens of thousands of dollars were willingly contributed by other assemblies and individuals as well as thousands of hours of labor. These willing labors of love, expressed both physically and financially, have produced an astounding witness of Godly unity and love for all the people in this area to behold.
On Sunday, November 1, 1964, the construction of the building had advanced to such a stage that it was appropriate to lay the corner stone. This was also the day of celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Eldorado Gospel Assembly Church and several hundred out-of-town visitors were present, including fifteen pastors from the Gospel Assembly Churches. The service began at noon with the Church Choir singing, "The Solid Rock" and accompanied by the Church Orchestra. The invocation was given by Brother Bill Irvin. Following are some of the words from my address:
 
CORNERSTONE LAYING SERVICE
 
"With deep emotions I stand before you. I thank the Lord for your efforts in helping us accomplish what we have in Eldorado the past thirty years. I stand within seeing distance of the three places to which we have moved in Eldorado: the little mission, our present church, and this new edifice. We have not moved very far physically or geographically, but look where we have moved spiritually! Praise the Lord for the wonderful accomplishments made in this little town where God's presence has overshadowed us for many years. We certainly are standing in a sanctified place when we stand on the soil of Eldorado for this has been a blessed town for many years.
As we lay this stone, let us lift our hearts to God. May His Son be the center of interest in our lives; may everything that we say and do be based on His precious words. May God keep this edifice dedicated to His service until Jesus Christ comes in glory to catch away those that are alive and remain. So, while these ministers lift their voices in a pastoral prayer for you, pray that God will always give us spiritual leadership to take this great body of people on in Him."
On May 27, 1965, exactly eleven months and two days after the groundbreaking ceremony on June 25, 1964, the first worship service was held in the new church building.
Sunday, August 29, 1965, was the date announced for the open house and dedication of our new church building for the people of Eldorado and surrounding towns. There were approximately 800 guests who came in response to our invitation. Among this number of guests were outstanding citizens, doctors, members of the city council, ministers and members from the various churches. We especially mention the Monsignor Hanagan, who arrived in Eldorado one month prior to my coming in 1934.
On Sunday, September 19,1965, a second dedication service was held for the pastors and members of the Gospel Assembly Churches. A large congregation of 1,325 persons, including 37 pastors, gathered for Dedication Services in the new edifice at 3rd and Mahoney Streets.
The present church structure is located on a 25-acre plot of land and covers over 40,800 square feet of floor space. The front section of the building is 20 x 100 feet. The sanctuary portion is 70 x 11 feet, and the educational building is 82 x 100 feet (originally 50 x 100 feet, 32 x 100 feet extension added in 1978). Over 3,970 worship services totaling 9,200 hours have been held in the sanctuary, which seats approximately 1,000 people. An estimated 190,400 meals have been served in the spacious dining room. There are 65 rooms in the present building plus the narthex, baptistery and youth chapel. Rooms of interest include a recently remodeled ministers' dining room, choir room, band room, nursery, offices, parsonage, Sunday school classrooms and a library containing over 8,660 books.
 
CONSTRUCTION OF STAFF HOUSE 1984
 
In September 1982, construction again was underway in Eldorado. A staff house consisting of 21 apartments with a total of 13,145 square feet of floor space was erected on the west side of the church building. The apartments consist of a living/dining/kitchen area, bedroom, bathroom, two closets and each apartment has it's own heating/cooling unit. The exterior is maintenance free brick and siding.
With all the beauty of the natural structures, the beauty of the presence of God is really the glory of the church!
 
 
Leadership of the Body
 
BROTHER SOWDERS SPOKE TO THE MINISTERS
ABOUT THE LORD PREPARING ME TO FOLLOW IN HIS FOOTSTEPS
 
Before Brother Sowders passed away in 1952, he talked to me about the churches in Evansville, Indiana and Anna, Illinois. He began leaving me in charge of camp meetings and fellowship meetings. After his health began to fail him, Brother Sowders would sit in his room and listen to the services in the tabernacle. After the service, we would discuss the events of the meeting. When Brother Sowders attended the services, he would speak to the ministers about the Lord preparing me to follow in his footsteps. He told them, in his absence, I would be working with them. He cautioned the ministers to be careful and to help me. He said, "I have watched Brother Tommy (as he called me then) work and I have seen how he handles situations. He does it exactly right. Don't raise up against him." He told them, "It will be necessary for Brother Tommy to make changes in the Body if he moves up with the hour and does the best thing for the people. I trust that none of you will fight him and take a stand against him if he makes some changes for the betterment of the Body."
I tried to work with the brethren without being prejudiced, narrow minded or partial. I helped them raise funds to build new churches and to help them out of financial difficulties. I have done the best I could to strengthen the Body.
The Lord talked to me, and I listened to his voice. I had great respect for Brother Sowders. He had a greater vision with more foresight and was more technical in his teachings than any minister I have ever met or read about. He gave us more to build the assemblies with and to build the ministry than any other man. I received his vision with an open heart. I studied his actions and ministry and watched his labors and understood the goals he was working toward. I had a great desire to help him and to stand by him.
 
 
GREAT OUTPOURING ON THE CAMPGROUND, 1953

In the year of 1952, the Lord showed me there would be an outpouring of the spirit during the 1953 camp meeting.     
I prophesied it. Some people did not believe it, some were skeptical, and others just waited to see what would happen. When the spirit of the Lord fell as I had prophesied, they saw that God was with me. The Lord confirmed my prophecy with a wonderful outpouring of the Holy Spirit in 1953.
Shortly after Brother Sowders passed away, the Lord showed me that the campground at Shepherdsville, Kentucky, had served its purpose. The last camp meeting I conducted there was in 1954.
 
“I WORKED WITH THE SMALL CARVING INSTRUMENTS”
 
Soon after Brother Sowders passed away, Sister Ruth Wetherington had a dream. In the dream she saw Brother Sowders cut a large tree down and as people stood around and watched, he began trimming the limbs from it. As he worked, she noticed he was using a large ax, large saws and other rough tools to shape the tree. As he kept working with the tree, he was cutting the image of a man into the trunk. When he had finished, the image was very crude. There had been no finish work done at all. He stood back and looked at his work, then he laid down the tools he had been working with and walked away.
As soon as Brother Sowders walked away from the tree, I stepped up with a small box in my hand. The box contained a set of wood carving tools. She watched to see what I was going to do. I took the image that Brother Sowders had been carving, and I began to work very delicately with the small carving instruments. I worked until I brought out all of the fine features of the face and head. I worked on the carving to perfect it down to the feet.
 
THE LORD SPOKE TO ME AND SAID, “I WANT YOU TO TRAIN MEN FOR THE MINISTRY”
 
I was on my way to Cairo, Illinois, to preach the funeral of Brother Vernie Osborne, and as I was entering the city, the Lord spoke to me and said, "I want you to train men for the ministry." I answered the Lord and told him, "I don't feel capable" but the Lord told me "that he would help me."
We began having monthly meetings of the "School of the Prophets," where we intensified our studies of the Scripture, how to conduct worship services and cooperate with the order of the spirit. We discussed every phase of work involved in directing a church. I taught lessons on how to work together and endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bonds of peace until we come to the knowledge of the Word of God. I taught lessons on the restoration of the church, the lost art of worship, and the finer phases of judgment.
 
ESTABLISHING CENTERS
 
There are many areas the Lord talked to me about in building the body. He talked to me about working more closely with the assemblies and about establishing centers. A center is a "Mother Church" with the spiritual and natural facilities to take care of the spiritual needs of a church. I understood this would mean fewer churches but stronger churches.
 
I ACCEPTED THE PASTORATE OF THE ST. LOUIS ASSEMBLY IN 1952
 
Eldorado became the springboard to other assemblies of labor. When Brother Dudley Fraze was killed in an automobile accident in 1952, the saints of the St. Louis assembly were left without a shepherd. At that time Brother Sowders was still living and he talked to me about helping the St. Louis assembly. He told me, "One night while I was praying an angel came into my room and sat down on the side of my bed. The angel looked me straight in the face and said, Brother Tommy will bring the church out in St. Louis.” Brother Sowders called me to tell me about this experience. He said, "Surely you are the man for the job." He asked me if I would take care of the assembly, and I assured him that I would do whatever he wanted me to do to the best of my ability. He told me he knew it would be taxing on me to drive back and forth from Eldorado to St. Louis, but he said, "I feel you can do St. Louis justice, and you are going with my blessing."
The Lord confirmed this and I came to St. Louis on March 21, 1952. The Lord gave people dreams. Unsaved people started coming to our services. There was a little shaking among the people after Brother Dudley was killed, but it settled down to a good solid group.
It was very difficult to take care of two large assemblies, Eldorado and St. Louis. I drove back and forth twice a week. I tried to keep the Eldorado assembly encouraged, and yet I felt my duty to the St. Louis assembly. The people in St. Louis were discouraged because they had not had the advantage of the classes and activities that the congregation in Eldorado enjoyed. I encouraged the St. Louis saints to visit the Eldorado church and participate in the various activities. I was working to bring the two assemblies together. I wanted them to blend their spirits, harmonize their lives and become acquainted.
 
“PIPELINE” CONNECTING ST. LOUIS TO ELDORADO
 
One night someone dreamed we were putting a water line in connecting Eldorado to St. Louis. In the dream we were working feverishly to get the water line in. We began laying one section of the line in Eldorado and the other section began in St. Louis and they were to connect half way. Just as we sealed the last joint connecting the two water lines, I was supposed to give the signal for the water to be turned on in Eldorado. When I waved my hand to give the signal, the water came gushing through the line and it broke out in St. Louis. It was a beautiful, sparkling, clear stream of water.
I don't believe the dream needs an interpretation. It speaks for itself. At this time the assembly in Eldorado was at its peak of activity. Large congregations of people met. People were getting the Holy Ghost and everything was peaceful and sweet.
The St. Louis assembly was suffering and in a state of transition, and needed a good, clean, clear flow of the spirit from the Eldorado assembly. This happened when I blended the two assemblies together. The unperturbed spirit of the Eldorado assembly filtered into the St. Louis assembly.
On December 4, 1954, we moved from 1102 Park Avenue to the beautiful building at 500 North Kingshighway. It served our purpose for many years. There were many great meetings conducted in this building and on many occasions there were as many as 2,000 people in attendance. We had Ministers' Meetings, Ministers Wives Meetings, Women's Meetings, and Youth Meetings.
Later the Lord told me, "You had better begin to look for property and get away from this neighborhood, because this location has reached its peak of usefulness." We purchased fourteen acres of ground on Tesson Ferry Road in South St. Louis County. The people responded by giving their finance and by giving of their time and abilities in the construction of a beautiful new Sanctuary and Educational Building. With the help of men from all of the assemblies of the body, the local men completed the building project in two years and ten months. The first service was held in the new sanctuary on Saturday Evening, June 2, 1973.
 
I ACCEPTED THE PASTORATE OF THE INDIANAPOLIS ASSEMBLY IN 1954
 
In August of 1954, I began my ministry in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. I had sought the Lord about the condition there and one morning the Lord woke me up and said, "If you will go to Indianapolis, I will bless you." I reasoned in my mind, "I have the St. Louis assembly and the Eldorado assembly, how can I find time to go to Indianapolis also?" The saints in the St. Louis and Eldorado assemblies were cooperating with me and this made it possible for me to leave them over a weekend, so I made a place for the Indianapolis church in my busy schedule.
We rented the Howard Theatre on Howard and Blaine Streets. We held worship services there until we could locate other property. We purchased property on 16th and Delaware Streets. The cost of the building was $80,000. We purchased the property adjoining the church and paid for all of it in approximately three years.
In 1976, a new building project was completed at 5809 Bluff Rd, Indianapolis, Indiana. On August 27, 1976, we held our first worship service at our new Church. The Sanctuary seats 1,200 and the Chapel seats 250.  There is a total of 34,400 square feet of space.
 
"HURRY UP! HURRY UP!"
 
One morning I awoke with the Lord speaking these words to my heart. "Hurry Up! Hurry Up!" I said, "Lord, what are you trying to say to me?" The Lord said, "You had better not lay down on the job, you had better hurry up!" He told me trouble was coming and if we didn't get busy we would not get the work completed. I said, "I see what you mean, Lord." I began to intensify my study and preparation for the job the Lord had given me to do.
When I met with opposition or unpleasant situations, the Lord always stood by me. He always led me, and let me know when I should be some other place. I had a brother pastoring a church and the Lord woke me up one morning saying, "You had better go there." I thought, "Why, Lord? The last time I was there the brother was doing a good work." The Lord urged me again. "You had better get there and make a change." I went and began to investigate. When I did, I saw what was happening and I moved him.
This is the way the Lord has led me all of these years. He gave me a burden and a concern for the assemblies and the body in general. I did especially want to do my best by the dear people Brother Sowders had left to my leadership.
When I would go into some of the other assemblies, I would find a situation that needed to be changed and the Lord would help me and give me the wisdom to make the necessary changes. I would ask the ministers to work with me and to cooperate with me and I would always tell them, "God is leading me. He is telling me what to do and I would like for you to listen and cooperate with me."
The Lord has confirmed himself in many, many ways in leading me. He talked to my heart and made me to know what his will was. I really do appreciate the leadings of the spirit of the Lord.
The Lord began talking to me about improving the church. He gave me a vision and lifted my eyes to see the potentials of a greater church. I looked at other churches and analyzed what they were doing. I knew better than to pattern after them, but I did let them provoke me to do better.
As the Lord talked to me I began to make these improvements. I began to plan for the future. I asked myself, “What am I going to have ten years from now?" I asked the people to write in their Bibles, “Where will I be five years from now?"
 
"THE BRUSH-UP PROGRAM"
 
I began the program called "The Brush-Up Program." I set up church offices with a trained secretary to take care of the business related functions of the church. Adequate bookkeeping records were set up to account for funds received and for money spent. We bought office furniture and set up nice offices.
Some of our buildings were run down and in need of repair. Some were in the wrong location and we began to concentrate on money management so we could set up "Building Funds" for future expansion programs. I encouraged the "Pledge System" for accumulating money in the building fund account. This system has proven to be profitable and has been the source from which we have drawn for building the two largest buildings in this Body; the one in Eldorado was completed in 1965 and the building in St. Louis, completed in June of 1973. These buildings are the result of the pledge system of giving and the proper handling of money received.
We encouraged people to dress better; to buy better furniture for the church; to brush up on their public speaking, human relations, and to improve their home life. I suggested beginning Home Life Classes where the married people could be taught how to train children and how to create a better environment in the home.
I talked to the people about having special training classes. I encouraged the pianists to upgrade the music; to sing and use their voice to the glory of God. I asked people in the music department to train and provide better music for the sanctuary. I believe if a person is going to play, they should play right. I began to eliminate some of the songs we were singing. The words were incorrect. Some were doctrinally wrong. Some had words set to worldly tunes. Some were so difficult the congregation could hardly sing them.
The Sunday school department is a very successful part of our educational program. Teachers’ training classes were made available for people who had a desire to teach but had never received training.
Adequate classrooms were provided. They were set up and arranged for the purpose of creating an atmosphere conducive to religious training.
I taught lessons to the church about the proper place of these classes and how they should function in the church. The classes were to revolve around the sanctuary…around the pulpit. The church should be "Pulpit-Centered".
Libraries were set up to provide reading material for teachers as well as to make available good books to individuals with special problems and needs. We have found some of the best books you can buy on etiquette, health, manners, and general conduct and they are on the shelves of our libraries. Now, we have some of the finest libraries you can find anywhere. We have librarians who have studied and know how to take care of a library. They suggest books to people who need assistance. We have as many as 100 to 150 books checked out of our library each week.
As we began these classes, it provided an opportunity for the people of the church to work. Another department that was badly needed for our children was the Nursery. People brought their small children into the sanctuary and they disturbed the services because they were restless. Now, we have modern nurseries with playrooms, classrooms, and sleeping rooms for the small babies. The mothers are relieved and the entire church is thankful for this department of the church.
In our youth conventions, the young people show a zeal for the work of the Lord. They sing, enjoy the lessons taught, worship, prepare talks and give their personal testimonies. When the power of God falls in the services, you will find them responding. The first youth meeting was held at Gospel Assembly Church in St. Louis, Missouri in 1961 with 55 young people receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. Over 500 young people attended the four-day meeting.
Another important department is the ushers and usherettes. They have been taught how to meet the public and how to serve the church. They have been taught lessons on human relations, speech, dress, manners, and first aid. Their services have been invaluable in greeting visitors, watching the parking lot and taking care of the many services, which they perform for the church.
We have made great improvements in our public address systems. The operators are trained to record the sermons and to make proper adjustments to the system to gain the desired results both from the speaking voice and from the singing voice.
 
I ACCEPTED THE PASTORATE OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
 
Since the passing of Brother William Sowders, my leadership has been needed in various assemblies. The church in Louisville, Kentucky was in need of special attention. Brother Elmer Carter worked with the people faithfully for a number of years. The Lord directed me to share my time with the Louisville Assembly, and in July of 1967 property was purchased at 4532 Dearing Avenue and our first worship service was held in August 1967.
On December 10, 1977, we moved into our new facilities at 7905 Smyrna Road, Louisville, Kentucky and we enjoyed our first service there.
 
THE NEW CONVENTION CENTER
 
In August of 1981, we were contacted about the availability of a piece of property consisting of 69 acres of ground located at 9219 Dixie Highway, Louisville, Kentucky. The asking price was $1,250,000.
After prayerful consideration, $850,000.00 was offered for the property. This offer was accepted and agreed upon by all and just six weeks later the deal was closed on September 16, 1981. Under normal circumstances, a deal of this magnitude would have taken many months with much negotiating, but the Lord did a QUICK WORK!
The features included:
• An auditorium with 47,000 square feet of gross floor area.
• An Educational Building with over 20 modern rooms in a 24,000 square foot facility.
• The magnificent Sanctuary features special lighting equipment, tremendous acoustics, pews, carpeting, and full climate control.
          • The church edifice is designated to seat over 3,300.
          In February, 1982, the new building project began to enlarge our Dining Room and Kitchen facilities.  The Dining Room contains 26,056 square feet. It will seat 1000.
With the completion of the Dining Room project, there are approximately 2 acres under roof, 43 rooms and 28 restrooms. 
The property has a market value of approximately $6 million. We have invested $2,277,549.87.
          In 1983, an RV park was developed and various other improvements were made.
          In 1984, we moved the local Church facility from Smyrna Road to the Convention Center property. We began a renovation of the gymnasium, to include,
Sanctuary, Classrooms, Nursery, Music Rooms, Youth Chapel, and Guest Rooms on the second floor for the Ministers and their Wives to stay in during the meetings.
As of 1984 we have around 4000 people. We have 25 churches in 10 states. Some of the churches are in the process of building new facilities.
         
As of 1984, Bro. T.M. Jolly was actively pastoring four assemblies:
Eldorado, IL (November, 1, 1934, 420 members)
St. Louis, MO (March 21, 1952, 529 members)
Indianapolis, IN (August 20, 1954, 425 members)
Louisville, KY (May 25, 1975, 368 members)
          He had pastored nineteen churches (including those above):
Mayfield, KY, Poplar Bluff, MO, Galatia, IL, Harrisburg, IL, Stonefort, IL,
West Frankfort, IL, Johnson City, IL, Norris City, IL, New Haven, IL,
McLeansboro, IL, Vienna, IL, Anna, IL, Mt. Vernon, IL, Panama City, FL, and Evansville, IN.
          Oversaw twenty-five churches in ten states:
Akron, OH (Richard Fitzsimmons)                   
Anna, IL (Assisting Ministers)        
Birmingham, AL (Asa Gillespie)                      
Cincinnati, OH (Wayne Harris)
Dawson Springs, KY (Garret Garretson)          
DuQuoin, IL (Dennis Fitzsimmons)
East Prairie, MO (Jesse Garrett)                        
Eldorado, IL (T.M. Jolly/Lester Hall)
Evansville, IN (Willard Johnson)                     
Frankfort, KY (Herbert McCarty)
Indianapolis, IN (T.M. Jolly/Bob James)         
Kansas City, MO (Eugene Snider)
Lansing, MI (Gary Suits)                                  
Mansfield, OH (Assisting Ministers)
Moline, IL (Fred Young)                                  
Norfolk, VA (Larry Nichols)
Oswego, IL (Dwayne Jolly)                              
Panama City, FL (George Schofield)
Phoenix, AZ (Harley Langley)                         
St. Louis, MO (T.M. Jolly)
Terre Haute, IN (James Bolden)
          Christian Assembly Churches:
Ashland, KY (Richard Moore)                         
Louisville, KY (T.M. Jolly/Jack Ross)
Paducah, KY (George Young)                         
Tampa, FL (Ernest Filberth)
          Assisting Ministers: Royce Coy & Beryl Clark
         
 
The following was submitted by John & Marybelle Hampsey & family:
 
                                                                                                                         THE 1980’s
          The 1980’s were wonderful years, filled with many general meetings at the convention center in Louisville, KY, as well as minister’s meetings, youth meetings, music meetings and fellowship meetings in the churches.  The messages of overcoming and restoring the church were stronger than ever and the spirit of the Lord was meeting with us in a mighty way.  In one general meeting in the mid 1980’s as the people were gathering in for church, the spirit began filling the sanctuary.  The band was practicing behind the platform unaware of what was happening in the sanctuary and the spirit of the Lord began falling in the band room.  Workers in the dining room began feeling the spirit and worshipping.  Waves and waves of the spirit went through the sanctuary and the people were so blessed.  It was an outstanding experience all taking place even before the service started.  In the 1980’s several song books were put together by the church staff members.  Many songs were written by the saints from the different assemblies. 
Many ministers visited the meetings during the 1980’s including Bro. James Sowders, Bro. Clyde Patton, Bro. Alfred Daves and Bro. Albert Adams.  Bro. Jolly began illustrating how this group of people was a section of the Body of Christ, not the complete body.  He would draw a large circle on a piece of paper and put a dot in the circle.  He would say “This circle represents the whole Body of Christ, this dot represents our section or our part of it, just a small part.”  To illustrate it even more, he would hold up a full size piece of paper and say “This paper represents the whole Body of Christ, (then he would tear a very small piece off the corner) this little piece represents our section or our part of it, just a small part.”  He said “When we talk we should say, we are a section of the Body of Christ.”
 
                                                                                                                           1992 - 1994
          In 1992, Bro. Jolly helped to purchase another church in Caseyville, IL.  He lived next door to the church, surrounded by his family and friends, including, Bro. John & Sis. Marybelle Hampsey and Bro. Herb & Sis. Elaine McCarty.  In June 1993, Bro. Clyde Patton and Bro. Alfred Daves, visited Bro. Jolly and told him about a great ingathering that was taking place at the campground that Bro. William Sowders built in the 1930's in Shepherdsville, KY.  Herb McCarty Jr. was there and said that Bro. Patton asked Bro. Jolly to come to the September, 1993 campmeeting.  Bro. Patton said "Bro. Jolly, Bro. Daves and I will get on each side of you and take you straight to the platform.  If anyone doesn't like it, I will leave and never go back."  Bro. Daves said "Bro. Jolly if they don't want you, they don't want me either."  Bro. Jolly asked Herb if he would drive him to Shepherdsville if he was able to go. Bro. Jolly was very happy about the visit and later said: "The Lord is bringing many of his people back together again.  It sounds like something great is going on, on the hilltop again. Go to Shepherdsville and don't miss out on what God is doing."
        
          Bro. Jolly passed away peacefully in his sleep on May 30, 1994.  His Bible was open where he had been reading before he retired.  Many people were converted, baptized, filled with the Holy Ghost and received the word of God in great measure during his ministry.
 
                                                                                                             BRO. JOLLY’S PRAYER
          It looks like Bro. Jolly’s prayer is being answered.  He had prayed the Lord would bring the separated brethren and the people that had been apart for many years back together again.  The churches are now coming together at the Campground in Shepherdsville, KY, the Convention Center in Louisville, KY and many other churches across the country.  He believed if we would carry on the message the Lord gave Bro. William Sowders, of charity, holiness, restoration, and perfection, the Lord could use this work, to restore the early church order in these last days and to help make members ready, for the Bride of Christ.

Here are some quotes from Bro.Jolly between
​November, 1991 and May, 1994.

"I did not do these things people are saying.  If God was sitting here with us right now,
​He would have to say, "Amen".

"I love the ministers, but if they knew the truth and how badly they have mishandled things,
they would have to hang their heads in shame for the way they have treated me."

"How could people possibly believe these things after hearing my messages for all of these years? 
I would never do these things.  How sad it is to think the saints and ministers could believe it. 
It hurts so bad, it feels like I have a meat grinder in my stomach."

"I love the saints and miss them so much.  I would like to go to the convention center,
talk to them and answer all of their questions, but the ministers will not let me."

"Since I got saved in 1931,
I have not committed any sexually immoral sins."

"They drew a circle that put me out, a heretic, a rebel, a thing to flout. 
But love and I had the wit to win.
We drew a circle that took them in."

"If you talk to someone that says I hurt their feelings in any way,
please tell them I am very sorry ​and ask them to please forgive me."

He had a lot more to say, but we wanted to share at least a few words with you. 
He was so loving, kind and forgiving and he faithfully taught us the word of God until he passed away.

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