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FROM THE BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF PRIMITIVE OR OLD SCHOOL BAPTIST MINISTERS BY DAVID MONTGOMERY AND MARK GREEN:
ELDER ROBERT HARLAN
TAKEN FROM HIS BOOK, “PREACHING THE GOSPEL WITHOUT CHARGE” PUBLISHED JULY 1957:
It was on the day of March 7th, 1920 in a mud chinked log farm house in the state of Tennessee, and about three miles from the little town of Bonnettown, that I first saw the light of day. The burden of the ministry stayed with me all through the years of my childhood, and when I began to look aroundwith the thought of taking a wife, and some day having a little family of my very own, being by now about seventeen, or eighteen years of age I had sworn that as long as I should live no one would know I possessed this desire toward theministry. Yet of every fair girl I would look upon there was always the question in my mind, would this girl be a good helpmeet to a minister? I could never be sure though, and this irritated me greatly.
So at the age of twenty-one I left the state of Tennessee, and came to California where two brothers were then living, hoping to leave my burden behind. This was the year of 1941, and in the fall of the following year I met the young girl who is my wife, who then bore the name of Ruby Womack, and who was born and raised in the state of Arkansas.
In November 1943 we were married, and from this point on my burden pressed me sorely. I labored with it until September 1950, when I united with Bethel Primitive Baptist church at Lindsay, California, and about six months later I made my first attempt to preach the gospel. I was ordained to the full work of the gospel ministry by prayer, and the laying on of hands by five ministers, and twelve deacons fifth Sunday in June 1952.
At the close of that meeting my precious helpmeet united with the church, and was received amongst many shouts of praise while she wept on the shoulder of dear old Elder Baxter Hale who has ever since been a dear old father to me in the ministry.
One son, and two daughters have blessed our lives by the loving kindness of our God, and our son, now twelve, and eldest daughter now nine years of age have found sweet rest in the loving embrace of the grand old church.
While I feel so unworthy of such blessings yet my Lord has so wonderfully blessed this poor servant to see my wife as a fruitful vine, and my children as olive plants around about my table. |
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