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George Griffin

FROM THE BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF PRIMITIVE OR OLD SCHOOL BAPTIST MINISTERS BY DAVID MONTGOMERY AD MARK GREEN:

ELDER GEORGE GRIFFIN

FROM AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH PUBLISHED IN THE "CHRISTIAN BAPTIST" AUGUST 1970: If my memory serves me right, it was in the year our Lord 1926 when my soul became distressed. When I had this great experience there was no one near me; one of our neighbors had hired me to work in a large cotton field, and about 10:00 A.M. in the month of June - somewhere about the middle of that field - this happened to me, and in a very short time my body was lying prostrate on the ground trying to beg the Lord for mercy. This was the first time in my life that I had ever tried to pray, or felt the need of prayer. I was 21 years of age at thetime. I began working on a railroad for an uncle, Mr. Roy Lawrence, who was foreman at the time. Uncle Roy was a devout member of a Nazarene Holiness Church. After going with my uncle to his church a few times, they persuaded me to go up to what they called the "mourners bench" and pray, and they would pray with me, and for me, that God would save me. While on my knees trying to pray with all my power (others around me were praying, but my mind was not on them) for God to save me and relieve me of my sinful condition and troubled soul; my Saviour appeared in front of me dressed in a white robe - my head was bowed but I saw my dear Lord more clear than anyone that I had ever looked upon. He raised His loving arms, and when He did all my troubles were gone, unspeakable gladness and joy filled my soul, and I began shouting praises to Him.

I lay down on my bed one night and before I closed my eyes a soft light appeared on the wall, and a picture of a house was in that light; some people were walking about, and as I observed that wonderful scene, I recognized some of the people and the building. The people were Primitive Baptists, and the house was the old schoolhouse East of Eldorado, Okla., the place where my father and mother carried me when a child. As I lay there on my bed in that darkroom viewing that wonderful picture, I heard a voice in a soft clear tone say to me: "THIS IS MY CHURCH." There were some Old Baptist churches near me, but my mind was on the one the Lord blessed me to see; I knew several members of that church, and they had known me most all my life, and knew the kind of life I had lived. I doubted very much about them receiving me, but this was the church I wanted to join. On the second Sunday in May 1930, the church there did receive me, and I made my first attempt to speak of His grace and mercies. Uncle France baptized me a few months later, and I came up out of the water shouting and praising God.

A burden to preach the gospel had been burning in my heart and mind since that day in June, 1926, when I lay prostrate on the ground in that cotton field of Mr. Chambers. In the early thirties I visited the church at Oriel, Tex., where Elder O. Strickland was pastoring, and after he had preached a wonderful discourse, my soul was in flame to preach, so I asked Brother Strickland to let me talk, and he gave me permission; I preached as loud and as fast as I could for some twenty minutes, and taught very little if anything (I did not know when to preach), but my soul was relieved. In the year of our Lord 1933, my wife and I moved to Amarillo, Tex. I asked for my church letter and joined the church there.In February 9, 1936, I was ordained by the following: Elders J. R. Sims, A. D. Wood, J. T. Elliot, A. R. Alldredge, and F. M. Griffin. Soon after I was ordained, the church at Amarillo called me to pastor her, and since the church at Amarillo called me I have been trying to pastor from one to five churches - except when we moved to Calif. - up to the present time. I am the acting pastor of three churches at present: New Hope, McFarland, Calif.; Mt. Zion, Lennox, Calif.; and the church at Grants Pass, Oregon. I have pastored the following churches: the church at Tucumcari, N. M. the church at Mountainair, N. M.; the church at Rupert, Idaho; the church at Bell, Calif.; the church at San Diego, Calif.;the church at Beaumont, Calif.; and the church at Lindsay, Calif.

NOTE: Elder Griffin passed from this life in February 1978.


larry heldman  

Elder James Compton (1905 - 2007)
Elder James Compton was the original founder of the 'Gospel of Grace Tape Supply.' His collection of tapes began as he traveled to Church meetings and Associations recording sermons on Reel to Reel. He has maintained this library of sermons faithfully over the years and are now the foundation of PB Sermons. org. This web site is dedicated to Elder James Compton (1905 - 2007)