History of the Welcome Church of God, Vernon Parish Louisiana Submitted by Jane McManus for Pearl Tippit Cooley Date: December 22, 2007 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** ************************************************ Source: Book: Welcome Church of God by Pearl T. Cooley (1997) First Converts in Simpson Fighting Bob, pumped up by his success in Rapides Parish, quickly moved on to the Vernon Parish area where he hoped to reap the same harvest of souls he had achieved with the residents of Cambell Creek. He preached in homes from porches, in schools, in glades under brush arbors, and anywhere else he could get the people to come listen to his message. In Simpson, he preached in the two local churches, Mt. Pleasant Christian and Pine Island Methodist. He continued a hectic pace all summer with no results, and often, it must have seemed as if his efforts were in vain. He received very little remuneration for his labors, often not making more than travel expenses. But Bob Owens was not a quitter, and his belief and dedication to the Church of God doctrine remained strong. Finally after about three months, the ministry in Vernon Parish began to bear fruit. The first person to accept the Church of God doctrine was James Harville, a descendant of Joseph Harville, one of the earliest settlers of Simpson. Jimmy was about 20 years old at the time, and when he gave his personal testimony of being "saved," and told how he enjoyed the Christian life, the young people in the community began to sit up and take interest. Mrs. Dycie (Parker) Dennis, at that time a leading member of the Methodist Church, was the second person to accept the new doctrine and request baptism. She was quickly followed by Mrs. Rebecca (Jackson) Parker, a member of the Christian Church, who also wished to be baptized. For a while, these three members represented the congregation of the Church of God in Simpson. Then the young people, most under twenty years of age, began to come from the two local churches to unite with the Church of God -- and so the second church of its kind in Louisiana was officially established. Perhaps the most important convert in Simpson in these eraly years was William Harrison Jackson, son and grandson of Christian Church Ministers. As he listened to the message, he found himself under conviction, and often requested prayer for himself whenever the opportunity was given. Willie recorded this momentous event in his history, "The Life & Time of Willie H. Jackson." "The burden of sin rolled away, and truly old things passed away and all things became new. The people and everything around me seemed different, but I later discovered that the change was in me. My heart was so light, and I was so happy and free that I could scarcely sleep that night. That was truly the beginning of life for me." By the Fall of 1897, the small church body had grown. Charter members of the Church of God in Simpson were: Mollie (Tinsley) Brown, Dycie (Parker) Dennis, Isabell (Owens) Parker, Rebecca (Jackson) Parker, Callie (Bennett) Peavy, Nancy (Peavy) Tippit, Viola (Tinsley) Williamson, Sarah (Tinsley) Williamson, William Harrison Jackson (Bro. Willie), Frank D. Jackson, Jimmy Owens, Frank O. Parker, Myles G. (Gip) Parker, William C. Parker, Joshua Peavy, Samuel C. Tippit, Sanford M. Trotti, Daniel Williamson, and Elijah Williamson. With the congregation in Simpson on firm ground, Owens returned to Walnut Hill on the 4th Sunday in September 1897 where he began a 3-week meeting. The young minister's uncle(probably Rev. Barney Owens, minister of the Baptist faith) mightily opposed the "holiness doctrine." This did not deter Owens, however, others in the community were anxious to hear more. In a very short while, 29 people in the area were saved and baptized. The young evangelist continued to preach, and by May 1898, he had moved on to Mulberry School between Walnut Hill and Hicks. Many who heard the message, repented and were baptized in the new faith. Meanwhile as Owens spread the word throughout the parish, trouble was brewing back in Simpson. Many of the older members of the Christian and Methodist Churches had become alarmed as more and more of their younger crowd converted to this new Church of God doctrine. In defense, they denied Bro. Owens the use of their buildings and pulpits to deliver his message. As might be expected, tempers flared among the two factions -- the young and the old. One new convert, Joshua Peavy, in his history of the church reported that Church of God members ignored the edict and met one night in the Methodist Church for prayer. Several older members tried to make them vacate the building, however Elijah and Daniel Williamson refused to leave. The Williamson brothers had helped build this church, and they felt they had as much right to worship there as anyone else. The incident escalated all the way to the Grand Jury in Leesville. According to Peavy's account, no one was found guilty, and they all rode their horses back home. Once tempers cooled in Simpson, the little flock of worshippers began to grow. The older residents (some were children of the first settlers) gradually relaxed and became more tolerant. Many of those parents even repented and joined the Church of God to worship with their children and grandchildren. The bounty increased again when several ministers of the Baptist faith and their families from Walnut Hill repented and became part of the growing family of the Church of God in Simpson. They were Elijah Mayo and his family; Earley Mayo and his family; and Joseph Mayo. As the small congregation grew, it soon became obvious that they needed a place of worship to call their own. In 1899, Armstrong and Ellen (Jackson) Bennett, came to the rescue and donated approximately two acres of land located on Caney Creek to the members of the Church of God in Simpson. The membership paid $4.00 for the property, and construction of the first church began. The first church building was a small one-room box house made of rough lumber with "bats" to cover cracks in the walls. The lumber was about 12 inches wide and reached from floor to ceiling. Smaller boards, about 4 inches wide, were used to cover cracks in the wall. Benches and pulpit were made of rough lumber, and kerosene lamps provided the light. As the new congregation had been unwelcome to worship in the two meeting houses in Simpson, Bro. Owens suggested that the new church be named "Welcome Church of God." The membership would "welcome" everyone with open arms. Now that official churches had been established in Sharp and Simpson, Bro. Owens began to think of his family and plan his return to Mississippi. He must have yearned to see his wife and children after so long an absence. The new convert, Willie Jackson, accompanied the fiery preacher back to Mississippi. Willie had yet to learn what the Lord expected him to do in His vineyard, but he was willing. A few months later, Willie began preaching the gospel in Mississippi even though he was not ordained until May 1902 in Simpson. He wrote in his brief history, "Bro. Williamson laid hands on me." Finally in early 1900, Willie Jackson and Bob Owens returned to Vernon Parish to continue their work. owens and his small family settled between the Miles Parker homestead and the home of widow Callie Bennett. Over the next several years, he preached thousands of sermons in hundreds of places in Louisiana. How he was able to accomplish so much in his short lifetime is beyond the comprehension of those who review his record. As the evangelists traveled to different towns in the area, many who had already repented and received baptism would go along to offer support and encouragement, and give their own personal testimony. When Joshua Tippit, son of charter members Sam and Nancy Tippit, was a very young child, he remembered the first time he went to Burkeville, Texas to attend a revival. When the mule-drawn wagons reached the Sabine River, they had to be transported one at a time to Texas on a raft. The young children would play while the family patiently waited their turn. When Joshua and his young companion, Zada Williamson, realized they were expected to get on that small raft with wagon and mules to cross a wide river, the youngsters panicked and fled into the woods. Sam Tippit and Daniel Williamson went in search of the young children, soothed their fears, and persuaded them to trust in God and join the others on the adventure across the water. Joshua said he never forgot that trip or his fear. In the earlier years, there were many "visting" evangelists who preached in the Church of God at Simpson, but the first real pastor of the church was Bro. Willie Jackson. He served the local church faithfully for seventeen years, and even when he was not pastor he was always there when someone needed help. Bro. Willie was noted for his lengthy prayers; many felt he forgot where he was or what time it was when he talked to God. Once when Essie Tippit was a yound child, Frank Parker offered to give her a quarter if she would kick Uncle Willie the next time he prayed too long. Frank was joking, of course, he could pray with the best of them.