Step into the remarkable world of Marty Holman as he takes us on an emotional journey through faith, family, and a lasting legacy. Inspired by his father, Frank Holman, the founder of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Richmond, Indiana, Marty shares how a lifetime of ministry was born from his early days delivering newspapers and cleaning the church at just 13. A pivotal turning point occurred at 17 with his grandfather's passing, igniting a powerful call to ministry despite initial plans for a business career. Listen as Marty recounts heartfelt stories of lives transformed through his impactful ministry work with his wife, Susan.
Explore the significant growth of Hillcrest Church, a testament to Frank Holman's enduring mission. From its humble beginnings to a thriving community hub with a Christian school and Bible institute, Hillcrest's influence extends far beyond Richmond, reaching communities around the world. With anecdotes about church planting, overcoming challenges, and evolving services to meet diverse needs, this episode paints a vivid picture of a church that has flourished through dedication and faith. Discover how pivotal families and passionate members, like the Bakers and Cummings, played a crucial role in the church's expansion and outreach efforts.
Marty's story is also one of personal triumph and familial bonds, where all three Holman sons pursued ministry paths shaped by their unique upbringing. Reflect on the profound impact Marty had on countless lives, highlighted by the attendance of over a hundred pastors at his father's funeral. Through personal anecdotes, we touch upon the importance of relationships and community, emphasizing that the true essence of ministry lies in nurturing people with love and support. Join us for an inspiring discussion about faith, resilience, and the enduring power of a family's commitment to guiding others on their spiritual journey.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
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Frank Holman of Richmond wentpeacefully into the presence of
his Lord, surrounded by familyand friends.
(01:10):
In 1964, frank moved his familyto Richmond, indiana, and
founded the Hillcrest BaptistChurch.
The very first service forHillcrest was held March 6, 1964
, and Frank spent the next 36years sharing the message of
Jesus Christ with the communityof Richmond and literally around
(01:33):
the world through his worldwidemission work.
So today I have the honor ofspeaking with one of Dr Holman's
sons, marty Holman.
Marty, welcome to the Hub.
Mike, great to be here with you.
I'm so thankful that you agreedto come and talk about your
father today and his life andhis ministry, and also talk
(01:58):
about your personal story aswell.
But before we do that, we havethis question that we ask every
guest, and that question is whatwas your very first job that
you ever had?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
my very, very first job was a newspaper route okay
the old palladium item and I hadthe east end of town, the
reston area, all right and uh atthe same time.
At the same time my dad had mybrother mike and I cleaning
hillcrest.
(02:33):
They had just bought an oldhouse that was built in 1812 and
that was part of myresponsibility.
He paid me a dollar 25 cents aweek to clean the church, so
those really came at the sametime.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
I think I was uh, 13 years old and uh, peddled papers
and cleaned hillcrest well, Ithink it's uh pretty nice that
your dad actually paid you toclean the church, because you
know some some, some fatherswould have just said that was
just part of your service, god'swork.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Well, I should say, when I got paid.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Well, it's interesting that you bring up
the paper out, because we had atalk a couple episodes ago with
Chad Bolzer from Ivy Tech, andthat was his first job too, so
now we're starting to build upthis uh core of uh newspaper
delivery, uh people because, bythe way, that, happens to be one
of the other ones.
You know people say fast food.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
You're gonna say newspaper works, probably not
the work to go into today.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Not today, no, not today so, uh, why don't you go
ahead and just kind of share alittle bit about yourself, maybe
how old you were when you cameto Richmond, and then kind of
your education, your vocation,kind of your history of what
(03:57):
you've done?
I know it's a good part of it,but I think our followers would
enjoy just kind of going througha summary of kind of your life
and where that's taken well,mike, I, we moved to richmond,
our family, in march of 1964.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
We moved here from michigan and my mom and dad
moved here with the purpose ofstarting hillcrest baptist
church.
And uh, I, uh and I grew up atHillcrest in the early days.
In 1968, at the age of 17, mygrandfather died, my dad's
(04:35):
father, leo.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Leo absolutely.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
And that had such a.
I really fought the idea offollowing in my dad's footsteps
as a pastor, and I had actuallybeen accepted in a college for
business.
And the day my grandpa died,the Lord.
Really, I had an encounter withthe Lord and I surrendered to
(05:07):
do what, deep down inside of me,I felt like that's what he was
calling me to do.
So I went to seminary up inPontiac, michigan, and I
completed my bachelor's degreethere, and when I finished, in
1973, my dad wanted me to comehome and work here.
By that time I had got marriedto a lady that I'm still married
(05:32):
to 53 years later, whose dadwas also a pastor.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
That's Susan Susan.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
And he also offered me a job.
Many of the gifts my dad had Ihave.
What I didn't have was some ofthe gifts that Susan's dad had.
He was an administrator.
I mean, he was an administrator, a great talent in that area.
(05:59):
So I went back, I took the jobhe offered and I served there
for four years and during thosefour years the Lord really
blessed what we were doing.
I mean, I can't even begin totell the stories of young people
that came to Christ.
Actually, one of the youngpeople that came to Christ is
(06:22):
now the chaplain of the DetroitTigers and he's also responsible
for finding chaplains for the400 and some minor league teams.
And then he does a lot of workwith the PGA.
And he's just a young personthat I met at the age of 16.
(06:42):
His librarian, who went to ourchurch, led him to Christ.
I had a guy call me yesterday.
He lives in Portland, oregon.
He works for Enterprise but hehas a ministry.
He just has always had a heartfor street people.
He has a ministry in PortlandOregon where he reaches street
(07:05):
people.
He has a ministry in PortlandOregon where he reaches street
people that he's bivocationaland, uh, he was saved during
that time.
I have another guy that is a uhuh, just retired as an engineer
from uh Boeing in St Louis.
I picked him up as a hitchhikerand he trusted Christ and he
(07:27):
actually supports our ministrynow, and so the Lord just gave
us an incredible opportunity.
He blessed it and then in 1975I took my first church and was
there for 19 years, pastored injust east of Toledo and God
(07:49):
wonderfully blessed there.
And during that time my wife gotsick and became disabled and
I'm not the driver in our family, she is and an incredible
musician and I thought that itwould be better to get her away
(08:09):
from there.
I couldn't keep her out of somethings that just create.
She couldn't do with herdisability.
So we moved to arizona and weworked with a billy graham type
ministry with a guy by the nameof Pete Rice, and Pete was just
like me.
He had an incredible desire tosee people saved.
(08:31):
He was, by gift, an evangelist.
I figured out I was, by gift, apastor, but we were moving a
little bit away from our rootsand I worked with him for seven
years, okay, and traveled was in40 different countries and it
was pretty incredible the thingsthe lord allowed us to do, yeah
(08:52):
pete rice is the son of billrice.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Yes, and who had a big church camp in murfreesboro,
tennessee?
Is that right?
Yes, I used to go there when Iwas a kid yeah, kid, and my son
lives near there today and Idrive by it all the time, and
they have a school there now,and and that that whole thing is
still thriving to this day herein 2024.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
They are.
And they not only have a campin Murfreesboro, tennessee,
where you went, but they alsohave a camp in williams, arizona
.
All right, pattern, just likeit and so and uh.
But then in uh, in 1999, all mykids graduated and my last
(09:39):
daughter graduated from highschool and was on her way to
play ball at the University ofArizona basketball and I knew I
couldn't continue to travel.
So Dad called me and said hey,I want to officially retire.
Would you be willing to comeback?
And you'll have to go throughthe process.
(10:00):
And so I came back andcandidated and the church
extended a call for me to comeas pastor and I became pastor of
Hillcrest Baptist church.
Uh, in uh, december of 1999,actually co pastor, and then my
dad was there for six moremonths and on July 9, 2000, he
(10:26):
officially retired.
And so I was pastor there from2000,.
From July 2000, pastor, notco-pastor, until I retired in
March of 2021.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
And I'm going to cover this later in our
discussion.
But when your father, you know,said, hey, why don't you come
back to richmond?
That was actually his secondtime as pastor at hillcrest yes,
I'll go in that later.
But but he, because he, youknow he started in 64 and he
didn't go straight from 64 to 99.
(11:04):
There was a gap and I'm goingto cover that with you.
So, uh, so, and then, uh once,hillcrest.
Uh, I guess at some point youdecided to step away as senior
pastor there, and so what's beengoing on since then?
Speaker 2 (11:21):
well, one of the things that I have a heart for
is those that struggle withaddictions.
A couple came back who you know, to Hillcrest.
When I came back they hadretired.
They worked with the NashvilleCity Rescue Mission Paul and
Karen Rose and they returned in2000 and they talked to me about
(11:47):
wanting to to do some work withthose who struggled with
alcoholism or drug addiction.
And uh, so I jumped on that andI said, well, listen, I'll
raise the money if you want todo it.
So we actually started to raisethe money and founded what was
(12:09):
called Shepherd's Way, which wasa rehab for men and that was
over on Hunt Street and we couldhave six men and the Lord
honestly used that.
Uh, there's a pastor here inrichmond.
He pastors surety communitychurch.
(12:31):
Rodney anderson, who wentthrough the program you know,
came to us.
He, he was a sharp guy but hehad an addiction to alcohol.
Another guy that I think ofthat went through that program
Chad Wood is one of the deaconsat Hillcrest and God just
(12:51):
blessed it and they did the workand I helped them raise money.
Then they came to me and theysaid we need one for women.
And Paul was not for it, karenwas.
(13:13):
And so Paul said to Karen ifsomebody gives you a house, I'll
do it.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
So the next day, somebody gave him a house.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
It's funny how those things happen right yeah, on
both somebody gave a house.
It's funny how this happened,right yeah, and they started
what was called the victoryhouse for women and, uh, one of
our first ladies that wentthrough her.
Her son is a chiropractor herein town and you'd probably know
him and she was one of the firstladies that went through the
(13:45):
program to date.
She's doing incredible and Irun into people all the time who
was blessed by that ministry.
And then in 2000, karen said weneed a total rehab, not just a
transitional care unit.
We need a total rehab.
Paul said if somebody gives usproperty, that's the only way
(14:09):
I'll do it.
Well, he should have learnedthe first time.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Because the old Smith Epson Tuberculosis Center was
given to us by First Bank On US27.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
On.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
US 27.
And since that day we haveworked with over 900 ladies Over
40 have gone through there justthis year and God has used it
in an incredible way.
And that's what I've beeninvolved in.
You know, in raising the moneyI needed.
(14:43):
I worked part-time at Stieburnite or funeral home, uh,
that's.
I can have a ministry there andI preach a lot of the funerals,
if not most of the funeralswhere there's no pastor, and so
that's what I've been doing.
Um, I represent richmondcolumbian properties, which is
(15:03):
the uh.
I represent Richmond ColumbianProperties, which is the
preservation of historic homesin the Star District, and I help
sponsor an alley cat cleanup ofthe alleyways Christmas.
(15:23):
I do a golf outing every yearto raise money for both
Crossroad and Richmond Columbianproperties, and so that's
really what I've been doing.
I sponsor two or three otherthings, but as well as preach, I
spend my time preaching morenow than I ever did, and the
(15:44):
opportunities are there sothat's what I've been doing.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
So you, you get some calls.
I guess sounds like prettyrarely, for you know pulpit
supply, where you just need a.
They need a pastor coming topreach sunday, whatever I do
some interim work.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
I was at first baptist here in richmond.
For a year.
I'm currently at eaton baptisttemple in eaton, okay, so that's
basically where I've used mytime, as well as I still, uh,
teach a class at hillcrest onwednesday morning, you know, a
bible class to 30 or 40 peopleyeah.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
So how's retirement going for you?
You got your hands full.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
That's wonderful, and this you kind of gave us the
cliff notes version because wecould sit here and talk forever
about all the things in yourlife and your ministry and
whatever.
But I guess we need to move onto dad, and so you know, your
dad was uh july 24th 1927 and uhin new marion, indiana I'm not
(16:49):
sure where that's at uh, newmarion is uh just north of
madison in the versaillesindiana area, so it's in
southern indiana and uh, uh.
his parents were le and LonaRight, didn't your grandmother?
She lived here.
(17:10):
I remember her, even when I wasattending Neal Crest as a child
.
I think she had a littleapartment off of Northeast
Street, didn't she In the house,didn't she?
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Yes, she did.
My grandma moved.
My grandpa died in july of 1968and so my grandma moved to
richmond in 1968 and then shewas here until my parents left
the first time in 1986, and thenshe moved to michigan with them
(17:45):
, and then that's where shepassed away.
Didn't she like play the organ?
Speaker 1 (17:49):
she played the organ, okay I remember that yeah, yeah
, so, yeah.
So she, I mean, she was uh abig part of it, you know, after
your grandfather died yeah along time here in the community.
So it said that your dad, uh,from his obituary actually your,
your grandparents, brought yourdad here to richmond for a very
(18:11):
short time.
I'm not sure what brought themhere, but that wasn't very long,
because then they end up goingto uh, pontiac, michigan yeah,
they were here during thedepression.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
My dad actually didn't know that until he
started looking at richmond tocome start a church and my
grandpa said to my dad weactually lived there when you
were a baby yeah, because I andI thought it maybe had something
to do with the depression,because it was in that 1929,
(18:43):
1930 yes, that you that your dad, um your grandparents, your dad
went to michigan and maybe thatwas for employment reasons or
whatever they went, of course.
They went to michigan foremployment.
He got a job at the automobilewhich was just beginning to come
out of the depression.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
He worked there a long time, didn't your your
grandfather?
Yeah, he worked there from longtime, didn't he?
Your your grandfather?
Yeah, he worked there from.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
I don't know what year he started, but he would
have retired um in the earlysixties.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Okay, so, uh, uh.
So your dad's up in Pontiacgoes to high school there,
graduates in 44.
Like a lot of young men whoweren't married at the time.
Maybe they even were married.
You know, he enlisted into theNavy, so he was at the kind of
the end of World War II, and heserved a couple of years and so,
(19:34):
and after that, after hishonorable discharge from the
Navy, he went into barberingschool, right.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
And that was 1946, if I've got my facts here straight
.
Did he ever talk about why hedecided to go into barbering?
I mean, what was the interestthere for him?
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Well, actually I can't answer that entirely, but
I know when he came back and hemet my mom, they wanted to do it
together.
He is a barber and she is abeautician.
Okay, so when they bought theirshop, it was really purchased
with the idea that both of themwould work and do that, except I
(20:23):
came along.
You ruined that business.
I ruined that issue a littlebit, and so mom decided to stay
home.
You know, I was born in 51, andmy brother, mike, was born in
52.
And then Matt.
Matt was born in 57.
Okay, Matt.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Matt was born in 57.
Okay, all right, so he did thatand so he operated that for 16
years.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
And do you have much recall or memory of him having a
barbershop?
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Oh yeah, you know, his barbershop was outside
Pontiac in a place called KegelHarbor and I was just in a
conference in Tennessee andthree guys came up to me.
They were from that area andthey said we used to get our
hair cut by your dad when wewere kids and it was a
(21:19):
conference for the seminary thatI graduated from and they're my
age and when they were kidsthey lived in that area and dad
would cut their hair.
And yeah, I have a realknowledge, a lot of fond
memories of that, and so youknow it was, honestly, it was a
(21:42):
good business for dad.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
And so, yeah, you know, I don't know when he
actually met Amy, your mom.
I don't know how they kind ofknew each other before the war
or after.
I mean, do you know what was?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Yeah, they both graduated from pontiac central
high school.
Okay, they were in the sameclass.
They did not know each otherwell, they just knew of each
other.
It was, you know, like richmondat that time big high school
and uh.
But they met in 1946, when hegot out of the Army, at an old
(22:23):
YMCA dance, okay, and they metthere and began dating and, of
course, they were married inJune of 1948.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
So he was kind of into his barbering, beginning of
his barbering career and gotmarried and they were going to
do this shop together.
Yes, but then Marty comes along.
And Marty rimmed it among otherthings, and your mother's still
living.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
My mother's still living.
She's 97.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
And parents married 76 years 76 years.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
That's pretty incredible, pretty incredible.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
Yeah, it is yeah, so, uh, in in your father's
obituary it talked about thatyou had this spiritual encounter
.
Um, that kind of changed hislife forever, and this was in
the mid-60s and, uh, shortlyafter that he enrolled in
Midwestern Baptist College.
(23:22):
So can you share anything aboutthat?
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Yeah, actually my mom two months ago shared a part of
that story.
I never knew Dad.
When he's preaching would oftentell the story of how he came
to know Christ.
But my mom, out of the clearblue, said to me I was taking
(23:49):
her to lunch and she said youknow, marty?
She said one Saturday nightyour dad and I came home.
We'd been out drinking.
Dad and I came home We'd beenout drinking, partying, carrying
on, and said I looked at yourdad when we got home and I said,
frank, we can't continue to dothis.
We got two boys to raise.
(24:11):
And Mom said the tears rolleddown your dad's face and he said
I know, amy, but I don't knowwhat to do about it.
And said he told me he wasgoing upstairs.
That I don't know what to doabout it.
And said he told me he wasgoing upstairs that he wouldn't
be down to the next morning.
Said when he came down the nextmorning he said Amy, I don't
(24:32):
know what happened.
He said but I got on my kneesin our bathroom and I said God,
I don't even know if you're real, but if you are, help me.
I can't do this by myself.
And Mom said when he camedownstairs and he said to me he
said, amy, I don't know what'sgoing on, but there's something
(24:53):
different.
He said next Sunday we're goingto find a church and we are
going to take our boys to churchand we're going to start living
the way Christians should live.
And he said I don't know whatthat means.
Well, the next Sunday wasEaster Sunday 1956.
They ended up in the EmmanuelBaptist Church of Pontiac
(25:16):
Michigan, and when theinvitation was given, they both
went forward.
My dad had trusted Christ a fewdays before and knew it.
My mom trusted Christ thatSunday and when the room started
to clear out they had 39 otheradults saved.
(25:37):
That morning my grandma was inthe crowd trusting Christ.
It was her first time in thechurch.
Neither one of them knew theother was going.
And then that night my grandpawent back to see them all get
baptized and when the invitationwas given he walked forward and
so all four of them in one daytrusted Christ as their personal
(26:01):
Savior and it completelychanged the direction of our
life.
Somebody said to me one timewell, how can that happen?
Well, Dad had a sister that gotsaved 11 years before he did,
and when he was in the militaryon ship, she would write him a
letter witnessing to him.
(26:21):
He didn't want to do anythingto do with that, yeah and uh,
but when he trusted christ, thefirst person they called was
that sister that had prayed for11 years for him, was that
eileen?
eileen, yeah, okay I can'tbelieve.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
I remembered that so uh.
But so there had to be sometransition where you know, he
had this profession of faith butthen he decided that he wanted
to become a pastor.
I mean, that's a pretty bigleap but I guess that, I guess
that was maybe uh, I don't knowabout an eight year process,
(26:56):
because he didn't come hereuntil 64, and that happened in
56.
So there was this eight-year, Iguess, transition period where
he'd grown his faith, and thenGod must have been calling him
to do something else besidesbarbering.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
Well, that's exactly right, mike, because the first
three years of his conversion hegot involved in church.
They would teach kids and hecouldn.
He got involved in church, theywould teach kids and he
couldn't get enough of it.
And then in 59, he enrolled inseminary.
That church was a large churchIt'd be called a megachurch
(27:32):
today and they had a seminarywith it.
And he enrolled there in 59 andgraduated in 63.
And then came to Richmond in 64.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Still barbering right and still barbering.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
He was going to seminary.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
He was trying, you know, being a parent A lot.
You know full-time A lot goingon, a lot going on, a lot going
on, like a lot of young men do.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
Yes, he was.
You know, when he got saved hewas 29.
You know, when he came toRichmond he would have been 37.
Yeah, he would have been 37.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
So, trying to think back to so, in 64, decided to
come here.
That would have been, and hewas just planting that church.
There wasn't a church for himto take over, he hadn't pastored
a church right, no, no.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
now he had candidated and several churches expressed
an interest, but he felt like hewanted to plant a church
interest.
But he felt like he wanted toplan a church and and you know
his story that he told wasalways that god directed him, uh
, through his word and uh, hegot a.
(28:53):
He got a pin and a string andpoked it into pontiac, michigan
and let the string run down andhe noticed Richmond, indiana.
So he started praying about itand started talking about it.
And that's when his dad toldhim well, we lived there when
you were a baby.
He never knew that.
So that piqued his interest.
(29:14):
And it's funny, as he got olderand I mean mean was retired he
used to tell that story.
He said if I knew then what Iknow now, I'd have got me a
longer string and had it go downto Florida.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Yeah, a little bit further down south.
Yeah, a little bit furthersouth, Just this you know, god
even had his hand in how longthe piece of string was going to
be.
Yeah, so Mine is the smallestof details.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
You know that might not be something I'm brave
enough to do, but it certainlywas something he did and God
blessed what he did.
And we moved with ourgrandparents.
The kids did and they came overhere and they found a house.
They bought an old house forthe church.
It was right across fromFairview School on Sheridan.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
I think a church kind of operates.
I don't know if a churchoperates out there today or not.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
Yes, an Hispanic church and my brother Matt just
went over there and it's thesame pews, different carpet, but
the same pews.
He said I sort of relived mychildhood and but they bought
that house.
It was an old Quaker meetinghouse.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
Right, because I remember I there was a pretty
large room in that building.
Yes, because, because, becauseI, when I first started
attending, that's where thechurch was.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
Yes, because when I first started attending.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
that's where the church was, yes, and so I
remember that building.
And then I don't know when yourdad and some of the leaders of
that church built a sanctuaryonto that.
Do you recall when thathappened, did it?
Speaker 2 (30:57):
happen pretty quick.
They started in 64.
It was slow getting started butby 66 growth started and that
building was put on in 67 theaddition on the front of it so
(31:17):
that would have probably been.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
I probably started attending there that year or the
year after, because when I, Iremember the sanctuary and I
think I'd share with you ormaybe your brother recently,
that when I first startedattending I would have been
preschool age, sopre-kindergarten, so like I
would have been three or fouryears old, and, uh, my sunday
(31:44):
school teacher was barb oda andI I still remember going back to
the small little room which wasprobably maybe at one time had
been a bedroom or something inthat house, and uh, going back
there and her husband, um, uh,coming, uh, coming in and
checking on us and taking a tentseeing how many kids were there
and uh, so, uh, jim, jim, anduh, so, anyway, that was my, you
(32:10):
know, my, my mother had come toChrist, uh, in that time and
she just started bringing me andmy sister the church every
Sunday and on all the differentservices back in the day that
you could possibly have, she wasthere, and so, yeah, I remember
that quite a bit and I rememberthere would be stories about
(32:34):
your dad starting that churchand it was.
You know, I guess it would havebeen your dad, your mom, you and
your brothers and maybe thatwas all that was there the first
couple of times, but then youhad some different people start
coming and then it just grewfrom there.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Yeah, actually the first service, there were 10
people.
The other five was the realtorthat had sold him the house
their last names were van zandt,I believe philip van zandt okay
was his name.
They had two girls and a boy, uh, and they came the first
service but we went for a yearwithout anybody really coming.
(33:17):
And my dad you'll rememberthese names, yeah, probably,
when I give them, but my dad wasso discouraged he had a church
in virginia.
Call him and say we want you tocome, as our pastor or to
candidate said, but we knowyou'll get it.
We're a church of 400, so hedecided to leave.
(33:38):
We're a church of 400.
So he decided to leave.
And Alex and Elsie Baker Iremember hearing those names and
called them and they were goingto come with another family on
Wednesday night.
He said I won't be here andthey said, no, you're going to
be there because we're coming.
(33:59):
He said, no, I've decided toleave and take a church in
Virginia.
And they said, no, you're goingto be there tonight and we're
going to be there for theservice.
And he said, well, I'm going toshow up then just to meet you.
You're way too bold for me, andthe rest is history.
(34:19):
They came, you, you're way toobold for me, and the rest is
history.
They came.
They were wonderful christians.
Um, trying to think the otherfit, I just had it.
But, uh, they became the firsttwo families and they got
involved and then it started togrow and, uh, god really began
to bless it.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
So that was on Sheridan Street and then
eventually the church.
I believe the story goes thatsomeone had donated some
property to the church out thereoff of US 38, where it splits
off 35 and 38.
Another one of those things,big things that happened were
(35:01):
all of a sudden, I guess,property came.
You know this donation, a greatgift was given and and it was
decided to build out there.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
You can share a little bit about how that
happened.
Yeah, I sure can.
Actually, and I know he won'tmind me mentioning, but Tim
Cummings offered the property.
Okay, I'm not going to mentionit, but Tim Cummings offered the
property, okay, and you know.
So Dad and the people atHillcrest who were there then,
you know, decided that's wherewe'll move to, and there were
(35:34):
initially 80 acres.
That was what was given and youknow they built primarily.
The men of the church and ofcourse the cummings family were
builders, yes, and were a greathelp at that time.
Uh, other men of the churchwould help, they would hire,
done what they couldn't do, butmost of it they did.
(35:56):
And that building was movedinto in January of 72.
And then in 73, theyexperienced the first time going
over the attendance of 1,000.
And so those were periods ofincredible growth.
(36:20):
And so those were periods ofincredible growth.
A lot of young men saved,called into ministry, just like
Dad, and it was a time of greatblessing for Hillcrest.
Speaker 1 (36:32):
I may miss some of the things that happened once he
moved out there, but I mean aChristian school was formed, a
Bible institute was formedcorrect.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Yes, the Christian school was started in 1973.
And then the Bible institutewas started in 74.
Speaker 1 (36:55):
And that was to raise up, maybe men and women and
teaching them of the scripture,or raising up men who would
maybe go into ministry.
I think some women attendedthat too, didn't they, or not?
Speaker 2 (37:10):
Yes, it was a program designed for men and women.
You know what Dad found was.
You know there's a principlethat says one kind brings
another kind.
Just like it, because of Dad'sconversion at the age of 29, he
(37:31):
had a lot of young couples,especially young men, and had a
desire to go into the ministryand he was sending them off to
seminaries.
But I think in some cases thereis a scriptural principle about
mentoring and training your own.
All the education we can get isneeded and necessary.
(37:56):
I have my PhD with a doctoratein theology, so I'm a believer
in education.
But Dad started training someof them there at Hillcrest
hands-on experience, and I thinkthat was his heart's desire.
And out of that church some ofthem are with the Lord.
(38:19):
But before our 50th anniversaryhe wrote down the names of 72
people that were either inministry, mission work,
full-time or, like someone youinterviewed, donna Girdley, who
was a Christian school teacherall those years and used her
incredible gifts to touch a lotof lives.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
Right, I mean at one time I they still.
I think they still have somebuses that they pick up kids to
this day.
But I mean there was a time Irecall there was a I mean, and
that's, that's hard work.
I mean they had double digitbuses they had over.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
I think I don 13.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
Yeah, 13 buses going out in the community picking up
people, taking them to Sundayschool or worship.
And I remember I spent sometime in high school working on
one of those routes and we'd goout on Saturday mornings
knocking on doors down on thenorth side of this town and see
if people wanted to go to churchon Sunday.
Then we'd drive in the morningand go knock on the door and
(39:22):
some of them had to be woke upand they'd get their clothes on
real quick or some.
Some will be waiting and somewere parents just wanted to kind
of some some free babysittingfor a couple of hours, you know.
But yeah, I mean it was a hugeand there was different people
that worked that ministry.
I think name I that I think ofit was involved in a bus
(39:43):
ministry big time was bobflannery.
I think that was a name that waswas a big in that, in that part
, and then I mean but then you,we was, there was even a
ministry out there printingbibles, right?
Speaker 2 (39:55):
yes, yeah, they had a printing shop to print bibles,
uh called bearing precious seed,and they would print bibles and
send them out to missionaries.
And you know, it's a fact thatyou put a bible in someone's
hand, it'll be read in a thirdworld country.
(40:15):
It'll be read by sevendifferent people.
So dad saw that as a way to getthe gospel out, and what better
way to do it than through theword of God?
Speaker 1 (40:24):
But these are just certain things that I just don't
think people maybe know aboutthat ministry out at Hillcrest,
all the different things thathappened over the years and how
they touched people's lives indifferent ways, just by
providing a Bible or bringing upleaders to go out and start
other churches and grow otherministries, and then for the
(40:47):
period of Christian school andthe relationships that came out
of there, and it's just so much.
It's just really kind ofoverwhelming to try to cover it
all really.
Speaker 2 (40:59):
I mean well, when dad died, I got 962 text and I
counted him up from over 30states, you know, because his
life, his ministry, had animpact.
I got a email.
(41:21):
I got a lot of emails, but Igot an email and I asked her if
I could use it.
I always wondered what hadhappened to her.
Her name was Meg Ladd and shedated a guy and I knew it was
somewhat of an abusiverelationship and all of a sudden
(41:45):
she disappeared.
She and I never knew whathappened to her.
I had just arrived the Sunday.
She walked forward.
Dad had actually preached andSusan and I did some mentoring
work with her, but then she wasgone.
She wrote me I hadn't heard fromher since, probably 2002.
(42:06):
And she said I had to get awayfrom this relationship.
And she gave me some incrediblethings that that dad's ministry
meant to her and how it hadchanged her life through the
Lord.
And then I emailed her back andsaid give me a thumb sketch of
(42:27):
what you've done.
And she emailed me back and shesaid I got married to a
wonderful guy, I got three kids.
And she said I live in anincredible home.
She said God gave me anincredible job.
I managed an incredible bank inNew York City.
And she said my kids are grownnow.
(42:51):
She said they're out of thehome.
And she said God has blessed us.
And she said it goes back tothat time.
And she said one of the thingsyour dad told me.
She said he said to me you'vegot to get out of this
relationship, meg.
You should not allow somebodyto do what is being done to you.
(43:13):
And she said I may not havedone it right, but the only way
I knew how to do it was to takeoff.
But she said, and we had noidea, I may not have done it
right, but the only way I knewhow to do it was to take off.
But she said and we had no idea.
And you know, I think this isgoing to be true even in all of
our lives.
When God unfolds for useternity, we're going to see a
(43:35):
lot of people we had no idea wehad an influence on.
Yeah, that we did.
And he had an incredibleinfluence on on a lot of people.
At his funeral, there were overa hundred pastors there, a lot
of them Hillcrest guys.
Here's another statistic thatis pretty amazing.
As far as dad's ministry Imentioned, there were 72 people
(43:59):
in full-time service In 2018,before the pandemic.
I polled every church that waspastored or they had an
assistant pastor that was out ofHillcrest, whose roots go back
to Hillcrest.
Wow, on Easter Sunday 2050, thetotal attendance of all those
(44:22):
churches was 50,000 people.
Now, there were some bigchurches in there, you know, and
some of dad's grandkids were onstaff of big churches and then
so, but 50,000 people whoseroots go back to Hillcrest.
(44:45):
God really blessed Dad'sministry at Hillcrest all those
years.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
I think it's to some people.
I guess it wouldn't be a shock,but it is kind of amazing that
you know your parents had threeboys and all three of you ended
up being in ministry and havingchurches of your own.
I mean, that's A pretty uniquestory in and of itself, I think,
because it's not a given thatsomething like that happens, and
(45:13):
sometimes children totallyreject what their parents do and
go in a totally differentdirection.
Speaker 2 (45:19):
Well, mike, I tell people this.
I tell people mom and dad neverpushed us into the ministry,
but they never did anything thatcaused us to not want to be
there.
Right, they lived their life ina way that we respected that
and my dad always said to MikeMatt and I he said the people
(45:40):
that respect you the most shouldbe the ones that know you the
best.
And that's true.
And the other thing somebodysaid to him one time.
They said uh, pastor holman,how is it that you got uh three
boys that you put into theministry?
He said, oh, I didn't put himin the ministry.
(46:00):
He said my job was to make menout of them.
It was god's job to put himinto the ministry and there's a
lot of truth to that as well.
And the tough one was myyoungest brother.
The challenge was there.
But, yeah, I started theseminary and Mike started the
(46:21):
seminary and Matt went to Biblecollege first, but not for
ministry.
But God used him as well in anincredible way.
Speaker 1 (46:30):
Yeah, I how, how was it growing up?
You know, the time that you'rehere in richmond and three
brothers, I mean, where did youguys kind of live and and what
was it like growing up in thecommunity?
But I mean, matt was a littlebit younger than you and you and
mike, so was he always kind ofa little bit younger than you
and Mike, so was he always kindof a little bit of an outlier,
(46:52):
since he was so much younger hewas somebody that Mike and I
picked on.
Speaker 2 (47:00):
But anyway, yeah, matt was in first grade, started
at Star School.
You know Mike was in sixthgrade and he started at or
seventh grade or sixth grade,had he been at test maybe I was
at test in seventh grade.
Then you remember it wasseventh, eighth and ninth grade.
Yeah okay, and I think Mike wasat start too, because he was in
(47:23):
the sixth grade and one of thethings my parents did, you know,
we had Sunday morning, sundaynight, wednesday night, I mean,
and if they could create moreservices they would have, and we
went, whether there was anybodythere or not, but what they
would do is Sunday night when weget home, they'd get us all
(47:44):
together.
Listen, you know we are doingsomething nobody else is doing.
You know we're the davycrockett of church planning that
kind of thing, yeah, and theymade us a part of it.
I think us cleaning thebuilding was, hey, we were part
of it.
We took the offering.
You know, we did some otherthings and we were part of what
(48:05):
we were doing.
We were doing what nobody elsewas doing, so they included that
.
Speaker 1 (48:11):
they include us in it , yeah I'm sure your parents
would, would say that that theymade mistakes along the way and
raising their kids like anyparents would, but but they
obviously had set a greatfoundation for all your brothers
.
To you know and and sometimesI'm sure it's it's hard to you
(48:34):
know, knowing a time maybe thatyou came to a knowledge of
christ as your savior.
You know, making a thatconversion when you're just
around it 24, 7, I mean, do you?
I mean I'm sure there's amoment in your time that you can
, that you look to, but whenyou're around it 24 seven, I
mean, do you?
I mean I'm sure there's amoment in your time that you can
, that you look to, but whenyou're around it all the time,
(48:54):
I'm sure it's, it's different.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (48:56):
Well, I think the key is that, you know, I had to
have faith in my own, just likeyou had to have faith in your
own.
You know, I could be encouragedby my dad's faith.
I just couldn't have his faith,yeah.
So there had to come a point inmy life.
And though I was saved as achild, I really believe that the
(49:19):
point of surrender in my lifecame in 68.
Cause, though I wasn'trebelling on the outside yet I
would have gone that way.
Cause I was rebelling on theoutside yet I would have gone
that way because I was rebellingon the inside.
I just was pretty passive anddidn't share it.
So that had to be the time Icame to really surrender and say
(49:44):
Lord, you know, and no longerwas it, I'm going to do what Dad
wants, I'm going to do what theLord wants.
Speaker 1 (49:50):
So there has to come that moment or it doesn't work.
There was a point where yourdad decided to leave Hillcrest.
I think it was in the late 80sand I'm sure that was a hard
decision.
It started at a Christianschool in the mid seventies and
(50:13):
kind of closed it down in in inthe late eighties, I believe, or
mid you know.
I think the school was aroundfor about maybe a dozen years or
so and and I I went a total ofabout uh six and a half years
there, and do you remember much?
I mean, I think that the school, there's a lot of wonderful
(50:38):
things about it, but it was kindof a drain on the church,
wasn't it a little bit?
Speaker 2 (50:45):
I don't mean that in a negative way but it was a
financial, it was a challenge.
It was a financial drain yeah,it was, and you know so many.
At that point a lot of churcheswere starting Christian schools
and so people did it andprobably didn't give any thought
(51:09):
to the cost.
And there was an incrediblecost, especially when you get
into the high school level, andso the finances were just
incredible and I know that itwas a drain on Dad.
(51:32):
It also came at a point wherehe wasn't seeing the results
even in the church as far aspeople coming to Christ.
You know, culture was beginningto change, culture was
beginning to change and themethods that were being used
(51:54):
probably needed to change some.
But it's a little difficultwhen you've been trained one way
.
And so an opportunity came forhim to go to Pontiac, michigan,
the church.
He was saved in the seminary andhe became the president of
(52:20):
Midwestern Baptist Seminary andso the church then became
pastored by a guy that was savedthere and called to preach
there, went to Midwestern, cameand went out east and did good
work and came back, and so Dadwas in Michigan and through a
(52:42):
series of events I think thechurch really declined declined
in its influence, declined inits influence declined in its
attendance and a couple ofpastors had come by that time
and then there was a split.
(53:04):
Some of them were meeting in theschool.
Dad had just retired and theycalled him and asked him if he'd
come back and preach while theycould get their bearings
together.
When he came back, he preachedand felt at home, yeah and uh,
and through a series of events,uh, the group that had met in
(53:26):
the school was able to come backand they asked Dad to be their
pastor.
And then there was growth againand by the time I got there
their average attendance wouldhave been around 350.
And by then the buses.
(53:47):
We still had a couple of buses,but because culture had changed
.
Speaker 1 (53:52):
Yeah, that's tough.
Speaker 2 (53:54):
That's another big try to keep buses running and
it's just tough yeah and so youknow we didn't have the buses
for attendance Not that theyused it for that, but you know
so but we continued to grow.
Dad was involved as I became alittle more progressive in some
(54:14):
areas.
Uh, we started two services.
I always appreciated about this, about that, he would come to
our second service, which wasour contemporary service.
Now he didn't like it, but healso understood.
He wasn't going to make anissue of it.
He wanted to help me.
That's where we were getting alot of people whose lives
(54:39):
changed.
The first service wastraditional, but the people in
that service had been thereforever and your friends soon
become your Christian friendsand we lose sight sometimes of
the need for evangelism and wetalk about it and know it's
important, but, uh, we lose ourcircle of friends outside the
(55:00):
church and that second service,and so by by the time that, uh,
you know, in 2018, uh, we wereprobably averaging about uh a
500 a little better.
Easter, we had 800 and dad wasstill there very much a part of
it.
You know he would.
(55:21):
He would preach occasionally hewould teach.
He was just as easy to deal with, uh, as anybody in all the
world, and I just always.
Speaker 1 (55:30):
You know your dad had such tremendous interpersonal
skills with people.
Yeah, I mean just wonderful.
And I sometimes I wonder ifthose years in the bar, having
people in the barber chair, wasa good training ground for just
having conversations with peopleand talking to people and that
was.
And maybe God used the thosebarbering years as a way to to
polish his people skills,because I think there could be
(55:53):
some truth.
I don't know if I'm correct ornot.
Speaker 2 (55:55):
No, I would say you're correct.
The skills were probablyalready there, but they were
certainly honed during that timein the barber chair.
I mean, he did have a great waywith his people person skills
yeah, I mean as barbers they canbe good counselors.
Speaker 1 (56:14):
You know, we know one , yeah, and it's been doing it
for a long time in thiscommunity and uh, yeah, you just
those conversations that youhave, you have a little
15-minute sessions with peopleand you get to know people and
when you you go back, you know,as long as the hair keeps
growing you can go in there andyou just build those
relationships with people inthat way.
(56:35):
So I felt like that was areally kind of neat career segue
for your father, that maybe Godused that in a special way for
what he in his pastoral care ofpeople down the road.
At least that would be part ofmy spin on it.
Speaker 2 (56:51):
Well, you know what he was by gift a pastor shepherd
.
Now, a lot of times, because ofhis gifts behind the pulpit he
would get invited to otherplaces and operate as a pastor
evangelist.
But there's such a need in ourchurches for pastor shepherds
(57:13):
and he filled that role.
You know, pastor shepherds,pastor teachers.
The thing I find today that'spretty difficult is when you go
into a church and it's pastoredby a pastor evangelist.
You know, I mean it tends to beshallow, but Dad had that
pastor shepherd gift.
Yeah, you know, I mean it's it.
It tends to be shallow, but dadhad that pastor shepherd gift
about him.
Speaker 1 (57:33):
Yeah, I, I, I got to experience that personally a few
times because, uh, you know, hehad the Christian school.
He kind of served as like wehad a principal, but sometimes
he was involved in in, uh,disciplinary conversations and
and there was a few times wherehe and I had a meeting for a
certain reason and, uh, that isshocking.
Speaker 2 (57:54):
And I never let.
Speaker 1 (57:55):
But I always left those encounters with him
feeling loved, yeah, yeah andand uh.
Maybe you know, giveninstructing instruction of maybe
why I was there and maybe whatbehavior I had exhibited that
got me in there.
But, um, just his way about himis, I left there feeling loved,
(58:19):
even though I was maybe introuble, I was still loved, you
know, and I appreciated thatabout your father very much well
and honestly.
Speaker 2 (58:27):
That's an important characteristic.
And you know one of the thingstalking about dad and his
influence, he had been in anursing home for five years.
They went into the nursing homeat arbor trace on may the 7th
1919.
I just told stego burn hide orI didn't know how big the
service would be because he'dbeen out of commission the
(58:48):
current church family athillcrest, for the most part
many of them didn't know him.
Well, you know there were over700 people that signed that,
that book, that funeral book,and I mean it was an incredible
uh tribute to, to that love thathe had and that kindness that
(59:10):
he demonstrated toward otherpeople.
Speaker 1 (59:13):
Yeah, I mean, uh, he married me and my wife Beth in
87.
And then we were in Muncie, uh,until 1990.
When I came back here, 1990, Iit was during a period of the
life of that church where maybewe won't say it was a low time,
but it was just a transitionaltime.
(59:36):
Yeah, it was a transitional timeand so it just didn't feel like
it did when we were there andwe had attended another church
in Muncie that was similar tothe denomination church that we
had visited here in town ChristPresbyterian Church and there
was a Westminster PresbyterianChurch in Muncie we attended and
(01:00:00):
so when we came back, they hada sister church here and we
visited there once and we neverleft, but that was, you know, uh
, 34 years ago, but still I mean, um, I've only attended two
churches my whole life and itwas Hillcrest and Christ
Presbyterian and uh, so, youknow, even though we're sitting
(01:00:22):
here talking about it, and forme it was over 30, 34 years ago,
it it's, it seems like justyesterday, you know, and just a
wonderful memories that I haveof that church and and of your
father and and just, uh, evenencounters I had with you when I
was helping uh coach basketballfor community Christian school.
(01:00:46):
We didn't have a gym and I cameout and uh, we kind of got to
reconnect a little bit, causeI'd come out there and we were
running a basketball practiceand got to talk to you and and
uh, so, uh, I really enjoyedkind of reconnecting with the
church through use of the gymfacilities out there, and how
gracious Hillcrest was to allowus to use that gym, and so it's
(01:01:10):
just been wonderful.
Speaker 2 (01:01:11):
Well, here's what I tell people, mike God works
through men and women.
Men and women.
Because of our nature we workthrough denominations and
buildings, but God works throughmen and women and God took
someone like Frank Goldman andothers.
(01:01:33):
There's been a whole lot ofothers that God has worked
through in this community, buthe was one of them and of course
they needed a building, theyneeded all that stuff.
But really God works throughmen and women and that's still
true today and if we're notcareful we get.
You know, our influence, whetherit be Christ Presbyterian or
(01:01:57):
whether it be Hillcrest, orwhether it be First Baptist,
whether it be Community of Faith, whether it be Lifespring,
isn't just in the people that weminister to in the building on
Sunday.
Think about how many peopleoutside of the Hillcrest whose
lives have been touched.
I've preached in over 20churches in Richmond.
(01:02:20):
Honestly, one church I preachedin, 50% of the people had been
at Hillcrest at one time.
Is that bad?
No, that's good.
We just you know we can'tcapture them all for a building.
We want to capture them forChrist.
And that takes them differentplaces.
(01:02:41):
And you know, I think countingnumbers is important.
I had a young pastor ask me acouple of weeks ago when I was
doing a conference.
He said I don't count myattendance anymore, he said.
He said it's too prideful.
I said do you count youroffering?
He said well, sure.
I said.
(01:03:01):
Then what you're saying is thatmoney's more important than
people?
I said we're in the peoplebusiness and the truth of the
matter is.
And dad for his two sons, threesons, two sons, and I set the
example.
You love people and people willrespond accordingly.
And that's the key.
Speaker 1 (01:03:23):
I kind of wrapped this up.
I found it really interestingthat you included in your dad's
uh obituary says his uh battlewith Alzheimer's disease in
recent years showed his strongfaith and courage in facing life
challenges with his trademarksmile and gentle spirit.
I just felt.
I felt that was uh uh.
(01:03:45):
I just liked the way that waswritten and I'm not sure kind of
totally what all that means.
But Alzheimer's is a terribledisease.
Oh it's terrible, but I likethe way that you all expressed
it in that statement there.
I don't know what.
Speaker 2 (01:04:06):
Well, here, you know, mom has not really had dad for
four years.
You know, when he went in, westarted seeing signs of
Alzheimer's in 2014.
Little by little, and thehardest two hardest things I
ever had to do in my life was totake his keys, yeah, and to
(01:04:27):
tell him it's one wise, hepreach anymore.
And I had to do both.
And then they went in to arbortrace and and uh.
Then when I got out of thehospital with covid, I was in
the hospital for 80 days withcovid.
When I out, I was stillquarantined and my brother, mike
(01:04:54):
, took over the care of my dadbecause I was in the hospital so
long, and Arbitrace called meand said your dad has
manipulated the locks.
And he got outside and said hefell at the dumpster.
This was on New Year's eve, 2020, 21.
He said we're going to have toput him in the alzheimer's unit.
(01:05:16):
And then he went downhill fast,yeah, and he didn't know any of
us, but he was gentle.
Uh, he never lost that kindnessthat he always had.
He got loud because he couldn'thear.
So he got loud.
(01:05:37):
But you know, the lastconversation I had with him was
on their 71st anniversary.
It wasn't really a conversationwas on their 71st anniversary.
It wasn't really a conversation.
I was taking him back to hisroom in his wheelchair and he
looked up at me and he said whoare you?
(01:05:58):
I said Dad, I'm Marty.
He paused, he said no, you'renot.
Marty's better looking than you.
He never lost that humor, so itwas pretty incredible.
Speaker 1 (01:06:14):
one more story about him absolutely.
Speaker 2 (01:06:18):
Uh, he had been in the alzheimer's about six months
.
The last two years he had to bein a room by himself.
He was so bad.
But the first two years he wasin the unit had his own room but
in the unit mom would go downthere every day.
She would take dad, they wouldin the in the room where they
(01:06:39):
watch tv.
They'd watch gun smoke, theywould watch wheel of fortune and
jeopardy, eat dinner and thenback to his room.
She called me up in July of 2021.
She said, marty, you're notgoing to believe this.
She said your dad didn't knowwho I was today.
She said he couldn't put threewords together.
(01:07:00):
But when I took him back to hisroom, there was a lady sitting
there that had just come intothe facility, into the
Alzheimer's unit, alzheimer'sunit, had her head buried in her
hands.
He looked up at me and he saidamy, that startled me and used
my name all day, said take me tothat woman.
(01:07:21):
Said I didn't know whether Ishould, but I did so.
I took her over him over thereand he spent the next 25 minutes
sharing the gospel with her asclearly and as articulately as
he had hundreds of times in hislife.
When he got finished, hepointed his finger at her and
(01:07:43):
said Ma'am, you need to trustChrist.
She said I would like to.
To trust christ?
She said I would like to.
He had her bower head andtogether they prayed and asked
the lord to save her.
When he said amen, he went intohis fog and never came out that
.
Speaker 1 (01:08:02):
That's an incredible thing, you know, and that was
dad and he had a great influenceon his family.
Speaker 2 (01:08:11):
He had a great influence on.
They weren't perfect, you know,but they did have a love for
others that was contagious.
Speaker 1 (01:08:20):
Well, I really appreciate you taking time and
just letting us kind of just,you know, talk about your dad
and what he meant to thiscommunity and so many people and
just share it hopefully for forpeople that follow us and
listen and watch, just to learna little bit about really a
great man of god and and who wasfaithful in his service and uh,
(01:08:43):
so I I thank you so much forthe privilege of getting to talk
about that today.
Speaker 2 (01:08:48):
Well, thank you, mike .
It's probably a good thing mybrother wasn't on here, we'd
have went two times as long.
But anyway, thanks for theopportunity, and the Allen
family and the Bain familycertainly are two special
families that we've hadfriendships with over the years,
and thank you for theopportunity.
Speaker 1 (01:09:09):
I appreciate it when you see your mother tell her
that you know when, when I madea profession of faith, I went
forward, like many of us did inthose days, and went forward and
and I went up there and yourmother came up and she went
through the scripture with me.
Speaker 2 (01:09:27):
Oh, I didn't know that.
Speaker 1 (01:09:29):
And I made a profession of faith at that time
and I was pretty young at thetime and later in life I maybe
had some doubts or whatever thatcame up.
But now that I'm 60 years oldand I look back, I know that was
the moment where I made thattrue profession of faith and
came to the knowledge of Christas my Savior.
Speaker 2 (01:09:50):
But your mother was the person that came up faith
and came to the knowledge ofChrist as my savior.
So, but your mother was aperson that came up.
She'll love to hear that.
Speaker 1 (01:09:55):
So tell when you see her, tell her.
I don't know if she rememberedthat or not but I sure remember.
Speaker 2 (01:09:59):
She remembers everything, believe me, I
remember it.
Speaker 1 (01:10:00):
So thank you, brother , appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (01:10:02):
Thank you, I appreciate the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (01:10:05):
So, on whatever platform that you are watching
or listening today, please shareand spread the word Like, share
and subscribe.
So thanks for listening andwatching the Hub today.
Michael Allen from Manpower.
We are a national brand, yetlocally owned franchise.
We are familiar with thechallenges businesses face.
(01:10:26):
It's tough recruiting andretaining qualified employees.
That's why working withManpower is a smart,
cost-effective solution.
Our entire focus is talentacquisition.
We'll manage your hiring andtraining and provide ongoing,
customized support.
Since 1966, we have been yourcommunity-invested partner,
uniquely positioned to helpeliminate the hassles and save
you time and money.
(01:10:46):
Let us help Contact Manpowertoday.
Michael Allen from Manpower.
We are a national brand yetlocally owned franchise.
We are familiar with thechallenges businesses face.
It's tough recruiting andretaining qualified employees.
That's why working withManpower is a smart,
cost-effective solution.
Our entire focus is talentacquisition.
We'll manage your hiring andtraining and provide ongoing,
customized support.
Since 1966, we have been yourcommunity-invested partner,
(00:24):
uniquely positioned to helpeliminate the hassles and save
you time and money.
Let us help contact Manpowertoday.
Hello and welcome to the Hubpowered by Manpower of Richmond,
portland and Newcastle.
And I am your host, michaelAllen.
And here on the Hub weinterview local businesses,
community partners and variousspecial guests, and our mission
(00:45):
is just to share and spotlightsome unique and untold stories
of companies, organizations andpeople who.
Frank Holman of Richmond wentpeacefully into the presence of
his Lord, surrounded by familyand friends.
(01:10):
In 1964, frank moved his familyto Richmond, indiana, and
founded the Hillcrest BaptistChurch.
The very first service forHillcrest was held March 6, 1964
, and Frank spent the next 36years sharing the message of
Jesus Christ with the communityof Richmond and literally around
(01:33):
the world through his worldwidemission work.
So today I have the honor ofspeaking with one of Dr Holman's
sons, marty Holman.
Marty, welcome to the Hub.
Mike, great to be here with you.
I'm so thankful that you agreedto come and talk about your
father today and his life andhis ministry, and also talk
(01:58):
about your personal story aswell.
But before we do that, we havethis question that we ask every
guest, and that question is whatwas your very first job that
you ever had?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
my very, very first job was a newspaper route okay
the old palladium item and I hadthe east end of town, the
reston area, all right and uh atthe same time.
At the same time my dad had mybrother mike and I cleaning
hillcrest.
(02:33):
They had just bought an oldhouse that was built in 1812 and
that was part of myresponsibility.
He paid me a dollar 25 cents aweek to clean the church, so
those really came at the sametime.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
I think I was uh, 13 years old and uh, peddled papers
and cleaned hillcrest well, Ithink it's uh pretty nice that
your dad actually paid you toclean the church, because you
know some some, some fatherswould have just said that was
just part of your service, god'swork.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Well, I should say, when I got paid.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Well, it's interesting that you bring up
the paper out, because we had atalk a couple episodes ago with
Chad Bolzer from Ivy Tech, andthat was his first job too, so
now we're starting to build upthis uh core of uh newspaper
delivery, uh people because, bythe way, that, happens to be one
of the other ones.
You know people say fast food.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
You're gonna say newspaper works, probably not
the work to go into today.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Not today, no, not today so, uh, why don't you go
ahead and just kind of share alittle bit about yourself, maybe
how old you were when you cameto Richmond, and then kind of
your education, your vocation,kind of your history of what
(03:57):
you've done?
I know it's a good part of it,but I think our followers would
enjoy just kind of going througha summary of kind of your life
and where that's taken well,mike, I, we moved to richmond,
our family, in march of 1964.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
We moved here from michigan and my mom and dad
moved here with the purpose ofstarting hillcrest baptist
church.
And uh, I, uh and I grew up atHillcrest in the early days.
In 1968, at the age of 17, mygrandfather died, my dad's
(04:35):
father, leo.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Leo absolutely.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
And that had such a.
I really fought the idea offollowing in my dad's footsteps
as a pastor, and I had actuallybeen accepted in a college for
business.
And the day my grandpa died,the Lord.
Really, I had an encounter withthe Lord and I surrendered to
(05:07):
do what, deep down inside of me,I felt like that's what he was
calling me to do.
So I went to seminary up inPontiac, michigan, and I
completed my bachelor's degreethere, and when I finished, in
1973, my dad wanted me to comehome and work here.
By that time I had got marriedto a lady that I'm still married
(05:32):
to 53 years later, whose dadwas also a pastor.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
That's Susan Susan.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
And he also offered me a job.
Many of the gifts my dad had Ihave.
What I didn't have was some ofthe gifts that Susan's dad had.
He was an administrator.
I mean, he was an administrator, a great talent in that area.
(05:59):
So I went back, I took the jobhe offered and I served there
for four years and during thosefour years the Lord really
blessed what we were doing.
I mean, I can't even begin totell the stories of young people
that came to Christ.
Actually, one of the youngpeople that came to Christ is
(06:22):
now the chaplain of the DetroitTigers and he's also responsible
for finding chaplains for the400 and some minor league teams.
And then he does a lot of workwith the PGA.
And he's just a young personthat I met at the age of 16.
(06:42):
His librarian, who went to ourchurch, led him to Christ.
I had a guy call me yesterday.
He lives in Portland, oregon.
He works for Enterprise but hehas a ministry.
He just has always had a heartfor street people.
He has a ministry in PortlandOregon where he reaches street
(07:05):
people.
He has a ministry in PortlandOregon where he reaches street
people that he's bivocationaland, uh, he was saved during
that time.
I have another guy that is a uhuh, just retired as an engineer
from uh Boeing in St Louis.
I picked him up as a hitchhikerand he trusted Christ and he
(07:27):
actually supports our ministrynow, and so the Lord just gave
us an incredible opportunity.
He blessed it and then in 1975I took my first church and was
there for 19 years, pastored injust east of Toledo and God
(07:49):
wonderfully blessed there.
And during that time my wife gotsick and became disabled and
I'm not the driver in our family, she is and an incredible
musician and I thought that itwould be better to get her away
(08:09):
from there.
I couldn't keep her out of somethings that just create.
She couldn't do with herdisability.
So we moved to arizona and weworked with a billy graham type
ministry with a guy by the nameof Pete Rice, and Pete was just
like me.
He had an incredible desire tosee people saved.
(08:31):
He was, by gift, an evangelist.
I figured out I was, by gift, apastor, but we were moving a
little bit away from our rootsand I worked with him for seven
years, okay, and traveled was in40 different countries and it
was pretty incredible the thingsthe lord allowed us to do, yeah
(08:52):
pete rice is the son of billrice.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Yes, and who had a big church camp in murfreesboro,
tennessee?
Is that right?
Yes, I used to go there when Iwas a kid yeah, kid, and my son
lives near there today and Idrive by it all the time, and
they have a school there now,and and that that whole thing is
still thriving to this day herein 2024.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
They are.
And they not only have a campin Murfreesboro, tennessee,
where you went, but they alsohave a camp in williams, arizona
.
All right, pattern, just likeit and so and uh.
But then in uh, in 1999, all mykids graduated and my last
(09:39):
daughter graduated from highschool and was on her way to
play ball at the University ofArizona basketball and I knew I
couldn't continue to travel.
So Dad called me and said hey,I want to officially retire.
Would you be willing to comeback?
And you'll have to go throughthe process.
(10:00):
And so I came back andcandidated and the church
extended a call for me to comeas pastor and I became pastor of
Hillcrest Baptist church.
Uh, in uh, december of 1999,actually co pastor, and then my
dad was there for six moremonths and on July 9, 2000, he
(10:26):
officially retired.
And so I was pastor there from2000,.
From July 2000, pastor, notco-pastor, until I retired in
March of 2021.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
And I'm going to cover this later in our
discussion.
But when your father, you know,said, hey, why don't you come
back to richmond?
That was actually his secondtime as pastor at hillcrest yes,
I'll go in that later.
But but he, because he, youknow he started in 64 and he
didn't go straight from 64 to 99.
(11:04):
There was a gap and I'm goingto cover that with you.
So, uh, so, and then, uh once,hillcrest.
Uh, I guess at some point youdecided to step away as senior
pastor there, and so what's beengoing on since then?
Speaker 2 (11:21):
well, one of the things that I have a heart for
is those that struggle withaddictions.
A couple came back who you know, to Hillcrest.
When I came back they hadretired.
They worked with the NashvilleCity Rescue Mission Paul and
Karen Rose and they returned in2000 and they talked to me about
(11:47):
wanting to to do some work withthose who struggled with
alcoholism or drug addiction.
And uh, so I jumped on that andI said, well, listen, I'll
raise the money if you want todo it.
So we actually started to raisethe money and founded what was
(12:09):
called Shepherd's Way, which wasa rehab for men and that was
over on Hunt Street and we couldhave six men and the Lord
honestly used that.
Uh, there's a pastor here inrichmond.
He pastors surety communitychurch.
(12:31):
Rodney anderson, who wentthrough the program you know,
came to us.
He, he was a sharp guy but hehad an addiction to alcohol.
Another guy that I think ofthat went through that program
Chad Wood is one of the deaconsat Hillcrest and God just
(12:51):
blessed it and they did the workand I helped them raise money.
Then they came to me and theysaid we need one for women.
And Paul was not for it, karenwas.
(13:13):
And so Paul said to Karen ifsomebody gives you a house, I'll
do it.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
So the next day, somebody gave him a house.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
It's funny how those things happen right yeah, on
both somebody gave a house.
It's funny how this happened,right yeah, and they started
what was called the victoryhouse for women and, uh, one of
our first ladies that wentthrough her.
Her son is a chiropractor herein town and you'd probably know
him and she was one of the firstladies that went through the
(13:45):
program to date.
She's doing incredible and Irun into people all the time who
was blessed by that ministry.
And then in 2000, karen said weneed a total rehab, not just a
transitional care unit.
We need a total rehab.
Paul said if somebody gives usproperty, that's the only way
(14:09):
I'll do it.
Well, he should have learnedthe first time.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Because the old Smith Epson Tuberculosis Center was
given to us by First Bank On US27.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
On.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
US 27.
And since that day we haveworked with over 900 ladies Over
40 have gone through there justthis year and God has used it
in an incredible way.
And that's what I've beeninvolved in.
You know, in raising the moneyI needed.
(14:43):
I worked part-time at Stieburnite or funeral home, uh,
that's.
I can have a ministry there andI preach a lot of the funerals,
if not most of the funeralswhere there's no pastor, and so
that's what I've been doing.
Um, I represent richmondcolumbian properties, which is
(15:03):
the uh.
I represent Richmond ColumbianProperties, which is the
preservation of historic homesin the Star District, and I help
sponsor an alley cat cleanup ofthe alleyways Christmas.
(15:23):
I do a golf outing every yearto raise money for both
Crossroad and Richmond Columbianproperties, and so that's
really what I've been doing.
I sponsor two or three otherthings, but as well as preach, I
spend my time preaching morenow than I ever did, and the
(15:44):
opportunities are there sothat's what I've been doing.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
So you, you get some calls.
I guess sounds like prettyrarely, for you know pulpit
supply, where you just need a.
They need a pastor coming topreach sunday, whatever I do
some interim work.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
I was at first baptist here in richmond.
For a year.
I'm currently at eaton baptisttemple in eaton, okay, so that's
basically where I've used mytime, as well as I still, uh,
teach a class at hillcrest onwednesday morning, you know, a
bible class to 30 or 40 peopleyeah.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
So how's retirement going for you?
You got your hands full.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
That's wonderful, and this you kind of gave us the
cliff notes version because wecould sit here and talk forever
about all the things in yourlife and your ministry and
whatever.
But I guess we need to move onto dad, and so you know, your
dad was uh july 24th 1927 and uhin new marion, indiana I'm not
(16:49):
sure where that's at uh, newmarion is uh just north of
madison in the versaillesindiana area, so it's in
southern indiana and uh, uh.
his parents were le and LonaRight, didn't your grandmother?
She lived here.
(17:10):
I remember her, even when I wasattending Neal Crest as a child
.
I think she had a littleapartment off of Northeast
Street, didn't she In the house,didn't she?
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Yes, she did.
My grandma moved.
My grandpa died in july of 1968and so my grandma moved to
richmond in 1968 and then shewas here until my parents left
the first time in 1986, and thenshe moved to michigan with them
(17:45):
, and then that's where shepassed away.
Didn't she like play the organ?
Speaker 1 (17:49):
she played the organ, okay I remember that yeah, yeah
, so, yeah.
So she, I mean, she was uh abig part of it, you know, after
your grandfather died yeah along time here in the community.
So it said that your dad, uh,from his obituary actually your,
your grandparents, brought yourdad here to richmond for a very
(18:11):
short time.
I'm not sure what brought themhere, but that wasn't very long,
because then they end up goingto uh, pontiac, michigan yeah,
they were here during thedepression.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
My dad actually didn't know that until he
started looking at richmond tocome start a church and my
grandpa said to my dad weactually lived there when you
were a baby yeah, because I andI thought it maybe had something
to do with the depression,because it was in that 1929,
(18:43):
1930 yes, that you that your dad, um your grandparents, your dad
went to michigan and maybe thatwas for employment reasons or
whatever they went, of course.
They went to michigan foremployment.
He got a job at the automobilewhich was just beginning to come
out of the depression.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
He worked there a long time, didn't your your
grandfather?
Yeah, he worked there from longtime, didn't he?
Your your grandfather?
Yeah, he worked there from.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
I don't know what year he started, but he would
have retired um in the earlysixties.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Okay, so, uh, uh.
So your dad's up in Pontiacgoes to high school there,
graduates in 44.
Like a lot of young men whoweren't married at the time.
Maybe they even were married.
You know, he enlisted into theNavy, so he was at the kind of
the end of World War II, and heserved a couple of years and so,
(19:34):
and after that, after hishonorable discharge from the
Navy, he went into barberingschool, right.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
And that was 1946, if I've got my facts here straight
.
Did he ever talk about why hedecided to go into barbering?
I mean, what was the interestthere for him?
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Well, actually I can't answer that entirely, but
I know when he came back and hemet my mom, they wanted to do it
together.
He is a barber and she is abeautician.
Okay, so when they bought theirshop, it was really purchased
with the idea that both of themwould work and do that, except I
(20:23):
came along.
You ruined that business.
I ruined that issue a littlebit, and so mom decided to stay
home.
You know, I was born in 51, andmy brother, mike, was born in
52.
And then Matt.
Matt was born in 57.
Okay, Matt.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Matt was born in 57.
Okay, all right, so he did thatand so he operated that for 16
years.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
And do you have much recall or memory of him having a
barbershop?
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Oh yeah, you know, his barbershop was outside
Pontiac in a place called KegelHarbor and I was just in a
conference in Tennessee andthree guys came up to me.
They were from that area andthey said we used to get our
hair cut by your dad when wewere kids and it was a
(21:19):
conference for the seminary thatI graduated from and they're my
age and when they were kidsthey lived in that area and dad
would cut their hair.
And yeah, I have a realknowledge, a lot of fond
memories of that, and so youknow it was, honestly, it was a
(21:42):
good business for dad.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
And so, yeah, you know, I don't know when he
actually met Amy, your mom.
I don't know how they kind ofknew each other before the war
or after.
I mean, do you know what was?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Yeah, they both graduated from pontiac central
high school.
Okay, they were in the sameclass.
They did not know each otherwell, they just knew of each
other.
It was, you know, like richmondat that time big high school
and uh.
But they met in 1946, when hegot out of the Army, at an old
(22:23):
YMCA dance, okay, and they metthere and began dating and, of
course, they were married inJune of 1948.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
So he was kind of into his barbering, beginning of
his barbering career and gotmarried and they were going to
do this shop together.
Yes, but then Marty comes along.
And Marty rimmed it among otherthings, and your mother's still
living.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
My mother's still living.
She's 97.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
And parents married 76 years 76 years.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
That's pretty incredible, pretty incredible.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
Yeah, it is yeah, so, uh, in in your father's
obituary it talked about thatyou had this spiritual encounter
.
Um, that kind of changed hislife forever, and this was in
the mid-60s and, uh, shortlyafter that he enrolled in
Midwestern Baptist College.
(23:22):
So can you share anything aboutthat?
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Yeah, actually my mom two months ago shared a part of
that story.
I never knew Dad.
When he's preaching would oftentell the story of how he came
to know Christ.
But my mom, out of the clearblue, said to me I was taking
(23:49):
her to lunch and she said youknow, marty?
She said one Saturday nightyour dad and I came home.
We'd been out drinking.
Dad and I came home We'd beenout drinking, partying, carrying
on, and said I looked at yourdad when we got home and I said,
frank, we can't continue to dothis.
We got two boys to raise.
(24:11):
And Mom said the tears rolleddown your dad's face and he said
I know, amy, but I don't knowwhat to do about it.
And said he told me he wasgoing upstairs.
That I don't know what to doabout it.
And said he told me he wasgoing upstairs that he wouldn't
be down to the next morning.
Said when he came down the nextmorning he said Amy, I don't
(24:32):
know what happened.
He said but I got on my kneesin our bathroom and I said God,
I don't even know if you're real, but if you are, help me.
I can't do this by myself.
And Mom said when he camedownstairs and he said to me he
said, amy, I don't know what'sgoing on, but there's something
(24:53):
different.
He said next Sunday we're goingto find a church and we are
going to take our boys to churchand we're going to start living
the way Christians should live.
And he said I don't know whatthat means.
Well, the next Sunday wasEaster Sunday 1956.
They ended up in the EmmanuelBaptist Church of Pontiac
(25:16):
Michigan, and when theinvitation was given, they both
went forward.
My dad had trusted Christ a fewdays before and knew it.
My mom trusted Christ thatSunday and when the room started
to clear out they had 39 otheradults saved.
(25:37):
That morning my grandma was inthe crowd trusting Christ.
It was her first time in thechurch.
Neither one of them knew theother was going.
And then that night my grandpawent back to see them all get
baptized and when the invitationwas given he walked forward and
so all four of them in one daytrusted Christ as their personal
(26:01):
Savior and it completelychanged the direction of our
life.
Somebody said to me one timewell, how can that happen?
Well, Dad had a sister that gotsaved 11 years before he did,
and when he was in the militaryon ship, she would write him a
letter witnessing to him.
(26:21):
He didn't want to do anythingto do with that, yeah and uh,
but when he trusted christ, thefirst person they called was
that sister that had prayed for11 years for him, was that
eileen?
eileen, yeah, okay I can'tbelieve.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
I remembered that so uh.
But so there had to be sometransition where you know, he
had this profession of faith butthen he decided that he wanted
to become a pastor.
I mean, that's a pretty bigleap but I guess that, I guess
that was maybe uh, I don't knowabout an eight year process,
(26:56):
because he didn't come hereuntil 64, and that happened in
56.
So there was this eight-year, Iguess, transition period where
he'd grown his faith, and thenGod must have been calling him
to do something else besidesbarbering.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
Well, that's exactly right, mike, because the first
three years of his conversion hegot involved in church.
They would teach kids and hecouldn.
He got involved in church, theywould teach kids and he
couldn't get enough of it.
And then in 59, he enrolled inseminary.
That church was a large churchIt'd be called a megachurch
(27:32):
today and they had a seminarywith it.
And he enrolled there in 59 andgraduated in 63.
And then came to Richmond in 64.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Still barbering right and still barbering.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
He was going to seminary.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
He was trying, you know, being a parent A lot.
You know full-time A lot goingon, a lot going on, a lot going
on, like a lot of young men do.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
Yes, he was.
You know, when he got saved hewas 29.
You know, when he came toRichmond he would have been 37.
Yeah, he would have been 37.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
So, trying to think back to so, in 64, decided to
come here.
That would have been, and hewas just planting that church.
There wasn't a church for himto take over, he hadn't pastored
a church right, no, no.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
now he had candidated and several churches expressed
an interest, but he felt like hewanted to plant a church
interest.
But he felt like he wanted toplan a church and and you know
his story that he told wasalways that god directed him, uh
, through his word and uh, hegot a.
(28:53):
He got a pin and a string andpoked it into pontiac, michigan
and let the string run down andhe noticed Richmond, indiana.
So he started praying about itand started talking about it.
And that's when his dad toldhim well, we lived there when
you were a baby.
He never knew that.
So that piqued his interest.
(29:14):
And it's funny, as he got olderand I mean mean was retired he
used to tell that story.
He said if I knew then what Iknow now, I'd have got me a
longer string and had it go downto Florida.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Yeah, a little bit further down south.
Yeah, a little bit furthersouth, Just this you know, god
even had his hand in how longthe piece of string was going to
be.
Yeah, so Mine is the smallestof details.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
You know that might not be something I'm brave
enough to do, but it certainlywas something he did and God
blessed what he did.
And we moved with ourgrandparents.
The kids did and they came overhere and they found a house.
They bought an old house forthe church.
It was right across fromFairview School on Sheridan.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
I think a church kind of operates.
I don't know if a churchoperates out there today or not.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
Yes, an Hispanic church and my brother Matt just
went over there and it's thesame pews, different carpet, but
the same pews.
He said I sort of relived mychildhood and but they bought
that house.
It was an old Quaker meetinghouse.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
Right, because I remember I there was a pretty
large room in that building.
Yes, because, because, becauseI, when I first started
attending, that's where thechurch was.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
Yes, because when I first started attending.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
that's where the church was, yes, and so I
remember that building.
And then I don't know when yourdad and some of the leaders of
that church built a sanctuaryonto that.
Do you recall when thathappened, did it?
Speaker 2 (30:57):
happen pretty quick.
They started in 64.
It was slow getting started butby 66 growth started and that
building was put on in 67 theaddition on the front of it so
(31:17):
that would have probably been.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
I probably started attending there that year or the
year after, because when I, Iremember the sanctuary and I
think I'd share with you ormaybe your brother recently,
that when I first startedattending I would have been
preschool age, sopre-kindergarten, so like I
would have been three or fouryears old, and, uh, my sunday
(31:44):
school teacher was barb oda andI I still remember going back to
the small little room which wasprobably maybe at one time had
been a bedroom or something inthat house, and uh, going back
there and her husband, um, uh,coming, uh, coming in and
checking on us and taking a tentseeing how many kids were there
and uh, so, uh, jim, jim, anduh, so, anyway, that was my, you
(32:10):
know, my, my mother had come toChrist, uh, in that time and
she just started bringing me andmy sister the church every
Sunday and on all the differentservices back in the day that
you could possibly have, she wasthere, and so, yeah, I remember
that quite a bit and I rememberthere would be stories about
(32:34):
your dad starting that churchand it was.
You know, I guess it would havebeen your dad, your mom, you and
your brothers and maybe thatwas all that was there the first
couple of times, but then youhad some different people start
coming and then it just grewfrom there.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Yeah, actually the first service, there were 10
people.
The other five was the realtorthat had sold him the house
their last names were van zandt,I believe philip van zandt okay
was his name.
They had two girls and a boy, uh, and they came the first
service but we went for a yearwithout anybody really coming.
(33:17):
And my dad you'll rememberthese names, yeah, probably,
when I give them, but my dad wasso discouraged he had a church
in virginia.
Call him and say we want you tocome, as our pastor or to
candidate said, but we knowyou'll get it.
We're a church of 400, so hedecided to leave.
(33:38):
We're a church of 400.
So he decided to leave.
And Alex and Elsie Baker Iremember hearing those names and
called them and they were goingto come with another family on
Wednesday night.
He said I won't be here andthey said, no, you're going to
be there because we're coming.
(33:59):
He said, no, I've decided toleave and take a church in
Virginia.
And they said, no, you're goingto be there tonight and we're
going to be there for theservice.
And he said, well, I'm going toshow up then just to meet you.
You're way too bold for me, andthe rest is history.
(34:19):
They came, you, you're way toobold for me, and the rest is
history.
They came.
They were wonderful christians.
Um, trying to think the otherfit, I just had it.
But, uh, they became the firsttwo families and they got
involved and then it started togrow and, uh, god really began
to bless it.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
So that was on Sheridan Street and then
eventually the church.
I believe the story goes thatsomeone had donated some
property to the church out thereoff of US 38, where it splits
off 35 and 38.
Another one of those things,big things that happened were
(35:01):
all of a sudden, I guess,property came.
You know this donation, a greatgift was given and and it was
decided to build out there.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
You can share a little bit about how that
happened.
Yeah, I sure can.
Actually, and I know he won'tmind me mentioning, but Tim
Cummings offered the property.
Okay, I'm not going to mentionit, but Tim Cummings offered the
property, okay, and you know.
So Dad and the people atHillcrest who were there then,
you know, decided that's wherewe'll move to, and there were
(35:34):
initially 80 acres.
That was what was given and youknow they built primarily.
The men of the church and ofcourse the cummings family were
builders, yes, and were a greathelp at that time.
Uh, other men of the churchwould help, they would hire,
done what they couldn't do, butmost of it they did.
(35:56):
And that building was movedinto in January of 72.
And then in 73, theyexperienced the first time going
over the attendance of 1,000.
And so those were periods ofincredible growth.
(36:20):
And so those were periods ofincredible growth.
A lot of young men saved,called into ministry, just like
Dad, and it was a time of greatblessing for Hillcrest.
Speaker 1 (36:32):
I may miss some of the things that happened once he
moved out there, but I mean aChristian school was formed, a
Bible institute was formedcorrect.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Yes, the Christian school was started in 1973.
And then the Bible institutewas started in 74.
Speaker 1 (36:55):
And that was to raise up, maybe men and women and
teaching them of the scripture,or raising up men who would
maybe go into ministry.
I think some women attendedthat too, didn't they, or not?
Speaker 2 (37:10):
Yes, it was a program designed for men and women.
You know what Dad found was.
You know there's a principlethat says one kind brings
another kind.
Just like it, because of Dad'sconversion at the age of 29, he
(37:31):
had a lot of young couples,especially young men, and had a
desire to go into the ministryand he was sending them off to
seminaries.
But I think in some cases thereis a scriptural principle about
mentoring and training your own.
All the education we can get isneeded and necessary.
(37:56):
I have my PhD with a doctoratein theology, so I'm a believer
in education.
But Dad started training someof them there at Hillcrest
hands-on experience, and I thinkthat was his heart's desire.
And out of that church some ofthem are with the Lord.
(38:19):
But before our 50th anniversaryhe wrote down the names of 72
people that were either inministry, mission work,
full-time or, like someone youinterviewed, donna Girdley, who
was a Christian school teacherall those years and used her
incredible gifts to touch a lotof lives.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
Right, I mean at one time I they still.
I think they still have somebuses that they pick up kids to
this day.
But I mean there was a time Irecall there was a I mean, and
that's, that's hard work.
I mean they had double digitbuses they had over.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
I think I don 13.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
Yeah, 13 buses going out in the community picking up
people, taking them to Sundayschool or worship.
And I remember I spent sometime in high school working on
one of those routes and we'd goout on Saturday mornings
knocking on doors down on thenorth side of this town and see
if people wanted to go to churchon Sunday.
Then we'd drive in the morningand go knock on the door and
(39:22):
some of them had to be woke upand they'd get their clothes on
real quick or some.
Some will be waiting and somewere parents just wanted to kind
of some some free babysittingfor a couple of hours, you know.
But yeah, I mean it was a hugeand there was different people
that worked that ministry.
I think name I that I think ofit was involved in a bus
(39:43):
ministry big time was bobflannery.
I think that was a name that waswas a big in that, in that part
, and then I mean but then you,we was, there was even a
ministry out there printingbibles, right?
Speaker 2 (39:55):
yes, yeah, they had a printing shop to print bibles,
uh called bearing precious seed,and they would print bibles and
send them out to missionaries.
And you know, it's a fact thatyou put a bible in someone's
hand, it'll be read in a thirdworld country.
(40:15):
It'll be read by sevendifferent people.
So dad saw that as a way to getthe gospel out, and what better
way to do it than through theword of God?
Speaker 1 (40:24):
But these are just certain things that I just don't
think people maybe know aboutthat ministry out at Hillcrest,
all the different things thathappened over the years and how
they touched people's lives indifferent ways, just by
providing a Bible or bringing upleaders to go out and start
other churches and grow otherministries, and then for the
(40:47):
period of Christian school andthe relationships that came out
of there, and it's just so much.
It's just really kind ofoverwhelming to try to cover it
all really.
Speaker 2 (40:59):
I mean well, when dad died, I got 962 text and I
counted him up from over 30states, you know, because his
life, his ministry, had animpact.
I got a email.
(41:21):
I got a lot of emails, but Igot an email and I asked her if
I could use it.
I always wondered what hadhappened to her.
Her name was Meg Ladd and shedated a guy and I knew it was
somewhat of an abusiverelationship and all of a sudden
(41:45):
she disappeared.
She and I never knew whathappened to her.
I had just arrived the Sunday.
She walked forward.
Dad had actually preached andSusan and I did some mentoring
work with her, but then she wasgone.
She wrote me I hadn't heard fromher since, probably 2002.
(42:06):
And she said I had to get awayfrom this relationship.
And she gave me some incrediblethings that that dad's ministry
meant to her and how it hadchanged her life through the
Lord.
And then I emailed her back andsaid give me a thumb sketch of
(42:27):
what you've done.
And she emailed me back and shesaid I got married to a
wonderful guy, I got three kids.
And she said I live in anincredible home.
She said God gave me anincredible job.
I managed an incredible bank inNew York City.
And she said my kids are grownnow.
(42:51):
She said they're out of thehome.
And she said God has blessed us.
And she said it goes back tothat time.
And she said one of the thingsyour dad told me.
She said he said to me you'vegot to get out of this
relationship, meg.
You should not allow somebodyto do what is being done to you.
(43:13):
And she said I may not havedone it right, but the only way
I knew how to do it was to takeoff.
But she said, and we had noidea, I may not have done it
right, but the only way I knewhow to do it was to take off.
But she said and we had no idea.
And you know, I think this isgoing to be true even in all of
our lives.
When God unfolds for useternity, we're going to see a
(43:35):
lot of people we had no idea wehad an influence on.
Yeah, that we did.
And he had an incredibleinfluence on on a lot of people.
At his funeral, there were overa hundred pastors there, a lot
of them Hillcrest guys.
Here's another statistic thatis pretty amazing.
As far as dad's ministry Imentioned, there were 72 people
(43:59):
in full-time service In 2018,before the pandemic.
I polled every church that waspastored or they had an
assistant pastor that was out ofHillcrest, whose roots go back
to Hillcrest.
Wow, on Easter Sunday 2050, thetotal attendance of all those
(44:22):
churches was 50,000 people.
Now, there were some bigchurches in there, you know, and
some of dad's grandkids were onstaff of big churches and then
so, but 50,000 people whoseroots go back to Hillcrest.
(44:45):
God really blessed Dad'sministry at Hillcrest all those
years.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
I think it's to some people.
I guess it wouldn't be a shock,but it is kind of amazing that
you know your parents had threeboys and all three of you ended
up being in ministry and havingchurches of your own.
I mean, that's A pretty uniquestory in and of itself, I think,
because it's not a given thatsomething like that happens, and
(45:13):
sometimes children totallyreject what their parents do and
go in a totally differentdirection.
Speaker 2 (45:19):
Well, mike, I tell people this.
I tell people mom and dad neverpushed us into the ministry,
but they never did anything thatcaused us to not want to be
there.
Right, they lived their life ina way that we respected that
and my dad always said to MikeMatt and I he said the people
(45:40):
that respect you the most shouldbe the ones that know you the
best.
And that's true.
And the other thing somebodysaid to him one time.
They said uh, pastor holman,how is it that you got uh three
boys that you put into theministry?
He said, oh, I didn't put himin the ministry.
(46:00):
He said my job was to make menout of them.
It was god's job to put himinto the ministry and there's a
lot of truth to that as well.
And the tough one was myyoungest brother.
The challenge was there.
But, yeah, I started theseminary and Mike started the
(46:21):
seminary and Matt went to Biblecollege first, but not for
ministry.
But God used him as well in anincredible way.
Speaker 1 (46:30):
Yeah, I how, how was it growing up?
You know, the time that you'rehere in richmond and three
brothers, I mean, where did youguys kind of live and and what
was it like growing up in thecommunity?
But I mean, matt was a littlebit younger than you and you and
mike, so was he always kind ofa little bit younger than you
and Mike, so was he always kindof a little bit of an outlier,
(46:52):
since he was so much younger hewas somebody that Mike and I
picked on.
Speaker 2 (47:00):
But anyway, yeah, matt was in first grade, started
at Star School.
You know Mike was in sixthgrade and he started at or
seventh grade or sixth grade,had he been at test maybe I was
at test in seventh grade.
Then you remember it wasseventh, eighth and ninth grade.
Yeah okay, and I think Mike wasat start too, because he was in
(47:23):
the sixth grade and one of thethings my parents did, you know,
we had Sunday morning, sundaynight, wednesday night, I mean,
and if they could create moreservices they would have, and we
went, whether there was anybodythere or not, but what they
would do is Sunday night when weget home, they'd get us all
(47:44):
together.
Listen, you know we are doingsomething nobody else is doing.
You know we're the davycrockett of church planning that
kind of thing, yeah, and theymade us a part of it.
I think us cleaning thebuilding was, hey, we were part
of it.
We took the offering.
You know, we did some otherthings and we were part of what
(48:05):
we were doing.
We were doing what nobody elsewas doing, so they included that
.
Speaker 1 (48:11):
they include us in it , yeah I'm sure your parents
would, would say that that theymade mistakes along the way and
raising their kids like anyparents would, but but they
obviously had set a greatfoundation for all your brothers
.
To you know and and sometimesI'm sure it's it's hard to you
(48:34):
know, knowing a time maybe thatyou came to a knowledge of
christ as your savior.
You know, making a thatconversion when you're just
around it 24, 7, I mean, do you?
I mean I'm sure there's amoment in your time that you can
, that you look to, but whenyou're around it 24 seven, I
mean, do you?
I mean I'm sure there's amoment in your time that you can
, that you look to, but whenyou're around it all the time,
(48:54):
I'm sure it's, it's different.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (48:56):
Well, I think the key is that, you know, I had to
have faith in my own, just likeyou had to have faith in your
own.
You know, I could be encouragedby my dad's faith.
I just couldn't have his faith,yeah.
So there had to come a point inmy life.
And though I was saved as achild, I really believe that the
(49:19):
point of surrender in my lifecame in 68.
Cause, though I wasn'trebelling on the outside yet I
would have gone that way.
Cause I was rebelling on theoutside yet I would have gone
that way because I was rebellingon the inside.
I just was pretty passive anddidn't share it.
So that had to be the time Icame to really surrender and say
(49:44):
Lord, you know, and no longerwas it, I'm going to do what Dad
wants, I'm going to do what theLord wants.
Speaker 1 (49:50):
So there has to come that moment or it doesn't work.
There was a point where yourdad decided to leave Hillcrest.
I think it was in the late 80sand I'm sure that was a hard
decision.
It started at a Christianschool in the mid seventies and
(50:13):
kind of closed it down in in inthe late eighties, I believe, or
mid you know.
I think the school was aroundfor about maybe a dozen years or
so and and I I went a total ofabout uh six and a half years
there, and do you remember much?
I mean, I think that the school, there's a lot of wonderful
(50:38):
things about it, but it was kindof a drain on the church,
wasn't it a little bit?
Speaker 2 (50:45):
I don't mean that in a negative way but it was a
financial, it was a challenge.
It was a financial drain yeah,it was, and you know so many.
At that point a lot of churcheswere starting Christian schools
and so people did it andprobably didn't give any thought
(51:09):
to the cost.
And there was an incrediblecost, especially when you get
into the high school level, andso the finances were just
incredible and I know that itwas a drain on Dad.
(51:32):
It also came at a point wherehe wasn't seeing the results
even in the church as far aspeople coming to Christ.
You know, culture was beginningto change, culture was
beginning to change and themethods that were being used
(51:54):
probably needed to change some.
But it's a little difficultwhen you've been trained one way
.
And so an opportunity came forhim to go to Pontiac, michigan,
the church.
He was saved in the seminary andhe became the president of
(52:20):
Midwestern Baptist Seminary andso the church then became
pastored by a guy that was savedthere and called to preach
there, went to Midwestern, cameand went out east and did good
work and came back, and so Dadwas in Michigan and through a
(52:42):
series of events I think thechurch really declined declined
in its influence, declined inits influence declined in its
attendance and a couple ofpastors had come by that time
and then there was a split.
(53:04):
Some of them were meeting in theschool.
Dad had just retired and theycalled him and asked him if he'd
come back and preach while theycould get their bearings
together.
When he came back, he preachedand felt at home, yeah and uh,
and through a series of events,uh, the group that had met in
(53:26):
the school was able to come backand they asked Dad to be their
pastor.
And then there was growth againand by the time I got there
their average attendance wouldhave been around 350.
And by then the buses.
(53:47):
We still had a couple of buses,but because culture had changed
.
Speaker 1 (53:52):
Yeah, that's tough.
Speaker 2 (53:54):
That's another big try to keep buses running and
it's just tough yeah and so youknow we didn't have the buses
for attendance Not that theyused it for that, but you know
so but we continued to grow.
Dad was involved as I became alittle more progressive in some
(54:14):
areas.
Uh, we started two services.
I always appreciated about this, about that, he would come to
our second service, which wasour contemporary service.
Now he didn't like it, but healso understood.
He wasn't going to make anissue of it.
He wanted to help me.
That's where we were getting alot of people whose lives
(54:39):
changed.
The first service wastraditional, but the people in
that service had been thereforever and your friends soon
become your Christian friendsand we lose sight sometimes of
the need for evangelism and wetalk about it and know it's
important, but, uh, we lose ourcircle of friends outside the
(55:00):
church and that second service,and so by by the time that, uh,
you know, in 2018, uh, we wereprobably averaging about uh a
500 a little better.
Easter, we had 800 and dad wasstill there very much a part of
it.
You know he would.
(55:21):
He would preach occasionally hewould teach.
He was just as easy to deal with, uh, as anybody in all the
world, and I just always.
Speaker 1 (55:30):
You know your dad had such tremendous interpersonal
skills with people.
Yeah, I mean just wonderful.
And I sometimes I wonder ifthose years in the bar, having
people in the barber chair, wasa good training ground for just
having conversations with peopleand talking to people and that
was.
And maybe God used the thosebarbering years as a way to to
polish his people skills,because I think there could be
(55:53):
some truth.
I don't know if I'm correct ornot.
Speaker 2 (55:55):
No, I would say you're correct.
The skills were probablyalready there, but they were
certainly honed during that timein the barber chair.
I mean, he did have a great waywith his people person skills
yeah, I mean as barbers they canbe good counselors.
Speaker 1 (56:14):
You know, we know one , yeah, and it's been doing it
for a long time in thiscommunity and uh, yeah, you just
those conversations that youhave, you have a little
15-minute sessions with peopleand you get to know people and
when you you go back, you know,as long as the hair keeps
growing you can go in there andyou just build those
relationships with people inthat way.
(56:35):
So I felt like that was areally kind of neat career segue
for your father, that maybe Godused that in a special way for
what he in his pastoral care ofpeople down the road.
At least that would be part ofmy spin on it.
Speaker 2 (56:51):
Well, you know what he was by gift a pastor shepherd
.
Now, a lot of times, because ofhis gifts behind the pulpit he
would get invited to otherplaces and operate as a pastor
evangelist.
But there's such a need in ourchurches for pastor shepherds
(57:13):
and he filled that role.
You know, pastor shepherds,pastor teachers.
The thing I find today that'spretty difficult is when you go
into a church and it's pastoredby a pastor evangelist.
You know, I mean it tends to beshallow, but Dad had that
pastor shepherd gift.
Yeah, you know, I mean it's it.
It tends to be shallow, but dadhad that pastor shepherd gift
about him.
Speaker 1 (57:33):
Yeah, I, I, I got to experience that personally a few
times because, uh, you know, hehad the Christian school.
He kind of served as like wehad a principal, but sometimes
he was involved in in, uh,disciplinary conversations and
and there was a few times wherehe and I had a meeting for a
certain reason and, uh, that isshocking.
Speaker 2 (57:54):
And I never let.
Speaker 1 (57:55):
But I always left those encounters with him
feeling loved, yeah, yeah andand uh.
Maybe you know, giveninstructing instruction of maybe
why I was there and maybe whatbehavior I had exhibited that
got me in there.
But, um, just his way about himis, I left there feeling loved,
(58:19):
even though I was maybe introuble, I was still loved, you
know, and I appreciated thatabout your father very much well
and honestly.
Speaker 2 (58:27):
That's an important characteristic.
And you know one of the thingstalking about dad and his
influence, he had been in anursing home for five years.
They went into the nursing homeat arbor trace on may the 7th
1919.
I just told stego burn hide orI didn't know how big the
service would be because he'dbeen out of commission the
(58:48):
current church family athillcrest, for the most part
many of them didn't know him.
Well, you know there were over700 people that signed that,
that book, that funeral book,and I mean it was an incredible
uh tribute to, to that love thathe had and that kindness that
(59:10):
he demonstrated toward otherpeople.
Speaker 1 (59:13):
Yeah, I mean, uh, he married me and my wife Beth in
87.
And then we were in Muncie, uh,until 1990.
When I came back here, 1990, Iit was during a period of the
life of that church where maybewe won't say it was a low time,
but it was just a transitionaltime.
(59:36):
Yeah, it was a transitional timeand so it just didn't feel like
it did when we were there andwe had attended another church
in Muncie that was similar tothe denomination church that we
had visited here in town ChristPresbyterian Church and there
was a Westminster PresbyterianChurch in Muncie we attended and
(01:00:00):
so when we came back, they hada sister church here and we
visited there once and we neverleft, but that was, you know, uh
, 34 years ago, but still I mean, um, I've only attended two
churches my whole life and itwas Hillcrest and Christ
Presbyterian and uh, so, youknow, even though we're sitting
(01:00:22):
here talking about it, and forme it was over 30, 34 years ago,
it it's, it seems like justyesterday, you know, and just a
wonderful memories that I haveof that church and and of your
father and and just, uh, evenencounters I had with you when I
was helping uh coach basketballfor community Christian school.
(01:00:46):
We didn't have a gym and I cameout and uh, we kind of got to
reconnect a little bit, causeI'd come out there and we were
running a basketball practiceand got to talk to you and and
uh, so, uh, I really enjoyedkind of reconnecting with the
church through use of the gymfacilities out there, and how
gracious Hillcrest was to allowus to use that gym, and so it's
(01:01:10):
just been wonderful.
Speaker 2 (01:01:11):
Well, here's what I tell people, mike God works
through men and women.
Men and women.
Because of our nature we workthrough denominations and
buildings, but God works throughmen and women and God took
someone like Frank Goldman andothers.
(01:01:33):
There's been a whole lot ofothers that God has worked
through in this community, buthe was one of them and of course
they needed a building, theyneeded all that stuff.
But really God works throughmen and women and that's still
true today and if we're notcareful we get.
You know, our influence, whetherit be Christ Presbyterian or
(01:01:57):
whether it be Hillcrest, orwhether it be First Baptist,
whether it be Community of Faith, whether it be Lifespring,
isn't just in the people that weminister to in the building on
Sunday.
Think about how many peopleoutside of the Hillcrest whose
lives have been touched.
I've preached in over 20churches in Richmond.
(01:02:20):
Honestly, one church I preachedin, 50% of the people had been
at Hillcrest at one time.
Is that bad?
No, that's good.
We just you know we can'tcapture them all for a building.
We want to capture them forChrist.
And that takes them differentplaces.
(01:02:41):
And you know, I think countingnumbers is important.
I had a young pastor ask me acouple of weeks ago when I was
doing a conference.
He said I don't count myattendance anymore, he said.
He said it's too prideful.
I said do you count youroffering?
He said well, sure.
I said.
(01:03:01):
Then what you're saying is thatmoney's more important than
people?
I said we're in the peoplebusiness and the truth of the
matter is.
And dad for his two sons, threesons, two sons, and I set the
example.
You love people and people willrespond accordingly.
And that's the key.
Speaker 1 (01:03:23):
I kind of wrapped this up.
I found it really interestingthat you included in your dad's
uh obituary says his uh battlewith Alzheimer's disease in
recent years showed his strongfaith and courage in facing life
challenges with his trademarksmile and gentle spirit.
I just felt.
I felt that was uh uh.
(01:03:45):
I just liked the way that waswritten and I'm not sure kind of
totally what all that means.
But Alzheimer's is a terribledisease.
Oh it's terrible, but I likethe way that you all expressed
it in that statement there.
I don't know what.
Speaker 2 (01:04:06):
Well, here, you know, mom has not really had dad for
four years.
You know, when he went in, westarted seeing signs of
Alzheimer's in 2014.
Little by little, and thehardest two hardest things I
ever had to do in my life was totake his keys, yeah, and to
(01:04:27):
tell him it's one wise, hepreach anymore.
And I had to do both.
And then they went in to arbortrace and and uh.
Then when I got out of thehospital with covid, I was in
the hospital for 80 days withcovid.
When I out, I was stillquarantined and my brother, mike
(01:04:54):
, took over the care of my dadbecause I was in the hospital so
long, and Arbitrace called meand said your dad has
manipulated the locks.
And he got outside and said hefell at the dumpster.
This was on New Year's eve, 2020, 21.
He said we're going to have toput him in the alzheimer's unit.
(01:05:16):
And then he went downhill fast,yeah, and he didn't know any of
us, but he was gentle.
Uh, he never lost that kindnessthat he always had.
He got loud because he couldn'thear.
So he got loud.
(01:05:37):
But you know, the lastconversation I had with him was
on their 71st anniversary.
It wasn't really a conversationwas on their 71st anniversary.
It wasn't really a conversation.
I was taking him back to hisroom in his wheelchair and he
looked up at me and he said whoare you?
(01:05:58):
I said Dad, I'm Marty.
He paused, he said no, you'renot.
Marty's better looking than you.
He never lost that humor, so itwas pretty incredible.
Speaker 1 (01:06:14):
one more story about him absolutely.
Speaker 2 (01:06:18):
Uh, he had been in the alzheimer's about six months
.
The last two years he had to bein a room by himself.
He was so bad.
But the first two years he wasin the unit had his own room but
in the unit mom would go downthere every day.
She would take dad, they wouldin the in the room where they
(01:06:39):
watch tv.
They'd watch gun smoke, theywould watch wheel of fortune and
jeopardy, eat dinner and thenback to his room.
She called me up in July of 2021.
She said, marty, you're notgoing to believe this.
She said your dad didn't knowwho I was today.
She said he couldn't put threewords together.
(01:07:00):
But when I took him back to hisroom, there was a lady sitting
there that had just come intothe facility, into the
Alzheimer's unit, alzheimer'sunit, had her head buried in her
hands.
He looked up at me and he saidamy, that startled me and used
my name all day, said take me tothat woman.
(01:07:21):
Said I didn't know whether Ishould, but I did so.
I took her over him over thereand he spent the next 25 minutes
sharing the gospel with her asclearly and as articulately as
he had hundreds of times in hislife.
When he got finished, hepointed his finger at her and
(01:07:43):
said Ma'am, you need to trustChrist.
She said I would like to.
To trust christ?
She said I would like to.
He had her bower head andtogether they prayed and asked
the lord to save her.
When he said amen, he went intohis fog and never came out that
.
Speaker 1 (01:08:02):
That's an incredible thing, you know, and that was
dad and he had a great influenceon his family.
Speaker 2 (01:08:11):
He had a great influence on.
They weren't perfect, you know,but they did have a love for
others that was contagious.
Speaker 1 (01:08:20):
Well, I really appreciate you taking time and
just letting us kind of just,you know, talk about your dad
and what he meant to thiscommunity and so many people and
just share it hopefully for forpeople that follow us and
listen and watch, just to learna little bit about really a
great man of god and and who wasfaithful in his service and uh,
(01:08:43):
so I I thank you so much forthe privilege of getting to talk
about that today.
Speaker 2 (01:08:48):
Well, thank you, mike .
It's probably a good thing mybrother wasn't on here, we'd
have went two times as long.
But anyway, thanks for theopportunity, and the Allen
family and the Bain familycertainly are two special
families that we've hadfriendships with over the years,
and thank you for theopportunity.
Speaker 1 (01:09:09):
I appreciate it when you see your mother tell her
that you know when, when I madea profession of faith, I went
forward, like many of us did inthose days, and went forward and
and I went up there and yourmother came up and she went
through the scripture with me.
Speaker 2 (01:09:27):
Oh, I didn't know that.
Speaker 1 (01:09:29):
And I made a profession of faith at that time
and I was pretty young at thetime and later in life I maybe
had some doubts or whatever thatcame up.
But now that I'm 60 years oldand I look back, I know that was
the moment where I made thattrue profession of faith and
came to the knowledge of Christas my Savior.
Speaker 2 (01:09:50):
But your mother was the person that came up faith
and came to the knowledge ofChrist as my savior.
So, but your mother was aperson that came up.
She'll love to hear that.
Speaker 1 (01:09:55):
So tell when you see her, tell her.
I don't know if she rememberedthat or not but I sure remember.
Speaker 2 (01:09:59):
She remembers everything, believe me, I
remember it.
Speaker 1 (01:10:00):
So thank you, brother , appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (01:10:02):
Thank you, I appreciate the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (01:10:05):
So, on whatever platform that you are watching
or listening today, please shareand spread the word Like, share
and subscribe.
So thanks for listening andwatching the Hub today.
Michael Allen from Manpower.
We are a national brand, yetlocally owned franchise.
We are familiar with thechallenges businesses face.
(01:10:26):
It's tough recruiting andretaining qualified employees.
That's why working withManpower is a smart,
cost-effective solution.
Our entire focus is talentacquisition.
We'll manage your hiring andtraining and provide ongoing,
customized support.
Since 1966, we have been yourcommunity-invested partner,
uniquely positioned to helpeliminate the hassles and save
you time and money.
(01:10:46):
Let us help Contact Manpowertoday.
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