MY STORY (Part One)

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

My Family

One of seven children, my father was a carpenter by trade and my mother was a homemaker. My dad had known about the Christian faith, but was not a believer. We grew up in a very dysfunctional family with many problems that were created by my father’s abuse of alcohol. Mother was raised as a Christian, and was the backbone of the family. When we were very young, she saw to it that we went to Sunday school.

I first gave my heart to the Lord when I was around 12 years of age. I had joined a Boy Scout troop and the leader was a pastor of a Friends Church. When I was 14 years of age, Mom and Dad divorced, ending a tumultuous relationship and bringing peace to our home for the first time in many years. I was the oldest child at home at that time, and so I became the head of the family, so to speak, since there were three younger children than me.

At age 19, I recommitted my heart to the Lord and received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. It was then I began to get serious about this Christian walk.

When I was 21, I met and married the love of my life, Milbre Mock. We were married 47 years September 17, 2007. In 1965, our first son, Kevin Britt, was born. In 1967, our second son, Russell Vaughn was born. Kevin and his wife Pam are serving in music ministry with The Pentecostals of Alexandria, in Louisiana. Vaughn and his wife Josie, and our three wonderful grandkids, Christina, Donnie, and Aleesha, live in San Angelo, Texas. He is a 22 year, career, non-commissioned officer in the United States Air Force and is serving the Lord in ministry as well as our country.

My Calling.

Vietnam came and I had a choice. After counseling with my Pastor, I decided to opt for a deferment for ministerial study and in 1962, Milbre and I went off to Bible College in California. After two years, we moved back to Houston (Texas) and I finished my last year at a College there.

In March 1965, I was licensed to preach. I soon began commuting 400 miles on weekends to plant a church in Del Rio, Texas. In 1966, I was ordained to the Christian ministry. Kevin was born in May, 1965, and we moved to Del Rio in June. We spent three years there and in 1968, accepted the call to pastor Calvary Pentecostal Church, in Fort Worth. We were privileged to pastor that great church for seven years.

In 1975, I resigned the pastorate in Fort Worth, having served in the District as District Foreign Missions director, and served for a time as a District Presbyter. We moved to St. Louis and I accepted a position with the Radio Division of a large Pentecostal Denomination, as Secretary and spent the next two years promoting the Gospel through radio.

In 1977, we moved to Seattle, Washington, and accepted the pastorate of a small church in the Greenwood area. We later sold the property and the congregation bought property north of Seattle, in Lynnwood. This was a loving, caring, congregation that we were privileged to pastor until 1984, when I began to experience serious problems.

Tomorrow: My Story (Part Two) Burnout!