My Early Life
This story is about my early life,
and is dedicated to the dear souls
that use to attend the congregation at Nowata
church of Christ. A congregation which since the
time of the writing of this story has disbanded.
I spent my teen years in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, where I lived until about twenty. We went
to a small congregation in Nowata, Oklahoma, which had no real leaders, but went by the patriarch
system. Each male was given his chance at the pulpit, and if a visitor would come in they would be
given a chance at the pulpit. It was due to this churches system of government and its size that I wanted
to be an evangelist.
My hours would be spent outlining the Bible, and writing letters to evangelist. I would get
letters back telling me to "go to college so if it didn't work out I would still have a vocation to fall back
on." Yet I would get others telling me to "move and put my membership under an eldership so they
could watch me and write me a letter when I was ready." All the while I'd be keeping my spirit fed by
going to Dewey Church of Christ for there youth group. I would also feed my spirit by going to Bible
Meetings at Kansas City, Missouri, or Des Moines, Iowa.
I did eventually go to college (not one of my choosing) at OCC (now OCUSA) for a short
time. It was in the Sumer of 1988 when Brother Tom Woody took me under his wing with him for a
short period of time, and Brother Louis Garbi following him. I first went with Brother Tom Woody to
Alton, Illinois, where we spent a day at a VBS. After which, we spent time working with Tom in
Southern Indiana. Where we visited the shut in south of Martinsville, and outside of Bloomfield.
From that time, we went to Bloomfield, Indiana, where we held a meeting. I spoke maybe
fifteen minutes, after which time Tom took over and spoke the rest of the time. I only took twenty
dollars for the work I did. I did that due to the fact that my mother told me that if I ever had the chance
to speak professionally to not charge the small congregations. To me Bloomfield was a small
congregation. I was still young what did I know? All I knew is that Nowata would only pay a
preacher twenty dollars. Therefore, I would not be greedy, and would only take the same amount.
Tom Woody would later tell me that they (other men in the brotherhood) would help me become a
paid preacher, but I would have to work out being an evangelist myself.
I would later on come to Eldon, Missouri, where Brother Louis Garbi would take over my
training. I was used to having things planned for me with Tom Woody, but with Louis Garbi I would
have free time. With the exception of the time that he, Brother John Morris, and I went to ST Joseph,
Missouri, to do some work there. I recall waking up at the pulpit while brother Garbi and Brother
Moris slept in classrooms. I did not take a room with a bed saying something along the lines of "foxes
have holes, and birds of the air have nest..."(Matt 8:20) They left me as I began to sleep on the pews,
but ended up waking up at the pulpit.
Today I am back at a congregation I started out at and as many congregations are, they
are dwindling away having only one elder. It bothers me since that kind of development drove me into
the ministry to begin with. I was not very successful at it, because I don't drive, and did not go into it
due to the fact that I care for the souls of men. Instead, I wanted to go into the ministry because I was
more concerned about building up congregations, and placing leaders where they are needed.
Paul D. Eccles
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