Brother George – Taylor recollections
[view the printable version of this article]
Jill has done the home work and presented the data of Eugene George’s background. I will take over now with personal memories. When I came to serve Grace BFC in Wallingford, the George’s were members and I spent time with them in their home in Claymont DE. By the way, everyone called him Brother George, never Eugene or Mister George. I spent many a happy hour with them in their living room. Unfortunately, I did not ask a lot of questions. Often, after someone is gone, we think of all the things we should have asked but did not.
I did know of his ministry in the Gospel Heralds. A number of men who served in the Gospel Heralds later were ordained and served as pastors. Brother George was not one of them. He served but as noted later became a salesman. His wife Catherine was a plain looking woman but she was anything but plain. My memory recalls a brilliant woman. She was an early graduate of what is now Messiah University. She was one of the first teachers at The Christian Academy which is an important Christian school in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
He felt a call to ministry and approached W. G. Gehman who was in charge of the Gospel Heralds. When a man believed he had a call, Gehman would find a place and give opportunity. Not all of those who served would continue in ministry. Brother George did for a time.
His ministry was best remembered for his work in Lebanon and Chester. What is significant is the human legacy he left. The Herb family, who have had a significant place in the Lebanon Church, came to Christ under the ministry of Brother George.
His legacy in Chester was significant. Many of those who had heard the Gospel spoke of his role and impact on their lives. He came with the team of Heralds to Chester sometime during 1924. They settled finally in a home at Seventh and Butler which later after extensive renovation became the church facility. Significant was the fact that across the street was a vacant lot. That lot was the location of football and baseball games. Brother George was there to initiate the activity and form bonds with the young men. Another often shared memory was the Sunday night trips in his car. I don’t what the car was but apparently it was big enough to pack in a good number of enthusiastic children for a journey to a food treat. These trips were still a source of joy in memory over 50 years later.
Brother George apparently had a ministry that brought deep impact. I know of at least five of those young men who played in the lot across the street who entered the ministry. The Kirkwood brothers, C. E. and Donald, R. C. Reichenbach and another man whose name I do not recall were all called to serve. Later, William Keeley, another of the young men of those early days, served as a pastor in another denomination after a short time in the Heralds. The Kirkwoods and R. C. Reichenbach were part of the leadership of the Bible Fellowship Church.
I have an unforgettable memory connected to Brother George. I was called to the hospital where he was taken with a life threatening sickness which eventuated in his death a few days later. He was laying on a gurney in an emergency room when I found him. His eyes were closed but he was conscious and communicating. We talked He knew his sickness was serious. I did, as I often did, read from John 14:1-6. I finished reading but before I could pray, he quoted the rest of the chapter. I was almost hesitant to pray. As you can tell, I have never forgotten that moment.
I conducted both funerals for him. One was held in Delaware County and the other near his birthplace.
Brother George lives on in my memory as he did in many whose lives were affected by him.
Dick Taylor
More Resources
A Brief Biography of Eugene George by Jill Davidson