Garlon Pemberton, remembered



Jon Rising · The Good Samaritan

DIXIE CAMP MEETING - (from l to r) Modest Pemberton, Wayne Pemberton, M. D. "Mom" Beall, Garlon Pemberton

Garlon Pemberton was one of the most vibrant and unforgettable people involved in the Latter Rain Movement of 1948. When the movement started, he and his brothers Wayne and Modest were among the earliest ministers in the U. S. to fully embrace it.

They sponsored the Dixie Camp Meeting in 1951 that did much to spread the blessing and teachings of the young LRM. According to Dennis McClendon in the July 1, 1951 edition of the Houston Post:

"During the meetings that closed June 17, more than 400 ministers were in attendance. Missionary leaders came from every continent of the globe. Countries represented by delegates included Liberia, India, Canada, China, Australia, Peru and England, the Rev. Mr. [Modest] Pemberton said. The average nightly attendance under the oversized tents exceeded 2,000 persons. There were representatives from every state in the Union - more than 30,000 in all [a cumulative attendance figure for the two-week camp meeting]. 'We had made big plans but the Lord made them even bigger,' the minister said."

McClendon also wrote the following about the Pembertons and their wives:

"Three brothers, natives of Cameron, Texas, are at the energetic core of the World Wide Revival 

Garlon & Modest

[Corporation]. The Reverend Modest S. Pemberton, who studied for several years to be a skin specialist, is assisted by an older brother, Wayne C. Pemberton, who had previously been in the oil leasing business.

"A younger brother, the Rev. Garlon L. Pemberton, completes the trio and holds the presidency of the World Wide Revival Corporation. He is a preacher of 12 years, who was once an amateur prize fighter and church-building contractor.

"The ministers are assisted by their wives in all phases of religious activity. Mrs. M. S. Pemberton directs musical programs, Mrs. W. C. Pemberton teaches Sunday school and Mrs. G. L. Pemberton plays the organ."

M. D. "Mom" Beall preached at the camp meeting, and the Pembertons gave this account in the August 1951 issue of the Latter Rain Evangel:

"Sister Beall of Bethesda Temple of Detroit was the principal speaker, speaking each evening at 7:45 P.M. Only God knows just what was accomplished in the meetings. The whole city of Houston was stirred, and people from all over the States, India, Australia, Africa, etc. were here for this glorious time of fellowship with God's people.....

"On Thursday the 14th of June, we saw something we had never seen in our Christian life before. Sister Beall had preached on 'A Lamb for an House,' and we saw approximately 400 men not counting the women and children, who were kneeling on the ground in the sawdust and shavings, weeping and pouring out their hearts to God. We are so sorry we did not have a picture made of this scene. People were healed, filled and delivered throughout the whole meeting. We shall never know until eternity just what was accomplished."

Garlon Pemberton remained close friends with Mom Beall for the rest of her life. In fact, he was one of the speakers at her memorial service in September 1977 (click here to hear Garlon's remarks; first, though, he is introduced by Mom Beall's eldest son, James Lee Beall). Her respect for Garlon was evident in a two-minute portion of one her sermons that can be heard be clicking here.

According to his funeral home obituary, during his 65-year ministry Garlon "started and pastored thirteen churches in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi."

The among the myriad people Brother Pemberton ministered to was the famous pastor, Anne Gimenez. She and her husband, the late John Gimenez, are best known for pastoring Rock Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia, but they also were among the leaders of the massive Washington for Jesus rally in April 1980.

In her autobiography, Born to Preach, Anne relates how Garlon prophesied about her call to minister was she was a teen in Texas. She writes,

"Although the 'presbyters' did not know me, I was called to the altar and Pastor Pemberton began to prophesy over me. The prophetic words were stunningly accurate, reflecting the deepest desires of my heart. 

"'Yea, My child…thou art a chosen vessel, chosen all the days of thy life. Thou art a peculiar treasure, even in thy home thou art noted as such... 

"'The Lord has reserved thee for this last revival…He has poured out His Spirit mightily on thee. Thou were chosen as a little girl, yea chosen all thy life… 

"'The Lord doth lead thee and go before thee. Thou shalt walk in His footsteps and hear Him say, ‘This is the way. Walk ye therein…'". 

Later in life he served as an associate pastor at Word of Faith Temple in New Orleans, Louisiana. That church was pastored by Charles E. Green. New York Times best-selling author Peter Jenkins attended that church for awhile and one chapter of his  now out-of-print book The Road Unseen creates a representative 'snapshot' of the church and Garlon. Here is just a part of that chapter:

"We pulled into the parking lot of the Word of Faith, our church. The building was built out of cinderblocks painted white and the sanctuary was eight-sided. We'd heard our pastor, Reverend Charles Green, say many times that God had told him to buy the five acres the church was on when it was nothing but a dirt road and a swamp. Now it was some of the most valuable real estate in the entire city.

"Word of Faith was located about a half mile off the interstate right next to a sprawling shopping center called Lake Forest Mall and the Methodist Hospital. The Sunday night crowd was always smaller than Sunday morning's but usually there were at least six hundred folks at this service. Although it was a thirty-five mile drive one way, we felt it was more than worth it. We never left a service in which we hadn't been inspired by God and His Word....


Garlon

"I opened the door for Barbara and Rebekah and also held it for Garlon Pemberton. Garlon, an associate pastor, had grown up tough in Texas. The man had a square build, and his muscles and voice were filled with power. Before becoming a preacher he'd been a boxer, and he was so full of energy he could have sold the excess to the power company. Garlon was loved by everyone and must have been in his early sixties - although no one ever thought about how old he was."

Though Charles Green knew countless ministers, he unequivocally asserted, "No one knew the Bible better than Garlon did. No matter what subject came up he could refer you to several Scriptures by memory."

Garlon died at the age of 91 in July 2008, but his effervescent personality and blessed ministry are not forgotten (for instance, churches still sing his song, "Abraham's Blessings are Mine").

[UPDATE October 6, 2014 - His wife Marie 'Honey' Pemberton died on October 3 and her memorial service will be held tomorrow, October 7. Charles Green will officiate the service. Her funeral home obituary can be read here and she can be seen below in a one-minute video that was recorded a few years ago.]

(from l to r) James Lee Beall with Garlon & Marie Pemberton (This photo is the property of Cyndy Green Crider.) 

Garlon and JLB in Lansing 1952 · Sat, Jun 28, 1952 – Page 9 · Lansing State Journal (Lansing, Michigan) · Newspapers.com
Garlon Pemberton with the Bealls (Jan 1956) 19 Jan 1956, Thu Sun Herald (Biloxi, Mississippi) Newspapers.com Charles Green and Garlon Pemberton 1981 · Fri, Mar 20, 1981 – Page 10 · The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana) · Newspapers.com
Anne Gimenez and Garlon Pemberton (1978) 05 May 1978, Fri Johnson City Press (Johnson City, Tennessee) Newspapers.com

Latter Rain songs

[The audio recording above, captured live at Elim Bible Institute in 1967, is representative of Latter Rain praise & worship in the 1960s. Among the songs, prophecies, and spontaneous worship, listeners will hear three of the songs mentioned in the article below - two by James Lee Beall, and the one by Modest Pemberton.]

In addition to distinctive teachings and practices, the Latter Rain Movement also developed its own collection of songs.

First there was the publication of James and Phyllis Spiers' songbook, Spiritual Songs by the Spiers in November 1949. The Library of Congress catalogue of copyright entries (January - June 1950 edition for published music) says that this songbook contains, "many new latter rain choruses by Phyllis C. Spiers."

Phyllis wrote the very popular Latter Rain song, He's the Lord of Glory, which can be heard at this link. She and James were from Winnipeg and ministered with the Hawtin brothers and others from the site of the Latter Rain's initial outbreak in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. They would later go on to be affiliated with both Elim Bible Institute in Lima, New York and radio evangelist Thomas Wyatt.

Also in the fall of 1949, a convention at Elim saw a development in Latter Rain music that ran parallel with the Spiers' efforts. Marian Meloon writes,

This convention also marked the beginning of Psalm-singing as we know it today, through the ministry of a blind sister on Elim's staff - Rita Kelligan. This gift developed over succeeding months and years, giving us the rich heritage that forms part of the charismatic renewal worship today [in Ivan Spencer, Willow in the Wind: A Spiritual Pilgrimmage, Logos International, 1974. Kelligan's 1952 book, Scripture Set to Music (Elim Bible Institute) is still available for purchase]. 

Other songs by people involved in the Latter Rain revival include: Edie Iverson's The Lord Reigneth and Thanks Be To God; James Lee Beall's It Shall Flow Like a River and Let the Oppressed Go Free; Eleanor Stern's Fresh Oil from the Throne; Charlotte Baker's Set My Spirit Free; and Garlon Pemberton's Abraham's Blessings are Mine. These are but a few of the songs birthed in the Latter Rain revival.

Below is the sheet music for two more Latter Rain songs. The May 1953 edition of Bethesda Missionary Temple's Latter Rain Evangel said, "These songs were given to us by the Lord during the Convention that is still in progress."

River of God is attributed to James Lee Beall and Frieda Campbell, whereas Sing, O, Barren, Sing! is attributed to Modest Pemberton with Frieda Campbell credited for the arrangement.



BETHESDA MISSIONARY TEMPLE trio - Frieda Campbell, James Lee Beall, Betty Treas

SPIERS Rochester paper July 23, 1955 Sat, Jul 23, 1955 – Page 4 · Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York) · Newspapers.com