Some Things I Remember about Brother Wood

Some Things I Remember about Brother Wood
by Jack Nazary

(From Aunt Nell's book- "The Ups and Downs of our Lives" by Ora Rachel Gregg Wood and William Henry Wood)

Not long after Estelle and I met, I learned that she loved her dad very dearly. Then after I was around him, I learned something of his devotion to our Lord and his desire to serve and glorify Him. And I came to love, trust, and appreciate him, too!

Soon after (just days), I returned from overseas duty in the infantry at the close of World War II, I became convinced of God's call upon my life to preach His word. Estelle and I were in one of the rooms away from the family. She and I talked, shared, and prayed about God's calling me to the ministry. I asked her to get her dad to come and pray with us.

There, that night in the parsonage at Hephzibah Baptist Church, I came to know God's will concerning my life's work, and I have never doubted it since. God made His will so plain to me ant that conviction has stayed with me these fifty-one plus years.

After Estelle and I met at Clarke College and her dad learned of my sensing God's call into the ministry, he invited me to come and preach in one of his churches. I really did not know for sure that was what I should do, but I accepted the invitation to his church to preach on Sunday morning. Apparently, the church did not know that he was expecting me to speak, but when he went to the pulpit, among other things, he told the people what a great preacher I was going to be in the future.

Upon reaching the pulpit and reading some Scripture, I spoke - Yes - and what a message it was! I spoke for a least five or ten minutes and told a joke that fell flat. I wanted to run or fall through the floor.

I decided that day that I would never attempt to bring a message again until I knew for sure I had a call from God to preach His word. I stuck to that too!

Almost four years later, as mentioned, I became convinced and assured of His call. Brother Wood believed in me, encouraged me, and asked me to preach in both of his churches that week -- Hephzibah and Oakvale. I don't know what I preached about, but I did have the assurance that I'd been called and sent! I'm grateful to God that Brother Wood trusted me again (after I'd failed so miserably previously) and asked me to preach in both churches.

When I was called to pastor the Chapel Hill Baptist Church a few weeks later and was needing to be ordained, I asked Brother Wood to preach my ordination sermon. He graciously did the job and did it well!

Through the years until his death, we had a good fellowship together. Prior to his death, he asked if I would see that the arrangements for his funeral, which were made by him, were carried out. I assured him that I would. He had the place of burial, the preacher - Brother Compere, the songs to be sung - all written down and I followed his instructions.

Brother Wood was to help me in a revival at Calvary Baptist Church west of McComb, Mississippi, but was unable to come because of sickness. A few weeks later, God called him home.

Estelle grieved so very much upon his departure, but about two weeks after his death, she shared with me these words, "I miss him so very much, but I would not call him back if I could. He's out of his suffering and with the Lord. It would be selfish for me to want him back suffering as he did." Yes, he was at home with the Lord.

Brother Wood was a good man, a good husband and father, a lover of his wife and children, a committed Christian, a faithful servant of the Lord, and a loyal, devoted, endowed preacher of the Word.