'The Hub' with Michael Allen sponsored by Manpower Richmond
Welcome to "The Hub with Michael Allen," the podcast that dives deep into the stories of community leaders and business owners who are making a difference. Join your host, Michael Allen, as he uncovers the untold narratives, challenges, and triumphs of those shaping their communities.
In each episode, Michael sits down with remarkable individuals who have dedicated their lives to improving their neighborhoods, towns, and cities. These community leaders are passionate, driven, and committed to creating positive change. Whether they are activists, educators, philanthropists, or civic officials, they all share a common goal: to build stronger, more vibrant communities.
"The Hub" also showcases the journeys of business owners who have turned their dreams into reality. From small-scale startups to well-established enterprises, these entrepreneurs share their insights, experiences, and lessons learned along the way. Michael delves into the unique challenges they face, the strategies they employ, and the impact their businesses have on the local economy and society at large.
With engaging conversations and thought-provoking discussions, "The Hub with Michael Allen" provides listeners with valuable takeaways, inspiration, and actionable ideas. Each episode offers a glimpse into the minds and hearts of those who are actively shaping the fabric of their communities, providing a roadmap for listeners who want to make a difference in their own lives and surroundings.
Tune in to "The Hub with Michael Allen" and join the conversation as we explore the stories of community leaders and business owners who are leaving an indelible mark on the world around them. Get ready to be inspired, motivated, and empowered to take action. Together, we can create a better tomorrow for everyone.
Sponsored by Manpower Richmond.
'The Hub' with Michael Allen sponsored by Manpower Richmond
Ep. 19 | Faith and Legacy: Marty Holman's Journey from Early Ministry to Hillcrest's Global Impact with Host Michael Allen
Step into the remarkable world of Marty Holman as he takes us on an emotional journey through faith, family, and a lasting legacy. Inspired by his father, Frank Holman, the founder of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Richmond, Indiana, Marty shares how a lifetime of ministry was born from his early days delivering newspapers and cleaning the church at just 13. A pivotal turning point occurred at 17 with his grandfather's passing, igniting a powerful call to ministry despite initial plans for a business career. Listen as Marty recounts heartfelt stories of lives transformed through his impactful ministry work with his wife, Susan.
Explore the significant growth of Hillcrest Church, a testament to Frank Holman's enduring mission. From its humble beginnings to a thriving community hub with a Christian school and Bible institute, Hillcrest's influence extends far beyond Richmond, reaching communities around the world. With anecdotes about church planting, overcoming challenges, and evolving services to meet diverse needs, this episode paints a vivid picture of a church that has flourished through dedication and faith. Discover how pivotal families and passionate members, like the Bakers and Cummings, played a crucial role in the church's expansion and outreach efforts.
Marty's story is also one of personal triumph and familial bonds, where all three Holman sons pursued ministry paths shaped by their unique upbringing. Reflect on the profound impact Marty had on countless lives, highlighted by the attendance of over a hundred pastors at his father's funeral. Through personal anecdotes, we touch upon the importance of relationships and community, emphasizing that the true essence of ministry lies in nurturing people with love and support. Join us for an inspiring discussion about faith, resilience, and the enduring power of a family's commitment to guiding others on their spiritual journey.
Michael Allen from Manpower. We are a national brand yet locally owned franchise. We are familiar with the challenges businesses face. It's tough recruiting and retaining qualified employees. That's why working with Manpower is a smart, cost-effective solution. Our entire focus is talent acquisition. We'll manage your hiring and training and provide ongoing, customized support. Since 1966, we have been your community-invested partner, uniquely positioned to help eliminate the hassles and save you time and money. Let us help contact Manpower today.
Speaker 1:Hello and welcome to the Hub powered by Manpower of Richmond, portland and Newcastle. And I am your host, michael Allen. And here on the Hub we interview local businesses, community partners and various special guests, and our mission is just to share and spotlight some unique and untold stories of companies, organizations and people who. Frank Holman of Richmond went peacefully into the presence of his Lord, surrounded by family and friends. In 1964, frank moved his family to Richmond, indiana, and founded the Hillcrest Baptist Church. The very first service for Hillcrest was held March 6, 1964, and Frank spent the next 36 years sharing the message of Jesus Christ with the community of Richmond and literally around the world through his worldwide mission work.
Speaker 1:So today I have the honor of speaking with one of Dr Holman's sons, marty Holman. Marty, welcome to the Hub. Mike, great to be here with you. I'm so thankful that you agreed to come and talk about your father today and his life and his ministry, and also talk about your personal story as well. But before we do that, we have this question that we ask every guest, and that question is what was your very first job that you ever had?
Speaker 2:my very, very first job was a newspaper route okay the old palladium item and I had the east end of town, the reston area, all right and uh at the same time. At the same time my dad had my brother mike and I cleaning hillcrest. They had just bought an old house that was built in 1812 and that was part of my responsibility. He paid me a dollar 25 cents a week to clean the church, so those really came at the same time.
Speaker 1:I think I was uh, 13 years old and uh, peddled papers and cleaned hillcrest well, I think it's uh pretty nice that your dad actually paid you to clean the church, because you know some some, some fathers would have just said that was just part of your service, god's work.
Speaker 2:Well, I should say, when I got paid.
Speaker 1:Well, it's interesting that you bring up the paper out, because we had a talk a couple episodes ago with Chad Bolzer from Ivy Tech, and that was his first job too, so now we're starting to build up this uh core of uh newspaper delivery, uh people because, by the way, that, happens to be one of the other ones. You know people say fast food.
Speaker 2:You're gonna say newspaper works, probably not the work to go into today.
Speaker 1:Not today, no, not today so, uh, why don't you go ahead and just kind of share a little bit about yourself, maybe how old you were when you came to Richmond, and then kind of your education, your vocation, kind of your history of what you've done? I know it's a good part of it, but I think our followers would enjoy just kind of going through a summary of kind of your life and where that's taken well, mike, I, we moved to richmond, our family, in march of 1964.
Speaker 2:We moved here from michigan and my mom and dad moved here with the purpose of starting hillcrest baptist church. And uh, I, uh and I grew up at Hillcrest in the early days. In 1968, at the age of 17, my grandfather died, my dad's father, leo.
Speaker 1:Leo absolutely.
Speaker 2:And that had such a. I really fought the idea of following in my dad's footsteps as a pastor, and I had actually been accepted in a college for business. And the day my grandpa died, the Lord. Really, I had an encounter with the Lord and I surrendered to do what, deep down inside of me, I felt like that's what he was calling me to do. So I went to seminary up in Pontiac, michigan, and I completed my bachelor's degree there, and when I finished, in 1973, my dad wanted me to come home and work here. By that time I had got married to a lady that I'm still married to 53 years later, whose dad was also a pastor.
Speaker 1:That's Susan Susan.
Speaker 2:And he also offered me a job. Many of the gifts my dad had I have. What I didn't have was some of the gifts that Susan's dad had. He was an administrator. I mean, he was an administrator, a great talent in that area. So I went back, I took the job he offered and I served there for four years and during those four years the Lord really blessed what we were doing. I mean, I can't even begin to tell the stories of young people that came to Christ. Actually, one of the young people that came to Christ is now the chaplain of the Detroit Tigers and he's also responsible for finding chaplains for the 400 and some minor league teams. And then he does a lot of work with the PGA. And he's just a young person that I met at the age of 16. His librarian, who went to our church, led him to Christ. I had a guy call me yesterday. He lives in Portland, oregon. He works for Enterprise but he has a ministry. He just has always had a heart for street people.
Speaker 2:He has a ministry in Portland Oregon where he reaches street people. He has a ministry in Portland Oregon where he reaches street people that he's bivocational and, uh, he was saved during that time. I have another guy that is a uh uh, just retired as an engineer from uh Boeing in St Louis. I picked him up as a hitchhiker and he trusted Christ and he actually supports our ministry now, and so the Lord just gave us an incredible opportunity. He blessed it and then in 1975 I took my first church and was there for 19 years, pastored in just east of Toledo and God wonderfully blessed there.
Speaker 2:And during that time my wife got sick and became disabled and I'm not the driver in our family, she is and an incredible musician and I thought that it would be better to get her away from there. I couldn't keep her out of some things that just create. She couldn't do with her disability. So we moved to arizona and we worked with a billy graham type ministry with a guy by the name of Pete Rice, and Pete was just like me. He had an incredible desire to see people saved. He was, by gift, an evangelist. I figured out I was, by gift, a pastor, but we were moving a little bit away from our roots and I worked with him for seven years, okay, and traveled was in 40 different countries and it was pretty incredible the things the lord allowed us to do, yeah pete rice is the son of bill rice.
Speaker 1:Yes, and who had a big church camp in murfreesboro, tennessee? Is that right? Yes, I used to go there when I was a kid yeah, kid, and my son lives near there today and I drive by it all the time, and they have a school there now, and and that that whole thing is still thriving to this day here in 2024.
Speaker 2:They are. And they not only have a camp in Murfreesboro, tennessee, where you went, but they also have a camp in williams, arizona. All right, pattern, just like it and so and uh. But then in uh, in 1999, all my kids graduated and my last daughter graduated from high school and was on her way to play ball at the University of Arizona basketball and I knew I couldn't continue to travel. So Dad called me and said hey, I want to officially retire. Would you be willing to come back? And you'll have to go through the process. And so I came back and candidated and the church extended a call for me to come as pastor and I became pastor of Hillcrest Baptist church. Uh, in uh, december of 1999, actually co pastor, and then my dad was there for six more months and on July 9, 2000, he officially retired. And so I was pastor there from 2000,. From July 2000, pastor, not co-pastor, until I retired in March of 2021.
Speaker 1:And I'm going to cover this later in our discussion. But when your father, you know, said, hey, why don't you come back to richmond? That was actually his second time as pastor at hillcrest yes, I'll go in that later. But but he, because he, you know he started in 64 and he didn't go straight from 64 to 99. There was a gap and I'm going to cover that with you.
Speaker 1:So, uh, so, and then, uh once, hillcrest. Uh, I guess at some point you decided to step away as senior pastor there, and so what's been going on since then?
Speaker 2:well, one of the things that I have a heart for is those that struggle with addictions. A couple came back who you know, to Hillcrest. When I came back they had retired. They worked with the Nashville City Rescue Mission Paul and Karen Rose and they returned in 2000 and they talked to me about wanting to to do some work with those who struggled with alcoholism or drug addiction. And uh, so I jumped on that and I said, well, listen, I'll raise the money if you want to do it. So we actually started to raise the money and founded what was called Shepherd's Way, which was a rehab for men and that was over on Hunt Street and we could have six men and the Lord honestly used that.
Speaker 2:Uh, there's a pastor here in richmond. He pastors surety community church. Rodney anderson, who went through the program you know, came to us. He, he was a sharp guy but he had an addiction to alcohol. Another guy that I think of that went through that program Chad Wood is one of the deacons at Hillcrest and God just blessed it and they did the work and I helped them raise money. Then they came to me and they said we need one for women. And Paul was not for it, karen was. And so Paul said to Karen if somebody gives you a house, I'll do it.
Speaker 1:So the next day, somebody gave him a house.
Speaker 2:It's funny how those things happen right yeah, on both somebody gave a house. It's funny how this happened, right yeah, and they started what was called the victory house for women and, uh, one of our first ladies that went through her. Her son is a chiropractor here in town and you'd probably know him and she was one of the first ladies that went through the program to date. She's doing incredible and I run into people all the time who was blessed by that ministry. And then in 2000, karen said we need a total rehab, not just a transitional care unit. We need a total rehab. Paul said if somebody gives us property, that's the only way I'll do it. Well, he should have learned the first time.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Because the old Smith Epson Tuberculosis Center was given to us by First Bank On US 27.
Speaker 1:On.
Speaker 2:US 27. And since that day we have worked with over 900 ladies Over 40 have gone through there just this year and God has used it in an incredible way. And that's what I've been involved in. You know, in raising the money I needed. I worked part-time at Stie burnite or funeral home, uh, that's. I can have a ministry there and I preach a lot of the funerals, if not most of the funerals where there's no pastor, and so that's what I've been doing. Um, I represent richmond columbian properties, which is the uh. I represent Richmond Columbian Properties, which is the preservation of historic homes in the Star District, and I help sponsor an alley cat cleanup of the alleyways Christmas. I do a golf outing every year to raise money for both Crossroad and Richmond Columbian properties, and so that's really what I've been doing. I sponsor two or three other things, but as well as preach, I spend my time preaching more now than I ever did, and the opportunities are there so that's what I've been doing.
Speaker 1:So you, you get some calls. I guess sounds like pretty rarely, for you know pulpit supply, where you just need a. They need a pastor coming to preach sunday, whatever I do some interim work.
Speaker 2:I was at first baptist here in richmond. For a year. I'm currently at eaton baptist temple in eaton, okay, so that's basically where I've used my time, as well as I still, uh, teach a class at hillcrest on wednesday morning, you know, a bible class to 30 or 40 people yeah.
Speaker 1:So how's retirement going for you? You got your hands full.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 1:That's wonderful, and this you kind of gave us the cliff notes version because we could sit here and talk forever about all the things in your life and your ministry and whatever. But I guess we need to move on to dad, and so you know, your dad was uh july 24th 1927 and uh in new marion, indiana I'm not sure where that's at uh, new marion is uh just north of madison in the versailles indiana area, so it's in southern indiana and uh, uh.
Speaker 1:his parents were le and Lona Right, didn't your grandmother? She lived here. I remember her, even when I was attending Neal Crest as a child. I think she had a little apartment off of Northeast Street, didn't she In the house, didn't she?
Speaker 2:Yes, she did. My grandma moved. My grandpa died in july of 1968 and so my grandma moved to richmond in 1968 and then she was here until my parents left the first time in 1986, and then she moved to michigan with them, and then that's where she passed away. Didn't she like play the organ?
Speaker 1:she played the organ, okay I remember that yeah, yeah, so, yeah. So she, I mean, she was uh a big part of it, you know, after your grandfather died yeah a long time here in the community. So it said that your dad, uh, from his obituary actually your, your grandparents, brought your dad here to richmond for a very short time. I'm not sure what brought them here, but that wasn't very long, because then they end up going to uh, pontiac, michigan yeah, they were here during the depression.
Speaker 2:My dad actually didn't know that until he started looking at richmond to come start a church and my grandpa said to my dad we actually lived there when you were a baby yeah, because I and I thought it maybe had something to do with the depression, because it was in that 1929, 1930 yes, that you that your dad, um your grandparents, your dad went to michigan and maybe that was for employment reasons or whatever they went, of course.
Speaker 2:They went to michigan for employment. He got a job at the automobile which was just beginning to come out of the depression.
Speaker 1:He worked there a long time, didn't your your grandfather? Yeah, he worked there from long time, didn't he? Your your grandfather? Yeah, he worked there from.
Speaker 2:I don't know what year he started, but he would have retired um in the early sixties.
Speaker 1:Okay, so, uh, uh. So your dad's up in Pontiac goes to high school there, graduates in 44. Like a lot of young men who weren't married at the time. Maybe they even were married. You know, he enlisted into the Navy, so he was at the kind of the end of World War II, and he served a couple of years and so, and after that, after his honorable discharge from the Navy, he went into barbering school, right.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:And that was 1946, if I've got my facts here straight. Did he ever talk about why he decided to go into barbering? I mean, what was the interest there for him?
Speaker 2:Well, actually I can't answer that entirely, but I know when he came back and he met my mom, they wanted to do it together. He is a barber and she is a beautician. Okay, so when they bought their shop, it was really purchased with the idea that both of them would work and do that, except I came along.
Speaker 2:You ruined that business. I ruined that issue a little bit, and so mom decided to stay home. You know, I was born in 51, and my brother, mike, was born in 52. And then Matt. Matt was born in 57. Okay, Matt.
Speaker 1:Matt was born in 57. Okay, all right, so he did that and so he operated that for 16 years.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:And do you have much recall or memory of him having a barbershop?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, you know, his barbershop was outside Pontiac in a place called Kegel Harbor and I was just in a conference in Tennessee and three guys came up to me. They were from that area and they said we used to get our hair cut by your dad when we were kids and it was a conference for the seminary that I graduated from and they're my age and when they were kids they lived in that area and dad would cut their hair. And yeah, I have a real knowledge, a lot of fond memories of that, and so you know it was, honestly, it was a good business for dad.
Speaker 1:And so, yeah, you know, I don't know when he actually met Amy, your mom. I don't know how they kind of knew each other before the war or after. I mean, do you know what was?
Speaker 2:Yeah, they both graduated from pontiac central high school. Okay, they were in the same class. They did not know each other well, they just knew of each other. It was, you know, like richmond at that time big high school and uh. But they met in 1946, when he got out of the Army, at an old YMCA dance, okay, and they met there and began dating and, of course, they were married in June of 1948.
Speaker 1:So he was kind of into his barbering, beginning of his barbering career and got married and they were going to do this shop together. Yes, but then Marty comes along. And Marty rimmed it among other things, and your mother's still living.
Speaker 2:My mother's still living. She's 97.
Speaker 1:And parents married 76 years 76 years.
Speaker 2:That's pretty incredible, pretty incredible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is yeah, so, uh, in in your father's obituary it talked about that you had this spiritual encounter. Um, that kind of changed his life forever, and this was in the mid-60s and, uh, shortly after that he enrolled in Midwestern Baptist College. So can you share anything about that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, actually my mom two months ago shared a part of that story. I never knew Dad. When he's preaching would often tell the story of how he came to know Christ. But my mom, out of the clear blue, said to me I was taking her to lunch and she said you know, marty? She said one Saturday night your dad and I came home. We'd been out drinking. Dad and I came home We'd been out drinking, partying, carrying on, and said I looked at your dad when we got home and I said, frank, we can't continue to do this. We got two boys to raise.
Speaker 2:And Mom said the tears rolled down your dad's face and he said I know, amy, but I don't know what to do about it. And said he told me he was going upstairs. That I don't know what to do about it. And said he told me he was going upstairs that he wouldn't be down to the next morning. Said when he came down the next morning he said Amy, I don't know what happened. He said but I got on my knees in our bathroom and I said God, I don't even know if you're real, but if you are, help me. I can't do this by myself.
Speaker 2:And Mom said when he came downstairs and he said to me he said, amy, I don't know what's going on, but there's something different. He said next Sunday we're going to find a church and we are going to take our boys to church and we're going to start living the way Christians should live. And he said I don't know what that means. Well, the next Sunday was Easter Sunday 1956. They ended up in the Emmanuel Baptist Church of Pontiac Michigan, and when the invitation was given, they both went forward. My dad had trusted Christ a few days before and knew it.
Speaker 2:My mom trusted Christ that Sunday and when the room started to clear out they had 39 other adults saved. That morning my grandma was in the crowd trusting Christ. It was her first time in the church. Neither one of them knew the other was going. And then that night my grandpa went back to see them all get baptized and when the invitation was given he walked forward and so all four of them in one day trusted Christ as their personal Savior and it completely changed the direction of our life. Somebody said to me one time well, how can that happen? Well, Dad had a sister that got saved 11 years before he did, and when he was in the military on ship, she would write him a letter witnessing to him. He didn't want to do anything to do with that, yeah and uh, but when he trusted christ, the first person they called was that sister that had prayed for 11 years for him, was that eileen?
Speaker 2:eileen, yeah, okay I can't believe.
Speaker 1:I remembered that so uh. But so there had to be some transition where you know, he had this profession of faith but then he decided that he wanted to become a pastor. I mean, that's a pretty big leap but I guess that, I guess that was maybe uh, I don't know about an eight year process, because he didn't come here until 64, and that happened in 56. So there was this eight-year, I guess, transition period where he'd grown his faith, and then God must have been calling him to do something else besides barbering.
Speaker 2:Well, that's exactly right, mike, because the first three years of his conversion he got involved in church. They would teach kids and he couldn. He got involved in church, they would teach kids and he couldn't get enough of it. And then in 59, he enrolled in seminary. That church was a large church It'd be called a megachurch today and they had a seminary with it. And he enrolled there in 59 and graduated in 63. And then came to Richmond in 64.
Speaker 1:Still barbering right and still barbering.
Speaker 2:He was going to seminary.
Speaker 1:He was trying, you know, being a parent A lot. You know full-time A lot going on, a lot going on, a lot going on, like a lot of young men do.
Speaker 2:Yes, he was. You know, when he got saved he was 29. You know, when he came to Richmond he would have been 37. Yeah, he would have been 37.
Speaker 1:So, trying to think back to so, in 64, decided to come here. That would have been, and he was just planting that church. There wasn't a church for him to take over, he hadn't pastored a church right, no, no.
Speaker 2:now he had candidated and several churches expressed an interest, but he felt like he wanted to plant a church interest. But he felt like he wanted to plan a church and and you know his story that he told was always that god directed him, uh, through his word and uh, he got a. He got a pin and a string and poked it into pontiac, michigan and let the string run down and he noticed Richmond, indiana. So he started praying about it and started talking about it. And that's when his dad told him well, we lived there when you were a baby. He never knew that. So that piqued his interest. And it's funny, as he got older and I mean mean was retired he used to tell that story. He said if I knew then what I know now, I'd have got me a longer string and had it go down to Florida.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a little bit further down south. Yeah, a little bit further south, Just this you know, god even had his hand in how long the piece of string was going to be. Yeah, so Mine is the smallest of details.
Speaker 2:You know that might not be something I'm brave enough to do, but it certainly was something he did and God blessed what he did. And we moved with our grandparents. The kids did and they came over here and they found a house. They bought an old house for the church. It was right across from Fairview School on Sheridan.
Speaker 1:I think a church kind of operates. I don't know if a church operates out there today or not.
Speaker 2:Yes, an Hispanic church and my brother Matt just went over there and it's the same pews, different carpet, but the same pews. He said I sort of relived my childhood and but they bought that house. It was an old Quaker meeting house.
Speaker 1:Right, because I remember I there was a pretty large room in that building. Yes, because, because, because I, when I first started attending, that's where the church was.
Speaker 2:Yes, because when I first started attending.
Speaker 1:that's where the church was, yes, and so I remember that building. And then I don't know when your dad and some of the leaders of that church built a sanctuary onto that. Do you recall when that happened, did it?
Speaker 2:happen pretty quick. They started in 64. It was slow getting started but by 66 growth started and that building was put on in 67 the addition on the front of it so that would have probably been.
Speaker 1:I probably started attending there that year or the year after, because when I, I remember the sanctuary and I think I'd share with you or maybe your brother recently, that when I first started attending I would have been preschool age, so pre-kindergarten, so like I would have been three or four years old, and, uh, my sunday school teacher was barb oda and I I still remember going back to the small little room which was probably maybe at one time had been a bedroom or something in that house, and uh, going back there and her husband, um, uh, coming, uh, coming in and checking on us and taking a tent seeing how many kids were there and uh, so, uh, jim, jim, and uh, so, anyway, that was my, you know, my, my mother had come to Christ, uh, in that time and she just started bringing me and my sister the church every Sunday and on all the different services back in the day that you could possibly have, she was there, and so, yeah, I remember that quite a bit and I remember there would be stories about your dad starting that church and it was.
Speaker 1:You know, I guess it would have been your dad, your mom, you and your brothers and maybe that was all that was there the first couple of times, but then you had some different people start coming and then it just grew from there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, actually the first service, there were 10 people. The other five was the realtor that had sold him the house their last names were van zandt, I believe philip van zandt okay was his name.
Speaker 2:They had two girls and a boy, uh, and they came the first service but we went for a year without anybody really coming. And my dad you'll remember these names, yeah, probably, when I give them, but my dad was so discouraged he had a church in virginia. Call him and say we want you to come, as our pastor or to candidate said, but we know you'll get it. We're a church of 400, so he decided to leave. We're a church of 400. So he decided to leave.
Speaker 2:And Alex and Elsie Baker I remember hearing those names and called them and they were going to come with another family on Wednesday night. He said I won't be here and they said, no, you're going to be there because we're coming. He said, no, I've decided to leave and take a church in Virginia. And they said, no, you're going to be there tonight and we're going to be there for the service. And he said, well, I'm going to show up then just to meet you. You're way too bold for me, and the rest is history. They came, you, you're way too bold for me, and the rest is history. They came. They were wonderful christians. Um, trying to think the other fit, I just had it. But, uh, they became the first two families and they got involved and then it started to grow and, uh, god really began to bless it.
Speaker 1:So that was on Sheridan Street and then eventually the church. I believe the story goes that someone had donated some property to the church out there off of US 38, where it splits off 35 and 38. Another one of those things, big things that happened were all of a sudden, I guess, property came. You know this donation, a great gift was given and and it was decided to build out there.
Speaker 2:You can share a little bit about how that happened. Yeah, I sure can. Actually, and I know he won't mind me mentioning, but Tim Cummings offered the property. Okay, I'm not going to mention it, but Tim Cummings offered the property, okay, and you know. So Dad and the people at Hillcrest who were there then, you know, decided that's where we'll move to, and there were initially 80 acres. That was what was given and you know they built primarily. The men of the church and of course the cummings family were builders, yes, and were a great help at that time. Uh, other men of the church would help, they would hire, done what they couldn't do, but most of it they did. And that building was moved into in January of 72. And then in 73, they experienced the first time going over the attendance of 1,000. And so those were periods of incredible growth. And so those were periods of incredible growth. A lot of young men saved, called into ministry, just like Dad, and it was a time of great blessing for Hillcrest.
Speaker 1:I may miss some of the things that happened once he moved out there, but I mean a Christian school was formed, a Bible institute was formed correct.
Speaker 2:Yes, the Christian school was started in 1973. And then the Bible institute was started in 74.
Speaker 1:And that was to raise up, maybe men and women and teaching them of the scripture, or raising up men who would maybe go into ministry. I think some women attended that too, didn't they, or not?
Speaker 2:Yes, it was a program designed for men and women. You know what Dad found was. You know there's a principle that says one kind brings another kind. Just like it, because of Dad's conversion at the age of 29, he had a lot of young couples, especially young men, and had a desire to go into the ministry and he was sending them off to seminaries. But I think in some cases there is a scriptural principle about mentoring and training your own. All the education we can get is needed and necessary. I have my PhD with a doctorate in theology, so I'm a believer in education. But Dad started training some of them there at Hillcrest hands-on experience, and I think that was his heart's desire. And out of that church some of them are with the Lord. But before our 50th anniversary he wrote down the names of 72 people that were either in ministry, mission work, full-time or, like someone you interviewed, donna Girdley, who was a Christian school teacher all those years and used her incredible gifts to touch a lot of lives.
Speaker 1:Right, I mean at one time I they still. I think they still have some buses that they pick up kids to this day. But I mean there was a time I recall there was a I mean, and that's, that's hard work. I mean they had double digit buses they had over.
Speaker 2:I think I don 13.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 13 buses going out in the community picking up people, taking them to Sunday school or worship. And I remember I spent some time in high school working on one of those routes and we'd go out on Saturday mornings knocking on doors down on the north side of this town and see if people wanted to go to church on Sunday. Then we'd drive in the morning and go knock on the door and some of them had to be woke up and they'd get their clothes on real quick or some. Some will be waiting and some were parents just wanted to kind of some some free babysitting for a couple of hours, you know. But yeah, I mean it was a huge and there was different people that worked that ministry. I think name I that I think of it was involved in a bus ministry big time was bob flannery.
Speaker 1:I think that was a name that was was a big in that, in that part, and then I mean but then you, we was, there was even a ministry out there printing bibles, right?
Speaker 2:yes, yeah, they had a printing shop to print bibles, uh called bearing precious seed, and they would print bibles and send them out to missionaries. And you know, it's a fact that you put a bible in someone's hand, it'll be read in a third world country. It'll be read by seven different people. So dad saw that as a way to get the gospel out, and what better way to do it than through the word of God?
Speaker 1:But these are just certain things that I just don't think people maybe know about that ministry out at Hillcrest, all the different things that happened over the years and how they touched people's lives in different ways, just by providing a Bible or bringing up leaders to go out and start other churches and grow other ministries, and then for the period of Christian school and the relationships that came out of there, and it's just so much. It's just really kind of overwhelming to try to cover it all really.
Speaker 2:I mean well, when dad died, I got 962 text and I counted him up from over 30 states, you know, because his life, his ministry, had an impact. I got a email. I got a lot of emails, but I got an email and I asked her if I could use it. I always wondered what had happened to her. Her name was Meg Ladd and she dated a guy and I knew it was somewhat of an abusive relationship and all of a sudden she disappeared. She and I never knew what happened to her. I had just arrived the Sunday. She walked forward. Dad had actually preached and Susan and I did some mentoring work with her, but then she was gone.
Speaker 2:She wrote me I hadn't heard from her since, probably 2002. And she said I had to get away from this relationship. And she gave me some incredible things that that dad's ministry meant to her and how it had changed her life through the Lord. And then I emailed her back and said give me a thumb sketch of what you've done. And she emailed me back and she said I got married to a wonderful guy, I got three kids. And she said I live in an incredible home. She said God gave me an incredible job. I managed an incredible bank in New York City. And she said my kids are grown now. She said they're out of the home. And she said God has blessed us. And she said it goes back to that time.
Speaker 2:And she said one of the things your dad told me. She said he said to me you've got to get out of this relationship, meg. You should not allow somebody to do what is being done to you. And she said I may not have done it right, but the only way I knew how to do it was to take off. But she said, and we had no idea, I may not have done it right, but the only way I knew how to do it was to take off. But she said and we had no idea. And you know, I think this is going to be true even in all of our lives. When God unfolds for us eternity, we're going to see a lot of people we had no idea we had an influence on. Yeah, that we did.
Speaker 2:And he had an incredible influence on on a lot of people. At his funeral, there were over a hundred pastors there, a lot of them Hillcrest guys. Here's another statistic that is pretty amazing. As far as dad's ministry I mentioned, there were 72 people in full-time service In 2018, before the pandemic. I polled every church that was pastored or they had an assistant pastor that was out of Hillcrest, whose roots go back to Hillcrest. Wow, on Easter Sunday 2050, the total attendance of all those churches was 50,000 people. Now, there were some big churches in there, you know, and some of dad's grandkids were on staff of big churches and then so, but 50,000 people whose roots go back to Hillcrest. God really blessed Dad's ministry at Hillcrest all those years.
Speaker 1:I think it's to some people. I guess it wouldn't be a shock, but it is kind of amazing that you know your parents had three boys and all three of you ended up being in ministry and having churches of your own. I mean, that's A pretty unique story in and of itself, I think, because it's not a given that something like that happens, and sometimes children totally reject what their parents do and go in a totally different direction.
Speaker 2:Well, mike, I tell people this. I tell people mom and dad never pushed us into the ministry, but they never did anything that caused us to not want to be there. Right, they lived their life in a way that we respected that and my dad always said to Mike Matt and I he said the people that respect you the most should be the ones that know you the best.
Speaker 2:And that's true. And the other thing somebody said to him one time. They said uh, pastor holman, how is it that you got uh three boys that you put into the ministry? He said, oh, I didn't put him in the ministry. He said my job was to make men out of them. It was god's job to put him into the ministry and there's a lot of truth to that as well. And the tough one was my youngest brother. The challenge was there. But, yeah, I started the seminary and Mike started the seminary and Matt went to Bible college first, but not for ministry. But God used him as well in an incredible way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I how, how was it growing up? You know, the time that you're here in richmond and three brothers, I mean, where did you guys kind of live and and what was it like growing up in the community? But I mean, matt was a little bit younger than you and you and mike, so was he always kind of a little bit younger than you and Mike, so was he always kind of a little bit of an outlier, since he was so much younger he was somebody that Mike and I picked on.
Speaker 2:But anyway, yeah, matt was in first grade, started at Star School. You know Mike was in sixth grade and he started at or seventh grade or sixth grade, had he been at test maybe I was at test in seventh grade. Then you remember it was seventh, eighth and ninth grade.
Speaker 2:Yeah okay, and I think Mike was at start too, because he was in the sixth grade and one of the things my parents did, you know, we had Sunday morning, sunday night, wednesday night, I mean, and if they could create more services they would have, and we went, whether there was anybody there or not, but what they would do is Sunday night when we get home, they'd get us all together. Listen, you know we are doing something nobody else is doing. You know we're the davy crockett of church planning that kind of thing, yeah, and they made us a part of it. I think us cleaning the building was, hey, we were part of it. We took the offering. You know, we did some other things and we were part of what we were doing. We were doing what nobody else was doing, so they included that.
Speaker 1:they include us in it, yeah I'm sure your parents would, would say that that they made mistakes along the way and raising their kids like any parents would, but but they obviously had set a great foundation for all your brothers. To you know and and sometimes I'm sure it's it's hard to you know, knowing a time maybe that you came to a knowledge of christ as your savior. You know, making a that conversion when you're just around it 24, 7, I mean, do you? I mean I'm sure there's a moment in your time that you can, that you look to, but when you're around it 24 seven, I mean, do you? I mean I'm sure there's a moment in your time that you can, that you look to, but when you're around it all the time, I'm sure it's, it's different. I don't know.
Speaker 2:Well, I think the key is that, you know, I had to have faith in my own, just like you had to have faith in your own. You know, I could be encouraged by my dad's faith. I just couldn't have his faith, yeah. So there had to come a point in my life. And though I was saved as a child, I really believe that the point of surrender in my life came in 68. Cause, though I wasn't rebelling on the outside yet I would have gone that way. Cause I was rebelling on the outside yet I would have gone that way because I was rebelling on the inside. I just was pretty passive and didn't share it. So that had to be the time I came to really surrender and say Lord, you know, and no longer was it, I'm going to do what Dad wants, I'm going to do what the Lord wants.
Speaker 1:So there has to come that moment or it doesn't work. There was a point where your dad decided to leave Hillcrest. I think it was in the late 80s and I'm sure that was a hard decision. It started at a Christian school in the mid seventies and kind of closed it down in in in the late eighties, I believe, or mid you know. I think the school was around for about maybe a dozen years or so and and I I went a total of about uh six and a half years there, and do you remember much? I mean, I think that the school, there's a lot of wonderful things about it, but it was kind of a drain on the church, wasn't it a little bit?
Speaker 2:I don't mean that in a negative way but it was a financial, it was a challenge. It was a financial drain yeah, it was, and you know so many. At that point a lot of churches were starting Christian schools and so people did it and probably didn't give any thought to the cost. And there was an incredible cost, especially when you get into the high school level, and so the finances were just incredible and I know that it was a drain on Dad. It also came at a point where he wasn't seeing the results even in the church as far as people coming to Christ. You know, culture was beginning to change, culture was beginning to change and the methods that were being used probably needed to change some. But it's a little difficult when you've been trained one way.
Speaker 2:And so an opportunity came for him to go to Pontiac, michigan, the church.
Speaker 2:He was saved in the seminary and he became the president of Midwestern Baptist Seminary and so the church then became pastored by a guy that was saved there and called to preach there, went to Midwestern, came and went out east and did good work and came back, and so Dad was in Michigan and through a series of events I think the church really declined declined in its influence, declined in its influence declined in its attendance and a couple of pastors had come by that time and then there was a split.
Speaker 2:Some of them were meeting in the school. Dad had just retired and they called him and asked him if he'd come back and preach while they could get their bearings together. When he came back, he preached and felt at home, yeah and uh, and through a series of events, uh, the group that had met in the school was able to come back and they asked Dad to be their pastor. And then there was growth again and by the time I got there their average attendance would have been around 350. And by then the buses. We still had a couple of buses, but because culture had changed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's tough.
Speaker 2:That's another big try to keep buses running and it's just tough yeah and so you know we didn't have the buses for attendance Not that they used it for that, but you know so but we continued to grow. Dad was involved as I became a little more progressive in some areas. Uh, we started two services. I always appreciated about this, about that, he would come to our second service, which was our contemporary service. Now he didn't like it, but he also understood. He wasn't going to make an issue of it. He wanted to help me.
Speaker 2:That's where we were getting a lot of people whose lives changed. The first service was traditional, but the people in that service had been there forever and your friends soon become your Christian friends and we lose sight sometimes of the need for evangelism and we talk about it and know it's important, but, uh, we lose our circle of friends outside the church and that second service, and so by by the time that, uh, you know, in 2018, uh, we were probably averaging about uh a 500 a little better. Easter, we had 800 and dad was still there very much a part of it. You know he would. He would preach occasionally he would teach.
Speaker 2:He was just as easy to deal with, uh, as anybody in all the world, and I just always.
Speaker 1:You know your dad had such tremendous interpersonal skills with people. Yeah, I mean just wonderful. And I sometimes I wonder if those years in the bar, having people in the barber chair, was a good training ground for just having conversations with people and talking to people and that was. And maybe God used the those barbering years as a way to to polish his people skills, because I think there could be some truth. I don't know if I'm correct or not.
Speaker 2:No, I would say you're correct. The skills were probably already there, but they were certainly honed during that time in the barber chair. I mean, he did have a great way with his people person skills yeah, I mean as barbers they can be good counselors.
Speaker 1:You know, we know one, yeah, and it's been doing it for a long time in this community and uh, yeah, you just those conversations that you have, you have a little 15-minute sessions with people and you get to know people and when you you go back, you know, as long as the hair keeps growing you can go in there and you just build those relationships with people in that way. So I felt like that was a really kind of neat career segue for your father, that maybe God used that in a special way for what he in his pastoral care of people down the road. At least that would be part of my spin on it.
Speaker 2:Well, you know what he was by gift a pastor shepherd. Now, a lot of times, because of his gifts behind the pulpit he would get invited to other places and operate as a pastor evangelist. But there's such a need in our churches for pastor shepherds and he filled that role. You know, pastor shepherds, pastor teachers. The thing I find today that's pretty difficult is when you go into a church and it's pastored by a pastor evangelist. You know, I mean it tends to be shallow, but Dad had that pastor shepherd gift. Yeah, you know, I mean it's it. It tends to be shallow, but dad had that pastor shepherd gift about him.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I, I, I got to experience that personally a few times because, uh, you know, he had the Christian school. He kind of served as like we had a principal, but sometimes he was involved in in, uh, disciplinary conversations and and there was a few times where he and I had a meeting for a certain reason and, uh, that is shocking.
Speaker 2:And I never let.
Speaker 1:But I always left those encounters with him feeling loved, yeah, yeah and and uh. Maybe you know, given instructing instruction of maybe why I was there and maybe what behavior I had exhibited that got me in there. But, um, just his way about him is, I left there feeling loved, even though I was maybe in trouble, I was still loved, you know, and I appreciated that about your father very much well and honestly.
Speaker 2:That's an important characteristic. And you know one of the things talking about dad and his influence, he had been in a nursing home for five years. They went into the nursing home at arbor trace on may the 7th 1919. I just told stego burn hide or I didn't know how big the service would be because he'd been out of commission the current church family at hillcrest, for the most part many of them didn't know him. Well, you know there were over 700 people that signed that, that book, that funeral book, and I mean it was an incredible uh tribute to, to that love that he had and that kindness that he demonstrated toward other people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, uh, he married me and my wife Beth in 87. And then we were in Muncie, uh, until 1990. When I came back here, 1990, I it was during a period of the life of that church where maybe we won't say it was a low time, but it was just a transitional time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was a transitional time and so it just didn't feel like it did when we were there and we had attended another church in Muncie that was similar to the denomination church that we had visited here in town Christ Presbyterian Church and there was a Westminster Presbyterian Church in Muncie we attended and so when we came back, they had a sister church here and we visited there once and we never left, but that was, you know, uh, 34 years ago, but still I mean, um, I've only attended two churches my whole life and it was Hillcrest and Christ Presbyterian and uh, so, you know, even though we're sitting here talking about it, and for me it was over 30, 34 years ago, it it's, it seems like just yesterday, you know, and just a wonderful memories that I have of that church and and of your father and and just, uh, even encounters I had with you when I was helping uh coach basketball for community Christian school.
Speaker 1:We didn't have a gym and I came out and uh, we kind of got to reconnect a little bit, cause I'd come out there and we were running a basketball practice and got to talk to you and and uh, so, uh, I really enjoyed kind of reconnecting with the church through use of the gym facilities out there, and how gracious Hillcrest was to allow us to use that gym, and so it's just been wonderful.
Speaker 2:Well, here's what I tell people, mike God works through men and women. Men and women. Because of our nature we work through denominations and buildings, but God works through men and women and God took someone like Frank Goldman and others. There's been a whole lot of others that God has worked through in this community, but he was one of them and of course they needed a building, they needed all that stuff. But really God works through men and women and that's still true today and if we're not careful we get.
Speaker 2:You know, our influence, whether it be Christ Presbyterian or whether it be Hillcrest, or whether it be First Baptist, whether it be Community of Faith, whether it be Lifespring, isn't just in the people that we minister to in the building on Sunday. Think about how many people outside of the Hillcrest whose lives have been touched. I've preached in over 20 churches in Richmond. Honestly, one church I preached in, 50% of the people had been at Hillcrest at one time. Is that bad? No, that's good. We just you know we can't capture them all for a building. We want to capture them for Christ.
Speaker 2:And that takes them different places. And you know, I think counting numbers is important. I had a young pastor ask me a couple of weeks ago when I was doing a conference. He said I don't count my attendance anymore, he said. He said it's too prideful. I said do you count your offering? He said well, sure. I said. Then what you're saying is that money's more important than people? I said we're in the people business and the truth of the matter is. And dad for his two sons, three sons, two sons, and I set the example. You love people and people will respond accordingly. And that's the key.
Speaker 1:I kind of wrapped this up. I found it really interesting that you included in your dad's uh obituary says his uh battle with Alzheimer's disease in recent years showed his strong faith and courage in facing life challenges with his trademark smile and gentle spirit. I just felt. I felt that was uh uh. I just liked the way that was written and I'm not sure kind of totally what all that means. But Alzheimer's is a terrible disease. Oh it's terrible, but I like the way that you all expressed it in that statement there.
Speaker 1:I don't know what.
Speaker 2:Well, here, you know, mom has not really had dad for four years. You know, when he went in, we started seeing signs of Alzheimer's in 2014. Little by little, and the hardest two hardest things I ever had to do in my life was to take his keys, yeah, and to tell him it's one wise, he preach anymore. And I had to do both. And then they went in to arbor trace and and uh. Then when I got out of the hospital with covid, I was in the hospital for 80 days with covid. When I out, I was still quarantined and my brother, mike, took over the care of my dad because I was in the hospital so long, and Arbitrace called me and said your dad has manipulated the locks. And he got outside and said he fell at the dumpster.
Speaker 2:This was on New Year's eve, 2020, 21. He said we're going to have to put him in the alzheimer's unit. And then he went downhill fast, yeah, and he didn't know any of us, but he was gentle. Uh, he never lost that kindness that he always had. He got loud because he couldn't hear. So he got loud. But you know, the last conversation I had with him was on their 71st anniversary. It wasn't really a conversation was on their 71st anniversary. It wasn't really a conversation. I was taking him back to his room in his wheelchair and he looked up at me and he said who are you?
Speaker 2:I said Dad, I'm Marty. He paused, he said no, you're not. Marty's better looking than you. He never lost that humor, so it was pretty incredible.
Speaker 1:one more story about him absolutely.
Speaker 2:Uh, he had been in the alzheimer's about six months. The last two years he had to be in a room by himself. He was so bad. But the first two years he was in the unit had his own room but in the unit mom would go down there every day. She would take dad, they would in the in the room where they watch tv. They'd watch gun smoke, they would watch wheel of fortune and jeopardy, eat dinner and then back to his room.
Speaker 2:She called me up in July of 2021. She said, marty, you're not going to believe this. She said your dad didn't know who I was today. She said he couldn't put three words together. But when I took him back to his room, there was a lady sitting there that had just come into the facility, into the Alzheimer's unit, alzheimer's unit, had her head buried in her hands.
Speaker 2:He looked up at me and he said amy, that startled me and used my name all day, said take me to that woman. Said I didn't know whether I should, but I did so. I took her over him over there and he spent the next 25 minutes sharing the gospel with her as clearly and as articulately as he had hundreds of times in his life. When he got finished, he pointed his finger at her and said Ma'am, you need to trust Christ. She said I would like to. To trust christ? She said I would like to. He had her bower head and together they prayed and asked the lord to save her. When he said amen, he went into his fog and never came out that.
Speaker 1:That's an incredible thing, you know, and that was dad and he had a great influence on his family.
Speaker 2:He had a great influence on. They weren't perfect, you know, but they did have a love for others that was contagious.
Speaker 1:Well, I really appreciate you taking time and just letting us kind of just, you know, talk about your dad and what he meant to this community and so many people and just share it hopefully for for people that follow us and listen and watch, just to learn a little bit about really a great man of god and and who was faithful in his service and uh, so I I thank you so much for the privilege of getting to talk about that today.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you, mike. It's probably a good thing my brother wasn't on here, we'd have went two times as long. But anyway, thanks for the opportunity, and the Allen family and the Bain family certainly are two special families that we've had friendships with over the years, and thank you for the opportunity.
Speaker 1:I appreciate it when you see your mother tell her that you know when, when I made a profession of faith, I went forward, like many of us did in those days, and went forward and and I went up there and your mother came up and she went through the scripture with me.
Speaker 2:Oh, I didn't know that.
Speaker 1:And I made a profession of faith at that time and I was pretty young at the time and later in life I maybe had some doubts or whatever that came up. But now that I'm 60 years old and I look back, I know that was the moment where I made that true profession of faith and came to the knowledge of Christ as my Savior.
Speaker 2:But your mother was the person that came up faith and came to the knowledge of Christ as my savior. So, but your mother was a person that came up. She'll love to hear that.
Speaker 1:So tell when you see her, tell her. I don't know if she remembered that or not but I sure remember.
Speaker 2:She remembers everything, believe me, I remember it.
Speaker 1:So thank you, brother, appreciate it.
Speaker 2:Thank you, I appreciate the opportunity.
Speaker 1:So, on whatever platform that you are watching or listening today, please share and spread the word Like, share and subscribe. So thanks for listening and watching the Hub today. Michael Allen from Manpower. We are a national brand, yet locally owned franchise. We are familiar with the challenges businesses face. It's tough recruiting and retaining qualified employees. That's why working with Manpower is a smart, cost-effective solution. Our entire focus is talent acquisition. We'll manage your hiring and training and provide ongoing, customized support. Since 1966, we have been your community-invested partner, uniquely positioned to help eliminate the hassles and save you time and money. Let us help Contact Manpower today.