Rev. Charles M. Barnes, pastor

The small church that I was saved in, and received my early impressions of the Pentecostal movement in, was Hillcrest Assembly of God in Arlington, TX.  From this small location off Division Street in Arlington, Charles and Geraldine Barnes served as the Pastors of Hillcrest and then Memorial Assembly of God for well over 40 years.  In the early days, Hillcrest was a growing church with an expansive heart for outreach through Bro. Barnes' "Gospel Messenger Broadcast".  I don't know if there are any recordings of that broadcast but I did find this article on the web about Bro. Barnes in 1965.   This article happens to be housed at the Assemblies of God center for Pentecostal history, the  Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center. 

While I won't take the time to comment on the tremendous resource that the IFPHC is, I am thankful that I found this article and I can't imagine how it could have been done otherwise.  Brother Barnes was a treasure.  My family, as one of few families in the church after a split in the late 60s, would help provide the music background to the "Gospel Messenger Broadcast".  I remember one Christmas the church gave Bro. Barnes a "reel to reel" recorder so that he could tape his broadcasts at the church or at home, and then mail them off to the radio stations in Arkansas and other areas around TX.    They would record the introductory to the broadcast on Wednesday evenings. I remember my family helping to sing "Only Trust Him" and "He Could Have Called 10000 angels" as the introductory music to the Gospel Messenger broadcast. 

Brother Barnes died in I think 1981, and his wife Geraldine continued to pastor Memorial until her death some twenty years later. My colleague, Dr. Mary Jackson also preached at Memorial and was a close friend of Geraldine until her death.  I was privileged to receive several books from Bro. Barnes library. His Ironside commentaries are underlined extensively.

I have no idea the breadth of that ministry.  I just remember hearing that "he was a great preacher" and when people who heard the broadcast would come to Arlington, they were disappointed to find he pastored a small church.  Today, many gifted pastors struggle to keep the Church going.  It's not a new problem.

The Langstons left the church when I was ten to go to the big church across town.  My parents were concerned that my older brother and sister needed a youth group.  It was probably the right decision, but I know that many small churches have such a wider impact than they will ever know this side of eternity.

The same year I was born, however, Hillcrest Assembly of God  was a light in the midst of darkness to the growing city of Arlington.  I'm providing this article as tribute to the man who brought the gospel to me, and who knows how many thousands of others.  This article comes from the January 24, 1965 Pentecostal Evangel  available here.