Our Late Founders :  Bishop Randolph " Hurricane" Jackson & Mother Dorothy Jackson

Many of you have often seen me singing, dancing and rejoicing and perhaps thought, “Why can’t he just keep still?”.  Well, I have a story to tell .  And if you can understand my story, then maybe,  you’ll understand my praise.  My story tells who I am, why I am, How I am, and whose I am.

 On march 5 1923, I was born the seventh of ten children, to Mose and Martha Dodd Jackson here in Inman South Carolina.  As a young boy, I attended Ben Bomar Elementary School within the community.

Where I lived, times were hard back in the 20’s, and I, along with many other young boys in my class, had to quit school and help with plowing the fields, harvesting the crops, and other countless chores at home.  My parents insisted that their children got an early foundation in religion by taking us to Zion Hill Baptist Church, where my father served on the Deacon Board.  Every time we went to church, he would make sure that I sat right on that  “monin’ bench”.  I didn’t understand it then, but when my father was asked to pry,  he would always call my name saying, “…and Lord, PLEASE remember Randolph…”.  My community was very small and relatively quiet, yet I remember hearing others talk of going up north to live the ‘good life’.  Even radio would broadcast exciting events occurring in other states and abroad, so I frequently dreamed of one day, “going up the road”.

 A perfect opportunity to get away from home was to join the Navy.  After enlisting and completing my training, I was assigned to a huge ship, and was on my way , to what I thought was the fulfillment of my dreams.  At that time, we were in the midst of World War II and I was unknowingly on my way to Okinawa, Japan.  There were some good adventures on board, and in Okinawa, I even had the opportunities to dance with a group that traveled with well known comedians such as Bob Hope and Jimmy Durante.  But we were at war and soon I realized that it wasn’t all fun and games.  Several times I came face to face with death.  I remember one incident, when our battalion took shelter from the rain in an old abandoned house.  For some reason, I stepped outside alone and just as I walked out the door, the building collapsed, killing EVERYONE inside.   There were other instances when I watched my buddies being gunned down as they stood right next to me, yet I was not injured.  You see, this was why my father prayed  for me years ago saying, “…Lord, please remember Randolph…”  And God DID remember me.  after being discharged, I returned to Inman for a few years, and in 1947, left for Washington D.C. because jobs were so hard to find here in the south.  Upon my arrival in D.C. , I received a job working with the railroad as a box-car cleaner

 Working so far away from home, I lived as the prodigal son forgetting my spiritual roots and enjoying life to the fullest.  Occasionally, I performed with the same dance group with Hope and Durante.  Then suddenly, I became sick, lost a lot of weight and eventually lost everything that I owned, except for a few clothes in my closet.  Frail, ill, and penniless, I had no choice but to go back to Inman.  I was able to get enough money to purchase a ticket for the long train ride home.  When I stepped off the train, I was so weak that, in order to regain my strength,  I had to sit on top of my ragg – tied suitcase found in a trash can.  My mother spotted me from afar off, carried me home and took care of me until my health improved.     And…. , after staying home for a brief time, I once again headed for the ‘good-life’ in D.C.

 I loved to sing, and eventually sang lead and backup vocals with a male singing group called the Christian Harmonizors.  We sang together for almost 20 years.  That same year, I met a wonderful young lady from Denmark South Carolina, who moved to Washington to live with relatives.  We were eventually married on February 20 1955 and she became my “Queen”.  Although we traveled to many churches singing, I still had not yielded my life to God, and did not live the words I sang, until one night, after singing, a preacher came to me and said that God can use me and that I needed to be saved.  He went on to tell me about God’s plan of Salvation.  It took a while before I repented, but I did, and was baptized in Jesus name and filled with the precious gift of the Holy Ghost.  Now my family and friends were skeptical of my new life, even though they COULD see a change in the way I lived.  It was not always easy, but I held on.         One day, I had a vision and saw a bible open up in mid air right before my eyes to St. John Chapter 14.  This vision came to me several times, and soon I accepted God’s call to preach.  A small Church in the D.C. area, TRIED STONE HOLINESS CHURCH, was in need of a pastor, and I took their offer.  As I pastored there for several years, God did a mighty work, and allowed me to meet and become acquainted with Bishop Smallwood E. Williams and the Bible Way Church Family.

 Meanwhile, there was a group of devout saints back in Inman who were praying for God to send them a leader.  Bishop Williams heard about them,   and,         knowing that I was from the Inman area, contacted me and asked that I go to South Carolina to help them.  In 1960, I traveled back and forth between D.C. and South Carolina.  One day the Lord showed me a lake burning with fire and told me that I would burn in the lake if I didn’t obey His call to go.  I was ready to obey the call, but my wife was not yet ready to move south.  So I said to her, “You can stay and burn in the lake if you wanna, I’m gonna do what the lord say do!”  So I purchased a one-way ticket, gave away all my things and attempted to board the train.  When the conductor came to collect the tickets, he wanted to put me off when I realized that mine was lost.  I prayed and cried to hard until another conductor came by and said let him ride to Spartanburg.  When I stepped off the train this time, God had saints there waiting for me.  Among them was Minister Carrie & sister Eva Mills who handed me, over 300 dollars of tithe they had saved.   My sister Kathaleen and her husband, Willie James Rookard,  opened their doors and let me stay with their family of  8 children in their small 4 room home.

 We held services from house to house for a while and God’s anointing was so powerful that people were standing on the outside trying to get in.  Many times we would be in church until after midnight.  At times the anointing of God would come over me so strong,  that I would preach two hours straight, dismiss the service and leave saints still under the power of the Anointing.  Our fellowship with Star Bethel Holiness Church in Landrum and Mabry’s Temple Bible Way  Church in Campebello grew.  God continued blessing in many miraculous ways and folk would just give things to me.  Bishop Amos Jackson, pastor of Maybry’s Temple, said that he would split the offerings with me if I did a revival at his church, and Mr. Eli Figgins gave me his white ‘fish tail’ Cadillac.  These Blessings made it easier for me as I continued to travel back and forth to Washington DC to see my “Queen”.  As she began to see how God began blessing my ministry, she eventually consented to move to South Carolina with me.  God had promised that he would not with-hold any good thing from us, and each time I returned to see my wife, God had blessed us with more.

 The ‘house to house’ prayer band eventually heard of a building for rent, on Daniel Morgan Avenue in Spartanburg.  We rented it and began holding services there.  Everywhere we went, our ministry attracted crowds and the services were standing room only.  Even the church on Daniel Morgan Avenue was filled to capacity, thus seeing the need to start saving money in order to build a new church.  One day, while riding down Clark Road in Inman, my car stalled and I began to walk.  As I walked, the spirit of God told me to walk across the ground you want to build the church on. So I took a Joshua walk which covered about 4 acres of land.  Yes land where the owners would not even allow dogs to walk.  But God honors his word again and we were able to purchase the land.  When one of the neighbors living across the street from the land learned that we planned to build a holiness church there, she stated “they will build it over my dead body!”  Within a few years before we even broke ground, she died of cancer.  In the winter of 1965, Deacon William Loyd of the Bible Way Church of Atlas Road in Columbia, come to begin construction of our new church, and in the Spring of 1966 the saints conducted their first church service.

 Word traveled for miles about the “holy-rollers on the hill” and how they would shout, speak in tongues and fall out when the preacher would lay hands on them.  Despite the ridicule, however, many miracles took place and some family members were healed while others were delivered from various addictions.  Our Sunday night services were soon filled to capacity with many onlookers who came to laugh, but found themselves enjoying the service so much that they found it hard to leave.  I was a man on a mission, determined not to let negative talk shake my faith in what God was doing through me.  Many people didn’t like me and many called me crazy, but yet they came to the services and some of those same people were baptized and filled with the holy Ghost and became a part of  the Bible Way Family.  Invitations began pouring in to run revivals. From the east cost to the west, numerous souls were saved and added to every church where I preached.  Blinded eyes and deaf ears were opened, the dumb began to speak, tumors, cancer, diabetes, high-blood pressure, kidney and heart problems were all healed by the matchless power of God.  Though many people gave me high acclaim as a healer, I give all the praise and glory to almighty God.  The task before me was hard, the roads were long and lonely, but I was committed to the cause, not for the fame or the money, but for the love of God and the lost and hurting souls that needed a touch from Him.

 As I continued to grow in Bible Way, I became elder, then District Elder of the Western District of South Carolina under the direction of Diocesan Bishop henry Brown of Prince Fredrick Maryland.  After the death of Bishop Brown, the diocese was divided into two parts.  I was elevated as junior Bishop and placed as diocesan Bishop over the Western Diocese of South Carolina.  I was also appointed by Apostle Smallwood E. Williams as National Evangelist for the Bible Way Churches World Wide and once again I was elevated to the Executive Board of Bishops of our national organization.  In September 1983, we held a ground – breaking ceremony for this fine edifice in which we now worship.  God gave me the vision to build this church, though many did not see a need for it.  But I held firm in my obedience to God’s voice.  I labored hard and long and many times , no , most of the time, alone.  BUT GOD!    Because I continued steadfastly, our building was dedicated on November 2, 1991 with Apostle Lawrence G. Campbell officiating.  To God be the glory for the things he has done through the ministry He has appointed to my hands.  I have visited the sick, I have fed the poor, and I have interceded in court for many and even gave council to those behind prison walls.  Many lives have been touched and changed through this ministry.

 

Now after praying for the healing of countless people, I lay in my hospital bed breathing with the aid of a ventilator…unable to preach again, unable to pray loud again, unable to speak in tongues again, I still, In my silence, give God the highest praise for the things He has done and continues to do in my life.  Many say, they are encouraged by my strong determination through this prolonged illness.  Many of you wonder why this powerful man has become so frail.  I say to you, “ Don’t cry for me, don’t shed a tear, for I have fought a GOOD fight.  And though I have not yet finished my course, I am still happy in Jesus.  I encourage all of you to keep on holding on.  Don’t pray for God to heal me… but pray instead that GOD’S WILL BE DONE IN MY LIFE!   It is well with my soul and one day “ I’m Goin’Up”.

 This Is My Story, and I pray that after reading it you can understand why I just couldn’t keep still.  I didn’t know that this day was coming in the way that it has come, but I rejoice because I sang and danced while I had the strength.  And you know what….

  AFTER ALL THE THINGS I’VE BEEN THROUGH,  I STILL HAVE MY JOY

  AND ALWAYS REMEMBER…. IT’S JUST NICE TO BE NICE