{"id":2939,"date":"2018-10-09T17:35:13","date_gmt":"2018-10-09T22:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/?p=2939"},"modified":"2018-10-09T17:40:13","modified_gmt":"2018-10-09T22:40:13","slug":"one-of-my-heroes-from-the-past-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/2018\/10\/09\/one-of-my-heroes-from-the-past-generation\/","title":{"rendered":"One of My Heroes from the Past Generation"},"content":{"rendered":"

After graduating from college, I attended graduate school at Union Theological Seminary (UTS) in Richmond, Virginia (now called Union Presbyterian Seminary). Though I was accepted at other seminaries, Union\u2019s strong Bible department and financial aid, along with an excellent local IPHC church, led me there. The Presbyterian money must have been predestined to educate a Pentecostal Wesleyan Arminian!<\/p>\n

In the chapel services, I heard and learned new hymns, such as \u201cFor All the Saints.\u201d I always have that hymn in my mind when I attend a funeral service. I\u2019ve been blessed to know personally many of the \u201csaints\u201d whom the Holy Spirit used to affect the IPHC since the 1950s. If I started naming them, it would be like reading 1 Chronicles 1\u20139. They were mighty women and men in the IPHC family.<\/p>\n

In July of this year, I learned that one of those saints, Lawrence A. Pfaff, joined his late wife with the Lord. Born in Pennsylvania on St. Valentine\u2019s Day 1929, Pfaff attended Holmes Bible College (where he met his wife, Lola Rankin), Furman University, and then obtained a master\u2019s degree from William and Mary.<\/p>\n

I first heard the Pfaff name in the early 1970s as he had pastored in the Eastern Virginia Conference and had responded to the mission\u2019s call. They began serving in White River, South Africa, along with their three daughters (Etheyln, Barbie, and Cheryl).<\/p>\n

Later that decade the Pfaff\u2019s brought their youngest daughter Cheryl to Emmanuel College where I met this amazing family. When they visited Emmanuel, I was always impressed by the Pfaff\u2019s gracious and friendly demeanor.<\/p>\n

I remember Cheryl remarking that her father was often in Nigeria, but her mother was in the USA helping with fundraising and the family. At times he would return to the USA to be with his family and raise funds. I didn\u2019t realize when they would visit that I was in the presence of such humble and faithful servants of Christ in the IPHC in West Africa.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until I became World Missions Director that I began to understand the Pfaff\u2019s significant impact in West Africa. I knew the IPHC had a Bible school in Lagos but knew little of its history. While IPHC missionary Johnny Brooks had started the IPHC work in West Africa in 1955, and a small school in 1957, the school had closed in the 1970s.<\/p>\n

However, Lawrence Pfaff came to Nigeria and began a new dream that continues to this day. Initially traveling across Nigeria, he journeyed westward into Benin to encourage the IPHC presence in that nation. But it was in Lagos that Pfaff found the opportunity to establish a strong IPHC Bible College.<\/p>\n

IPHC missionary Willard Wagner told me, \u201cRev. Pfaff and his wife almost singlehandedly raised all the funds for the purchase of the land, and the construction of the facility, where the present Bible College is permanently established.\u201d That property is a short distance from the Gulf of Guinea and when it is quiet, one can sit on the school roof and hear the ocean.<\/p>\n

It was a major project. Pfaff lived among the Nigerians whom he served, once living with nineteen Nigerians in the same house! He later slept in the unfinished rooms of the college.
\nAt one point an IPHC Nigerian family opened their home to him and provided better shelter and food. He hired Italian contractors to build the outstanding facility. He was responsible for hiring Dr. Luke Nnadi as the head of the West Africa Bible College, a position Dr. Nnadi holds today as well as the IPHC Nigeria national leader.<\/p>\n

Today this property is valued at over $1 million U.S. dollars. Lawrence Pfaff saw an opportunity that others did not see, and his faith and work continues. The WABC has trained nearly 3,000 men and women who are serving Christ and the IPHC around the globe.<\/p>\n

In November 2007, Willard Wagner invited Brother Pfaff to return to Lagos for the dedication of the new conference center named in memory of his beloved wife Lola Pfaff. This needed facility was made possible by funds raised through World Missions, the Pfaff family, and Willard and Yvonne Wagner. Traveling with Lawrence were two grandsons, David Peyton (son of Ethelyn) and Karl Stefan (son of Barbie). I was honored to join the Wagner\u2019s and Pfaff family for this special event.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

A \u2018never-retiring missionary\u2019: Lawrence Pfaff at the Bible college in Nigeria in 2007.<\/p><\/div>\n

Lawrence Pfaff was then 78 years old but full of energy and enthusiasm. I kept some notes about that trip and wrote about his preaching, \u201cHe (Pfaff) spoke from Psalm 92:12 on the palm tree and did a great job. He\u2019s a very good teacher and repeatedly had us quote the passage! His applications were great also.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The West Africa Bible College graduation was on Saturday, November 17. There were over two thousand people present and Lawrence, his grandsons, the Wagners, and I were on the platform. At one point in the praise music, hundreds of Nigerians entered the aisles and front area to dance. I could tell that Lawrence was loving it.<\/p>\n

He leaned over to me and said, \u201cYou can do that, go on out there.\u201d I replied, \u201cI\u2019ll go if you go.\u201d He stood up and together we joined the dancers and spent the next fifteen minutes with the Nigerians in praise to the Lord.<\/p>\n

When we returned to our seats, his grandson David was sitting next to me. I turned to him and said, \u201cYour Granddad is the happiest man on earth!\u201d I saw with my own eyes why Lawrence was called the \u201cnever re-tiring missionary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our core value emphasis this year is \u201cWe Prayerfully Value All Generations.\u201d Lawrence and Lola Pfaff are part of a generation that is joining that \u201cgreat clouds of witnesses\u201d we read about in Hebrews 12:1. But their testimony continues to inspire us.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Doug Beacham<\/strong><\/p>\n

This article was published in\u00a0the October 2018 issue of Encourage<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1],"tags":[510,45,134,46,290,184],"class_list":{"0":"post-2939","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bishops-blog","8":"category-general","9":"tag-510","10":"tag-bishop","11":"tag-bishops-blog","12":"tag-doug-beacham","13":"tag-iphc-general-superintendent","14":"tag-october","15":"entry"},"title_es":"Tres lecciones vitales de uno de nuestros fundadores","content_es":"George Floyd Taylor era un hombre incre\u00edble. Fue uno de los primeros miembros de la Iglesia de Santidad de Carolina del Norte y una figura destacada en el IPHC despu\u00e9s de la fusi\u00f3n de 1911 en Falcon, Carolina del Norte. A pesar de una discapacidad cong\u00e9nita, trabaj\u00f3 incansablemente por la causa de Jesucristo. Era un \u00e1vido lector y estudiante, y obtuvo una maestr\u00eda de la Universidad de Carolina del Norte. Hace casi 100 a\u00f1os, en Falcon, Carolina del Norte, Taylor escribi\u00f3 en The Pentecostal Holiness Advocate (en el n\u00famero del 26 de septiembre de 1918) sobre algo que le sucedi\u00f3 cuando era ni\u00f1o. \"Cuando era ni\u00f1o recib\u00ed una visi\u00f3n mental de la inmensidad de este mundo y de sus necesidades\", escribi\u00f3 Taylor, \"y consagr\u00e9 mi vida a Dios para hacer algo para ayudar a salvarla y bendecirla\". En la noche de El 7 de enero de 1919, en Franklin Springs, Georgia, Taylor, de 38 a\u00f1os, agreg\u00f3 esto a lo que Dios hizo en su vida de joven: \"Busqu\u00e9 cuidadosamente un texto en la Biblia que pudiera ser mi lema para la vida, y El Esp\u00edritu parec\u00eda darme Romanos 12:11. He tratado de hacer de esto el lema de mi vida<\/em> ; y espero que la muerte me lleve a este lema \".<\/em> (Citado en el n\u00famero del 16 de enero de 1919 de The PH Advocate). Romanos 12:11 en la versi\u00f3n King James dice: \u201cNo perezoso en los negocios; fervientes en esp\u00edritu; servir al Se\u00f1or \u201d. La vida de Taylor me parece inspiradora por muchas razones: fue el segundo Superintendente General de IPHC (1913-1917); fue Tesorero General de la IPHC; fue editor de la primera revista de la IPHC, The Pentecostal Holiness Advocate; fue director de la Escuela de Santidad de Falcon; escribi\u00f3 las primeras lecciones de la Escuela Dominical (para todos los grados) de la IPHC; escribi\u00f3 varios libros; y fue gerente de la Pentecostal Holiness Publishing House. Tambi\u00e9n comenz\u00f3 el Franklin Springs Institute, ahora Emmanuel College, en enero de 1919. Como fundador del Franklin Springs Institute, convirti\u00f3 su verso de vida personal en el verso de la escuela. Una cosa es segura, \u00a1GF Taylor obedeci\u00f3 completamente a Romanos 12:11! Hay eventos en nuestra infancia que dan forma a nuestro futuro. A veces es un sue\u00f1o o una visi\u00f3n, o es algo que vemos o escuchamos. Esos eventos pueden endurecer nuestros corazones o hacernos sensibles a Dios. Al leer estos comentarios de Taylor que describen su propia juventud, tengo fotos de j\u00f3venes de IPHC de todo el mundo escuchando la voz de Dios. Entre las lecciones de su vida, tres llegan a la vanguardia de cada generaci\u00f3n. Primero, aunque creci\u00f3 en la zona rural de Carolina del Norte, Dios le habl\u00f3 a su mente joven y le mostr\u00f3 \"la inmensidad de este mundo y sus necesidades\". La capacidad de Dios de hablarnos puede superar nuestra visi\u00f3n y experiencias normales del mundo. Un ni\u00f1o puede investigar la vasta extensi\u00f3n de un cielo nocturno y darse cuenta de que el mundo es m\u00e1s grande que su entorno. Hoy en d\u00eda, los j\u00f3venes exploran el universo o ven las necesidades del mundo a trav\u00e9s de Google. John Wesley vio las necesidades del mundo pero experiment\u00f3 su adecuaci\u00f3n cuando fue a Georgia como un joven misionero anglicano. Dejando Georgia, pas\u00f3 el resto de su vida recorriendo \u201cesta bendita parcela, esta tierra, este reino, esta Inglaterra\u201d y, a trav\u00e9s de esas lentes, se dio cuenta de que \u201cel mundo es mi parroquia\u201d. De ni\u00f1o, recuerdo a misioneros de la IPHC que visitaban la iglesia. Sus historias tocaron mi coraz\u00f3n y expandieron los l\u00edmites de mi pensamiento y mis deseos. Dios us\u00f3 a esos hombres y mujeres para despertarme a lo que m\u00e1s tarde descubrir\u00eda que es la voluntad de Dios para mi vida: servirle. Eso fue lo segundo sobre Taylor que me habla en estas d\u00e9cadas de la vida: una consagraci\u00f3n para vivir, servir y bendecir al mundo que el Se\u00f1or me permite tocar. Veo que surge una generaci\u00f3n joven que quiere los desaf\u00edos de una vida totalmente consagrada a Cristo. Para un n\u00famero creciente de j\u00f3venes, la comodidad, el prestigio y el reconocimiento no se comparan con vivir por una causa m\u00e1s grande que uno mismo. Finalmente, todos podemos aprender lo que es estudiar la Biblia, en las palabras de Taylor, \"cuidadosamente\" (buscar) a Dios habl\u00e1ndonos con una Palabra que define la Biblia. Para Taylor, ese verso era Romanos 12:11. Para San Agust\u00edn, que lucha por consagrar finalmente todo su ser a Dios, fue Romanos 13: 13-14: \"Caminemos correctamente, como en el d\u00eda, no en la juerga y la embriaguez, ni en lascivia ni en la lujuria, ni en la lucha\". y la envidia. Pero ponte al Se\u00f1or Jesucristo, y no hagas provisi\u00f3n para que la carne cumpla sus deseos \u201d(NKJV). La clave es que los ni\u00f1os y las ni\u00f1as, as\u00ed como los hombres y las mujeres, est\u00e1n expuestos al poder que cambia la vida de la Palabra de Dios. Como muchacho, GF Taylor aprendi\u00f3 el poder de la Palabra de Dios y busc\u00f3 la palabra definitoria de Dios para su vida. Ninguno de nosotros es demasiado viejo para que Dios deje de hablarnos. Las nuevas estaciones de la vida traen nuevas percepciones de la Palabra. Pero debemos tener o\u00eddos para escuchar, y debe haber voces para hablar. En el marat\u00f3n llamado vida, donde las generaciones llegan, maduran y se preparan para irse, hay legados para dejar a los dem\u00e1s. La vida de GF Taylor nos da tres de esos legados: una visi\u00f3n para el mundo y sus necesidades; el poder de la entrega total a lo que Dios desea de nosotros; y una vida vivida por el poder sustentador de la Palabra de Dios. Por Doug Beacham<\/strong> Este art\u00edculo se public\u00f3 en el n\u00famero de septiembre de 2018 de Encourage<\/a> .<\/em>","author_name":"","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/10\/PHOTO-Beacham-1-e1539124341260.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb62Bx-Lp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2939"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2939\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}