A Johnny Idea

I started out writing this article to research my Church of God heritage. I wanted to know how I ended up crawling under the pews at Elmwood Avenue Church of God as a kid and growing up to be a minister in the movement I have grown to love. What I discovered in the process was a portrait of God’s grace. I have discovered that every individual is a painted portrait containing brush strokes from those who have come before us. I am who I am because my heritage was touched by the finger of God. This is a story of my heritage.

My grandfather L.H. Killman Sr.(who went by “Andy”) was PawPaw to me. He was born in Belair, Maryland to a mother who had been raised in a foster home until she married at the age of 18. After a rocky 15 years of marriage, my great-grandfather left his wife and six children when PawPaw was less than 2 years old — at the height of the Great Depression. My great-grandmother was now raising 6 children by herself, and PawPaw’s oldest brother, Sam, 13 or so at the time, found himself the “man” of the house. My great-grandmother went to work as a “caregiver,” and Sam dropped out of school to work and help his Mom take care of his 5 younger brothers and sisters.

About a year later, the man who gave Sam a job invited him to a Church of God tent revival where they lived in Crisfield, Maryland. Young Sam was saved. He went home, told his mother what God had done, and returned the next night, bringing his Mom with him where she, too, gave her heart to the Lord. As the Crisfield Church of God was organized, my great-grandmother and Sam threw themselves into the work of the church, becoming charter members. The church was the center of the fragile little family’s lives, and they were involved in every aspect of the church’s ministries. This was the beginning of the Killmans being a people of the church. This is a brushstroke of my heritage.

My grandmother Donna Killman, was born in Clay County, Kentucky. Her mother passed away when she was 8 years old. By the time MawMaw graduated from high school, she had moved over twenty times. When she graduated, she moved to Louisville, Kentucky to attend business school, and while she was there she attended Faith Temple Church of God. When MawMaw completed her education at the business school, she moved to Cleveland, Tennessee to get her associate’s degree where she met L.H. Killman Sr. on a college field trip.

PawPaw graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Bible from Lee College and was voted Mr. Lee College. MawMaw served as the secretary for the Dean of Lee College while she finished her studies. Together, they pursued their passion to prepare for the mission field, feeling a call to India. After getting married they decided to move to Columbia, South Carolina, where PawPaw would attend Columbia Bible College in pursuit of a master’s degree. The goal was to complete the degree while my grandparents waited on visas from India to be missionaries. They never were able to obtain visas, but PawPaw and MawMaw helped build a church in that region later in life. Their earnest lives of church service and answering God’s call in their daily lives is yet one more brushstroke in my heritage.

While my grandparents were not able to live out their dream of being foreign missionaries, they established their roots in Columbia and became faithful members of Elmwood Avenue Church of God, ministering daily to the needs of God’s kingdom where He had planted them. PawPaw would serve Elmwood as a youth group leader, Sunday school teacher, clerk, and member of the church and pastor’s council. MawMaw also served as a Sunday school teacher and a member of the choir. They supported every program and activity — fund-raising, building drives, cleanup and repair, Christmas plays, missions, athletics, church dinners, witnessing, and many more. Whatever was needed by the pastor or the church, they did their best to help provide. I think I love best that they were true “friends in need” for the pastor and other ministry families — they were shoulders ministers could lean on and supporters they could count upon. Many stories have been told about the kindness and hospitality that Donna and Andy Killman extended to those who ministered at Elmwood. They were always faithful to the church. This is yet another brushstroke of my heritage.

When my dad grew up, he married at Elmwood, and he and my mother followed in PawPaw’s and MawMaw’s footsteps, raising me and my sister at Elmwood and serving God’s kingdom there. God’s hand has woven His grace throughout the story of my heritage. My grandparents had five children, ten grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren (currently). I am a part of this legacy. I love the Church because of my heritage. I love the Church of God because of my heritage. Most importantly, I love the Lord in part because of my heritage. I am who I am because my heritage was touched by the finger of God.

Johnny Idea: Investigate your heritage (you can use a tool like Ancestry.com). You may find inspiration, but most certainly you will find the hand of God in your life.

A Song for Your Playlist: Broken into Beautiful (Live) by Hannah Hobbs

Note: I want to give a special thanks to my Aunt Robin for being a wealth of knowledge about my heritage and providing the images in this blog.