Ernest H. Brown

     Ernest Henry Brown was born on New years day, 1905, at Mounds, Oklahoma, being next to the youngest of five sons and three daughters of Mary Louis and James Buchanon Brown.    When he was just four months old the family moved to Fairfield-Suisun, California, where his father was ranch foreman for several years.   The children attended the Suisun elementary and high school.    They also went to a Methodist church as there was no Baptist Church there at the time.

     When Ernest Brown was well along in elementary school the family moved to a large farm near Ceres, California, then a year later his father bought a farm near Modesto, but the children continued their education through high school at Ceres.   The family also found a Baptist church at Ceres, and they attended there.

     At the age of fourteen Ernest accepted the Lord as his personal Savior and was baptized by his pastor, Elder Marion McCart, who later held meetings in a number of Oregon churches and once pastored the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Portland, Oregon.

     After high school Ernest helped his father on the farm and worked in a local cannery during fruit season.   He had surrendered his life to the Gospel ministry and was saving money to go to school.

     In 1928 Ernest Brown graduated from the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, and on June 9, 1928, at Orchard Avenue Baptist Church of Los Angeles he was married to Elsie Lucinda Holinger.    His bride was the daughter of Harriet Marie and David Clarence Hollinger.   She had been born in Glendale, Arizona.   She attended school in Glendale and Ray, Arizona, and at the age of seventeen was saved during an old time revival meeting.   After high school she had entered the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, where she met Ernest in her last year of school there.

     Ernest Brown was ordained to the gospel ministry on February 24th, 1929, by the Ceres Baptist Church, Elder J. Frank Simmons being one of the ordination council.   At this time Ernest was supplying as pastor for a little Baptist church in Chico, California.   Having heard of the need of pastors in Oregon, Ernest felt drawn in that direction.   He arrived in Portland, April, 1930, Brother McCart having arranged several preaching appointments for him. In June he attended the Middle Oregon Baptist Association at Fossil.

     At the close of the association meeting Brother Ernest Brown was called to pastor the Spray Baptist Church.   In the fall of 1931 he accepted the call to pastor the Missionary Baptist Church at Prineville and remained there through the middle of 1935.   During this period he was director of Young Peoples Encampments held at Suttle Lake.   From 1935 to 1937 he pastored Temple Baptist Church in Salem, Oregon.   Here he had the opportunity to preach a number of times in various state institutions, which he greatly enjoyed.

     From September, 1937, to October, 1952, Brother Ernest Brown was pastor of the Baptist church in John Day, Oregon, during most of that time he and his wife worked to support themselves so that the little church there was able to purchase property and build a building for meetings.   Mrs. Brown worked almost five years as the local telephone operator, while Brother Brown worked several years as custodian of the local elementary school, then he became the first mail carrier for the John Day post office, when house to house delivery was begun.   In these jobs he had a wonderful opportunity to meet boys and girls and also to meet new families as they moved into town.

     In the fall of 1952 Brother Brown gave up his pastoral work because of problems of health, and he and his wife moved to Oakland, California.   They planned this to be only temporary.   The necessity for a means of livelihood led Brother Brown to accept a position in the rehabilitation of prison parolees, a work found to be a most satisfying ministry.   He was with these men each day and often spoke to them of Christ's claim on their lives, and some made definite decisions for Christ.   As their foreman he had to be strict with them, but they respected and loved him, and later on when they learned of his sudden death, they all wept like children.   Ernest also preached some at two missions in Oakland at this time.

     In the evening of January 31, 1964, as Brother Ernest Brown was returning from visiting in a hospital in Oakland, California, while walking in a crosswalk across a six lane street to catch a bus, he was hit by a pickup truck and thrown for some distance, then the truck ran over his chest killing him instantly.   Other cars stopped for the crosswalk, but the driver of the truck, traveling in the third lane could not stop in time because he had bad brakes.

     Ernest's body was laid to rest in Modesto cemetery where his parents are buried and near where two brothers and two sisters still have their homes.   He has been greatly missed by a multitude of friends in Oregon and California, though most of all by the help mate God gave him for all his years of ministry.

     Sister Ernest Brown, who sent the information for the above, concludes with these words:

     "As for myself the Lord has preserved my health, and I have been able to work nine and a half years as a PBX operator and substitute desk clerk for Biola Hotel, which was formerly the Bible Institute of Los Angeles building.   I retired two years ago because I knew I could not work under the new manager to whom the hotel was leased.   I moved to Los Angeles a year and a half after Ernest's death because at my age I could not find employment in Oakland and was offered the job in Los Angeles while here on a visit."

     "These days I have found many searching hearts to whom to minister, and in my work at the hotel I rejoiced to see results in some cases of some finding peace in Him.   I attend a small Baptist church and often find opportunities to cheer lonely folk by taking them a few homemade cookies or a birthday cake.   I also make homemade cookies frequently for the children's Bible club at church."

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