A place for Rev. Kelsey Griffin
Donation protected
I am writing to you with a very important need that I am certain that you will want to be involved in. Few men have shaped a generation of preachers as directly and powerfully as Brother Kelsey Griffin. Brother Griffin has had a very faithful ministry of almost 60 years in the UPCI and various other apostolic churches. I certainly believe that no one I have ever met articulated the need for Word-centered preaching and teaching like Brother Griffin has.
What I shall describe could have been written by hundreds of Bible college students as well. My first time to meet Brother Griffin was in Houston, Texas in September, 1989. I entered a freshman classroom at Texas Bible College with no idea how much of an impact that this man would have on me beyond the classrooms and chapel services. The impact and imprint of his ministry on me has long continued even though I graduated from Texas Bible College in 1992. It did not even take a week for me to grasp the fact that I had come into contact with one of the most unique men to ever have been called to the ministry, that fact was known when I left the first class he taught. That semester I had two classes with Brother Griffin—Old Testament Survey and Bible Study Methods. His grasp and understanding of the Scriptures was such that he could literally make characters walk into your presence and it seemed as if when his classes were finished that you were surprised that the time had flown by so quickly. That continued for the next three years!
I well remember the notable class, Keys to Success, in my junior year that added great spiritual instruction to me as well. Furthermore, I remember his preaching in the chapels those three years. He preached through the Sermon on the Mount one year and then another year he took the phrases of Blessed Assurance, his favorite hymn, and preached doctrinal messages around the themes laid out in that hymn. All the while his teaching and preaching was impacting a generation of young preachers although none of us would realize the value of what he was doing until well after we left the hallways and classrooms of Texas Bible College. There have been times even recently that I have thanked God for His grace in allowing me to be one of the Griffinites. To be a Griffinite meant that you were a defender of the faith. As you know, the sun never sets on the Griffinites that are presently in ministry.
I would like to address a need that has arisen concerning Brother Griffin. Just a few weeks ago, Brother Griffin fell and fractured his hip. Through all of the subsequent surgery and rehabilitation time, it has been determined that he needs a place to live closer to his brother, Brother Bob Griffin. Bob Griffin will be able to assist him better as age is now beginning to be a factor. Furthermore, Brother Griffin had already decided that he would no longer drive and at the end of 2017 he was going to sell his car. But with this setback, this date appears to have come earlier. Brother Griffin is now 79 years old although his mind is still very active and sharp his physical limitations are becoming a factor. We are creating a Go Fund Me account to help him and his brother build a small apartment that will be attached to a metal workshop behind the house. This will allow Brother Griffin to still have some semblance of privacy in this small apartment so that he will not have to move into an assisted living facility.
When I heard of the need for this endeavor, I immediately pledged my support to it along with Brothers Steve Dawitt and John Boone who are both former students and now Texas pastors in Waco and Lufkin. In fact, Brother Griffin has been attending Brother Dawitt’s church since his retirement from ABI last May. If you are a former student or if you are a person that Brother Griffin has blessed in the past, this is an excellent way for you to add your support to a great man of God. With that need in mind, I call on all of the Griffinites that are scattered around the world to help us build this small apartment for him.
Thanks so much for your support!
God Bless,
Philip Harrelson
Texas Bible College, Class of 1992
What I shall describe could have been written by hundreds of Bible college students as well. My first time to meet Brother Griffin was in Houston, Texas in September, 1989. I entered a freshman classroom at Texas Bible College with no idea how much of an impact that this man would have on me beyond the classrooms and chapel services. The impact and imprint of his ministry on me has long continued even though I graduated from Texas Bible College in 1992. It did not even take a week for me to grasp the fact that I had come into contact with one of the most unique men to ever have been called to the ministry, that fact was known when I left the first class he taught. That semester I had two classes with Brother Griffin—Old Testament Survey and Bible Study Methods. His grasp and understanding of the Scriptures was such that he could literally make characters walk into your presence and it seemed as if when his classes were finished that you were surprised that the time had flown by so quickly. That continued for the next three years!
I well remember the notable class, Keys to Success, in my junior year that added great spiritual instruction to me as well. Furthermore, I remember his preaching in the chapels those three years. He preached through the Sermon on the Mount one year and then another year he took the phrases of Blessed Assurance, his favorite hymn, and preached doctrinal messages around the themes laid out in that hymn. All the while his teaching and preaching was impacting a generation of young preachers although none of us would realize the value of what he was doing until well after we left the hallways and classrooms of Texas Bible College. There have been times even recently that I have thanked God for His grace in allowing me to be one of the Griffinites. To be a Griffinite meant that you were a defender of the faith. As you know, the sun never sets on the Griffinites that are presently in ministry.
I would like to address a need that has arisen concerning Brother Griffin. Just a few weeks ago, Brother Griffin fell and fractured his hip. Through all of the subsequent surgery and rehabilitation time, it has been determined that he needs a place to live closer to his brother, Brother Bob Griffin. Bob Griffin will be able to assist him better as age is now beginning to be a factor. Furthermore, Brother Griffin had already decided that he would no longer drive and at the end of 2017 he was going to sell his car. But with this setback, this date appears to have come earlier. Brother Griffin is now 79 years old although his mind is still very active and sharp his physical limitations are becoming a factor. We are creating a Go Fund Me account to help him and his brother build a small apartment that will be attached to a metal workshop behind the house. This will allow Brother Griffin to still have some semblance of privacy in this small apartment so that he will not have to move into an assisted living facility.
When I heard of the need for this endeavor, I immediately pledged my support to it along with Brothers Steve Dawitt and John Boone who are both former students and now Texas pastors in Waco and Lufkin. In fact, Brother Griffin has been attending Brother Dawitt’s church since his retirement from ABI last May. If you are a former student or if you are a person that Brother Griffin has blessed in the past, this is an excellent way for you to add your support to a great man of God. With that need in mind, I call on all of the Griffinites that are scattered around the world to help us build this small apartment for him.
Thanks so much for your support!
God Bless,
Philip Harrelson
Texas Bible College, Class of 1992
Organizer and beneficiary
Philip Harrelson
Organizer
China Spring, TX
Stephen Daywitt
Beneficiary
