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Biography

A Child of God since the age of eleven, Mrs. Garner has been more than an active member of her church, from usher to Assistant Pastor, Sunday School teacher and church clerk, her seventy years in the Pentecostal Church of God have been fruitful and a blessing to many. She was born in Mississippi, moved with her parents to Ohio, then with her husband to Iowa where her love for God and His church has been an inspiration.

Transcript

Date of Interview:  March 26, 2008

Dennicia Hickman: Hello, my name is Dennicia and I am a member of Pentecostal Church of God and I am interviewing Sister Garner. Can you state your full name?

Mrs. Garner: My name is Rosa B. Garner.

Dennicia : How old were you when you was baptized in Jesus’ Name and filled with the Holy Ghost?

Mrs. Garner: I was age 11 when I was baptized in Jesus’ Name and age 13 when I received the gift of the Holy Ghost in Toledo, Ohio.

Dennicia: Do you have children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and how many?

Mrs. Garner: I have five children. (laughs) I’m afraid I can’t tell you how many grandchildren and great grandchildren, but there’s a lot of them.

Dennicia: Where was your past positions and what are your present positions?

Mrs. Garner: Well, when I lived in Ohio, I was the secretary of the council Sunday School. And I was secretary of our Sunday School in Toledo, Ohio and then I was chairman of the young people. I was the choir director. And then when I moved out here to Davenport, I was still choir director at the church in Toledo. Then I came out here and I, one of my first positions was to sing in the choir under the direction of Mother Boyd. And then I became the secretary of the Sunday School. I was assistant choir chairperson and in the council I was chairman of the missionary auxiliary and secretary of the council Sunday School. Here at this church, I’ve held several positions. I don’t know which ones to name first, but I was an usher. I was the Pastor’s aid. I sang in the choir, Sunday School teacher, secretary of the Sunday School. At this present time, I am still teaching Sunday school. And I am considered as the First Assistant Pastor of the Pentecostal Church of God, plus the church clerk and secretary.

Dennicia: How long have you been a member of the Pentecostal Church of God?

Mrs. Garner: I’ve been a member of the Pentecostal Church of God since 1962. And that’s about forty- what – seven years, about forty-seven years. Bishop Boyd was pastor, well when I came here he was Elder Boyd, then he was promoted to Bishop. He was one of the first Pastor here at the Pentecostal Church of God.

Dennicia: Did you attend 6th and Warren Street?

Mrs. Garner : Yes. That was where the church was located when I moved here from Ohio. It was located at 6th and Warren Streets.

Dennicia: Could you tell me about Sister Perkins and Sister Sarah Vesey?

Mrs. Garner: When I came here from Ohio, Mother Perkins and Sister Sarah Vesey was two of the faithful members of the Pentecostal Church of God. And at that time, Mother Perkins was the second oldest member here. Sister Sarah Vesey had about 12 children. And what I remember about her is that she kept all those children in Sunday School. And today some of those children are still with us and her grandchildren. She was just a faithful member of this assembly and was always helpful. Mother Perkins was a person that was able to help you and give you direction. And if you learned to know her, you learned that she meant what she said.

Dennicia: Who are your parents and did they attend Pentecostal Church of God?

Mrs. Garner: My parents have been deceased for years. My father was Willy Greenley and my mother was Emma Greenley. Neither one of them attended Pentecostal Church of God. We were from Mississippi and they attended the Baptist Church. I remember them taking me to the Baptist Church when I was just a little child. And then we moved to Toledo and I met some of the saints from the Apostolic Church there in Toledo. And they asked my mother if I could come to Sunday School and I been going to the Apostolic church ever since. That was back in the 1930-something.

Dennicia: Do you remember when Bishop Anderson became Pastor?

Mrs. Garner: Yes, I was here the night when he was elected. When I came here, Bishop Anderson was just 16 years old. He was still a teenager, but he came to Sunday School all the time. Finally, he was filled with the Holy Ghost and he’s been with the church ever since. His mother was a member, his grandmother was a member, his aunt was a member, and he’s just been faithful here, to the church since I’ve known him and I believe he was 16 years old when I first met him.

Dennicia: What is your favorite things or positions you like to do?

Mrs. Garner: What are my favorite positions in the church?

Dennicia: uh-huh.

Mrs. Garner: All of them. (laughs) I don’t have a favorite. I just like working in the church and helping God’s people and helping wherever I’m needed. I just like to help. I like to be used and none of it is a burden to me. I just don’t have any special place that I’d like to be. I just want to be a servant in the house of God.

Dennicia: Would you like to share any more things?

Mrs. Garner: Well I’d just like to share that I am thankful that I was baptized at a young age and I had good mentors and people to help me and I remained in the church. Like I said I received the Holy Ghost at age 13. I’ve been in the church ever since. I made some mistakes but thank God, He gave me the grace to correct them. And I had a lot, a lot of good mentors, a lot of good direction, and Pastors. My first Pastor was Bishop Fred Clark in Ohio. And then I moved out here and Bishop Boyd, who was Elder Boyd, he became my Pastor. And I had another Pastor, Elder Coleman. And then after Bishop Boyd, Bishop Anderson became my Pastor. And I just appreciate how that things have worked out and God has given me a long life, I think, to be my age, 81, and I’m still able to be able to do things on my own. And that only comes from the goodness of God and from being faithful to God. And I intend to be faithful. I have people laughing. I said I’m going to be here until I’m 107. But if I’m not here until I’m 107, I intend to be serving God as long as I’m here. And I love the saints here. I love this church, the Pastor and his wife. And I’m just thankful that I have not been too exposed to too many things of the world. But how that God has just, I guess, had his shield around me. And I’m just glad.

Dennicia: Could you read this last passage please?

Mrs. Garner: It is through excellent leadership and commitment to God that I remain today. Many of the ones that were here when I came are now gone on. The only one that was a member when I moved here is our first lady, Esther Anderson. I am the oldest member in age that is here now. The Lord is allowing me to serve in different capacities in the church and I give him glory. My desire is to always serve and be an example of God’s grace and goodness to everybody that I meet.

Dennicia: Thank you.

Mrs. Garner: Thank you. I appreciate it.