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UNITING CHRISTIANS
MASS EVANGELISM
A PROPHETIC-EVANGELICAL MINISTRY
UNITING CHRISTIANS
MASS EVANGELISM
A PROPHETIC-EVANGELICAL MINISTRY
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
I, Ernest Dean Hollins was born, August 28, 1959, in the great city Monroe, Louisiana to the proud parents of Rosetta W. Hollins and C. C. Heckard, the youngest of five siblings. I was raised in a christian home and attended church from birth as a member of the St, Mary Missionary Baptist Church, under the leadership of the late Rev. Dr. C. H.Reed and after his death; the late Rev. K. Richardson which spanned over a period of fourteen years. The church was the central focus of life and the foundational principles of the Word of God were learned as he was active in Sunday School, Baptist Training Union, the Choir, Vacation Bible School, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and other special days. Even though the Hollins' household did not have its' own means of transportation, our first three places of lodging were close enough to walk to church and yet we were almost perfect in church attendance. Our fourth residence was some distance from the church but we were still faithful, Thanks to the transport from my Uncle and Aunt, Leroy and Elizabeth Barnett. The Lord had a plan for my life and it began early. The church was not a burden, it was an engraved part of my life. It was always God first then everything else. Thank you, MAMA!
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The CONCEPTION
Over the years, it has become increasingly clear that God was guiding me all throughout my life. There were some advantages to being the youngest of the siblings for the older brothers and sister were charged with the responsibility to keep me safe. If something went wrong the elders were often times held responsible and had to suffer the consequences. This was a privilege that I found myself taking full advantage thus at times caused a rift between me and them. We all were taught to be very respectful of our mother and would obey her every command or pay the consequences. For example if we were out playing or away from the house and we heard our MOTHER CALL, all activities would cease and the response was, "Here we come!" Even in this, I found myself testing the waters if you will, as I would stubbornly delay my coming, many times getting my siblings in trouble because they had to wait for me. Either way they would get in trouble by being late or leaving me behind. A no win situation for them and a privilege that I abused many times to often. As a child, I behaved as a child but when I became a man, I put away childess things. I used this story as a parable to explain how I received my call to the ministry and the circumstances involved as I reflect on this divine experience.
How does God speaks to His servants and how do you distinquish his voice. Well, this was my challenge as I grew up as a child in the Missionary Baptist Church. Tradition would have it that what I was hearing from God as a youth must have been some mistake. The devil was speaking to me or I was delusional. I kept hearing a voice saying, "I have called you a "Prophet to the Nations..." I can remember sharing with my friends that, "I am a Prophet!" Of course they made fun of me and we would continue to play as adolescents do, I was being called and had no clue what was going on. Elder members of the church would call me little preacher but no one ever called me, Prophet. At times when people heard these comments, often time people laughed. As much as we were a faithful family in attendance at our church, we were not one of the most prominent families in the congregation. If there would be a preacher called, it would not be from our family. My mother was a single mom raising five children. There were others who came from the prototypical househould with mother and father that would probably fit the mold better. Nevertheless, I could not escape the voice that persistently beckoned me. As time passed I grew to hear and not hear the voice. I found myself engaging in many other youth activities which for a season, camoflouged the ringing of the voice that would not go away.
Growing into a teenager, it was my attempt to stay as active as I possibly could with sports, school, dating, etc. I do believe I was trying to escape the continual ringing in my ears. I was so consumed in my many activities that it appeared that I was successful in my attempt to rid myself of the haunting voice. I was still active in the church but I had multiple other interest as well. I have grown to understanding that you can't hid from God, but at the time, I did my best, UNTIL. One of my closes friend's mother, approached my mother, asking if my brother and I could do cleaning work. She indicated that we can make some spending money, This was great but for one thing, "we would be cleaning her CHURCH." The place I am trying to get away from, raises it self again. This was done for several years in my early teens. There was always a peculiar feeling when I had to clean the Pastor's Study and the Pulpit. The term I used was spooky but that was in my ignorance. I now understand it much better, now. No matter how much I tried to escape God, he somehow reeled me back in like a fish on a hook. At the time, I saw my labour as a job, today I see it as a privilege to labor in God's house. I was being prepared by God and didn't know it. Thank YOU, Mrs. Mary and Royce Williams for affording me this opportunity to serve God even if I had no understanding at the time. As God would have it, my life was to take an unexpected and unwelcomed change. My mother decided it was in the best interest of the family to relocate north to the Midwest, specifically Milwaukee, WI.
The CONFUSION
The CALL
Ernest D. Hollins
Co-Valedictorian/J.S. Clark Elementary School
Prophet Ernest D. Hollins
Bishop/Founder of TACUMI
Rev. Ernest D. Hollins
St. Mark AME Church
