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HUGHES Part II: His First Sermon Lasted 12 Mintues

Acts-celerate Owner Posts: 6957 **4/7/11 5:51 pm**

This is Part II of a Four-Part Series about the life and April 7, 2011 Memorial Service for Dr. Ray H. Hughes. For 50 years he was one of the most powerful ministers in the Church of God organization which has it's headquarters in Cleveland, TN.

Here and at the end of each Part of the series there is a link to the next: http://www.actscelerate.com/viewtopic.php?t=62429.

MEMORIAL FOR A CHAMPION PART II

by Doyle Daugherty
writedoyle@yahoo.com

RAY HUGHES JR., the son of Dr, Hughes Sr, was the first to speak at the Memorial for his father. On behalf of his family he shared appreciation to everyone for coming to the Memorial and also to Linda Redmon Hughes whom Dr. Hughes had married after his wife Uverla had passed away.

The comments to her were in appreciation for the kindness and care she had given to Dr. Hughes. On behalf of the family, Ray Jr. stated “We love you Linda.”

He shared how his Dad was born “Down a dirt road” not far from the tiny, rural, South Georgia town of Adel. When Ray H. Hughes was a small boy, he had polio and his legs didn't work properly. His Dad carried him around and one day in prayer, laid his hand on the boy and prayed, “Lord, I give my boy Ray to you.”

When only 15, Ray Hughes begged to be sent to the Church of God Bible School in Sevierville, TN and while there preached his first sermon “The Way Of The Cross Leads Home.” The sermon lasted 12 minutes upon which the young minister sat down recalling later that he couldn't think of anything else to say.

After the sermon, one of his friends at the school said, “Ray, I counted the number of times you said “The Way Of The Cross Leads Home.” It was141 times in 12 minutes.

LIFE WITH DAD

At the Celebration of Life Memorial for his Dad, Ray Jr. shared some insight into the Hughes family life recounting how the children missed their Dad when he was gone on long trips on behalf of the Church.

“We were little then and when Dad got home, we'd always get a hug,” he said. He also shared that his Dad always made a special effort to take the family on a yearly vacation together and that he once had to borrow the money to do so.

He recounted how Brother Hughes also enjoyed taking the children with him on some of the preaching trips. He and his Dad had traveled together to Gaithersburg, Maryland for a church service where Ray Sr. was to be the guest preacher.

The little church was meeting in a basement and Ray Jr. recalled how his Dad preached to the 11 people present as if there were hundreds of people there. He asked his Dad why he would give that kind of effort for so few people.

His Dad replied, “Son, God expects my best regardless the circumstances.”

On another occasion he took his small daughter with him to Hawaii and had promised her they'd get to play in the sand and in the ocean.

Even though they were in church until after 9PM, when they returned to where they were staying, Dr. Hughes kept his promise taking her to the beach where Dad and Daughter played in the sand and waded in the ocean by moonlight until after midnight. Even to this day it's one of her most precious memories of time with Dad.

HOME SPIRITUAL LIFE

Ray Jr. also spoke of his Dad's spiritual life at home. He said sometimes near bedtime, his Dad would drag a quilt to the living room, drape himself with it and pray.

“Sometimes he prayed all night with groanings in the Spirit. We children would get up some mornings and he was still there.”

THE LAST ROSE FOR BROTHER HUGHES

In his later life and as his health deteriorated, Dr. Hughes told Ray Jr., “Son, I may not make it. If not, smother me with flowers.” His favorite flower was the Rose.

Not long after that, during a worship service at the Westmore Church of God in Cleveland, Ray Jr. picked up a church hymnal which was in the rack on the back of the pew in front of him.

As he flipped through the hymnal, a tithing envelope fell out and on the back of it, someone had drawn the picture of a Rose. Ray Jr. brought that Rose to the Memorial service noting that the last Rose his Dad would receive came from a Church of God Tithing Envelope.

After the presentation by Ray Hughes Jr., Delton Alford led the choir in “God Leads His Dear Children Along.”

“Some through the waters, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood;
Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season and all the day long.”

As the audience clapped their hands and sang, Alford also led them in “At The Cross,” “He Abides,” and “Sweet Holy Spirit.”

This has been Part II of a Four-Part Series about the April 7, 2011 Memorial for Dr. Ray H. Hughes. Following is the link to Part III: http://www.actscelerate.com/viewtopic.php?t=62429

Doyle
writedoyle@yahoo.com
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