MINISTRIES & TESTIMONIES
WORSHIP MINISTRY
& THE SPIRIT OF FREEDOM MINISTRY
Larry & Joan Riley
BUS MINISTRY
Bo Beasley
Sherry Beasley
Denise Elms
YOUTH MINISTRY (12-TEENS)
Rev. Valton Elms
Promotes activities on this age level such as high energy worship by Worship Leaders, Bible studies, home fellowship group meetings, special events such as: Sectional Youth Revival and activities, District Youth Camps, SFC, West Fest, etc..
SMALL GROUP MINISTRIES
Tottlers...Sis. Beasley
Pre-teens..Sis. Elms & Burnett
Teens......Bro. Willis
LADIES AUXILIARY
Sis. Beasley
Promotes fund raising by havng dinners, selling candy etc..and over-seeing any other activity such as once a month birthday fellowship dinner, etc..
SINGLES MINISTRY
Rev. Henry Easter
Singles of the church meet for activities such as Bible Studies, and social outings to build group fellowship.
DOORKEEPERS
Ron Burnett
Chad Riley
Randy Beaver
TESTOMONIES:
MY EXPERIENCE WITH GOD THAT I NEVER KNEW....
By Joan Riley
Born in Witchita, Kansas, moved to Arkansas at the age of 6 and lived here since. Came from a family of eleven, raised on a farm, went to church at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Finished school here at the age of 15, finished the last 3 years at Elkins, Arkansas, got on my own at 18 and raised a daughter and worked out for 15 years, met my husband, known one another for 19 years. We have a daughter and son.
One day my daughter came to me and ask to go to church. I made promise to God and myself that I would not deny them to go to church. So a neighbor of mine came over and ask if my daughter Jennifer could go with her to church and I said yes. I knew there was a God in heaven and heard prayers, but never knew just how real He is here on earth today.
I promised God that someday I would go back to church and here fourteen years later I'm in the Lord's house, and what a joy it is. So much has changed in my life. Before I drank, smoked pot and cigaretts and used terrible language.
While I was sitting in my recliner, Jennifer came home from church telling me something about what went on. Then she ask me to go to church. I said: "Jennifer, when I get ready to go to church I'll go, don't push me." To this day I regret saying that, but I know God has forgiven me.
Then one summer day I was sitting in my recliner watching TV, and it came to my mind. It's time to go back to church. I told Larry, my husband, I was going back to church because I promised God someday I would, not knowing that God was speaking to me and I didn't know it.
We went to different churches but didn't seem to be satisfied. Then Larry's mom told us to try out that White River United Pentecostal Church here in West Fork, Arkansas. So Sunday night instead of where we were going we went there.
Bro. Tedford, the pastor, came and shook our hand and was friendly, ask our names and where we lived. Then the service began, and at the end of the service he came back to say goodby and invited us back. I became interested in what he preached, as I had never heard preaching like that before. So we invited him to our home to explain some things. He came out Monday morning and began to tell us about salvation and baptism When he finished, I ask if I could be baptized that following Sunday. He said yes and I was baptized in Jesus Name September 22, 1996!
As he continued talking with us and explaining things, he asked would you like to pray before I leave. We said yes, he knelt down at the couch, while we knelt at our recliners. Larry and I was listening to what he was praying. I was scared, because I never experienced anything like this before. He gradually got up, came over and laid his hand on Larry's forehead and began praying. Tears started streaming down Larry's face, He was crying out to God to forgive him.
I was so scared I didn't know what to do, so I closed my eyes. Bro. Tedford laid his hand on my forhead and I began to feel something and got stammering lips. This feeling I had never felt in my life! I was baptized Sunday morning in that lovely Name of Jesus, repented of my sins, and began seeking for the Holy Ghost. Received it November 6, 1996, and I have never been the same since. Elder William Dean was preaching the Sunday night that I received it and I can still remember the words that he said: "Come and taste the goodness of the Lord." That's exactly what I did and I don't regret it to this day. I love Jesus and thank Him for what he has done.
You too may enjoy this wonderful experience by attending White River United Pentecostal Church, 220 McKnight, St., West Fork, Arkansas
NOTE; BRO. & SIS. RILEY ARE BEING USED GREATLY BY THE LORD AS WORSHIP LEADERS AND HAVE WON MANY SOULS AT WHITE RIVER UPC, WEST FORK, ARKANSAS.
MY TESTIMONY:
By Rev. Jack N. Tedford
It was Tuesday, August 24, 1926, when we made our grand entrance into this world. At that time you could buy a loaf of bread for 9 cents, a gallon of milk for 56 cents, a new Ford auto for $360.00, a gallon of gas for 12 cents, a brand new home for $7,748.00, and the average income was $2,310.00 per year.
This grand entrance occured at a place known as Friona, Texas. Three years later the stock market fell out of bed and the world plunged into what was known as "The Great Depression". During the next few years, my father, Ralph B. Tedford, who later became a great christian, ran a pool hall with a gambling parlor in the back. Somehow during the depression men could find money to play pool and gamble when they didn't have it for anything else. Dad made good money for that day during the depression, but the dark side was he drank heavy. I can remember this causing trouble at home and many nights were restless and I cried myself to sleep on the sofa. During this time my mom, Sammie Tedford, sold tickets at the local theater. She stopped working out when my sister, Bobby Joyce (known as Sis. Roy Jones) was born in 1933.
I spent time at the pool hall or theater, which wasn't the best place for a young boy to be raised in those days. I was told that when as a boy I would have church, get on a box, and preach to my cousins. Somehow I always felt since I can remember that God had a work for me. But the circumstances didn't warrant it. But God has a way of changing circumstances to carry out his perfect will in our lives.
During the next few years when I entered into my teens, my folks moved to a farm south of Friona. It was during this time they joined a denominal church in Friona, and of course I went with them. During every revival at the church had I felt like I needed to get saved again. I was constantly under conviction and knew there had to be something more than what I possessed.
Now there was this lady that lived down the road by the name of Pearl Johnson. She attended the little country church about half-mile down the road at what is known as Hub, Texas. She would come and visit us. One day she ask if she could pray for mom's headache, and when she did mom said it felt like a battery volt went thru her head and it was gone! Then this lady began to explain how God still heals, about the Holy Ghost, and baptism in Jesus Name etc..This being completely foreign to us we went to our pastor of the denominal church about this way, and he warned us to stay away from these people because they would get us confused. But this put us to studying the Bible for ourselves and found the lady to be right according to the word of God.
Well, we began attending that little Pentecostal church. It had a "pot-belly" stove right in the middle and when this stove got hot those people did too. They began to shout and dance around that stove, made us all nervous, but you know what, they never did hit that stove! There was an old fashion revival which lasted six weeks at this country church where 25 people received the Holy Ghost and was baptized in Jesus Name. And praise the Lord, I was one of them!! The evangelist name was Virgil Pace, and I quote from an e-mail I received: "My name is Verdie M. Pace; the man you were writing about was my father. He passed away in 1977 at the age of 77. He celebrated 57 years in the ministry. He was pastor of churches in Oklahoma, New Mexico, & Texas and evangelized from coast to coast." Later Sis. Carrie Eastridge came from over at Clovis and ministered to us. It was somewhere along about this time when Sis. Eastridge was telling how the Lord increased the gasoline in her car. Come to find out that some of her boys were borrowing some of the saints gas. Well, anyway, we had a great time in the Lord in this little country church. Bro. E. E. Houlette from Friona finally came and began to establish the saints. Finally the little church building was sold and the church people with Bro. E. E. Houlette went to Friona, Texas where they started what was known as the United Pentecostal Church. Rev. E. E. Houlette, my first pastor, was founder and Pastor of this church a number of years. Some Evangelists that ministered at this church were: Claude P. Kilgore, who built rail on platform and preached on prophecy, S. C. McClain, Oliver Fauss, Perry A. Lindley, James O. Lyons, Dale B. Struble, Mack D. Abbott, Chester L. Abbott, Earl Vern Abbott, Dorthy E. Cates, W. H. Massengale, Carl A. Milstead, Leslie W. Hassell, Dorothy E. Parks, J. T. Pugh, Delilah B. Stewart, Haskel C. Yadon, and others. Other Pastors were: Revs. F. M. (Bill) Wilkerson, C. E. Lott, F. C. Kruse, Lee O. Davis, Robert W. Wilburn, Frank L. Baber, Arthur G. Lutz, W. A. Likin, G. W. Hamilton, William H. Dean, Lawrence D. Thompson and others.
In 1945 we graduated from Friona High School, was deferred from the draft due to agriculture purposes. Later we graduated from Draughon's Business College in Lubbock, Texas. During these teen years there were no youth camps or campmeetings as we know today. Instead once month there was what is known as a fellowship meeting and later alternated with a youth ralley. It was at one of these fellowship meetings where I first met my future wife and this happened to be at the church where about eleven years later pastored, Clovis, New Mexico. After being acquainted for about four years we decided to get married, and this we did on May 15, 1947.
Being raised on a dairy farm I knew nothing but work all my life, even during my years of ministry I always held a full time job to support my family and pastored at the same time. In 1948 our first son was born, Ralph David Tedford, with a malignant tumor behind one eye. In my struggle to obey God's call instead of what I wanted to do, God used this to be the deciding factor. Our second son, Richard Tedford, was born in 1954 in Friona, Texas.
In 1954 the Lord moved us to Clovis, New Mexico, thru a job transfer, where we attended Calvary Tabernace, UPC, pastored then by Rev. Leslie Hassell, my wife's father, who also was the father of Rev. Forrest Hassell, and Ray Hassell. Sis. Carrie Eastridge, mother of Sis. Nona Freeman was founder of this church. When Bro. Leslie Hassell left the church in 1958 the church voted me in as pastor. Pastors previous to us were: Sis. Carrie Eastridge, founder, Sis. Josephine W. Simpson, Revs. Harry P. Knott, John B. Wright, F. C. Kruse (as listed in 1949 Ministerial Directory of UPC), Leslie W. Hassell. During our tenure of twenty years at Calvary Tabernacle-UPC, Clovis, New Mexico you will have to see the recording anglel as to all that happened there. In 1977 we resigned the church and moved to northwest Arkansas. During the next three years we taught prophecy lessons and preached in various churches.
On July 23, 1981 White River United Pentecostal Church was established with 10 charter members. Rev. Jack Tedford, Betty Tedford, Adley Kilpatrick, Lois Kilpatrick, Harlen B. Short, Lucille Short, Royce Dickey, Freda Dickey, David Tedford, and Jeri Tedford. Articles of Faith of the United Pentecostal Church International were adopted and voted 100%. Since this time baptismal records show over 200 people baptized in Jesus Name and many of these having received the Holy Ghost.
YOU TOO CAN HAVE THIS WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE BY ATTENDING WHITE RIVER UNITED PENTECOSTAL CHURCH, 220 MCKNIGHT, WEST FORK, ARKANSAS
POEM: COUNTRY CHURCH
By Rev. Jack N. Tedford
IN A COUNTRY CHURCH I KNELT AT AN OLD ALTAR,
AND MY SINS WHICH WERE MANY THAT DAY,
WERE FORGIVEN AND MY NAME WRITTEN IN GLORY.
IN THAT COUNTRY CHURCH BY THE SIDE OF THE WAY.
IN THAT COUNTRY CHURCH I WAS BAPTIZED THAT MORNING
AND MY SINS WERE BURIED TO STAY,
WHEN I CAME UP OUT OF THE WATER,
THE HOLY SPIRIT CAME UPON ME THAT DAY.
OH, MY SINS WHICH WERE MANY ARE GONE,
AND I'M SINGING A HAPPY NEW SONG.
JUST TO KNOW HE WOULD MEET ME
AND JOYOUSLY GREET ME
AT THAT COUNTRY CHURCH BY THE SIDE OF THE WAY
A LONG ROAD HOME:
By Kendra Burnett
My story is a lot like everyone else's, in the beginning. I was born to a young couple whose biggest desire was to get out of their parent's home, and have a home of their own, and a family. Both of my parents were Catholic, though neither one attended church regular. My Dad drank, and my Mom was his stay-at-home enabler. I loved my grandparents very much, and went to the Catholic church with them every Saturday afternoon.
I was also friends with the granddaughter of an older couple who lived near us, and her grand-
mother soon invited me to Sunday School. Then, sometimes, I would get to go to "Vacation Bible School" with my cousin. My aunt and uncle and their three children went to a Denominal Church with my neighbor and her family, and I could ride with whomever I wanted. I learned about Jesus, was taught about the disciples, and felt things I'd never felt before. One Sunday morning when I was about 7 years old, I told them that I wanted to be baptized at their church, like my cousin had just been, and I wanted to go to church there all the time. My neighbor took me home and talked to my Dad about it, and suddenly, my world came to an end. I was told emphatically that I was a Catholic, and that's how I was going to stay.
I returned to attending only the Catholic Church every Saturday afternoon, and as I grew older wondered why if Sunday was the Lord's Day, did we go to church on Saturday? As I gew into my teenage years, I really began to listen to the things my grandparents talked about when they came out of Mass every week such as: "Can you believe the hat that so-and-so had the nerve to wear?", "I can't believe whosit and whatsit are allowing their son to date that trashy girl!". These are the kinds of things I began to hear from people who called themselves Godly people!
I began dreading going to church..these people who were related to me, showed no love or compass-
ion for anyone. I began to realize that the lessons were the same year after year, and that I really didn't know God like I wanted to know God. I could also remember the feeling I got during church at that Denominal Church, and how I felt like I had been learning who God was. I began to rebel, and fought my Mom about church every week.
When my grandmother died, I was just 18, and I felt like, for her, I needed to give it another chance. But I still felt hollow every time I walked out of that little church. Soon I began skipping church again.
I was 26 years old when I moved to Arkansas to help my aunt, who'd sustained an injury at work, take care of her two young daughters. My aunt, being a Catholic, went to church every Sunday morning, so I thought I'd give it a try again. Maybe it was just the church I'd grown up in...maybe there was a Catholic Church out there that could teach me about God. I'd been drinking at an early age, mostly it seemed like the thing to do....I mean, Daddy did it all my life, so it must be okay, right? I countinued to drink, and felt, even still, that I didn't know who God was. Still, I went to church with my aunt and her girls every Sunday morning, and dealt with the fact that I felt hollow and alone. My aunt handled her problems by lighting up a marijuana cigarette about every fifteen minutes, or snorting cocaine, or whatever else her "friends"
promised would help her. Fortunately, I myself
never got involved with drugs.
However, I was celebrating my freedom in a diff-
erent way...with other men. A few months after I
moved to Arkansas, I was set up on a blind date,
and ended up moving in, and later marrying him. Our marriage started off okay, but he worked on Sunday, so I went alone to the church his parents attended which was comprised of several different denominations who wanted no preacher, and inter-
preted the Bible for their own benefit. It wasn't
long until I had that old empty feeling again. I
had, though, stopped drinking and went through times of smoking and not smoking cigarettes. Over
time though, it was easy to see that our marriage
wasn't the greatest. He showed his abusive side,
and I practiced hiding the abuse I suffered at his
hands.
A friend of mine at work must've sensed one of my really low times, because she invited me to visit her Denominal Church. She'd invited me be-
fore, and I'd always decline to go, but I was
seeking freedom from the physical and mental abuse I suffered at home, so I went. Walking into
the Sancutary, I felt like the Lord had stretched
out His hands and said: "Welcome home." I was "saved" on Super Bowl Sunday, 1999, and bapt-
ized in 2000. Time went on, and the more involved
in church I got, the more abuse I suffered at home. My husband even began to accuse me and my
best friend of being homosexuals. We were kindred
spirits, both of us married, both of us overweight
and both having suffered some type and degree of
abuse in our life. She was someone I could talk to...and when she accidently learned of the abuse I suffered at home, she also became my safe haven.
Several times I left my husband, but I always felt
bad and went back to him. Until one night he chased me around our house with a hatchet! It was
then that I said enough is enough, and I left.
Mom and my sister, though in another state, stood beside me, as did my friend, but the church
I had grown to rely on, condemned me for leaving.
The preacher even eluded that I hadn't prayed hard
enough for God to change my husband. One more time I left church. One more time I felt totally
alone. I spent all of my time either at work or
online. I began drinking again, heavily enough
to escape the loneliness I felt. I remember more
than once during my abusive marriage, asking God
to take me away from all my pain. Little did I know what a hand God had in getting me out and giving me something better. I dated, but swore I'd never ever marry again. One day, while online, I struck up a friendship with a man who
claimed to be a Christian. We talked for weeks,
about my job, his job, the teenage son he was raising alone, God and everything in between. A
few days after my 35th birthday, we arranged to
meet in a very public place...his son's high school football game.
I don't know which one of us was more nervous..Ron or myself, especially with someone
you've met on the Internet. I was really nervous,
but accepted the rose he brought for me, and sat
and watched his son's football game. We declined
an offer to join him and his son, and 10 boys from
the football team for chili at their house, and
went our way. Once in the car, my friend looked at me and said: "He's a Pentecostal, run as fast as you can, and don't look back!"
Well, I tried to run..I logged onto the Internet chat sight we frequented in invisible mode, and even told him over the phone that I didn't want to see him anymore. He was looking for a life partner, and I was newly divorced. However, God had other plans...every time I saw him log online, I thought of a million things I
wanted to ask him, or tell him, or just talk to him about. Soon, he and I were seeing each other
almost daily..quite a feat, since I lived 45 minutes away, and worked really odd hours. I pro-
mised him that I would to go church with him one day, but remained emphatic that I was a member of a denominal church. I Soon began attending this White River United Pentecostal Church with him, all the while telling him that I would't remain at
that church. I had heard of a nearby church who had a preacher much like the first pastor i'd had at the Denominal Church. Well, the Lord had other plans for me, plans that I wasn't even aware of. Every Sunday that his kids were with their mother, Ron would tell me that it was the perfect weekend to go to that Denominal Church. Yet, I myself always had an excuse why I couldn't go. It wasn't long before I was praising the Lord
aloud, worshipping Him in song, and had received the gift of the Holy Ghost, with evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gave utterance, and January 12, 2003, was baptized in Jesus' name, and Ron was rebaptized and rededicated his life to the Lord. We were married
April 26, 2003, and had a beautiful church wedding. My family came from Louisiana to see me for the first time in years. Daddy walked me down
the aisle and gave me away, and my sister was matron of honor. I stood before my pastor, friends and family, as well as the Lord, and sang
to my husband, "If You Could See What I See". I
meant every word of that song, because my vision
was changed by the Lord...everything I saw took on
a whole new meaning with my new life in the Lord.
While I still struggle, and have trouble praising as freely as I should (caused by my up bringing in the Catholic Church), I have learned
that I need to step out in faith in order to get a
blessing. I am growing more comfortable every day
in talking about the Lord to others, and even though I have yet to win anyone to Christ, I know
that I am planting seeds along the way. I also know the feeling you get from truly knowing and walking with the Lord, and try to tell others about how wonderful this feeling is. My sister has
felt some of these feelings, even though she doesn't understand as well as I pray for her to. I can't help but smile when we talk and she com-
ments, "I just don't understand why, every time I
sing such-and-such a song, my hand just automatic-
ally reaches for the sky." I just smile and say, "I know why..let me tell you." My mom, who has in past years, become a devout Catholic, has
begun to learn more about what I see, and my way
of life. I stand firm in my belief that the Lord will soon bring my entire family...I even have a strong belief that God is going to use my stepson mightly in the future...and as we all know, nothing is IMPOSSIBLE with God. I praise God for all He has done for me, for all He has given me, and for all He continues to do for me and mine. If you ever want to feel this wonderful feeling, stop on by the little white church in the curve as you enter West Fork, Ar.. You will leave feeling things youv'e never felt before..and, if you open your heart, you will leave a new creature in the Lord. I look forward to seeing you there..I'll be the one raising my arms as I raise my voice to the Lord!! Come on in, and worship in whatever manner you wish..our doors are always open! Sis. Kendra Burnett, West Fork, AR,
PRAYER WORKS
I was raised in a single parent home by my Mom. At the age of sixteen I got involved in drugs and alcohol. I soon lost interest in school and dropped out at the age of seventeen. My dad was a delivered drug addict who attended the White River United Pentecostal Church in West Fork, so we didn't see eye to eye. I always thought he was judging me. But he never gave up on me, always praying. He would invite me to church but I was always too busy partying or something. I soon started getting into trouble. I wrote a bunch of hot checks and started going in and out of jail. Then I got sentenced to a year in prison. The whole time my dad never lost faith that the Lord would bring me out. When I got out I went back to the same old things. But I always seemed unhappy. After about a year of this behavior, I hit rock bottom. I had no where to live so I moved in with my dad. I went to church with him ever so often, just to keep him happy, so I thought. I moved out again with some friends. We ended up getting kicked out of there. So there I was staying wherever I could. I got pulled over for no insurance, four policemen surrounded me and searched my car. Luckly I didn't have anything on me. Right then I decided in my mind thatI had finally had enough.
I told the Lord that if he would get me out of this mess I would change my life. About a week later I moved back in with Dad. The first service we had I went with him. Not really expecting to change my life. But the Spirit moved me so much that night, the next thing I knew I was going to the altar. I was delivered from drugs, alchol, and cigaretts that night. After that night I haven't craved them since. The next service, January 11, 2004, I was baptized in Jesus Name! What a great experience that is! From that moment on my life has been changed so much. Not long after the Lord blessed me with a wonderful job. He is constantly blessing me so much! About one and half years later on July 13, 2005, at the Arkansas District Campmeeting in Redfield, Arkansas, I received the sweet Holy Ghost, so tell me prayer doesn't work?
My Dad and my Pastor, Bro. Jack Tedford, prayed for me for eight years. Now I am faithful in the church and loving every moment of it. THERE IS NOTHING LIKE LIVING FOR JESUS.
Written By:
Chad Riley
August 2005
