Brother Jackson Jones
BROTHER JACKSON JONES WAS BORN ON AUGUST 5TH 1881 AT DIZNEY KENTUCKY..HE WAS THE SON OF GEORGE WASHINGTON JONES AND LUVINA WITT JONES ,THE SISTER OF REV JH WITT..HE WAS UNITED IN MARRIAGE TO MARY BLEVINS THE DAUGHTER OF RANSOM AND LUCY BLEVINS ON APRIL 12TH 1899 AT DIZNEY,KY.. JACKSON WAS SAVED AT THE TENDER AGE OF 15 IN THE MONTH OF AUGUST 1896 ON A MONDAY EVENING..WILLIAM HENRY SHOEMAKER THE PASTOR OF THE LOCUST GROVE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH AT DIZNEY WAS CONDUCTING A REVIVAL MEETING ,BROTHER SHOE MAKER WAS PREACHING THREE SERVICES A DAY..IN THE MORNING,AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND YOUNG JACKSON JONES WAS ATTENDING EACH OF THESE SERVICES.. AT THE END OF THE FIRST WEEK BRO SHOEMAKER ENLISTED THE HELP OF BROTHER JIM BLEVINS WHO CAME IN ON MONDAY TO DO THE PREACHING IN THE AFTRNOON MEETINGS..AFTER THAT JIM BLEVINS HAD PREACHED THE AFTERNOON MEETING FROM ACTS 10:29 HE WAS INVITED TO PARTAKE IN THE EVENING MEAL IN THE HOME OF GEORGE W JONES JACKSONS FATHER...WHEN THE FAMILY SAT DOWN TO EAT BROTHER BLEVINS WAS ASKED TO SAY THE BLESSING ON THE MEAL, IT WAS DURING THIS PRAYER THAT YOUNG JACKSON JONES CAME UNDER SUCH DEEPEND CONVICTION THAT HE AROSE FROM THE TABLE WHEN THE PRAYER WAS FINISHED,LEAVING HIS MEAL TO GO OUT IN A SECRET PLACE ON A NEAR BY RIDGE TO SEEK THE FACE OF THE LORD IN FORGIVNESS AND SURRENDER...FOR TWO YEARS JACKSON HAD BEEN UNDER CONVICTION BUT IT WAS ON THIS MONDAY AFTERNOON IN AUGUST OF 1896 THAT HE FOUND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST EVERLASTINGLY PRECIOUS TO HIS SOUL AND WAS SAVED BY THE AMAZING GRACE OF GOD... AFTER HIS CONVERSION JACKSON UNITED WITH THE LOCUST GROVE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH IN THE WHICH IN LATER YEARS HE SERVED IN MANY DIFFERENT CAPACITIES..
JACKSON JONES FELT THE CALL TO PREACH IN THE YEAR OF 1912 AND WAS ORDAINED BY THE LOCUST GROVE CHURCH DURING THAT SAME YEAR.. AN AGING JH CREECH WAS THE PASTOR AT THE TIME AND LED THE CHURCH TO CALL BROTHER JONES AS THE ASSISTANT PASTOR, LATER BROTHER JONES WAS CALLED TO BE THE REGULAR PASTOR OF THE CHURCH..HE THEN PASTORED THE VERDA,ST CHARLES AND THE EVARTS BAPTIST CHURCHES FOR 11 YEARS EXTENDING FROM 1931 TILL 1942..DURING HIS TERM AT EVARTS BAPTIST HE ALSO SERVED AS THE PASTOR OF BONITO BAPTIST CHURCH WHICH LATER BECAME THE WILLOW GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH AT WHOSE CONSTITUTION BROTHER JONES WAS PRESENT AND PARTICIPATING..AFTER HIS EVARTS PASTORATE HE HE BECAME THE PASTOR OF THE LENARUE BAPTIST CHURCH FOR TWO YEARS AFTER WHICH HE RETURNED TO LOCUST GROVE...AFTER HIS RETURN HOME THE CHURCH MADE GREAT PROGRESS UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP THIS IS WHEN THE LOVELY BLOCK CHURCH WAS BUILT AT A COST OF 11000.00
IN ADDITION TO SERVING IN SEVERAL CHURCHES DURING HIS MINISTRY OF APPROXIMATLY 45 YEARS BROTHER JONES WAS ALSO THE MODERATOR OF THE UPPER CUMBERLAND ASSN IN 1935,1936 AND 1937... THE SERVICES OF BROTHER JACKSON JONES HOWEVER CANNOT BE FULLY DESCRIBED MERELY BY THE MENTION OF THE OFFICIAL POSITIONS HE OCCUPIED,HE WAS FAR MORE THAN A HOLDER OF POSITIONS,HE WAS OFTEN TIMES PATIENT,WISE,AND LOVING IN MANY A TRYING HOUR AND CRUCIAL TIMES AMONG HIS CHRISTIAN BRETHREN,CHURCHES AND THE AFFAIRS OF THE COUNTY IN WHICH HE LIVED.. HE WAS A GOOD CITIZEN,NEIGHBOR AND EVER WILLING TO TAKE A FIRM YET PATIENT STAND AGAINST ANY AND ALL FORMS OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS AND FOR THE RIGHT..HE WAS A STAUNCH,STABLE,UNCOMPRIMISING AND WELL INFORMED MAN OF DEEP CONVICTION AND SPIRITUAL INSIGHT.. HAVING ONLY A THIRD GRADE EDUCATION HE NONE THE LESS WAS ONE OF THE BEST EDUCATED MEN IN IN HARLAN COUNTY HAVING BEEN EDUCATED IN IN THE SCHOOL OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND IN THE WORD OF GOD..HAVING A KEEN MIND AND A TENDER HEART HIS PATIENT CHRISTIAN WISDOM AND INSIGHT WAS IN MANY HOMES AND MANY HEARTS AMONG HIS NEIGHBORS AND IN THE CHURCHES IN THE WHICH HE LOVED SO MUCH ..CHARACTERIZED BY CHRISTIAN COMPASSION AND SOUND BIBLE FAITH HE WAS ONE OF THE BETTER PREACHERS OVER A LONG SPAN OF YEARS IN HARLAN COUNTY.. HE WAS A FRIEND OF GOD AND A FRIEND OF MAN,A WORKMANSHIP OF THE GRACE OF GOD..PERHAPS THE GREATEST THING THAT CAN BE SAID OF JACKSON JONES IS THAT HE SPENT THE BETTER PORTION OF HIS LIFE EXALTING THE LORD JESUS AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD..THIS HE DID IN MORAL EXAMPLE,IN HIS PREACHING,IN HIS PRAYERS,IN PRIVATE CONVRSATION AND INDEED MANY OTHER WAYS..
JACKSON JONES DIED ON THE AFTERNOON OF FRIDAY JUNE 24TH AT 4PM AND WAS BURIED IN THE DIZNEY CEMETARY.. TO HONER MEN OF HIS KIND IS TO HONER GOD AND HIS GRACE WHICH ALONE PRODUCES SUCH MEN,TO HONER MEN OF HIS KIND IS TO ADVANCE THE THINGS WHICH ARE GOOD AND RIGHT THOUGH MANY WERE SADDENED AT THE DEATH OF BROTHER JONES HEARTS CAN REJOICE BECAUSE TO BE ABSENT FROM THE BODY IS TO BE PRESENT WITH THE LORD....