Milton, Willie DeWitt
2/13/1988
| February 13, 1988, one of the church’s great war-horses was laid to rest at Denham Springs, Louisiana. This is an area that never left the soul and mind of Brother Milton and it is fitting that his body is placed there. Those who knew Brother Milton well knew there were two great areas of love through which he expressed his faith. One was his love for his family. Across the years he and Mrs. Milton faithfully gave themselves to service in churches throughout the Louisiana Conference. This service was never seen as an individual ministry. It was a ministry of the entire Milton family. John and Spiller were reared in an atmosphere of the extended family of God. And nothing lighted the eyes of Brother Milton more than his sons and grandchildren. Brother Milton’s other area of love through which he expressed his faith was his ministry. No one gave more devotion to ministry than W. D. Milton. He was a fine pastor and church leader. But Brother Milton’s great interest was in preaching. He believed in preaching. He believed that when he preached things happened in the life of persons. No one could be close to Brother Milton without catching something of his deep faith in the power of the spoken word. Perhaps nothing gave Brother Milton more pride in his ministry than the number of persons who entered the ministry while he was pastor of their church. He always spoke of them as his “preacher boys.” “One morning as the sun began to light the eastern sky, an officer lay dying. With gallant daring he had led his soldiers by the starlight of the heavens until they had reached the enemy. Now the battle is over and he is mortally wounded. As his general gazed down with sadness upon his face, a sudden radiance illumined the officer’s face, and looking up he said, ‘General, didn’t I lead them straight?’” For those touched by the ministry of W. D. Milton, we can say that indeed “he led us straight." |
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| Source: Journal Louisiana Conference, 1988, p.192………….By Joe W. McClain | |
