Pfost, Howard Emile
11/13/1950
March 16, 1893 - November 13, 1950 |
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| The first time I remember seeing or hearing Brother Pfost was on the floor of the Louisiana Annual Conference. If my memory serves me right he prefaced his pastor’s report with a quotation from the Ninety-second Psalm: “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto Thy name, 0 Most High: To show forth Thy loving kindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night.” Brother Pfost was born in Henry County, Missouri, March 16, 1893 and died in Pineville, Louisiana, November 13, 1950. He was the son of E. T. and Mary Bell Pfost. Mr. and Mrs. Pfost moved to Oklahoma City on the sixteenth birthday of their son, Howard. The Pfost family was very active in the Methodist Church. Upon moving to Oklahoma City, Brother Pfost joined St. Luke’s Methodist Church and was a charter member of the Knickerbocker Class for young men. Later the family moved back to Morrisville, Missouri. Brother Pfost attended Scarrit Morrisville College. He went from this college into the University of Chicago. While in the university he served as associate pastor at the Grand Avenue Congregational Church. In June 1917 he went out to Montana under the auspices of the Congregational Board of Missions. He organized a Community Church and served as its student pastor for a year. He felt it his duty to go into the service of his country. So he left the work in Montana fully resolved to go into the Army. In the meantime the Armistice was signed, so he accepted a position with St. Luke’s Methodist Church in Oklahoma City as business manager. In 1919 he was admitted on trial into the West Oklahoma Conference. He was appointed to Granite, where he served for two years. From here he was transferred to North Arkansas Conference where he served three years at West Helena. During November 1924, he was transferred to the Louisiana Conference, where he finished his ministry. He was superannuated because of his ill health at the Annual Conference of 1948. Many in our Conference will remember Brother Pfost as Director or Business Manager of a number of camps for young people. Under his ministry several young men were called to preach. Wherever possible a Scout Troop was organized and promoted through his church. He was loyal and faithful to Methodism. He endeavored to carry forward the total program of his church. A number of churches paid off their indebtedness under his ministry. It was during his pastorate at the First Methodist Church in Pineville that it was dedicated. On a number of the charges where he served, new parsonages were built during his pastorate and several parsonages repaired. Brother Pfost was married to Lucy Norton, Onowa, Iowa, October 16, 1918. To his union three children were born. They are: Mrs. C. E. Ewing, Jr., Alexandria, La., Mrs. W. R. Cain, Monroe, La., and Howard Philip Pfost, a student at N.S.C., Natchitoches, Louisiana. It was my privilege to administer the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper to Brother Pfost a few days before he died. it is a sweet memory. He asked Mrs. Pfost about the family, the grand children and other questions of a very personal nature. His life has been lived here on this earth. A portion of the best of his spirit dwells in many hearts and homes, where he served and all of us are the better for this spirit. Were he to speak to us now, he would no doubt say, is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Mast High: To show forth Thy loving kindness in the morning and Thy faithfulness every night.” |
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| Source: Journal of the Louisiana Conference of the Methodist Church, Pages 171-172, 1951 by C.W. Dameron. | |
