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Mangum, William Andrew

3/24/1922

WILLIAM ANDREW MANGUM August 29, 1882 - March 24, 1922
To the roll of those who have served in the ministry of the Louisiana Conference and have finished their Labors, we are adding today the name of William Andrew Mangum. The death of this rare, and noble young man, coming at a time when in human reason he seemed needed most as husband, father and minister, has added another mystery to the many mysteries of human existence. The ancient Greeks used to say, “Whom the Gods love die early.” Be that as it may, we take comfort in believing that our God knows best, and trusting in Him we bow humbly to his will; for He who gave to. us has a right to His own. “The Lord gave and the Lord bath taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” William Andrew Mangum was born in Trenton, Miss., August 29, 1882, and died Friday afternoon, at 4:15, March 24, 1922, at Shreveport, La. His father was the eldest son of Win. E. Manguin, a pioneer farmer of Mississippi. And his mother was the daughter of Rev. R. S. Sibley, a pioneer preacher of southern Mississippi. William Andrew was the fourth child of seven children, five boys and two girls. His parents having died when he was a child, he, his eldest brother and his sister were cared for by his mother’s people and the other children were taken by the relatives of his father. He was sent to the public schools at Trenton, Miss. and after his graduation there was em-ployed as a farm hand and an ox-driver by Mr. J. C. Bell of Trenton. Miss. When a child he was converted and later felt a call to preach. He entered a training school at Montrose, Miss., and later attended Beeson College at Meridian, Miss. After leaving Meridian he became interested in a business life and served as clerk and bookkeeper for several years, but the call of the Lord was upon him and he was licensed to preach. After serving one year as junior preacher in the Mississippi Conference, he decided to join the Louisiana Conference. A vacancy having occurred at Pine Grove, La., he was appointed, September 1912, to that charge and finished the Conference year at that place. In the fall of the same year he was received into the Louisiana Conference on trial. His first regular appoint-ment was at the Keener Memorial at Baton Rouge. He served this charge for two years, and while there he enlarged the auditorium, added a number of Sunday Schools rooms to the building, and gave a strong impetus to the spirit of the congregation. Since then he has served three other charges two years each: Denham Springs, McDonoghville and Bernice. In the fall of 1920 he was sent to the Queensborough Church of Shreveport and while here his summons came to cease his labors. His ministry with the Queensborough Church lasted only about sixteen months, but though short in time, the results of his labor would be a credit to a lifetime service. In 1921 his church received more members than any other church in the Louisiana Conference. In the same year from his church two young men were licensed to preach, and a local preacher who had been an itinerant preacher was influenced to leave the local ranks and to join the Louisiana Conference. Also a large brick church building was started in the same year and was well toward its completion when the summons came. The energy with which he pressed the cause of his church and Lord, and his devotion to the people whom he served so faithfully, impressed all who knew him, as one who counted not his life dear, that he might finish his course with joy and the ministry which he had received from the Lord Jesus. Truly he was one who gladly and cheerfully laid down his life for his brethren. He went his whole length for his Lord and for his people. Brother Manguin was not only a hard worker, but also a man that was great in prayer. Though weak in body he was powerful when on his knees. To him the Holy Spirit was a real teacher and an abiding helper. A favorite expression ‘in his public prayers being, “Come, O Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove, with all thy quickening power,” and not infrequently under the power of his prayer, the walls of the natural gave way, and for a time he and his congregation seemed to cross the borderland of the supernatural. His prayers remain fresh though the heart that gave birth to them has ceased to beat, yet us they are fresh and to us they speak. Brother Mangum was taken sick with influenza about the middle of March and after a few days pneumonia developed. All that science and a loving people could do was done for him. Bravely he bore up but at last the physical man could bear no more, and on Friday afternoon at 4:15, March 24th, 1922, the battle ended. His funeral services were held on Saturday afternoon, March 25th, in the Queensborough Methodist Church, by Dr. R. H. Wynn his presiding elder, assisted by the preachers of Shreveport and vicinity. His body was laid to rest in the Odd Fellows’ Retreat, of the Greenwood Cemetery of Shreveport. As a tribute to his memory the congregation that he served decided to change the name of their church from the Queensborough Church to the Mangum Memorial Church. The Pastor’s Association of Shreveport, of which he was a member, passed the following resolution:. Be It Resolved, that in the death of Rev. W. A. Mangum we have lost one of our most honored and beloved pastors. Bro. Mangum had not been in our city long and was a stranger to many of us when he came to labor here. But his deep spirituality and his earnest consecration to the cause of our Master brought him immediately into our fellowship and love. The aggressive spirit in which he went about his Lord’s business secured for him an appreciation on the part of all the pastors. We are grateful to the church which, having lost their pastor; express their love for our deceased brother by making their church a Memorial Church. This is indeed a worthy honor to the memory of a worthy man. In the going of Bro. Mangum our association has lost a most beloved and honored member, whose memory will linger long in our minds and serve as an incentive for more consecration and piety. B. F. WALLACE, J. F. McKENZIE, CLAUDE L. JONES. We miss him; we will miss him, but his consistent life and triumphant death are sources of inspiration and hope not only to his friends and brethren in the ministry, but also to relatives, children, and devoted wife, who, smiling through her tears, takes hold bravely of her task, confident that she shall see again her faithful companion.
Source: Journal Louisiana Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1922, pages 94-96, by H. S. Walton

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