Jenkins Family Singing Ministries
In Loving Memory
Taylor & Barbara Jenkins
Together Forever - The Jenkins Family
Taylor and Barbara Jenkins were strong pillars in our community. Many knew and loved them for the careful attention they gave to their diligent work in the Lord and their willingness to go when called and to do when needed; no matter what time of the day or night or what type of weather they faced. Pastor Jenkins and his wife, who was a very great part of his pastorship and ministry, worked for the Lord for many years together and did so without fail or favor. None were ever refused.
The couple met when Taylor was nineteen years old and Barbara only fifteen. Four years later, they ran into each other again and Taylor decided he was going to marry her. They were married in 1952. He had taken a thirty day leave for them to be married and waited down to the last day of the thirty. He then put in for an extra ten days leave. After his leave was finished, he went back overseas. He said he had prayed to God, If you’ll just let me get back home and let me be with my family, I’ll serve you when I get home. But when he came home, he came wounded and with little hope of survival. His feet had frozen in the mountains where his company was dwelling. A very short time later, they turned gangrene. The doctors gave him to believe that he would not live to see his first child born.
Taylor did live to see this event along with the births of their additional five children and seventeen grandchildren. The couple first gave birth to a daughter, Brenda Gail, in 1953, then later became proud parents to Vickie Sue and Timothy Keith in 1955. After these three children were in elementary school, they became parents again to Jeffrey Lynn in 1962, Angela Kay in 1963 and Kevin Taylor in 1964. These six Jenkins children were raised according to the scriptures and were made examples to other children who were there in the home nearly everyday and much of the nights as sleep overs. Their friends and cousins spent most of their time at the Jenkins’ home and went to church with the kids through all of their growing up years. That’s how most of them learned about God and his wonderful ways. Taylor and Barbara were more like parents to these children than aunt and uncle or parental friends.
Taylor and Barbara began having church in their home in the 1950's and continued for about nine years, later alternating home locations for the church meetings with their next door neighbors, Fred and Evelyn Walters. Then they moved into a garage belonging to their brother-in-law, Henry “Boo” Bond who was married to Barbara’s sister, Carolyn. In 1963 the men of the church were approached by the owners of the little white, block church house in Pigeon Hollow about two miles outside of the city limits of Ironton, Ohio. They did indeed buy the church house and continued with their services on Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday nights. At that time they also began Sunday School classes for the children for which Barbara was a Sunday School teacher for many years. The children loved her method of teaching for she taught them with feeling and the spirit of God as her leader. To this day, many who sat under her teaching in their childhood years still remember about Jonah and Daniel in the lions’ den along with hundreds of other bible stories and examples from the word of the Lord. Some of those same children, now adults, are serving the Lord even today. Some have already gone to meet the Lord and left good and righteous testimonies to their love and loyalty to the Jenkins couple who gave their all to the community that the people would see and know who God is: Jesus Christ.
Barbara’s father, Orval Hankins, was the pastor and founding father of the church. He and his wife, Jettie, were well loved and respected for their belief in the Lord and their continual walk according to the plan of the Lord in their lives. Taylor’s father, Harrison, and his wife, Murtie, were also pillars in the church and well loved by all who knew them. Both Taylor and Barbara were reared among several siblings on each side. When Pastor Hankins became ill, he looked to Taylor for help in serving the congregation and feeding the flock of God. After his death in 1971, Brother Taylor allowed nothing to stand in the way of his service to the Lord Jesus Christ and taught his natural children and the adopted ones of the church to know who their God is and to follow the Lord in every way they could. With his instructions and the word of God, many people learned their duty toward the Lord and to keep God’s commandments at all times.
Sister Barb’s walk with the Lord was noted as much as Brother Taylor’s was in that she stood in the gap for all of the people and taught them from the word of God on a daily basis simply by example. When the couple was on the road doing the work of the Lord, which was most of the time both day and night, they were imparting knowledge and words of wisdom to those who visited their home when they could be found there. Sister Barbara kept her mind in the word of the Lord and brought many scriptures to her husband when they were out on the road traveling. He depended on her reading of the scripture to him and their discussions to give him something to meditate on. Of course, as it is with all of us, he took the words she brought to him and studied them to help him to see the truth of the matter. And this occurred time after time. She was not trying to BE the pastor, but she was as much as part of the pastorship as he was. And he was thankful for her willingness to give to the people. They spent many hours in their car traveling from one hospital or sick home to another; most usually coming in after dark to eat their supper, relax an hour or so, get some rest and then begin again the next day. Brother Taylor preached hundreds of funerals during his dispensation in many of the eastern states.
It was during the latter part of Brother Taylor and Sister Barbara’s pastorship that Brother Taylor saw his dream for a new church building being brought to pass. He even had the little children saving their pennies for the church building fund. The Jenkins Family had many song benefits to aid in the building of the new church. But to Brother Taylor, his dream was only that: a dream. He did not live to see the fulfillment of the dream, for he went out to meet the Lord seven months before its completion. On the night of July 11, 1992, while he was preaching the word of the Lord, he breathed his last in the pulpit. The wonderful part of this is that he had spoken in the pulpit on many different occasions, stating that he could think of no better way to go that to be right there in the pulpit preaching God’s word. And it happened. He received his ultimate wish at the hand of his loving God. Though he was the instigator of building the new church, he did not live long enough to continue the pastorship there. His era of time ceased while in Pigeon Hollow where he left a legacy for countless people by directing them to the one who could offer them eternal life.
Sister Barbara died after an extended illness on June 18, 1997. She was truly an example as it gives in Proverbs 31:31. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates. Truly her light did shine and she refused to hide it. The praises of men were not her goal, but to live a good and holy life before the Lord and to do his will.
Upon their deaths many felt the light had died along with them, for they missed them so. But it didn’t take long for folks to realize the word of God did not die when this dedicated couple died. In fact, the church is as strong and stronger now because it’s as the word of God says in Proverbs 4:18, But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The word of God is still shining as strongly as it did when they were alive, and will continue to shine more brightly until the world comes to an end. Brother Taylor and Sister Barbara Jenkins were truly beacons of light to all of us and their memory will never cease to be. As it states in Rev:14:1 : And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. It doesn’t matter who the truth of God comes through as long as it comes. But the ones who follow that light as carefully as this couple did and who worked as hard as they did toward the work of God will be remembered by many souls. They fully supported their children as they endeavored to reach lost souls through their singing ministry. Their memory will linger on in the hearts of the people for years to come. The truth will prevail in every way as it did in the mouths of this dedicated couple and that same truth is still as alive today as it was yesterday. It will continue to be approved by the mighty hand of God into the future, even until forever and ever.
The couple met when Taylor was nineteen years old and Barbara only fifteen. Four years later, they ran into each other again and Taylor decided he was going to marry her. They were married in 1952. He had taken a thirty day leave for them to be married and waited down to the last day of the thirty. He then put in for an extra ten days leave. After his leave was finished, he went back overseas. He said he had prayed to God, If you’ll just let me get back home and let me be with my family, I’ll serve you when I get home. But when he came home, he came wounded and with little hope of survival. His feet had frozen in the mountains where his company was dwelling. A very short time later, they turned gangrene. The doctors gave him to believe that he would not live to see his first child born.
Taylor did live to see this event along with the births of their additional five children and seventeen grandchildren. The couple first gave birth to a daughter, Brenda Gail, in 1953, then later became proud parents to Vickie Sue and Timothy Keith in 1955. After these three children were in elementary school, they became parents again to Jeffrey Lynn in 1962, Angela Kay in 1963 and Kevin Taylor in 1964. These six Jenkins children were raised according to the scriptures and were made examples to other children who were there in the home nearly everyday and much of the nights as sleep overs. Their friends and cousins spent most of their time at the Jenkins’ home and went to church with the kids through all of their growing up years. That’s how most of them learned about God and his wonderful ways. Taylor and Barbara were more like parents to these children than aunt and uncle or parental friends.
Taylor and Barbara began having church in their home in the 1950's and continued for about nine years, later alternating home locations for the church meetings with their next door neighbors, Fred and Evelyn Walters. Then they moved into a garage belonging to their brother-in-law, Henry “Boo” Bond who was married to Barbara’s sister, Carolyn. In 1963 the men of the church were approached by the owners of the little white, block church house in Pigeon Hollow about two miles outside of the city limits of Ironton, Ohio. They did indeed buy the church house and continued with their services on Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday nights. At that time they also began Sunday School classes for the children for which Barbara was a Sunday School teacher for many years. The children loved her method of teaching for she taught them with feeling and the spirit of God as her leader. To this day, many who sat under her teaching in their childhood years still remember about Jonah and Daniel in the lions’ den along with hundreds of other bible stories and examples from the word of the Lord. Some of those same children, now adults, are serving the Lord even today. Some have already gone to meet the Lord and left good and righteous testimonies to their love and loyalty to the Jenkins couple who gave their all to the community that the people would see and know who God is: Jesus Christ.
Barbara’s father, Orval Hankins, was the pastor and founding father of the church. He and his wife, Jettie, were well loved and respected for their belief in the Lord and their continual walk according to the plan of the Lord in their lives. Taylor’s father, Harrison, and his wife, Murtie, were also pillars in the church and well loved by all who knew them. Both Taylor and Barbara were reared among several siblings on each side. When Pastor Hankins became ill, he looked to Taylor for help in serving the congregation and feeding the flock of God. After his death in 1971, Brother Taylor allowed nothing to stand in the way of his service to the Lord Jesus Christ and taught his natural children and the adopted ones of the church to know who their God is and to follow the Lord in every way they could. With his instructions and the word of God, many people learned their duty toward the Lord and to keep God’s commandments at all times.
Sister Barb’s walk with the Lord was noted as much as Brother Taylor’s was in that she stood in the gap for all of the people and taught them from the word of God on a daily basis simply by example. When the couple was on the road doing the work of the Lord, which was most of the time both day and night, they were imparting knowledge and words of wisdom to those who visited their home when they could be found there. Sister Barbara kept her mind in the word of the Lord and brought many scriptures to her husband when they were out on the road traveling. He depended on her reading of the scripture to him and their discussions to give him something to meditate on. Of course, as it is with all of us, he took the words she brought to him and studied them to help him to see the truth of the matter. And this occurred time after time. She was not trying to BE the pastor, but she was as much as part of the pastorship as he was. And he was thankful for her willingness to give to the people. They spent many hours in their car traveling from one hospital or sick home to another; most usually coming in after dark to eat their supper, relax an hour or so, get some rest and then begin again the next day. Brother Taylor preached hundreds of funerals during his dispensation in many of the eastern states.
It was during the latter part of Brother Taylor and Sister Barbara’s pastorship that Brother Taylor saw his dream for a new church building being brought to pass. He even had the little children saving their pennies for the church building fund. The Jenkins Family had many song benefits to aid in the building of the new church. But to Brother Taylor, his dream was only that: a dream. He did not live to see the fulfillment of the dream, for he went out to meet the Lord seven months before its completion. On the night of July 11, 1992, while he was preaching the word of the Lord, he breathed his last in the pulpit. The wonderful part of this is that he had spoken in the pulpit on many different occasions, stating that he could think of no better way to go that to be right there in the pulpit preaching God’s word. And it happened. He received his ultimate wish at the hand of his loving God. Though he was the instigator of building the new church, he did not live long enough to continue the pastorship there. His era of time ceased while in Pigeon Hollow where he left a legacy for countless people by directing them to the one who could offer them eternal life.
Sister Barbara died after an extended illness on June 18, 1997. She was truly an example as it gives in Proverbs 31:31. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates. Truly her light did shine and she refused to hide it. The praises of men were not her goal, but to live a good and holy life before the Lord and to do his will.
Upon their deaths many felt the light had died along with them, for they missed them so. But it didn’t take long for folks to realize the word of God did not die when this dedicated couple died. In fact, the church is as strong and stronger now because it’s as the word of God says in Proverbs 4:18, But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The word of God is still shining as strongly as it did when they were alive, and will continue to shine more brightly until the world comes to an end. Brother Taylor and Sister Barbara Jenkins were truly beacons of light to all of us and their memory will never cease to be. As it states in Rev:14:1 : And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. It doesn’t matter who the truth of God comes through as long as it comes. But the ones who follow that light as carefully as this couple did and who worked as hard as they did toward the work of God will be remembered by many souls. They fully supported their children as they endeavored to reach lost souls through their singing ministry. Their memory will linger on in the hearts of the people for years to come. The truth will prevail in every way as it did in the mouths of this dedicated couple and that same truth is still as alive today as it was yesterday. It will continue to be approved by the mighty hand of God into the future, even until forever and ever.
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