The Thirties
THE THIRTIES
At this time the nation was hit by the Great Depression. Harry and some other fortunate men were able to keep their jobs through the hard times. Myrtle and some of the women organized relief efforts of food and clothing. It was at this time that Myrtle and those friends began attending the local Four-Square Church which believed in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues. A few weeks after Myrtle began attending this church she found out what this "baptism" was all about. It frightened and disturbed her to see people behaving in such a manner. She left the building in a panic.
She struggled with the images of people caught up in that great power all night. As she said her usual prayers the next morning, a great wind blew against her. It filled her and made her a part of it. Soon she began to speak in the language that only God can give. It was frightening and thrilling.
Later that morning she went to the parsonage to ask the pastor about her experience. He didn't know what it was, but he knew she had received something from God and that God would use her to build His church. "What God has begun, He will finish," he said. And Myrtle, calmed, went on her way.
The finishing process took a while. Soon God was directing her to speak to church groups. "Whosoever will, may come and drink of the water of life freely," she told the growing crowds. God had something for them if they would only come and ask. Many people met the Lord as their personal savior and were filled with the Holy Spirit in her classes. Myrtle continued to teach and pray. Her classes and studies found more eager ears daily. But a pastoral change and a new philosophy in the church forced Myrtle away. "Methodists don't pray like that," she was told. Myrtle and her friends also tried the Baptist Church, only to meet the same fate eventually. In the 30s, no one held "Pentecostals" in very high regard. Myrtle only wanted a church where they could pursue their God freely, a building to house their dreams. But when they knocked, the door was locked.
The group continued to meet in a variety of homes, but there were too many people now. A better facility had to be located. Soon God showed her a small red brick building on Nevada Street, an old tire vulcanizing shop, dirty with the acrid smoke of burning rubber. Bethesda would be born here. It would be a Sunday School for children in the area who had no church to attend; a healing pool for parched souls.
They had no money, but the landlord said they could pay at the end of the month instead of the beginning. They had no furniture, but God would provide. They had no plan, but they knew where God wanted them to go. The women cleaned. They put their pennies in a jar for the fearful day when the landlord would return. They prayed. They prayed. They prayed.
The first rent payment was $30. When they emptied the jar on the 30th they had $30.12. But 12 cents wouldn't go far in acquiring chairs, songbooks, pulpits and curtains. The building was certainly clean, though somewhat empty. No matter. The doors opened for the first time on Sunday, June 17, 1934. They remain open today. Myrtle's family was there, except Harry, distributing newspapers in lieu of chairs.
Just as that first service was beginning a commotion began to drown out the opening remarks. Loud noises were coming from the street. Myrtle stopped the service and went to see what everyone else was already peeking at. A car had pulled up and some men were busy unloading chairs. A nearby pastor had sensed a need and done what he could to help. Eighteen chairs with eighteen songbooks had arrived for little Bethesda. Once again, God had provided.
Soon the children's teaching was supplemented with teaching for adults. People hungry for the truth filled the little Tabernacle to its limits. By 1936, only two years later, the building was too small.
Myrtle had discovered a portable, wood-framed building sitting in a lumber yard. The lumber yard had taken it in trade from a big Lutheran Church and was now deciding what to do with the structure. The price was $800. In prayer, Myrtle was directed to a local merchant who did business near the church. She resisted this direction, for the man God showed her was very hostile, aggressive and not at all sympathetic to the church. But God insisted and so she went to see him. Her prepared speech deserted her when the gruff store owner turned to her and said, "What do you want?" Myrtle whispered, "I want to buy a tabernacle." "You want what?" he glared back. "I want to buy a tabernacle," she said with a little more force. "And what has that to do with me?" he inquired. Myrtle, holding on to all her courage, blurted, "The Lord told me you would buy it." "You want ME to buy a tabernacle?" he said incredulously. No one spoke. Finally he asked, "Where is this tabernacle?" She told him. "And how much does it cost?" She told him. The merchant grabbed her by the arm. "Show it to me" he said. And they were off. They drove in total silence to the lumber yard. "Is this the building you want?" he asked. "Are you sure?" he asked after Myrtle's confirmation.
She was sure. They went to the manager of the yard to confirm the price. The merchant, with a look of resignation, reached into his coat. The check he pulled out was for $800, the exact cost of the building. He had received the check as payment earlier but had neglected to deposit it. He endorsed it with a shrug. "God knew you had it," Myrtle told him, and all the way home she proceeded to tell him why. "Why would God use me?" he wondered. "Why indeed," Myrtle wondered too.
"Where will your new tabernacle be located?" the merchant queried. Here was a problem Myrtle had not considered. Embarrassed, she said nothing. "You do have property, don't you?" he said. "I'm just a woman, and I don't do things the way men do. I just obeyed God and did what He told me," she blurted out. "Since God told me about the building, God must know about the lots."
They drove on in silence. "Find a lot. I'll buy it," the merchant said. He couldn't believe the words he spoke. It was certainly a peculiar day for him. Myrtle found a lot, adjacent to the little red church. Bethesda had a new building on new ground — all paid. The merchant was stunned. He had never been used in such a manner. The experience would never leave him. He spent most of his later years helping small churches grow; helping build a home for God. But it was even more amazing to Myrtle than it was to the shopkeeper.
As Bethesda grew, Myrtle was hit with another shock. The lumber yard price of $800 for the new church did not include the $300 delivery fee. "It's your fault," she told God, "you had me buy the lot and the building, now what am I to do?" She didn't know what to do so she prayed.
During one morning's prayer, an answer came. A knock at the door belonged to a stranger, but a stranger who had been sent to her by God. He had been shown Myrtle in prayer, and could not rest until he contacted her. He hoped he could be calm now. He left Myrtle with an envelope. There were six 50 dollar bills in it. It was a Saturday afternoon when she gave the money to the lumber yard owner. Bethesda opened the doors for prayer the next day. Bethesda Missionary Temple, with room for 250, was a reality.
Around this time Harry developed pneumonia. It was in the middle of the Depression, and with Harry out of work there was no income to support the Beall family. Food dwindled. Money to pay for the oxygen to keep Harry alive was gone. The doctor prepared Myrtle for her husband's death. Neighbors and friends tried to help. Coal and some food kept the family from freezing and starving in the winter of 1936. Harry's sickness continued to worsen. Myrtle beseeched God, "You promised that my household as well as myself, would be saved. If Harry dies unsaved then what of your promise?" She didn't know what to do. The Lord spoke to her. "This sickness is not unto death but that the Son of Man should be glorified." She had heard the word. She told the doctor, "I have heard from God and Harry will not die." The doctor smiled, but insisted she contact the nearby relatives. Myrtle called no one. She went to her husband and told him what God had said. "If you will pray," Harry said, "I know the Lord will heal me." "Are you willing to confess your sins and make your life right with God?" Myrtle asked. Harry, in no position to argue, replied, "I'll even be a Holy Roller if that's what God wants." He sat up in bed and thanked God. He jumped on the bed and praised God. He knew he was healed. His body was well and so was his heart.
After the doctor came and agreed that a miracle had occurred, he left the house and gathered the neighbors. "Come and see a miracle, right here and right now," he told them.
From that time, Harry turned his full energies to God and the infant church, Bethesda. He supervised building projects, repairs, banking, all the areas of support where Myrtle was weak. Between them they created a whole that was greater than either individual. Bethesda's growth climbed even more quickly. By 1939, the end of the depression, little Bethesda was filled even with an additional wing bringing seating up to 350.
It was during 1939 that God revealed his complete plan for the Bealls to them. They were to "build an armory." They knew what a church was, or a temple, or a school, but what was an armory? God told them: "An armory is a place where soldiers come to get equipped. I am going to send people to you from the four corners of the earth and they will get equipment and leave you as soldiers equipped from a mighty armory. Battles are not fought in an armory, the soldiers are merely equipped to go out to the battlefields and fight." Myrtle was shown a vision of a building, seating thousands. A proper armory for the soldiers of God.
Prophecy from within the church confirmed it. Bethesda would be a brick building seating 3,000 souls. A great revival would flood Detroit and it would center in Bethesda. The Holy Spirit swept through the congregation filling the people with the gifts of His Spirit. Though Myrtle felt directed by God to build an armory for 3,000 souls, the men of the advisory board felt this was too great an undertaking for the little church. Going against her better judgment, she allowed them to build a basement seating 800 people, which could be added to as growth permitted.
At this time the nation was hit by the Great Depression. Harry and some other fortunate men were able to keep their jobs through the hard times. Myrtle and some of the women organized relief efforts of food and clothing. It was at this time that Myrtle and those friends began attending the local Four-Square Church which believed in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues. A few weeks after Myrtle began attending this church she found out what this "baptism" was all about. It frightened and disturbed her to see people behaving in such a manner. She left the building in a panic.
She struggled with the images of people caught up in that great power all night. As she said her usual prayers the next morning, a great wind blew against her. It filled her and made her a part of it. Soon she began to speak in the language that only God can give. It was frightening and thrilling.
Later that morning she went to the parsonage to ask the pastor about her experience. He didn't know what it was, but he knew she had received something from God and that God would use her to build His church. "What God has begun, He will finish," he said. And Myrtle, calmed, went on her way.
The finishing process took a while. Soon God was directing her to speak to church groups. "Whosoever will, may come and drink of the water of life freely," she told the growing crowds. God had something for them if they would only come and ask. Many people met the Lord as their personal savior and were filled with the Holy Spirit in her classes. Myrtle continued to teach and pray. Her classes and studies found more eager ears daily. But a pastoral change and a new philosophy in the church forced Myrtle away. "Methodists don't pray like that," she was told. Myrtle and her friends also tried the Baptist Church, only to meet the same fate eventually. In the 30s, no one held "Pentecostals" in very high regard. Myrtle only wanted a church where they could pursue their God freely, a building to house their dreams. But when they knocked, the door was locked.
The group continued to meet in a variety of homes, but there were too many people now. A better facility had to be located. Soon God showed her a small red brick building on Nevada Street, an old tire vulcanizing shop, dirty with the acrid smoke of burning rubber. Bethesda would be born here. It would be a Sunday School for children in the area who had no church to attend; a healing pool for parched souls.
They had no money, but the landlord said they could pay at the end of the month instead of the beginning. They had no furniture, but God would provide. They had no plan, but they knew where God wanted them to go. The women cleaned. They put their pennies in a jar for the fearful day when the landlord would return. They prayed. They prayed. They prayed.
The first rent payment was $30. When they emptied the jar on the 30th they had $30.12. But 12 cents wouldn't go far in acquiring chairs, songbooks, pulpits and curtains. The building was certainly clean, though somewhat empty. No matter. The doors opened for the first time on Sunday, June 17, 1934. They remain open today. Myrtle's family was there, except Harry, distributing newspapers in lieu of chairs.
Just as that first service was beginning a commotion began to drown out the opening remarks. Loud noises were coming from the street. Myrtle stopped the service and went to see what everyone else was already peeking at. A car had pulled up and some men were busy unloading chairs. A nearby pastor had sensed a need and done what he could to help. Eighteen chairs with eighteen songbooks had arrived for little Bethesda. Once again, God had provided.
Soon the children's teaching was supplemented with teaching for adults. People hungry for the truth filled the little Tabernacle to its limits. By 1936, only two years later, the building was too small.
Myrtle had discovered a portable, wood-framed building sitting in a lumber yard. The lumber yard had taken it in trade from a big Lutheran Church and was now deciding what to do with the structure. The price was $800. In prayer, Myrtle was directed to a local merchant who did business near the church. She resisted this direction, for the man God showed her was very hostile, aggressive and not at all sympathetic to the church. But God insisted and so she went to see him. Her prepared speech deserted her when the gruff store owner turned to her and said, "What do you want?" Myrtle whispered, "I want to buy a tabernacle." "You want what?" he glared back. "I want to buy a tabernacle," she said with a little more force. "And what has that to do with me?" he inquired. Myrtle, holding on to all her courage, blurted, "The Lord told me you would buy it." "You want ME to buy a tabernacle?" he said incredulously. No one spoke. Finally he asked, "Where is this tabernacle?" She told him. "And how much does it cost?" She told him. The merchant grabbed her by the arm. "Show it to me" he said. And they were off. They drove in total silence to the lumber yard. "Is this the building you want?" he asked. "Are you sure?" he asked after Myrtle's confirmation.
She was sure. They went to the manager of the yard to confirm the price. The merchant, with a look of resignation, reached into his coat. The check he pulled out was for $800, the exact cost of the building. He had received the check as payment earlier but had neglected to deposit it. He endorsed it with a shrug. "God knew you had it," Myrtle told him, and all the way home she proceeded to tell him why. "Why would God use me?" he wondered. "Why indeed," Myrtle wondered too.
"Where will your new tabernacle be located?" the merchant queried. Here was a problem Myrtle had not considered. Embarrassed, she said nothing. "You do have property, don't you?" he said. "I'm just a woman, and I don't do things the way men do. I just obeyed God and did what He told me," she blurted out. "Since God told me about the building, God must know about the lots."
They drove on in silence. "Find a lot. I'll buy it," the merchant said. He couldn't believe the words he spoke. It was certainly a peculiar day for him. Myrtle found a lot, adjacent to the little red church. Bethesda had a new building on new ground — all paid. The merchant was stunned. He had never been used in such a manner. The experience would never leave him. He spent most of his later years helping small churches grow; helping build a home for God. But it was even more amazing to Myrtle than it was to the shopkeeper.
As Bethesda grew, Myrtle was hit with another shock. The lumber yard price of $800 for the new church did not include the $300 delivery fee. "It's your fault," she told God, "you had me buy the lot and the building, now what am I to do?" She didn't know what to do so she prayed.
During one morning's prayer, an answer came. A knock at the door belonged to a stranger, but a stranger who had been sent to her by God. He had been shown Myrtle in prayer, and could not rest until he contacted her. He hoped he could be calm now. He left Myrtle with an envelope. There were six 50 dollar bills in it. It was a Saturday afternoon when she gave the money to the lumber yard owner. Bethesda opened the doors for prayer the next day. Bethesda Missionary Temple, with room for 250, was a reality.
Around this time Harry developed pneumonia. It was in the middle of the Depression, and with Harry out of work there was no income to support the Beall family. Food dwindled. Money to pay for the oxygen to keep Harry alive was gone. The doctor prepared Myrtle for her husband's death. Neighbors and friends tried to help. Coal and some food kept the family from freezing and starving in the winter of 1936. Harry's sickness continued to worsen. Myrtle beseeched God, "You promised that my household as well as myself, would be saved. If Harry dies unsaved then what of your promise?" She didn't know what to do. The Lord spoke to her. "This sickness is not unto death but that the Son of Man should be glorified." She had heard the word. She told the doctor, "I have heard from God and Harry will not die." The doctor smiled, but insisted she contact the nearby relatives. Myrtle called no one. She went to her husband and told him what God had said. "If you will pray," Harry said, "I know the Lord will heal me." "Are you willing to confess your sins and make your life right with God?" Myrtle asked. Harry, in no position to argue, replied, "I'll even be a Holy Roller if that's what God wants." He sat up in bed and thanked God. He jumped on the bed and praised God. He knew he was healed. His body was well and so was his heart.
After the doctor came and agreed that a miracle had occurred, he left the house and gathered the neighbors. "Come and see a miracle, right here and right now," he told them.
From that time, Harry turned his full energies to God and the infant church, Bethesda. He supervised building projects, repairs, banking, all the areas of support where Myrtle was weak. Between them they created a whole that was greater than either individual. Bethesda's growth climbed even more quickly. By 1939, the end of the depression, little Bethesda was filled even with an additional wing bringing seating up to 350.
It was during 1939 that God revealed his complete plan for the Bealls to them. They were to "build an armory." They knew what a church was, or a temple, or a school, but what was an armory? God told them: "An armory is a place where soldiers come to get equipped. I am going to send people to you from the four corners of the earth and they will get equipment and leave you as soldiers equipped from a mighty armory. Battles are not fought in an armory, the soldiers are merely equipped to go out to the battlefields and fight." Myrtle was shown a vision of a building, seating thousands. A proper armory for the soldiers of God.
Prophecy from within the church confirmed it. Bethesda would be a brick building seating 3,000 souls. A great revival would flood Detroit and it would center in Bethesda. The Holy Spirit swept through the congregation filling the people with the gifts of His Spirit. Though Myrtle felt directed by God to build an armory for 3,000 souls, the men of the advisory board felt this was too great an undertaking for the little church. Going against her better judgment, she allowed them to build a basement seating 800 people, which could be added to as growth permitted.