Garvin Brundige
About 45 years ago Garvin Brundige told me that when he was
considerably younger he attended a debate conducted by John
R. Clark and C.R. Nichol. Clark was a preacher of the
Church of which Garvin was a member at the time of the
debate. Nichol was a preacher of the church of Christ. The
debate was in Weakley County, Tenn. where Garvin and I were
born and reared.
Garvin told me that he arrived at the site of the
discussion early, and that as he and others waited, John R.
Clark came in with books in his arms stacked up almost to
his chin. He said he was really proud of "brother Clark,"
and was well impressed with all those books.
Brother Brundige said there was a tense feeling as the
crowd waited and "brother Clark" and his moderator sat at
their table, because it was almost time to begin the
discussion and C. R. Nichol was not there. Finally, right
at the time for the debate to begin brother Nichol came
down the aisle with no books, but only a little New
Testament in one hand.
Garvin told me from that moment he began to wonder why
Nichol had only a New Testament. He said before the last
night of the discussion he fully realized why! He said C.
R. Nichol used that little New Testament in a powerful
manner and showed clearly from it that his position was
scriptural and John R. Clark's position was not supported
by New Testament teaching.
Garvin said when he left that debate he was no longer
interested in the church of which he had been a member for
quite some time. Later, after thinking things through which
he learned from the New Testament by the able efforts of C.
R. Nichol in that debate, he was baptized into Christ for
the remission of his sins as taught in Romans 6:3,4;
Galatians 3:26,27; Acts 2:38, and other New Testament
passages.
My Margie and I visited Garvin in the Weakley County Health
Care Center last spring shortly before he went to be with
the Lord Jesus on June 1, 1998. His wife Josephine was
visiting with him when we were there. The foregoing is out
of my memory. I am depending on facts Josephine sent to me
for what follows.
Josephine wrote, "Garvin was graduated from Palmersville
High School in 1933. We were married January 14, 1939. We
lived and worked on a farm for 23 years. Garvin obeyed the
gospel in August 1946 at Hatlers Chapel Church of Christ in
Weakley County, TN.
"We were attending church at Palmersville, TN not far from
where we grew up. After two or three years Simmie McGeehee,
one of the elders asked Garvin to preach on a Sunday
morning. He did, and he was asked to preach more and more.
He began to get calls to preach at other congregations.
He preached at some places once a month, some twice a
month, and he sometimes filled in for preachers in various
places." Brother Brundige preached in many series of gospel
meetings in many places including: Palmersville, Knob
Creek, Union Chapel, Gleason, and Bible Union, Hatlers
Chapel, all in Weakley County; Berea in Obion County, TN;
Bethany and Whitlock in Henry County, TN; and McLean,
Calhoun and Lynnville in Kentucky.
Josephine wrote, "We moved to Poole, Kentucky to work with
the church there beginning in 1962. We were there nine
years." Garvin did a great work those nine years in Poole.
He and Josephine were greatly loved and respected there.
Garvin was the regular preacher for the Cottage Grove (TN)
Church of Christ for six years. He and Josephine did a
great work for the Lord there also.
In addition to his widow, Josephine Walker Brundige, Garvin
is survived by two sons, Kenneth of Smyrna, TN, and Michael
of Dixon, KY; one daughter Mrs. Brenda McLain of Martin,
TN; three sisters, Mrs. Elise Wright of Martin, TN, Mrs.
Elberta Owens of Palmersville, TN, and Mrs. Jean Berryman
of Cottage Grove, TN; four grand-children and two
greatgrandchildren.
Funeral services were conducted for brother Brundige in the
meeting place of Martin (TN) Church of Christ June 4, 1998.
John Forgy and Tim Hatfield spoke at the service. Murphy
Funeral Home was in charge. The body of this faithful
soldier of Christ was laid to rest in Hatler's Chapel
Cemetery to await the resurrection.
"Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all
who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth,
those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and
those who have done evil, to the resurrection of
condemnation." (John 5:28, 29.) I am glad I knew Garvin
Brundige. I expect to know him in a higher sense in "the
city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is
God." (Hebrews 11:lO.) Gamin's widow can be addressed as
follows: Josephine Brundige, 1423 K St. Ext., Martin, TN
38237-2607
-The Editor, Basil Overton,
The World Evangelist,
Nov. 1998, 3.
Note: The debate was probably was C. R. Nichol and John R.
Clark (Baptist Church) at Profit, Tenn. about 1926 or John
R. Clark (Baptist Church); Dukedom, TN; 1934.
http://www.ptc.dcs.edu/teacherpages/tthrasher/listings/n.htm.
Brother Brundige is buried at the Hatler's Chapel church of
Christ Cemetery near Dresden, Weakley County, Tenn. Buried
in the same cemetery is another gospel preacher, W. E.
Morgan.