This is the tribute to Rev Geoffrey Holden who was the first Australian General Superintendent of the UPCA and served in that capacity for over 20 years.
Love hearing and seeing this lovely tribute to this man of God. He and sister Bev were my pastor(s) for about a year in Canberra at the Downer Hall during '77-78. They lived a block away from me. They were warm, welcoming people. I remember a story he shared once from the war when he was stationed in Japan. Somehow he stole a train and had a lot of fun picking up and dropping off people!! Who else recalls that? He also shared in a message once, how he was driving his car and a voice spoke in his head and told him: "Turn left!" So he did. He kept following directions from the Voice, until he was told to stop the car. It was outside a house. He knocked on the front door, no reply; he knocked on the back door, no reply. (He had no idea who they were or why he was there,) so he looked through the kitchen window and saw an old lady lying on the floor! He got in somehow and helped her, and gave her water. She'd been there 3 days! He called an ambulance. Her life was saved just in time. He had another similar story he shared that night too. It was in line with his message. I moved on after about a year and they presented me with a lovely Daily Reading book in church and prayed for me. I was much in need of genteness (and humour) during that year and they provided both, and much more. I found a certain amount of inner healing from a tumultuous life, just being in their sweet presence. Sister Linda Williscroft
Love hearing and seeing this lovely tribute to this man of God. He and sister Bev were my pastor(s) for about a year in Canberra at the Downer Hall during '77-78. They lived a block away from me. They were warm, welcoming people. I remember a story he shared once from the war when he was stationed in Japan. Somehow he stole a train and had a lot of fun picking up and dropping off people!! Who else recalls that?
He also shared in a message once, how he was driving his car and a voice spoke in his head and told him: "Turn left!" So he did. He kept following directions from the Voice, until he was told to stop the car. It was outside a house. He knocked on the front door, no reply; he knocked on the back door, no reply. (He had no idea who they were or why he was there,) so he looked through the kitchen window and saw an old lady lying on the floor! He got in somehow and helped her, and gave her water. She'd been there 3 days! He called an ambulance. Her life was saved just in time. He had another similar story he shared that night too. It was in line with his message.
I moved on after about a year and they presented me with a lovely Daily Reading book in church and prayed for me.
I was much in need of genteness (and humour) during that year and they provided both, and much more. I found a certain amount of inner healing from a tumultuous life, just being in their sweet presence.
Sister Linda Williscroft