By JIMMY ISAAC
Sunday, January 10, 2010
A HiWay 80 Rescue Mission former chaplain who was pastor of at least five East Texas Baptist churches has died.
The Rev. James Allen Kirkland died Tuesday at a hospice in Humble. He was 77.
During his 50 years in ministry, he was pastor at Greggton Missionary Baptist Church, Overton Missionary Baptist Church, White Oak Baptist Church, Parkway Missionary Baptist Church in Longview, Grapeland Missionary Baptist Church and Galena Park Missionary Baptist Church near Houston.
He also served as librarian at Texas Baptist Institute in Henderson for several years, and taught seminaries in Romania and Russia for a dozen years.
His daughter, Kelli Hines, said Kirkland spent three years at Greggton before working with Longview Missionary Baptist Church to establish a mission that became Parkway Missionary Baptist Church in 1977. He was pastor there for three years before beginning an 18-year stint as pastor in White Oak, she said.
Hines said it didn't matter what a person's circumstances were, but that if you were in need, her father would help. He was rescue mission chaplain for more than six years until 2007.
"He loved people because he loved God, and he knew that God had created each one of us for a special purpose here on this earth," Hines said. "His passion for people."
Kirkland is survived by his wife, Joanne Lewis Kirkland, who he met in a chemistry class at Kilgore College in 1951. He is also survived by their daughters and sons-in-law Jamie and Kurt Streck of Rockdale, Jena Crim of Austin, Ann and Kent Jerden of Humble, and Kelli and Todd Hines of Spring.
A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Kingwood Funeral Home in Kingwood. For information about the services, to leave a note for the family or to make a donation to charities (in lieu of flowers) visit http://memorialwebsites.legacy.com/Kirkland
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