“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;”>A song-filled celebration on Friday, Feb. 18 honored the life of Pastor Robert Maurice Franklin Sr., founder and senior pastor of the Greater Fellowship Baptist Church, who died Feb. 12, 2011. He was 77.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The Friday morning homecoming celebration at New Sunny Mount Missionary Baptist Church brought together more than 20 pastors and many community leaders, including St. Louis County Executive Charlie A. Dooley.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“We are at a celebration,” Dooley said. “We are living in the land of the dying, and he is in the land of the living.”
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Many family members, who are also pastors, shared memories, prayers and songs, calling Robert the “patriarch.” Robert was the first ordained minister in the family, and he used his influence to lead others to Christ, they said. Now the family has more than 10 ministers, including bishops and pastors.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Their light-hearted stories of Robert were typically followed by a song sung a cappella.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“We all saw that if Reverend Franklin got saved, there was a God,” said Bishop Howard Franklin, of Word Alive Christian Center in Atlanta. “He always demonstrated things we could follow after.”
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Born on March 28, 1933 in Laing, W.V., Robert was the seventh of 12 children born to James McKinley, a coal miner, and Mabel Pearl (McFadden) Franklin, who passed away during childbirth.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Robert followed his older brothers, who served in World War II, and entered the U.S. Army in 1953. He received an honorable discharge in 1955 and moved to Chicago to work for the U.S. Steel Company. In March 1956 he met Dixie Louise Turner, and they married less than a year later. They had their first two children, Robert Jr. in 1957 and Angelia in 1958.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>In 1960, Robert and his family moved to St. Louis, where he worked at a local department store chain until 1963 while maintaining his position with the National Lead Company, now Rheox, until 1995. Once retired in 1996, he gave his complete attention to serving as pastor at Greater Fellowship – the church he founded in 1974 and served for 35 years.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Robert and Dixie had their second set of children – Cecil “Ken” and Micah “Mike” – during the time they were establishing Greater Fellowship. Ken Franklin is the former executive director of the Missouri Democratic Party and current deputy director of the Office of Supplier and Workforce Diversity for the State of Missouri.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>‘Example of Christ’
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>At the service, Donte’ Jackson, a nephew and pastor of the 1st Baptist Church of Huntington in West Virginia, shared a story about his uncle’s compassion. Micah and Donte’ are more like brothers, he said, and when they would get in trouble together, Robert was stern but understanding. “font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;”>
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“You could be dead wrong, and God will still cover you,” Donte’ said. “I learned that from watching Uncle Bob. The way he covered us, though he knew what we were doing. I see that example of Christ in Reverend Franklin.”
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>His life’s work was leading others to Christ, and that service extended beyond the pulpit. He was a chaplain in the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, president of the Rainbow Coalition–St. Louis Chapter, the Missouri President of the African American Fellowship of Southern Baptists and as a dedicated board member of the Clergy Coalition of Metropolitan St. Louis, among many other faith-based commitments.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>At the end of the service, the two oldest of his 11 grandchildren talked about the “Pawpaw” they knew.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“He was a man of many hats,” said Larry Davis Jr. “He was a doctor – he used castor oil for every remedy.”
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Davis
said if the
grandchildren made good grades, their grandfather would read their
report cards at church. And if they got bad grades, he would do the
same. He taught them that the three most important things in life
were family, faith and fellowship.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“He loved fellowship so much he named a church after it,” Davis said.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>At the service, the oldest grandchild, Robyn Franklin, sang to honor her grandfather, and the power of her voice brought many to tears.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>In her reflections printed in the service program, she states, “I’m not worried because all of my life you said you’ve longed to hear the words, ‘Well done my good and faithful servant,’ and that He had a spot in heaven for you.”