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Note: 13 at 2:00 p.m. in the Carroway Funeral Home Chapel with Dee Bowman, Michael McLemore, Harold Hancock, and Reagan McClenny officiating. Interment will follow in the Sunset Memorial Park in Nacogdoches.
Mr. Adams was born August 27, 1914 in Brawley, California to the late Felix A. and Mary Roberta (Mittie) Adams, and died Monday, January 21, 2013 in a local hospital.
In 1920 the Adams family moved from California to Texas, where a number of Mr. Adams' ancestors were early settlers. He graduated as valedictorian from high school in LaPryor, Texas in 1931 and later attended Freed-Hardeman College in Henderson, Tennessee.
Encouraged to preach by his future brother-in-law Walter Leamons, Mr. Adams preached his first sermon December 31, 1933. He married Gertrude Leamons July 30, 1936; they were married 68 years at the time of her death in 2004.
Mr. Adams served as the local preacher at churches in San Benito, Temple, Longview, Beaumont, San Antonio, Baytown, Nacogdoches, Huntington, Center, Henderson, Terrell and Mt. Enterprise, as well as in Oklahoma, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. Meeting work also carried him into 25 states and into Italy. In Lufkin he served the Timberland Drive Church of Christ as a second preacher, where he was a member.
In addition to preaching, Mr. Adams wrote for numerous religious publications and also served as Editor for several of them. One of his creative pleasures was writing poetry.
Survivors include his son, Robert Adams of Cleveland; daughters, Jimmie Nell McLemore and husband Henry of San Augustine and Patricia "Fish" Adams-Spivey of Lufkin; grandchildren, Clay, Michael and Marty McLemore, Kevin and Colin Adams, Angel Spivey Brondel, and Honey Spivey Habingreither; 14 great-grandchildren; and 4 great-great-grandchildren.
In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his wife, Gertrude Adams; grandson, Kristopher McLemore; and brothers and sisters, Garland, Mary Jane, Leoto and Etta Mae.
Pallbearers will be Tim Beamon, Mike Penn, John Adams, Leon Manning, Jerry Johnson and Monte Ramsey.
The family will welcome friends and loved ones from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday evening at the funeral home.
Memories and condolences may be added at www.carrowayfuneralhome.com <http://www.carrowayfuneralhome.com>.
Carroway Funeral Home, Lufkin, directors.
"Marking Them That So Walk:" In Honor Of James W. Adams
Randy Harshbarger Mt. Pleasant, Texas
Brethren, by ye imitators together of me, and mark them that so walk even as ye have us for an ensample" (Phil. 3:17). Taking to "heart Paul's divine injunction to "mark" ("behold, watch, contemplate," Vine, Vol. 3, p. 43), those faithful men who provide examples worthy of imitation, we use this opportunity to call attention to the life and work of James W. Adams. For fifty plus years, brother Adams has devoted his life and energies to the proclamation and defense of the Truth. His concern has ever been for the spiritual health and prosperity of God's family. Such an example needs to be noted. Such I believe, will help encourage those who have lived during the same time and under some of the same circumstances as brother Adams; it will also help inspire younger preachers and younger Christians everywhere to press on faithfully in the Lord's cause. Several years ago, Cecil Willis wrote an article, "Putting Old Preachers on the Shelf" (Truth Magazine, Vol. XVII, No. 5, pp. 3-6). Among other things, brother Willis pointed out the tendency of some brethren to reject certain preachers solely upon the basis of age. This in my judgment is a mistake. It is sad and alarming to hear some second and third generation preachers (and other Christians) deride and criticize those of the past. Faithful men who fought many battles for truth are rejected and their preaching is criticized as being out of date. With this attitude present in too many, I am afraid we are headed in the wrong direction. In brother Adams' own words: What churches of the Lord need is not technical experts to streamline their activities and oil the wheels of complicated organizational activity, but men thoroughly schooled in the gospel of Christ and dedicated to the salvation of the souls of eternity-bound men and women ... Instead, give us more John the Baptists, schooled in the rude wilderness of study, prayer, and meditation, clothed in camel's hair and eating locusts and wild honey, but animated by holy fire from off the altar of purity and truth (from Timberland Drive church of Christ bulletin, November 2, 1985). Early Life James Wallace Adams was born August 27, 1914, in Brawley, California. His parents were Felix A. and Mary Roberta (Mittie) Adams. In 1920 the family moved to Texas. Some of brother Adams' ancestors were early settlers of Texas. His grandfather, R.L. Bates was a pioneer preacher of the gospel. Brother Adams graduated from high school at La Pryor, Texas (1931), and later attended Freed-Hardeman College, Henderson, Tennessee. Brother Adams obeyed the gospel in 1926. Being encouraged to preach by Walter Leamons, he preached his first sermon on December 31st, 1933. Dedicating himself to the Lord's cause, he has never looked back. For over fifty years, James W. Adams has been preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ. When brother Adams started his life's work, he preached for several churches in the Hill country of Texas (Menard, Brady), but he considers Vivian, Louisiana, as his first located work. James W. Adams was married to Gertrude Leamons of Grapeland, Texas, on July 30th, 1936. Brother and sister Adams have three children', two daughters and a son. Jimmie Nell McLemore and her family live in San Augustine, Texas. Patricia Spivey resides in Lufkin, and Robert L. Adams lives in Humble, Texas. With great pride (but pardonable!), brother and sister Adams speak of their children and grandchildren often (especially the grandchildren!). Brother Adams has done local work in the following places: Temple, Longview, Beaumont (twice), San Antonio, Baytown, Nacogdoches (twice), Huntington, Center, Henderson, Terrell (all in Texas); Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Paducah, Kentucky; Selmer, Tennessee; and Senatobia, Mississippi. As you can see, brother Adams has been primarily a "Texas" preacher. Meeting work has carried him into some twenty-five states. In 1975, he and Foy Vinson made a preaching trip to Italy. For many years the Pruett and Lobit church in Baytown, where brother Adams preached in the early 1970s, has supported preachers in Italy and Sicily. Brother Adams continues his interest in the work in Italy. Retiring from local work in 1983, brother and sister Adams moved back to Lufkin. They are members of the Timberland Drive church of Christ. Of course, brother Adams hasn't really retired. He continues to teach a Bible class at Timberland Drive and preaches when needed. At the present time he is driving every Sunday to Broaddus, Texas, to preach for the church there. Timberland Drive has had a two-preacher arrangement for some years, in which a younger man can work with an older, mature preacher, thus gaining much needed experience and instruction. Brother Adams helps with this program. What a great benefit to those who can learn from him! As A Preacher and Writer Gospel Guardian Others will look at the preaching and writing of James W. Adams in this special issue, but permit these few observations. Believing the printed page to be an effective medium for teaching vital truths of God's word, brother Adams began writing for papers published by brethren in the mid 1930s. However, it was not until the mid 1940s that he stepped up his writing efforts. In fact it was at the insistence of Foy E. Wallace, Jr., that brother Adams began writing regularly for the Bible Banner, being being made an associate editor in 1947. While brother Adams has never sought controversy for its sake alone, neither has he ever turned away from any issue, when truth was at stake. Controversy has often been thrust upon him. Due to his keen intellect and diligent preparation he has addressed himself time and again, to live issues that have sought to destroy and harm the Lord's church. Hence, his writings in The Bible Banner were of a controversial nature, dealing mainly with efforts of some to get the college into the budgets of churches, and premillennialism. Clear and precise in his writing (as in his preaching), brother Adams can get to the heart of a matter, and bring pertinent passages to bear on whatever subject he might be discussing. Even now, brother Adams is working on a book dealing with hermeneutics. After many years of study, he is certainly able to write such a book. It will be a welcome addition to those who love the truth and desire to understand and apply it properly. Too, he is working on a devotional type book, that will contain short articles of an inspirational, reflective nature. I have had the privilege of hearing brother Adams preach many times. I have many of his sermons on tape. After hearing him preach, you know you have heard a Bible-filled, true-to-life sermon. With little sympathy for watered down, soft-soap "sermonettes," brother Adams is first and last a preacher of the gospel! His sermons are filled with Scripture after Scripture, properly used and applied. What an example to this generation of preachers! A Personal Note My friendship with brother Adams goes back some seventeen years. He performed the wedding ceremony when Marilyn and I got married. Since that time we have been in contact often. When I first started preaching (in Alto, Texas), brother Adams was living in Beaumont, but soon moved to Lufkin, and was editing The Gospel Guardian. I sought his advice and counsel many times. He was always willing to instruct, study with, and guide me in some decisions that had to be made, or some problems that often faced younger preachers. Bother Adam has always been willing to help younger men, just staring out as preachers, in spite of the immaturity displayed by some. For this I will ever be grateful. James Adams is sometimes depicted as cold and aloof. Nothing could be further from the truth. He is a serious man, who carries himself with assurance and dignity. However, he appreciates the lighter side and good human as much as anyone. Of course, his humor is never coarse or out of place. And no, he doesn't always wear a tie (but it would be alright if he did)! One day we went out fishing for catfish on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. It was time for lunch, I inquired about some soap to get the "stink bait" off my hands. Brother Adams replay was, "Go ahead and eat, and ask no question for conscience's sake." A man of the Book, even on the lake. I have heard brother Adams preach with great emotion, concerning the death of our Savior. With great tenderness I have heard him speak of days gone by, of former friends who have departed from the faith, and of fellow soldiers of the cross, who hand in hand fought valiantly in the Lord's army. A few years ago, I listened for some three hours as he detailed the institutional controversy from beginning to present. It brings great pain to his heart to remember once faithful preachers who have turned away from the truth. All of this is my way of saying, that there is another side to James W. Adams that many perhaps have not seen. This is a shame. I have been in brother and sister Adams' home many times. I have always felt "at home" and have appreciated the warm hospitality extended to me. Sister Adams has ever been a source of strength and encouragement to brother Adams. This past July 30th, they celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary. Their love for each other is strong and unspoken, but seen by all. Sister Adams has always encouraged me in my efforts to preach and I am thankful for her friendship and counsel. When not in meetings or preaching elsewhere brother and sister Adams are at home at 1402 Robinwood Drive, Lufkin, Texas 75901. My prayer is for their continued good health and well being. While inadequate, I say thank you for your friendship, your life, your example. Guardian of Truth XXXI: 23, pp. 712-713 December 3, 1987
James W. Adams From My Viewpoint
Dean Bullock Lufkin, Texas
1946 was a year of relocation and adjustment for many young men. World War Il ended in the fall of 1945. Some young men were returning to jobs, others were looking for jobs, still "others of us" were going back to school. It was in 1946 (as a Navy veteran back in school), or soon thereafter, that I first heard of James W. Adams. W.F. Showers and Foy E. Wallace, Sr. were urging me to preach the gospel of Christ. Also, brother Wallace was encouraging me to get acquainted with brother Adams. I remember him saying, "He's a young man but very studious and very well informed, a good preacher. He can be of help to you." It was a year or two later before I met him. Our paths have crossed many times since. I have heard him preach quite a bit, read scores of his articles, sat in some of his classes, and spent a lot of time with him - especially during the last twelve or fifteen years. When I think of him, his work and my association with him, several things come to mind: He has strong intellectual powers, good study habits and studies the Word objectively. He recognizes that many people approach the Bible with a bias, including a lot of our own brethren. They are prejudiced and read to justify what they are doing rather than to find the truth. He is a "layer" above this. He studies in an effort to ascertain the will of God, and respects genuine scholarship. He's a person of dignity and bearing. He's always neatly and appropriately dressed and good mannered. An untidy and unkempt preacher, shabbily clad, before a class or in the pulpit is very distasteful to him. He, like some of the rest of us, is from "the old school" and does not go before the people to preach dressed for golf, a picnic, a ball game or a tacky party. He's prepared. He had done his "homework" well and is at his best when speaking or writing on difficult and involved themes. His lessons and articles always evidence careful research and preparation. They are well-arranged and well-organized. Also, I have been present on more than one occasion when he was called on to defend the faith. He did so, and demonstrated a real grasp of the matters at issue. The cause of truth and right was upheld and well served. He's an outstanding writer and, one of balance. Some who have only read his material in papers making a fight against the social gospel, unscriptural church combines and the encroachment of institutionalism may question this statement. However, all who have read his writing through the years in bulletins, newspapers, magazines, tracts, etc. realize that he deals with a wide range of subject matter decisively. Even leading men who disagree with him on church organization, function and work, recognize his skills as a writer. It is with the pen that he excels. This is really his "strong suit." Foy E. Wallace, Jr. told me that he considered James W. Adams one of the most able writers among conservative brethren. Others, qualified to judge, have expressed the same sentiment. He seeks to avoid extremes. He's cognizant of the fact that people with strong convictions must ever be on guard lest they go off on a tangent or diverge from "a sane and sound" course. He knows that well-meaning brethren sometimes lack perception and fail to distinguish between matters of faith and matters supported only by human emotion and tradition. He's determined to stand for the truth, and just as determined not to take a radical, extreme or indefensible position on anything. He has learned "the fine art of disagreeing without being disagreeable. " One doesn't have to draw the same conclusion he does on every mooted question in order to be his friend. He recognizes that many of the issues that divide brethren are of individual application and should not be pressed to the point of disrupting local churches. They should be examined candidly and honestly in the light of the Scriptures, but when good men differ on these matters the cause should not be affected adversely. Moreover, one can be Adams' friend without having to always agree with him on matters of judgment, choice and preference. Don't get the idea that I think that James W. Adams is sinlessly perfect. He, in common with human-kind, has some "faults and foibles." He would be the first to admit this and to acknowledge that he has made some mistakes along the way. However, he is a mature Christian and a gospel preacher in everything that the expression implies. He is well equipped and proclaims Christ first, last and foremost. He is not a philosopher, an entertainer or a politician. He is a preacher of truth and righteousness. His work speaks for itself. He is loved and respected in various cities across the country where he has lived and labored. My prayer is that "the good Lord will look in on him and his" and grant him more good years of service in the kingdom. Guardian of Truth XXXI: 23, p. 723 December 3, 1987
My Thanks And Gratitude To James W. Adams
H. Wayne Jones Lufkin, Texas
It has been my good fortune, personally and spiritually, to have been afforded the opportunity to be associated and to work closely with James W. Adams. I know him to be gracious, kind, dignified, strong in the faith, exemplary in conduct, uncompromising regarding truth, zealous yet humble before Almighty God. Brother Adams has been preaching the gospel of Christ faithfully for more than fifty years and is known throughout the brotherhood of Christians worldwide for his unwavering consistency to the cause of truth. During these fifty plus years, which included a period of great conflict from within that threatened to devour sound doctrine, James W. Adams was - and remains - a great influence among faithful disciples of the Lord. When brother Adams was editing and publishing The Gospel Guardian magazine and managing the Gospel Guardian bookstore in Lufkin, the elders of the Timberland Drive church determined to establish a library for the benefit and use of its membership. While we emphasize that no elder, teacher, preacher, nor any member of the congregation should completely rely on uninspired books, we do believe they cannot attain a full measure of ability and knowledge without some good books. It was to James Adams we turned for advice and guidance in the important and crucial task of selecting the proper publications which would become the nucleus of this library. Through the years he has continued to guide and counsel on books and tapes added. Since becoming a member and class teacher at Timberland Drive, brother Adams has covered most of the books of the New Testament and some of the Old Testament. He has used an objective approach to the Scriptures, injecting appropriate examples and, on occasions, relating some of his personal experiences through the years. All of these lessons have been recorded to become a part of our permanent tape library. I know James Adams to be a loving husband, father, grandparent, and true friend. He is sympathetic to the physical and spiritual needs of his brothers and sisters in Christ, quietly and oftentimes unknown to many, making visits and being helpful to the ill and to those needing his teaching or his encouragement and prayers. After terminating his services with the church at Huntington, Texas brother Adams retired from full-time work as an evangelist. In January of 1985, he and his gracious and lovely wife, Gertrude, placed membership with the Timberland Drive congregation of Lufkin, Texas. In September, 1985, the elders began a search for an evangelist to fill the vacancy at the Timberland Drive church. We asked brother Adams if he would assume the responsibility of preaching on Lord's days during this interim. He not only consented to do so but also volunteered his services to write articles for the weekly church bulletin. Enjoying good health and a. vast knowledge of Bible truth gained from much study and experience, he did an outstanding job of preaching and teaching. Also, being one of the most able writers among conservative brethren, his articles in the bulletin covered a wide range of subject matter. During this period of almost ten months, I am certain there were times he grew physically weary but he never faltered nor complained. He repeatedly assured us he was doing fine and did not feel imposed upon. Rather, he encouraged us, holding up our hands and exhorting us to take our time and be patient, to continue our search with diligence and care until such time as we selected the man we felt to be best qualified for the position. Brother Adams spends many hours teaching, counseling and exhorting the young evangelists in our locale who are preaching at other area congregations and is assisting in the training program for young men preparing to enter the ministry of the gospel of Christ which was instituted into the program of work at Timberland Drive several years ago, laying before them a pattern of behavior worthy of imitating. (It was on the basis of his personal conviction of doing Bible things by Bible pattern that motivated brother Adams to take his stand for truth on institutional and cooperation issues years ago. The battle for truth continues, i.e., the teaching of the gospel of Christ, to work and worship in accordance with the divine Scripture as recorded in the New Testament.) In his preaching and teaching he often emphasizes the need to follow the Bible pattern in all we do and teach and practice and he exemplifies this belief steadfastly in his daily life. There remains all too few men among conservative churches of Christ today with the high level of scholarship attained by James W. Adams through long years spent in study and writing. It is the good fortune of these young men to have the opportunity to sit at the feet of this distinguished and scholarly man of God in these years of his "retirement." James Adams may have retired from full-time work as a located preacher but let me assure one and all that he has not retired in the full sense of the word as he continues daily to work in the Lord's vineyard. He has been a source of great help and blessing to me and is always there when I need his assistance. Indeed, all members of the Timberland Drive congregation of Lufkin, Texas have been so richly blessed to have a man of his stature working and worshiping with us, along with sister Adams. Brother Adams has undergone much personal persecution and financial loss in past years because of his stand for truth. It is my hope and prayer that in his retirement years as he labors and worships with us at Timberland Drive, he will have peace of mind, body and soul and that he may prosper and be healthy in his September years. From me to you, James W. Adams, a beloved brother in Christ, thank you and God bless you and yours! Guardian of Truth XXXI: 23, p. 724 December 3, 1987
Note: Funeral services for James Wallace Adams, 98, of Lufkin will be held Thursday, January 24, 20
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