A Brief History of the Body of Christ In the Twentieth Century
The Era of Thomas M. Jolly
Thomas Miles Jolly was born on September 9, 1910, in Carbondale, Illinois. Brother Ford Johnson introduced his parents and family to Brother William Sowders and his small church in Anna, Illinois, around 1916. When Brother Sowders moved into the building called the "Old Academy," the Jolly family lived in an upstairs apartment. The Jollys did not follow Brother William Sowders when he moved to Evansville, but instead later moved to Granite City, Illinois, where the elder Jolly found employment.
Thomas Jolly occasionally visited Brother William Sowders' church in Evansville, and Brother Sowders and other ministers, including Reva Mears, visited Ralph Cook's church in Granite City, Illinois. During a revival meeting held for Brother Cook by Brother Frank Peach, from Mt. Carmel, Illinois, in November 1931, Brother Jolly went to the altar and was converted. Brother Jolly received the Holy Ghost at Mt. Carmel, Illinois, under the ministry of Clyde Dickson.
Brother Jolly spent the next several years traveling to various meetings, churches, and Elco camp meetings. He studied to prepare for the ministry. He lived with Brother William Sowders in Louisville, Kentucky, while training.
Young Thomas Jolly was very studious. In later years he often recalled how other young men would stop by his house to ask him to go with them to the levy. He refused, and was branded an "old house cat." But he preferred to spend his time studying the Bible. When the boys called to him to "be one" with them, he replied that he'd "be one" with them in church that night.
Eventually, Brother William Sowders sent Brother Jolly to Eldorado, Illinois, to pastor a small work there. He had a hard time, but after several years the Lord blessed and a strong church was built there.
In the early days, he had many experiences that prepared him for his future ministry. One time, he was walking the railroad tracks, complaining to the Lord because he only possessed eight cents. He felt the Lord telling him, "I am paying you just what you are worth." This humbled Brother Jolly and caused him to determine to study and prepare so he could be more valuable to the work of the Lord.
On another occasion Brother Jolly thought he'd leave Eldorado to move to a larger city. He went to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and began holding services in the YMCA. But he began feeling very lonely and experienced a terrible oppression. He prayed and opened his Bible at random. His eyes fell on the scripture that said "Where is thy flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?" He knew that his flock was in Eldorado, and he left Pittsburgh the next morning.
Brother Dudley Fraze had pastored the St. Louis Gospel Assembly Church since 1941. Brother Fraze was killed in a car accident in January, 1952. Brother William Sowders, in response to a dream, felt it was God's will to send Brother Jolly to pastor the church in St. Louis. Thereafter, Brother Jolly pastored in both Eldorado and St. Louis.
In the years preceding his death, Brother Sowders was impressed of the Lord to name Brother Jolly as his successor as moderator and leader of the fellowship. Brother Jolly began to moderate camp meetings, etc., even before the death of William Sowders. But almost immediately after Brother Sowders' death, major divisions developed in the fellowship. Reynolds E. Dawkins led a large group who refused to continue to fellowship with Brother Jolly, shortly after Brother Sowders' death. This group called itself the "body" of Christ. (Always with a small "b" in body.) By 1975 the body of Christ had eight churches and about one thousand members in the U.S., with affiliates in Jamaica, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Israel, India, and Hong Kong. Brother Dawkins rejected Brother Jolly's efforts to upgrade the fellowship, arguing that this was a departure from true worship.
In approximately 1954, a group of brethren in control of the Shepherdsville camp group refused to follow Brother Jolly's leadership. About the same time, Brother Pennock, the son of one of the early Pentecostals to come out of Charles Parham's work, also refused to follow Brother Jolly.
The Shepherdsville campground was seized by the Internal Revenue Service after the death of William Sowders in lieu of payment of a claim of $144,182 in back taxes. The day before the property was to be auctioned, a Federal Judge stopped the sale, in response to pleas from ministers who gathered annually there and Mary E. Mills, a trustee of the campground.
Brother Jolly's ministry brought about several doctrinal advancements, particularly his recognition of the biblical truth of a personal devil. But perhaps his greatest impact was to upgrade the work of the Lord. He taught that churches would not miss God if they put in ushers and usherettes, nurseries, and financial accountability. He encouraged ministers to move from "store-front missions" into nicer buildings. He brought the fellowship from the rough days of early Pentecostalism into more modern facilities and order. But he did so without losing the pure worship and leading of the Spirit that characterized the movement.
The larger fellowship continued under Brother Jolly's leadership until 1965. In that year, Brother Jolly led his congregations and twelve others into disassociating themselves from the larger portion of Brother Sowders' movement. This smaller fellowship continued under Brother Jolly's leadership until the late 1980's or early 1990's. In 1970, approximately thirty assemblies were in fellowship with Brother Jolly.
In 1992, Brother Jolly resigned from leadership of the fellowship and the pastorate of all churches in the wake of newspaper articles and lawsuits alleging he had engaged in personal improprieties.
The larger fellowship continued after 1965 as an association of ministers who pastored independent Gospel Assembly churches. This group did not have a leader, although James Sowders, Clyde Patton, Willie Atwell and others were prominent ministers. The Lord blessed this work with powerful preaching and teaching at monthly fellowship conventions. Among the ministers in the larger fellowship was Lloyd L. Goodwin, who had been sent by Brother Jolly to pastor the Des Moines Gospel Assembly Church in 1963. Brother Goodwin continued with the larger group of Gospel Assembly Churches until approximately 1974, when there was once again a separation from that association.