MAY 2013 - Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ

In Memory ofby Cheryl ThompsonTo every thing there is a season, and a time to every purposeunder the heaven. A time to be born…On March 2, 1934 Eileen Ingram was born into a OnenessPentecostal family and was raised in the truth.And a time to die…She experienced her final graduation in this earthly life as she went to meet the Lord onEaster Sunday, March 31, 2013.A time to plant…Eileen married Bob Koonce on August 24,1952. And for the next 60 years, plantedinto this life a myriad of ministries. She was the mother of six children: Roy, Karen, John,Gayla, Cheryl and Kent.Mom was a preacher’s wife, served as ladies auxiliary leader, and played music formany years. She played piano, organ, accordion and guitar. Although she never playedguitar in church, she gave lessons to a lot of kids. She was very musically inclined untilshe lost her hearing. She always played the lead instruments until her girls got old enoughto play. Years later, Mom had arthritis in her hands so she played the organ because it waseasier to play.She sang like a lark. She was such a beautiful singer. She and Dad evangelized, and shewas very fluent on the accordion. She could have played anything. When they pastored inthe early days as a home missions church, Mom would be the painter and renovator of thechurch building. Dad did carpentry. When Dad stepped up to senior pastor, he soon beganthe Prisoner’s Friend ministry.Prison ministry is where she really found her place. When they started supplying literatureto prisoners, it truly became her passion, a burning thing like she had never experiencedas a pastor’s wife. She took hold of it. She had a pen name. She was called “Ms. Sally.”One prisoner wrote her and said, ‘Ms. Sally, because of you I don’t have to go to hell.’ Thatjust burned the fire even deeper to send material to prisoners. They did that together for 16years. On the evening before she died she told me, ‘I think I’m going to have to quit goingto the office for a whole morning. I’ll have to break it up.’ She said she was just tired, butshe was always making sure that she was reading her letters from the prisoners.1818ApostolicApostolicWitnessWitness