Great Soul-Winning Churches - Elmer Towns

Worth, where Pastor Fleming studied under Dr. J. Frank Norris, who made a great impression on
him.
One of the secrets of the continual growth of Dayton Baptist Temple is the dogged
patience Dr. Fleming has exercised in carrying out the ministry. He testifies, “I keep going when
others quit; I’ve always found another door to knock on when the others have gone home.” On
one occasion in the early days of the church, in the very beginning, Dr. Fleming and his wife had
visited all day and had had trouble finding the home of a Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell, finally locating
the house at six o’clock in the afternoon. The young preacher said, “Honey, this house is too
`rich looking.’ You wait here; I know it won’t do any good, but I’ll at least meet the people since
we’ve come this far.” Pastor Fleming knocked on the door and told the lady he had been called
of God to start an independent Baptist church. Mrs. Caldwell cried, “Praise the Lord, we’ve been
praying for two years for someone to come to Dayton and start an independent Baptist church.”
The Caldwells insisted that young Fleming go immediately and call on their friends, the Carlton
family. Mrs. Carlton came out of the basement where she was doing the washing, wiping her
hands on a towel wrapped around her waist, and said, “Praise God! He sent us a preacher.” Dr.
Fleming and his wife were hungry and she most lovingly sat them down and gave them meat,
sandwiches and milk. According to the young couple, “It was like manna from Heaven.” Later
that night Pastor Fleming found the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Orme but it was very late, about
eleven o’clock, too late (by normal standards) to visit. Mr. and Mrs. Orme, with adult members
of several other families, were sitting around the dining room table, discussing what church they
all should attend, because they had, just a few weeks previously, been saved in a Hyman
Appelman citywide crusade and felt they ought to be actively attending a church. Since the lights
were on, the young preacher knocked on the door and said, “My name is Gerald Fleming. I’ve
come to Dayton to start a Baptist church.” All four of these families came to the church and all of
them are still in the Dayton Baptist Temple after 21 years of miracles.
The next day Pastor Fleming got a job as a shoe salesman in Rikes Department Store and
then located an apartment. He had to return to Kansas City, Missouri, and get his child, and
meager possessions, but he didn’t have enough money for gas, let alone food, along the way. Dr.
Fleming knew that God had provided thus far and would continue to do so. At five o’clock the
next morning, he came out to get in his. car. He had told his wife, “We’ll drive as far toward
home as we can, then phone my father to come and get us.” On the dew-wet grass in front of the
rooming house Pastor Fleming found a $5 bill and four $1 bills, enough, with the few dollars he
already had, to get him to Kansas City, where he borrowed another $25 from his father and
returned to Dayton. The following Tuesday evening, at the first meeting of the infant
congregation, with sixteen people present in the front room of a home, Pastor Fleming preached
on the parable of the ten virgins. One person was saved and there was an offering of $16.25.
Every person present in that first meeting is either still in the church or is now in Heaven.
That week Pastor Fleming rented the old Townsend Hall at Fifth and Main in downtown
Dayton for $12.50 a Sunday and the young church met there for five weeks until they got
organized. But the church needed a more permanent home. Dr. Fleming appeared before the
Dayton school board and asked for the rental of a school. The board initially turned down his
suggestion, but an old German stroked his white beard and asked, “Young man, why do you
want this building?” Without flinching, Pastor Fleming told him, “I want to build an independent
Baptist church to win people to Jesus Christ.” The elderly man beamed at Fleming’s