William Branham
He fellowshiped with the Assembly of God and Congregational Holiness churches for many years. He loved to travel and because of this, he never met a stranger. Because of his hunger for more of God, he would often travel to hear many of the healing evangelists of that day. He was privileged to hear Jack Coe. In 1958, while in Dallas, TX, he was in the meetings for William Branham. Seeing this man's sincerity and deep love for God and God's people, he was hooked. From that point on, he made many efforts to be in Rev. Branham's meetings. He traveled to Columbia, SC in June of 1962 to hear this great minister and prophet of God. In February of 1965, he traveled to Jeffersonville, IN with his parents and friends to hear Bro. Branham in the Parkview Junior High School as Bro. Branham preached the sermon, "Marriage and Divorce". The last meeting he was able to be in was when Bro. Branham preached in Shreveport, LA in November of 1965. Marion had worked to work till 6pm and then drove all night to be in the services.
One of the things that impressed him so much by this man of God was his humility and sweet spirit. In one meeting, a man publicly disagreed with Bro. Branham and Marion was surprised that he didn't' show him a bad spirit. The Lord spoke to him and said, "He didn't have a bad spirit to show him."
Marion began to purchase the sermons of William Branham which had been recorded on reel-to-reel cassettes. He took the cassettes back to his little town and began to share them with his aunts, uncles, cousins and anyone he could share them with. He thought that everyone would want to hear this anointed man of God, but found out every did not want to hear these truths. His pastor at the Fairfax Congregational Holiness Church, who had been in one of Bro. Branham's meetings and a number of the congregates began to listen to the sermons of Bro. Branham in their homes. It wasn't long before they came out of the Congregational Holiness denomination and left the church. They began to hold services in the Pastor's home for some years.
Marion meets Peggy
One cool winter's night, he was caroling with other young people when he met a young woman. Later, he would find out that at that moment, she knew he was to be her husband, but that was many moons later. It happened one evening that she passed him on the street and saw him pushing a stroller and walking with a young woman. Only later, did she find out that was his sister and niece.
They did not court like many young people of that era. She was raised in a strict Nazarene church and he, being a Pentecostal Holiness preacher. They courted by going to cottage prayer meetings that were held in different Christian homes in the Valley, AL area. In June of 1966, they exchanged their vows in her father and mother's home. He was 28 years old, at the time and she, 20.
They began to pray for children, immediately. Their prayer was for two boys and two girls, respectively. Their first son, they had already determined would be named Jonathan David, after the great king and his best friend, in the Bible. But that prayer was delayed for three and a half years. In September of 1969, the Lord answered their prayers, but in His great since of humor and purpose, it was a daughter - Sharon Rose. They couldn't have been any happier had it been a boy. Five years later, Peggy gave birth to another daughter - Rachel Hannah. They were again so thrilled to see God had given them the two girls they had prayed for. Five years later, along came their son, Jonathan David. But, it seemed that was it. They were content with their three children.
In 1978, he was preaching at a church in Griffin, GA when he had such a heavy burden come over him that he could hardly preach. He went back to the home where he was staying that evening to find a message from home saying his father, William, was in intensive care with a massive heart-attack. He drove home that evening and God raised him up. William went home and for the next week called everyone who he knew he had wronged or had wronged him and made things right. The next week, God called him home.
Marion worked a full time job and continued to serve the Lord in ministry. In the late '70's and early '80's, he pastored a church close to Montgomery, AL, driving almost four hours round trip, every Sunday to preach the Word of God. Then, in the late 80's, he pastored a church in his home town of Valley, AL.
In 1988, a surprise came to the Hollis house. Peggy gave birth to William Joseph. God had answered their prayers with two girls and two boys. Marion was ecstatic. He was a man of prayer, but every time God answered his prayers, he was overwhelmed. In September, that same year, his mother - who had lived with Alzheimer's for the past four years, past away. He was very close to her and this took a lot out of him, but it did not sway him in his faith.
He would often spend hours and hours, each week, praying. Sometimes, when the weather did not permit, he would pray in his house or out in his favor swing underneath a magnolia tree in their front yard. On other occasions, he would walk to a nearby pasture and spend hours there, praying and reading his Bible. Often times, he would take one of the children with him to go there and pray.
At the back of this pasture, there was a creek which ran several miles. It was named Osanippa. He would bring his family down there in the summertime to picnic and ride the rapids on inner-tubes and rafts. He also baptized many people in that creek. His dream was to one day build a home there, but he said if not, he knew that he would have a mansion in heaven built in a place just like that.
He had a learning disability called dyslexia. It causes a person to read things backwards, making it difficult to comprehend, easily. However, he read chapters and chapters of the Bible and books by men of God, per day. His Bible was marked up with revelations and inspirations that he would receive while praying and reading.
Marion and his wife had went to separate churches for a number of years. Although the core beliefs of the church were similar, one church believed in the moving of the Spirit and the operation of the gifts of the Spirit in the church, whereas those things were not operating in the other church. Marion often said, "If I went to a church that didn't believe in telling Jesus that I loved Him, I'd find me one that did." There was such a contention about these things that Marion and Peggy had even talked about marital separation.
On November 24, 1990, Marion decided to go down to the pasture and seek the face of the Lord. His son begged to go, but he said he wanted to be alone with the Lord that evening. The sun went down early, due to the fall, so he began his walk home. It was a nice Saturday evening to be out and a young man was coming home from the store buying liquor. Unfortunately, he had already been drinking, so with impaired judgement and it being dusk, his car struck Marion, instantly taking his life.
Some people love to jump off bridges with a cord tied to their waist. Others enjoy driving fast cars or doing dangerous things. Marion loved praying. What better way to go than while communicating with the Almighty. Although, his life was taken from this earth, his prayers still ring out before the throne of God - a true Prophet of Prayer.
