Turnabout

By Dr. Bobby D. Waddell

“A person who is not afraid to cry in the place of prayer, or a person who is not afraid to laugh in the place of prayer is a person uninhibited in the place of prayer.”

Although Elbert and Irene Waddell experienced a host of challenges in their childhood, they overcame their circumstances to become a power couple for God. Elbert came from a long line of alcoholics; Irene was born into poverty, lost her father at an early age, and lived a hard childhood.

In Turnabout, author Dr. Bobby D. Waddell, Elbert’s and Irene’s son, describes how his parents faced many rough years early in their marriage. He tells how God stepped into their lives and created a turnabout change that allowed them to become a positive spiritual influence to their family, their pastorate, and the many other people who came to know them.

Turnabout narrates the story of a plain, simple, small-town couple who traveled a unique journey in their ministry for Christ, sharing how their actions and presence in life demonstrated what being a Christian is all about.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664226142

Dr. Bobby D. Waddell

Dr. Bobby D. Waddell grew up in a Christian family and became a Christian at six years old. He earned an associate degree from Southeastern College, a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Doctor of Ministry from Bethany Theological Seminary, and master of school administration from East Carolina University. Waddell served as a bi-vocational pastor and teacher throughout his professional life.

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TURNABOUT

DR. BOBBY D. WADDELL

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Copyright © 2021 Dr. Bobby D. Waddell.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-2612-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-2613-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-2614-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021904332

WestBow Press rev. date: 04/05/2021

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Elbert’s Childhood

Elbert’s Teenage Years

Irene’s Childhood

Elbert and Irene Unite

Elbert Discovers Jesus

Going Backward

Recommitment and Total Involvement

Elbert’s First Pastorate

The Beginning of a Chapel

Church Statistics

The Guiding Principles

Persistence

The Sermon

Three Sermons of Importance

Mother’s Supporting Gifts

Why Stay There, Anyway?

Daddy, the Parent

Evangelizing for Christ

Coming to a Conclusion

Epilogue

PREFACE

I’ve been asked the question, Can you describe Elbert and Irene Waddell in one sentence? To those who know both Elbert and Irene, they might think it a virtually impossible feat to accomplish. However, it’s not so difficult when one has lived under the same roof with Elbert and Irene for more than twenty-seven years.

Four things come to mind when describing this couple: prayer, Bible study, church support, and giving. Later we’ll discuss these descriptive words as they relate to this couple, but let us first see how these words became applicable to Elbert and Irene.

INTRODUCTION

The photograph of my dad praying for an injured man lives in my mind to this day. I have an enlarged copy of it hanging above the mantel in my home. It is interesting to me that in the photograph, which was taken by the News Reporter photographer Elgie Clemmons, there is a White man praying over a Black man, and a Native American is there to help remove the injured man from his wrecked vehicle. This is where I got the title for this book. A turnabout change took place in the lives of Elbert and Irene Waddell that would lead them into a dynamic ministry for Christ.

Elbert was born in 1928 and Irene in 1932, which was a difficult time because it was in the middle of the Great Depression. Many people in our country and throughout the world were finding it very difficult to cope with the financial issues of life and simply surviving in general. Elbert had had a very tough childhood, having come from a long line of alcoholics. Irene was born into poverty and had lived a hard life as well. Both Elbert and Irene would come together and experience many rough years during the early part of their marriage, but God would step into their lives and create a turnabout change that would cause them to become spiritual influences to their family, their pastorate, and the many other people who came to know them.

I’ve never experienced a more power couple for the Lord. True, I may be biased since I’m their son, but their lives demonstrated to me what being a Christian is all about. As you read Turnabout, I hope that it serves as a blessing to you and that your life will be changed for the better. You’re dealing with a plain, simple couple who were two of the most spiritual people I’ve ever been around. They helped to alter my life and the lives of many others with whom they came into contact.

ELBERT’S CHILDHOOD

Elbert was born on August 2, 1928, in a small community called the Jam. The Jam was a somewhat unusual community amid which to start one’s life, yet it played a vital part in molding the life of Elbert. The Jam was located between two small towns in North Carolina, Tabor City and Fair Bluff.

Neither Elbert nor Irene is able to tell when, where, or why this small community came to be called the Jam. The name was certainly applicable to this community. In the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s, this section was characterized as being one of the roughest in this part of the country. Moonshining, fighting, and murder helped to make the Jam live up to its name. Long ago, there used to be a place located in the Jam called Stumble-Inn. According to Elbert, an old phrase always popped into his mind when he thought of the Stumble-Inn. That phrase was stumble in and drag them out.

So much bootlegging went on in this section of the country that it became famous for its vast production and consumption of liquor. Quite often fights would erupt in this section of town. It was a frequent occurrence to see someone out and beaten to a pulp. With the craving for liquor and a good time, trouble was always soon to follow.

With this in mind, you can easily see that the Jam left a lasting impression on Elbert. This section had an eerie penchant for trouble, even before the birth of Elbert. The Waddell family had been well noted for its love for liquor and trouble anyway. So you can see that this part of town soon became very familiar to Elbert. Many of Elbert’s relatives had gained a great deal of popularity from their involvement with illegal activities at the Jam.

Elbert was the oldest child of Doris and Rene Gore Waddell. As can be expected, he was born into an era of poverty. The Great Depression came very shortly after his birth. Only those who lived during that period of our history are able to fully understand what it was like. It, of course, was a chore just to survive from day to day, yet it was a learning experience for all those who survived it.

Times were changing to some degree, even within the Jam. For example, modes of travel such as a horse-driven carriage or an old mule and wagon weren’t that prevalent anymore. The proliferation of the automobile even made an impact on this rough community. For one thing, it meant you could get in trouble or get to your troublesome spot that much quicker. Elbert remembers this change. Yet even with this change and with many other industrial changes, life around the Jam stayed pretty much the same. It was still the roughest part of the country.

There was so much confinement within the area. It was not like it is today. Today people just hop in their cars and go to the grocery store or go downtown at a moment’s notice. Back in the 1930s, the social lifestyle of people within the Jam, Tabor City, and Fair Bluff wasn’t the same as it is for today’s generation. People stayed at home more during this period of history. The South, in general, was still vastly different from the North. For instance, Blacks didn’t like to walk through the Jam. You see, Elbert was a part of a generation who opposed Blacks. They were not hated by Elbert—he was no racist—but he was a part of a generation where racism existed in the lives of Whites and Blacks.

Hatred for Blacks within this area was very high, but it wasn’t the only hatred that was prevalent in the Jam. Hatred between bootlegging families was obvious to the naked eye. Hatred was just a mindset of many of those who lived and worked in this section of the country. Despite the fact that times were rough—and certainly the area where Elbert grew up was tough—there were still God-serving people in the area. That’s the way it was and still is—there’s always a few who are on the side of Christ Jesus!

Whatever the case may be, Elbert was confronted with a multitude of problems as well as with change. From the standpoint of Elbert’s upbringing, it was plain to see that he had a most difficult battle to face. You see, Elbert’s daddy was a hardworking man. Yet he was a drinking man too.

The Waddell family had long been involved in the painting business. Doris was certainly not the first of his family to hold a paintbrush, and neither would he be the last. Doris, however, was also a typical Waddell in light of his drinking. One might ask the question, Why would Doris drink? Just how did it help him?

To answer the first question, I’ll say that Doris, like so many before and after him, found pleasure in sin. In his case, the sin happened to be drinking. The most obvious lesson from sin is that committing one sin against God leads to committing more sins. It’s like a dreaded cancer that can’t be surgically removed—it keeps growing no matter what you attempt to do. In answer to the second question, Did drinking help him? the answer is obviously no.

To a great degree, Doris was governed by alcohol. The social event of the week for him was to go out and get stoned. This is how he escaped his problems. With four children to feed, he found it a constant battle to make ends meet. For him, therefore, it became necessary to escape reality and go off into a dreamworld where problems didn’t have to be addressed. Now, as one might expect, Doris didn’t escape his problems; he just made more of them for himself, his wife, and his children.

Rene’s maiden name was Gore. She, of course, would later marry Doris. She came from a family who was involved in the Fire Baptized Holiness Church. She was a Christian and a pretty regular churchgoer during Elbert’s childhood. Elbert recalled going to church with his mother as a young boy. He remembers setting on those ole wooden benches while the preacher preached long and hard to those in the congregation. Many a time he’d fall asleep because the worship service would seem to go on and on.

It’s important to mention that Elbert went to this Holiness church with his mother. It was at this church that he had gotten his first taste of church and what it meant to be a Christian. According to Rene, at one time she was a member of this church, the Fire Baptized Holiness Church.

The local congregation at the Fire Baptized Holiness Church was quite different from that of the church that Elbert would one day pastor. The Fire Baptized Holiness Church had many rules and regulations that its members had to follow. For example, a member of that congregation was not supposed to wear short-sleeved shirts. A man was prohibited from wearing a necktie. The significance of not being allowed to wear a necktie is hard to comprehend, but be that as it may, rules were rules.

Now, of course we’re speaking of the 1930s, ’40 s, and ’50 s, so this might seem a bit hard to understand. Another requirement was that women were prohibited from wearing their hair short. I guess the church’s thinking was that women would look like men if they wore their hair too short. A woman was not supposed to wear jewelry. It was not permissible to cook on Sunday. That would be a sin according to their beliefs, you see. I guess that would be considered work. A woman was prohibited from wearing makeup or short dresses.

Neither could a woman work in the tobacco fields or barns unless her husband worked. I might be overstepping my bounds, but I believe a woman was allowed to work in tobacco because in many cases husbands pushed their wives to work or else talked their wives into working. Yet at the same time, a man could not be a member of the Fire Baptized Holiness Church if he worked in tobacco. Confusing, isn’t it?

This would appear to be a strange set of rules to the twentieth-first-century Christian mind, yet this was the way it was for Elbert during his childhood. Of course, Rene did frequent other churches, but a Holiness background is what Elbert had gotten a taste of as a young boy. The church was legalistic to a great degree. One could do this, and one couldn’t do that. I’ll try to stay away from denominational differences of opinion. The church was extremely emotional. Elbert recalls that there was a great deal of shouting that went on in the church.

When we see someone expressing their emotions, we sometimes are a bit cynical as we question whether or not the person is sincere in what they’re doing. I’ve always looked at it from the standpoint that if you can express your emotions in the church building on Sunday, then why not do it out in a lost, sin-sick world on Monday? Whatever the case may be, the sincerity of some of those at this church was real. The Fire Baptized Holiness Church was made up of servants of Christ, and they did leave a lasting impression on Elbert. This charismatic spirit would be a part of Elbert’s preaching ministry throughout his entire life, to different degrees.

Don’t get the impression that Elbert is a Holiness preacher in a Baptist church, because he’s not. However, to some degree I feel that it had an effect on his ministry—a positive effect. By no means am I saying that one denomination is better than the other, because such is not the case. When God’s servants get to heaven, God is not going to put the Holiness, Methodist, and Assembly of God congregants on one side, with the Baptists, Catholics, and Lutherans on the other. In other words, when God’s servants make it to heaven, there will be no denominations.

As a young boy, Elbert was just confronted with different interpretations of the process of salvation, as compared to what he himself would go on to preach from behind the pulpit. As a youngster, salvation came to him in three parts. First, you are saved. Then you are sanctified. Finally, you’re filled with the Holy Ghost. I may be mistaken, but it is at the third stage when one is able to speak in tongues. To a Baptist, this may be hard to grasp, but let us remember that all of God’s people do not worship God in the same fashion, so we mustn’t get too spiritually big for our britches. What is confusing for one person may be spiritually enlightening to another.

It bears mentioning that the vast majority of Elbert’s mother’s family are from a missionary Baptist background. It was his dad’s family who had the Holiness background. This is not of major importance, but it is interesting to note that Elbert would eventually become a part of the Baptist denomination. He, of course, would later lead his own mother back to church years later, after his dad had died.

Elbert’s church life as a young boy was certainly instrumental in shaping him. Yet he never accepted Christ as his Savior and Lord while he was growing up. Of course the reason one doesn’t accept Christ into one’s life is that sin currently dominates one’s life. However, it bears mentioning more specifically that Elbert’s childhood environment wasn’t the best in the world by any means.

I’ve already mentioned the fact that Doris, Elbert’s daddy, loved to drink and raise Cain. However, before speaking about Elbert’s relationship with his daddy, I think it’s extremely important to speak a little more about Doris.

In terms of work, Doris was a hard worker yet a poor man. Let’s try to put ourselves in his shoes. If you’re poor, you have a wife and four children, and you’re living in a small southern town with nowhere else to go, how would you react to pressure? Isn’t it all too easy for us to condemn the alcoholic, or the drug addict, or the prostitute? We sometimes want to pick the particles of dust out of someone else’s eye before removing the steel beams from our own. Don’t get me wrong: by no means was Doris a Christian or just to his wife and kids. However, he was a man, so he must be thought of as a human being, a creature of God’s creation. Years later, Doris would change, and his eldest son, Elbert, would play a vital role in that change.

Before the change in Doris’s life took place, he was very harsh toward his wife and kids when he was drinking. It’s difficult for me to imagine my granddaddy being harsh, but I knew him in an era completely different from that when my daddy was a child. Back in the 1930s and 1940s, recreational activities were limited if one wasn’t a churchgoer. With this being the case, it’s not so difficult to understand why Doris turned to alcohol.

When Doris got drunk, he’d often get up on top of the housetop and sing, Oh weedie, widie, woe. Hollering, singing, and walking from one end of the house to the other was part of his ritual. You’ve probably heard that there’s pleasure in sin for a season. Well, that’s a true statement—and Doris certainly made full use of his pleasure while he was drinking during Elbert’s childhood and teenage years.

When Doris would come home drunk, Elbert and Rene would not know what to expect. Elbert was of course the oldest; his sisters, Johnnie and Patsy, and