Editor’s Note: This writer approached me recently concerning her desire to spend time in the presence of seasoned Christians in order to glean their wisdom and to put these interactions into article form for Christian Ladies Fellowship. This is the fourth of several interviews that she has written with the intent to help and motivate a younger generation of Christian ladies to examine how much more of their lives can they give to God. I know each reader will be encouraged through these unique interviews by Abigail Medford.
An Interview with Linda Crews
In II Timothy 1, Paul speaks candidly to Timothy, reminding him of his heritage. When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands…Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. (I Timothy 1: 5-6, 13-14) Then, in II Timothy 2:2, Paul continues this thought, And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. I recently had the opportunity to interview Linda Crews, and I realized very quickly that her testimony was the embodiment of these verses. Throughout her life, she has taken the heritage of faithfulness that was passed down to her and has diligently stir[red] up the gift of God, [held] fast the form of sound words, kept that good thing which was committed unto her, and committed that heritage to others.
Where did Linda Crews learn faithfulness? She explained that she was given wonderful examples: her parents, her friends, and her pastors. Her parents were dedicated Christians and active members of their church in Green Cove Springs, Florida. She remembers vividly that her father, a railroad worker for almost fifty years, read the Bible to them each night before bed and that her mother faithfully put little Bible verse cards around the dinner table for the family to recite each day. When she was a teenager, they invited Dr. Lester Roloff to their home for Sunday dinner. Later, at the age of sixteen, Linda Crews was saved during a Sunday night service while he preached. Her parents also sent her to church camps and supported her as she attended Bible college at Tennessee Temple, where she would meet her husband. Years afterward, when she returned to Florida as a single mother of two young children, they provided her with a place to live and allowed her to use their car to take her children to Christian school.
She also had the example of her friends at church and her pastors, Dr. Tom Neal, then Dr. Greg Neal. When she moved back to Florida, her first priority was finding a good church home and Christian school. The school at Clay Baptist Temple (now Immanuel Baptist Church) allowed her children to enroll, even though she could not pay the normal tuition rate. After she joined the church, she became friends with many wonderful ladies who encouraged her and lifted her up as she juggled the hardships of working and raising her children. She was also blessed to continue to learn every week through the preaching and teaching from the pulpit.
What did Linda Crews do with this God-given heritage? She has spent her entire life committing it to others. The first ministry she joined was the nursery, an area in which she still serves today. Next, she joined the choir, where her beautiful soprano voice is a blessing every Sunday. She sang in various special music groups. She was a Sunday School teacher’s assistant, then taught her own elementary class for several years. She faithfully participates in soulwinning and outreach ministries. She raised her two children and gave them to the Lord.
After her daughter passed away unexpectedly in 1999, she poured herself even more into the ministry. Upon hearing that there was a nursing home that needed a pianist for their Sunday afternoon services, she volunteered to help. For the next two decades, she played the piano and wholeheartedly served the residents and workers there.
Through her faithfulness, Linda Crews has received many wonderful blessings. She has learned to walk closer to God. She has countless friends whom she has been able to serve alongside. Every week, she gets to see her son sit on the platform as an assistant pastor of the same church that she joined in 1988. His family is involved in every ministry the church offers. Her grandchildren have attended the same Christian school that allowed their father to enroll so many years ago. She is also encouraged to see a younger generation coming behind her, ready to faithfully live for God.
Although her Christian life has not been one of ease, Linda Crews was motivated to persevere because of her desire for her life to bring glory to God. She offered the following advice to any Christian woman who is thinking of quitting. She recommended first talking to God about it. Her favorite verse is Isaiah 26:3, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. In her life, she has found that if she goes to God first with her struggles, she usually does not have to tell anyone else about it. Next, she advised to listen carefully to the messages at church, because the Holy Spirit will provide needed encouragement through that. Lastly, she advised to consider who quitting will affect, which in her case, would be her beloved family and friends.
After the end of the pandemic, when the nursing home where she had been serving began to allow services again, Linda Crews was asked if she was still able to come play the piano. Mostly due to the taxing schedule on her health, she declined, but she told me proudly that she had left that piano bench in good hands. There was a young teenage girl who was excited to take her place. As she said these words, I could not help but think of the incredible inheritance that young pianist has been given. She will fill a role that was occupied for more than twenty years by a champion of the faith, an incredible Christian woman who, against the tide of difficult circumstances and heartache, held strong to the heritage of unfeigned faith that was given to her and who passed it on to those around her in every way she could.
As Christian ladies, we are all in the same position as that young pianist. Someone has given each of us a heritage of faith. Will we be faithful, as Linda Crews has been, to pass it on to others?
by Abigail Medford
