Rescue The Perishing

As they approached The Golden Age Nursing Home that fateful morning they could see the flames, smell the smoke and hear the cries of the imperished occupants. They had been traveling in the night to visit his mother, and happened upon a startling scene.

Cliff French had answered God’s call on his life to be a pastor and a seeker of lost souls. These words from the old song entitled Rescue the Perishing, seemed to define his deep desire:

The Lord had moved in his heart during his later teenage years, and that call led him to enroll in Midwestern Baptist College in Pontiac, Michigan, as a student seeking training for his new purpose in life. At the college, led by the founder Dr. Tom Malone Sr., he was well equipped by dedicated and godly faculty members to do the work of the work of the ministry that God had given to him.

As he was finishing his degree, he was introduced to a young lady by the name of Elaine Townley. She had come to Midwestern from Louisiana, by the leading of God in her heart to prepare for the minstry. They met, dated, and married in a little over two years, and Elaine said it didn’t take long for her to realize that he was the one that God had chosen for her for a lifetime. Cliff worked at General Motors while Elaine finished her degree. Little did they realize that within six months of their wedding, God would allow them to physically encounter what He had called them spiritually to do. That is to actually help save many who were in terrible peril.

After Cliff finished his shift one Friday night, they decided to drive from Pontiac, Michigan directly to visit his mother who lived in Wooster, Ohio. They were young and driving all night seemed simple enough and a good use of their limited time for the visit. It was about five a.m. , and Cliff was driving while Elaine was sleeping  when Cliff saw it. A building was on fire, and It turned out to be a nursing home filled with elderly patients. A sight he would never, ever forget. He immediately woke Elaine and drove into the parking lot.

As he was finishing his degree, he was introduced to a young lady by the name of Elaine Townley. She had come to Midwestern from Louisiana, by the leading of God in her heart to prepare for the minstry. They met, dated, and married in a little over two years, and Elaine said it didn’t take long for her to realize that he was the one that God had chosen for her for a lifetime. Cliff worked at General Motors while Elaine finished her degree. Little did they realize that within six months of their wedding, God would allow them to physically encounter what He had called them spiritually to do. That is to actually help save many who were in terrible peril.

After Cliff finished his shift one Friday night, they decided to drive from Pontiac, Michigan directly to visit his mother who lived in Wooster, Ohio. They were young and driving all night seemed simple enough and a good use of their limited time for the visit. It was about five a.m. , and Cliff was driving while Elaine was sleeping  when Cliff saw it. A building was on fire, and It turned out to be a nursing home filled with elderly patients. A sight he would never, ever forget. He immediately woke Elaine and drove into the parking lot.

He didn’t have to think about what he was going to do; he instantly knew what had to be done. He stopped his vehicle and they ran toward the home. Cliff instructed Elaine to wait at the door while he and a truck driver helped elderly residents get out. It was cold outside that morning and Elaine helped the patients into the warm refuge of cars that had arrived on the scene. Cliff went into the smoke filled building experiencing the physical aspects  of rescuing the perishing. The date was November 23, 1963.

While in the process of guiding patients out of the smoke schrouded scene, some panicked and went off into  different hallways and some hid in closets. Those residents did not survive.
Some patients went down hallways and found locked exit doors and did not survive. Still, others were tethered to their beds and couldn’t escape, while some were not ambulatory at all and help never arrived. They died in their beds, and their rooms and in hallways.

Cliff had to battle the smoke of the growing fire that was being fed by the high winds that were prevelent that night. He led groups out to Elaine, and others, who were finding shelter for the endangered patients, while fire and medical professionals were beginning to arrive and assume control of the tragic situation.

Cliff entered the increasingly dangerous building one more time to look for people he could help. The conditions inside had severely worsened, and when he exited the building that final time, he was crawling on his hands and knees, because the smoke was too thick for him to breathe standing up. Clinging to his back was the final resident that he was able to lead to safety. He was not able or allowed to return into the growing inferno that would eventually envelop and destroy the entire facility.

It was later determined that 63 residents of the Golden Age nursing home perished due to the fire and smoke inhalation. The bodies of 22 of those victims were never claimed by relatives and were buried in a single grave. Their names of all who perished are listed on an Ohio historical marker concerning this devastating fire.

The horrific loss of life that morning probably would have been the headline story in most newspapers across the nation except for one thing. President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated less than 24 hours before in Dallas, Texas, and the country was grieving and in shock over that great loss. The various details of that national event, the process of burying a president, and the transfer of leadership kept our full arttention.

Cliff and Elaine went on with their life of ministry, while never forgeting the physical and emotional struggle of that fateful night. They spent their life starting churches and ministering in several churches across the South. They saw many lives changed and many strengthened in their walk with the Lord. And yes, specifically witnessing to and helping many to find new life in Jesus Christ.

As the years passed, Cliff’s strength began to fail and he knew he could no longer carry the workload that being a pastor required. His desire had always been to serve the Lord in ministry for all of his days, but a lost limb to diabetes put that in doubt. Then Pastor Jerry Walls asked him to serve on a parttime basis as the Pastor to Seniors here at Southside. It was a perfect solution to allow him to serve in the ministry the rest of his days. And that is exactly what he did.

Early in their lives Cliff and Elaine saw first hand a situation requiring them to physically rescue the perishing. They then proceded to spend their lives rescuing the spiritually perishing. Cliff finished his earthly ministry on July 12, 2011, while Elaine continues to serve the Lord to this present day. She is representing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ first of all, and also the memory of the love of her life, Cliff French.

We all need to consider our efforts to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to be as urgent as those of Cliff and Elaine French in the early hours of that fateful night in 1963. Rescuing the spiritually perishing is a call for each one of us who have been rescued to do everything that we can to direct people to eternal safety, that can only be found in the salvation Jesus offers to anyone who will ask for it.

Isn’t God’s grace a wonderful thing?

Roger Allen Cook

I love to write stories about God’s grace.  If you have a story I should consider, please contact me at:    roger.cook@southsidefamily.com    

Other stories can be viewed at Southside.church/grace