The first time my friend told me about Dr. C. O. Searcy, Pastor Emeritus, and Founder of House of Love Church, Dallas, Texas, I knew I had to interview her for MannaEXPRESSOnline readers. At ninety four years old, still strong and going, elegantly dressed Dr. C.O. Searcy sat with me and talked about her life story with a lot of emphasis on the power of love. She stressed on the need to forgive and love those that offend us. I could not resist asking her the secret of her strength and beauty. "It's all about love my dear" she said to me. Born into stark poverty, Dr. C.O. Searcy did not have the opportunity to attend school full time during her childhood and adolescent years. She could not complete her formal education until she was a young adult.
She attended high school at night and worked ten hours during the day. After finishing high school, she attended Wiley College. Several years later, she entered Bishop College in Marshall, Texas and graduated in 1955. She went on to The University of Texas in Austin, Texas, and received a Bachelor of Arts in 1956. She was the first black woman to graduate from University of Texas at Austin. She continued her studies in Southern Methodist University and became a counselor in 1965. Thereafter she was awarded a Doctorate in Religion. For one who was born and reared in poverty, sometimes without shoes and proper clothing, unloved and neglected, she knew that God was leading her to a greater service for him. She taught in the Dallas Independent School District for five years; served as Freshman Counselor and instructor in education at Bishop College. She was president of the Bishop College National Alumni Association for seven years.
It was a burning desire for Dr. Searcy to give back to the community especially to the deprived children who were in the shoes she once wore. With a twenty-five dollar donation in 1966, she opened a bank account and founded the Searcy's Youth Foundation to meet the needs of children living in the neighborhood of Highland Hills. The program was designed for the culturally and economically deprived youth. The foundation opened an early childhood educational facility to provide training that would enable youths to function more adequately in the public school system. Today, this foundation has ministered to thousands of youths and provided educational, moral and spiritual guidance.
Some years later, she received the divine call to ministry. Being a woman back in the days, she had to overcome the rejection of becoming a female minister. She secured and remodeled a small frame house and opened "God's Halfway House For Children" where she served as a lay minister to the children and showered them with love, clothes, food and attention. After a lot of resistance from male ministers, Dr. Searcy was finally ordained as a licensed Minister of God. In 1980, The House of Love Church emerged through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and a vision given by God to Dr. C.O. Searcy.
Dr Searcy declares that “Today, with the blessing of God, the obstacles are behind me. The place where once stood a small frame house, now stands a sanctuary for God "THE HOUSE OF LOVE CHURCH! God's blessings are far more numerous than the obstacles I had to face. I have learned, through all of these life-challenging experiences, to have total dependence on God for guidance and strength, and I am encouraged to remain faithful in an effort to lighten the burden of those who have not yet found the WAY!" Although, she has appointed Senior Pastor, Ted Harris to take over, you can still find Dr. C. O. Searcy preaching in the pulpit ever so often.
If you will like to contact Dr. C. O. Searcy, she can be reached at HOUSE OF LOVE CHURCH, 3704 Morning View Drive, Dallas, TX 75241, Tel: (214) 372-4797.
