My Family's History with Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis, Tennessee
Four Generations of my Family have been influenced by this wonderful Church!
Diana M. Chiles
"Though the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed;
my loving kindness shall not depart from thee,
neither shall my covenant of peace be removed,
says the Lord who has mercy on thee."
Isaiah 54:10
(This segment is just about the same as my "Life Story",
only this version includes my family's history with my Home Church.)
Pastors of Bellevue Baptist Church
Pastor: December, 1927 -- April 10, 1960.
Born: November 11, 1886
Died: July 20, 1978
Dr. Lee was the pastor of Bellevue for thirty-three years,
from December 1927 until April 1960.
My Mother, Dorothy ("Dot") Ruth Lindenmayer Chiles,
joined Bellevue as a young teenager.
Her father had been a Minister in Baptist churches in Mississippi and Louisiana,
and then became the Head of the History Department at
William Jewel College in Liberty, Missouri.
When he retired, he moved his family to Memphis in 1936.
They all joined Bellevue,
where each served faithfully until their deaths.
Mother was one of three children,
Three Siblings, who stuck together through thick and thin --
Dave, Billy, Dorothy ("Dot") Lindenmayer
Billy was much younger than Dave and Dot, and was born with a short leg.
Dave and Dot were very protective of him.
Her mother, Olga, worked as a Nurse.
Dorothy Ruth Lindenmayer and James Olin Chiles
My father, Lieutenant James Olin Chiles, was a pilot in the Navy.
My Dad was stationed at the Millington Naval Base when he met my mother.
Dr. Lee took a personal interest in my dad, winning him to Christ, and baptizing him.
Dr. Lee encouraged the growing relationship between my mom and dad.
He even played match-maker for my parents by
inviting the two of them over to his home for dinner.
He married my parents on December 22, 1945.
Jim and Dorothy Chiles on the steps of Bellevue Baptist Church,
Dr. Robert G. Lee, Pastor, 1945
I was born at the Naval Sir Station in Quonset Point, Rhode Island
on December 22, 1948, on my parent's third wedding anniversary.
Even as a baby, I adored my sister!
I was the second child born to my parents.
My sister, Charlene, has been my best friend through out my life.
Jim Chiles, Dorothy, Diana, Charlene, & Bootsie, May, 1949.
While flying off the USS Midway Carrier, he wrote to my mother every day,
thereby leaving us, his children, documentation of his thoughts, his hopes, his dreams,
his integrity, his love for my mother, and his love for his Savior, Jesus Christ.
My father died of polio July 28, 1949, at Bethesda Naval Hospital near Washington D.C.
and was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.
The story about his death was written in newspapers and magazines from coast to coast.
After my dad's death, we moved back to my mother's hometown, Memphis, Tennessee,
where mothers' parents and her brothers still lived.
She also returned to her beloved Church, Bellevue Baptist Church,
which welcomed her back with open arms.
So Memphis is where my sister, Charlene, and I grew up.
*
Love Letters of Lt. James Olin Chiles to his Wife, Dorothy,
while he was on the USS Midway Navy Carrier
Dr. Lee loved my family. And we loved him.
After my dad's death,
Dr. Lee kept a close watch over my mother, my sister and me.
He truly embodied the church's responsibility
to care for the widow and the fatherless child.
And we did indeed feel special to him.
I remember the time my mother brought my sister and me to his office.
Even though we were young, she felt that we were ready to
accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and to join the church.
My sister answered all of Dr. Lee's questions perfectly,
and I successfully repeated every word that my sister said.
(I meant every word, but I always copied my sister.)
Charlene and Diana Chiles as children
Dr. Lee felt my sister was mature enough to understand her commitment,
but he was concerned about me.
He told me he would let me know when I was "ready."
We always sat on the first row on the right side of the balcony, and
therefore we had a close bird's eye view over Dr. Lee.
He would look up towards us every Sunday, and I took that very personally,
believing he was looking straight at me.
Every Sunday I would smile back,
hoping that would be the day that Dr. Lee felt me to be "ready."
Finally the Sunday came when, at the "invitation", Dr. Lee looked up at me
and motioned his hand for me to come to him . . . and to Jesus.
I was so excited! I have never doubted my Salvation.
Dr. Lee's Letter to Charlene after her Profession of Faith
(click on picture to enlarge)
Every child needs to FEEL the love of his or her pastor.
I know I felt Dr. Lee's love.
And this helped me to understand better the Love of my Heavenly Father.
I listened to every word of his sermons, and still remember many of his words.
"Pay Day Someday" was his most famous sermon.
(I have to admit, for years I thought he was saying "Pay Day SUNDAY!")
I was eleven years old when Dr. Lee retired on April 10, 1960.
Dr. Lee passed away on July 20, 1978 at the age of ninety-one.
Dr. Ramsey Pollard
Pastor: April 24, 1960 -- April 16, 1972
Diana Chiles with her Pastor, Dr. Ramsey Pollard, 1970.
Our next pastor, Dr. Ramsey Pollard,
had a difficult time winning over the congregation.
It wasn't easy to follow Dr. Lee.
A few people were unhappy with Dr. Pollard as leader of our church.
About two years into his ministry, the church nearly divided.
We use to have Wednesday night prayer meetings in the “Lee Auditorium”
-- the original sanctuary for Bellevue.
Normally, only a few people would come.
But one Wednesday evening, something was up.
There was standing room only. Tension was in the air.
As Dr. Pollard started to talk, several men stood up and began yelling,
demanding to call the church into a “business meeting”.
It was awful and rude.
This conflict finally climaxed with the church organizing an official debate.
A person spoke for Dr. Pollard,
followed by a person who spoke against Dr. Pollard.
This continued for a long time.
At the end of this debate, each person was given a ballot,
printed with the words “yes” and “no”.
Row by row, the people went up to the front of the church
to place their ballot in the designated box.
This vote was to determine whether Dr. Pollard would stay as pastor or leave.
During the debate, I kept watching Dr. Pollard.
He was sitting on the front row of the congregation all alone.
There were hurtful words being said.
The problems that were expressed did not involve a moral issue
or theological or spiritual conflict.
The problems stemmed from some people not liking his personality.
He was a quieter man than Dr. Lee, and not as dynamic.
I had loved Dr. Lee too, and yes Dr. Lee was a remarkable pastor.
And yet even though I was young, I knew that
Dr. Pollard was a man of God.
He had even be hand-chosen by Dr. Lee to follow him.
Dr. Pollard was Pastor of a church in Knoxville, TN
where he was loved, respected, and held in high esteem.
He was also President of the Southern Baptist Convention at the time
that Dr. Lee got on a plane himself and flew to Knoxville
to meet privately with Dr. Pollard.
Dr. Lee believed Dr. Pollard to be the man
God had chosen to follow him at Bellevue.
And so Dr. Pollard left his church and his city of Knoxville
and moved to Memphis and to Bellevue.
Two years later, this horrible, embarrassing situation was at hand.
This was a heart-breaking ordeal for Dr. Pollard and his family.
I felt so badly for Dr. Pollard.
So I slipped out of my chair in the balcony,
went downstairs and entered the sanctuary.
I walked across the front of the church,
and sat down next to Dr. Pollard.
He looked at me and smiled.
I patted his hand with an "everything's going to be okay" smile back.
I was an extremely shy child, so this took a great deal of courage for me.
It is one of my proudest moments.
The church voted for Dr. Pollard to stay.
Around 600 people left the church as a result.
This ended up being a good thing.
Those who remained were people who were less judgmental,
more gracious, and certainly more Christ-Centered.
Our church may been smaller, but in many ways it became stronger.
FEW people will ever rise to the glories of Dr. Lee and Dr. Rogers,
but MANY will experience a time when he or she faces opposition.
I imagine this is how Dr. Pollard got his reputation as
"A Friend to Preachers."
Pastors sought his guidance when they too went through
hard times with their ministries.
Dr. Pollard set a beautiful example of how to respond
in a time of discontent -- when someone turns against you.
And these were good lessons for me to learn and witness
while still "in my youth".
"O Lord, so many are against me.
So many seek to harm me.
So many say that God will never help me.
But Lord, you are my shield,
my glory, and my only hope.
You alone can lift my head,
now bowed in shame.
I cried out to the Lord, and he heard me.
Then I lay down and slept in peace
and woke up safely,
for the Lord was watching over me."
Psalms 3:1 -- 5
When I myself have gone through hard times,
I have thought about this experience,
and the "example" set by Dr. Pollard.
When Dr. Pollard retired in April 1972, he was able to hold his head high.
He knew that he was loved and appreciated, especially our family.
AND, the church was fully primed and prepared for our next pastor.
Dr. and Mrs. Pollard with my Mom, Dorothy Chiles, in 1977.
As a child, teenager and young adult my Minister of Music was Dr. Tommy Lane.
Dr. Tommy Lane was a wonderful, talented man.
He was such an important part of the church and of our lives.
He was Minister of Music for Dr. Lee, Dr. Pollard, and Dr. Rogers.
He served for 38 years!
-- Thirteen years with Dr. Lee,
-- Twelve years with Dr. Pollard,
-- and Thirteen years with Dr. Rogers.
He retired on April 6, 1986.
We adored him and his family!
Dr. Tommy Lane helped to give me a love for music.
I was very active in the Music Program in my growing up years.
* * *
After I graduated from Messick High School in 1966,
I went to Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi.
I became a part of a wonderful circle of friends.
Our social life centered on activities with the Baptist Student Union.
We prayed together, laughed together,
and took on meaningful causes as we worked together to change the world.
Graduation day from Mississippi College, May, 1970.
I graduated from Mississippi College in 1970 with a BA,
and returned the next year to be earn my Masters of Education Degree,
and to work as a Graduate Assistant for the Communications Department.
Charlene and Diana during our young adult years
Immediately upon graduation in August of 1971 with my Masters,
I left for Florida, where I taught Speech and Drama at
Haines City High School in Haines City, Florida.
I lived in Lakeland, Florida with my grandmother,
My grandmother had lived alone since my grandfather's death.
It was great to spend this time with such a grand and brilliant lady of virtue.
My Grandmother was a gifted poet, and several of her poems were published.
Diana Chiles, School Teacher
Haines City High School
Haines City, Florida
Living in Florida during my young adult years was also precious to me
because I was very close to my Florida cousins.
My father had been born and raised in Lakeland, Florida,
and most of my father's cousins and aunts and uncles lived there.
(My dad's first cousin, Lawton Chiles,
was a US Senator from 1970 -- 1989, and was
Governor of Florida from 1990 until his death in 1998.)
While teaching school, I also worked at a very small church in Lakeland, Florida,
Edgewood Baptist Church, as their Youth Director.
This small group of teenagers and I grew very close.
(And we had the best "Puppet Youth Team" in the state of Florida!)
This was a golden time in my life.
* * *
In the meantime, my sister moved to California after her college graduation.
She worked as a TWA Airline Hostess and traveled all over the world.
It wasn't long before she met Ruedi.
Ruedi was born and raised in Aldorf, Switzerland.
(When Ruedi first arrived in America,
he was twenty-two and didn't speak English!)
Ruedi and Charlene married and settled in San Jose, California.
* * *
In the summer of 1972, after my first year of teaching school,
I returned home to Memphis to work in Bellevue's Youth Camps.
Dr. Pollard had retired that year,
and the church was in the process of finding a new pastor.
I was twenty-two years old.
On August 18, 1972,
my last Sunday before I had to return to Florida to begin my second year of teaching,
Dr. Adrian P. Rogers preached.
The congregation enthusiastically voted to call him as Pastor.
There was such a "sweet sweet spirit in that place."
I will always remember that moment.
How wonderful to have been a witness to that historical day!
Dr. Adrian Rogers, with his wife, Joyce
Pastor: September 10, 1072 -- March, 2005
Born: September 12, 1931
Died: November 15, 2005
Dr. Rogers' first official day as Pastor was September 10, 1972.
And thus began the "Glory Days" of our church.
(And this continued for thirty-two years!)
My Mother's letters were full of joy and news about this new pastor.
I was able to return home for the summers of 1973 and 1974.
I was very involved with the church during those summers.
I served as a Counselor for each of Bellevue's youth camps,
I sang in the Choir, and was a part of Evangelism Explosion, etc. etc.
Dr. Rogers reached out to my age group and we felt very close to him.
Every Sunday evening after church my "gang" would go to El Chico.
Dr. Rogers went there as well, and he would often come over and sit with us.
We had marvelous fellowship and conversations around that table.
In those days, he had not been "discovered" yet, so he was very assessable.
I felt as if we were a part of a small-town church.
Under Dr. Rogers' leadership the church grew to mega-size.
This was a good thing -- and a sad thing to me. I still miss those early days.
Because my sister and I returned home often to visit Mom,
through out the years our hearts continued to be a part of this church,
even while we lived far away.
Dr. Jim Whitmire
Minister of Music, 1975 -- 2005
Dr. James Whitmire came to Bellevue as Minister of Youth Music in 1975.
Dr. Whitmire and Dr. Rogers had worked together at their church in Florida,
and they were quite a team together.
After Dr. Tommy Lane's retirement in April of 1986,
he became Bellevue's Minister of Music.
Dr. Whitmire began several yearly musical productions,
such as the Singing Christmas Tree, the Passion Play, and Celebrate America.
My Mother and my Uncle Bill never missed a production,
often attending every dress rehearsal and performance.
Although I had moved away from Memphis when the productions began,
I also got to see the productions due to my frequent visits home.
In the meantime, I resigned my teaching and moved to Fort Worth, Texas,
where I entered Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
My studies focused on Family Counseling with an emphasis in Grief Counseling.
Dr. J.W. MacGorman, Head of the New Testament Department
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Fort Worth, Texas
My greatest blessing during those seminary years
was having the honor of working as the secretary
for the Head of the New Testament Department, Dr. J.W. MacGorman.
This godly man became a father figure for me.
His wisdom, counsel, and spiritual guidance enriched my life more than he could ever know.
Dr. MacGorman is now retired.
I was able to attend the dedication ceremony for the
J.W. "Jack" MacGorman Conference Center at Southwestern
which took place on September 10, 2001.
It was wonderful that such as Godly and Beloved Man
received such an honor while he was still alive!
I flew back to Memphis that evening, 9/10/01.
Upon Graduation from Southwestern,
I accepted a position in Jackson, Mississippi,
where I worked as a Pediatric Therapist
for the Mississippi Baptist Medical Center for twelve years,
from June 1979 until March 1991.
These were good years,
and I loved living near several of my good old friends from my college days.
My years at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center were fulfilling!
In 1979, my sister and her husband, Charlene and Ruedi,
were blessed with the birth of Frances "Haley".
When Haley was five, they moved from California to North Carolina,
where their fervent prayers for more children were answered.
In 1990, my sister and her family moved to Memphis.
Her three little girls, Haley, Robin, and Annaliese,
immediately started praying that their “Aunt Di Di”
would move back to Memphis too.
Neither God nor I could ignore those sweet prayers.
In 1991, Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee
invited me to be their Pediatric Therapist, which I gladly accepted.
My first official day at Le Bonheur was March 18, 1991.
This brought me full circle back to my home town --
and back to my family.
Mother was so thrilled to have both her daughters back "home".
Returning home gave me the chance to watch first hand
the day-by-day growing up activities of my nieces.
By living in the same city,
I was able to attend all church choir and school programs,
pee-wee cheerleading, sports events,
and the odds and ins of every day events in a child's life.
I will always treasure these memories and this time in my life.
As for Le Bonheur, I simply LOVE my job!
es, Bernaospital Puppet, Pre-Op Teaching Program
I thank God for giving me this special ministry in such a respected medical facility.
This is where I plan to stay as long as God allow me this gift.
Returning to Memphis also allowed me
to rejoin the church of my childhood and my youth, Bellevue Baptist Church.
It has been great to be a part of such a special church.
I was twenty-two when Dr. Rogers first came to Bellevue.
When I returned home to Memphis in 1991, I was forty-two years old.
(An entire second life-time!)
It was a joy to return "HOME."
By that time the church had grown to HUGH proportions.
It was different than before, but the sweet spirit had prevailed.
My sister's three daughters had the gift of being raised
in the same church of our own childhood.
During their years in Memphis and at Bellevue,
each niece of mine made a profession of faith and was baptized.
Haley, a young girl, full of Grace and beauty, being baptized at the old Bellevue Baptist Church.
Through out her life, her heart has remained steadfast in her Christian Devotion.
My precious mother adored Dr. Rogers and his sweet wife, Joyce.
My uncle Bill and Mom were able to travel to the Holy Lands with them,
and that trip was one of the highlights of both of their lives.
Dorothy Chiles, with brother, Bill Lindenmayer,
on a trip to the Holy Lands with Dr. Adrian and Joyce Rogers
Mother volunteered as a tour guide at the church.
Bill taught piano in Bellevue's Performing Arts Center.
And they were there every time the doors were open!
My mother has a major stroke in January 1999.
She suffered severe dementia that left her in a child-like state of mind.
I sold my home in mid-town and moved into Mother's home to care for her.
It's amazing how everything can change in simply one day.
Over night, our lives were different.
Joyce Rogers, our pastor's wife, sent mom a cassette of songs she had sung herself.
I played this tape for Mother every night, and mom loved it so much.
I could visibly watch how Joyce's music calmed and comforted her.
Taking care of my Mother bonded me towards her in a way I can't describe.
Our roles had changed.
It had become my turn to take care of her, to provide for her,
to comfort her, to protect her, and to love her --
just as she had loved me and tried to protect me through out my life.
She was so excited to see me walk through the door.
Sometimes she knew who I was --
sometimes she thought I was her Mother --
sometimes she didn't know who I was --
but she was always glad to see me!
Due to her stoke, Mother became homebound, which home-bounded me as well.
Through out my life, Mother had sat on the front row of every church service.
Although it had now become impossible for us to GO to church,
our church CAME to us!
Both of us became faithful members of "Love Worth Finding",
Bellevue's television ministry.
Sunday morning, I would comb mother's hair, fix her up,
sit her in front of the TV with her bible in her lap,
and turn on the television to the church service.
I have video-taped several of these private moments.
It was so sweet!
Because of mother's dementia,
she was often confused and had forgotten a great deal.
BUT, she knew every bible verse and sang along with every old hymn.
And her facial expressions were priceless.
Thank you, Bellevue, for providing "Love Worth Finding".
I never understood until Mom's stroke just how important that service
is to the many people out there who are unable to leave their homes.
It was a special gift to my Mother . . . and to me.
This picture was taken during Haley's Bridal Shower held at my home.
Mom was my "co-host" for the party!
Haley with her Grandmother at her Bridal Shower.
Mother died August 2, 2001.
(Our Dad had been buried on August 2, 1949.)
Dorothy Chiles' Grandchildren say good-bye.
She died surrounded by her family who loved her so much!
Our family took her body to Washington DC
where she was buried next to her husband.
Sitting on that beautiful hill in Arlington,
we reflected on how our mother had sat on that same hill
fifty-two years earlier --
a young widow with two small children.
It is comforting to know that my parents are finally reunited.
Their gravesite overlooks the Pentagon and the Washington Monument.
In my opinion, their site is in the most beautiful section of Arlington.
Mother was buried next to her husband in Arlington National Cemetery on August 14, 2001.
On January 15, 2003, I had an operation to remove a brain tumor.
My precious Uncle Bill died suddenly on February 1, 2003,
two weeks after my brain tumor surgery.
That was strange. He had been so concern for me and my life,
and then he was the one who died.
He had been struggling with Colon Cancer, but we all thought he was doing well.
Billy was the third child born to my grandparents.
Because Billy was several years younger than my Uncle Dave and my Mom,
and also because he was born crippled,
my Mother and Dave always looked out for him.
They were very close.
After Dave's death, my Mother even became more protective over Billy.
He was always there in my family, as he had never married or had children of his own.
He was a quiet, sweet gentle and talented man.
William Henry Lindenmayer.
Born: July 9, 1936
Died: February 1, 2003
Concert Pianist, Music Teacher
Uncle Billy was a great encourager for my sister and me through out our lives.
"Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of one of his Saints."
Psalms 116:15
Bill touched and inspired many lives.
He lived next door to me and we shared the same back yard.
I miss hearing his beautiful piano music and his marvelous laugh.
* * *
For many years our family enjoyed sharing fellowship
and worship in the same city.
And all of us loved living in the "Glory Days" of our church
under the leadership of Dr. Rogers and Dr. Whitmire.
Things have changed in our family.
My sister and I are now the older generation in our family --
a new stage in our own Circle of Life.
Our family has once again scattered and now live in various parts of the earth.
My brother-in-law retired, and he and my sister moved to the mountains.
My oldest niece, Haley, married a wonderful Christian young man, Andrew.
They have three adorable children! They too moved far away.
Robin, my middle niece, lives in an apartment close to her parents.
My youngest niece, Annaliese, graduated from college in May, 2007.
She is now off to new lands and new adventures.
And things have changed in our church.
Dr. Rogers retired in March 6, 2005.
Our church has a new pastor now, Dr. Steve Gaines.
Dr. Steve Gaines, and his wife, Donna
Pastor: September 11, 2005 -- Present
His first sermon as Pastor was preached on 9/11/05.
Dr. Adrian Rogers "passed the mantle" by washing Dr. Gaines' feet.
I was singing in the choir that day and had a close personal view.
It was so touching, and I cried, knowing that history was passing by.
Little did we know that Dr. Rogers had only a few more weeks to live.
Dr. Adrian P. Rogers died November 15, 2005.
ADRIAN PIERCE ROGERS
Our beloved pastor for thirty-two years.
September 12, 1931 – November 15, 2005
On several occasions, Dr. Rogers proclaimed:
“When my time comes, don’t be sorry for me; I’ll be kicking up gold dust on the streets of glory.”
"To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."
2 Corinthians 5:8
“Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete.
Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace;
and the God of love and peace will be with you.”
2 Corinthians 13:11
(click on picture to enlarge)
Another milestone for our church took place on December 18, 2005,
with the retirement of our Minister of Music, Dr. Jim Whitmire.
Oh how our church will miss him!
Thank goodness he will be returning from time to time.
His ministry will indeed live on and on
in the seeds he has planted through out the years.
(click on picture to enlarge)
Robin, with our new pastor, Dr. Steve Gaines and his wife, Donna.
December 18, 2005
As of January 15, 2006, our Minister of Music is Rev. Jamie Parker.
(click on picture to enlarge)
Rev. Jamie Parker, and his wife, Dana
Minister of Music,Worship: January 15, 2006 -- Present
The Minister of Music baton has been passed on
to one of Bellevue's bright shining stars.
Jamie was the Minister of Youth Music at Bellevue for ten years,
and all three of my nieces were in his choirs!
Jamie left Bellevue in 2003 to become Minister of Music
at the First Baptist Church in Gardendale, Alabama,
where Dr. Steve Gaines was pastor before coming to Bellevue.
Jamie has a God-Given talent, and it is a joy to hear him sing!
He sang for my mother's funeral.
Needless to say, everyone in our family loves him!
It is GREAT to welcome Jamie back to Bellevue!
Rev. Mark Blair
Minister of Music, Productions: August 20, 2007 -- Present
Mark was hired as Bellevue's "Minister of Music, Special Productions".
He will oversee the church's productions through the year,
including the Singing Christmas Tree, the Passion Play at Easter,
and the Starlight Spectacle for Independence Day.
Because I had a part in this year's Singing Christmas Play,
I was given the first hand gift of getting to know Mark personally.
He is hilarious, very professional, a marvelous director,
and a wonderful addition to our Music Ministry.
Our new pastor, Dr. Steve Gaines, has big shoes to fill.
But he can. And he will.
I like our new pastor. His wife, Donna, is lovely and sweet.
He is funny, loves to sing, and it is obvious that he loves Jesus.
He will lead the church well.
So the ministry of this wonderful church goes on and on.
