IN LOVING MEMORY OF DR. AND MRS. R. HUDSON MOODY
Dr. R. Hudson Moody was saved in a tent meeting on Hunnicutt Street in Atlanta, where Bro. Guy Rainwater was preaching one of his first meetings. Dr. Moody’s mother, Mrs. Mary Beulah Moody, told him that she invited a young lady to church that she wanted him to meet. That meeting led to what he called love at first sight, and he and Frances Cooper were soon married. Mrs. Moody was saved at Immanuel Baptist Church in Atlanta. As this dear couple became one, they began to build a life of love and faithfulness to their Savior.
Dr. Moody was called of God to preach the Gospel in 1950. Three years later, he accepted a call to pastor High Point Baptist Church in Covington. High Point grew from a congregation of less than 50 to over 300, and led the state in church growth and baptisms. While at High Point, Dr. Moody was instrumental in starting Oxford Baptist Church (which was the first Baptist church in Oxford), Midway Baptist Church, Canaan Baptist Church and Harmony Baptist Church (all in Covington), McDonough Baptist Tabernacle, as well as other ministries and churches throughout Georgia and the Southeast.
In the early 1960s, God burdened Dr. Moody’s heart to begin an independent Baptist church in the Covington area. So, in obedience to the Holy Spirit, The Baptist Tabernacle started in a little house on Middlebrook Street in Covington fifty-four years ago. Dr. and Mrs. Moody, along with sixteen others, committed themselves to praying and building a church that would honor God, encourage and train Christians, evangelize the community and help send missionaries into the world. God honored those prayers and on July 19, 1964, The Baptist Tabernacle was established. The church quickly began to grow and moved into the old Huson Hospital until God allowed them to purchase our current land, where on Easter Sunday 1967, the congregation held their first service in the beautiful auditorium where we now meet to worship. In 1972, Dr. and Mrs. Moody also began Tabernacle Christian School, as a ministry of the church, where hundreds of young people were saved and later called to serve in full-time ministry.
As a dedicated Pastor’s wife, Mrs. Moody was involved in every area of the church, from the nursery ministry, where she served as director for twenty-eight years, to the nursing home ministry, where she and Dr. Moody enjoyed some of the last years of their lives ministering to those who felt forgotten. Mrs. Moody was the Ladies’ Fellowship Director for thirty years, a Sunday School teacher, a choir member and the church pianist. Dr. and Mrs. Moody greatly enjoyed vacations with their children and grandchildren, and in the last few years, their great grandchildren brought much joy into their lives.
For over five decades, God has used the ministries of The Baptist Tabernacle as a lighthouse, pointing families to Christ. There have been many souls saved and lives changed as a result of one man’s steadfast obedience, along with a faithful and supportive Pastor’s wife. The Baptist Tabernacle continues to be a place “Where the Old-Time Way Brings the Old-Time Power,” and although it has been fifty-four years, we still believe in the BLESSED HOPE, the BOOK and the BLOOD, and that there is no other way to Christ. We still preach from the King James Bible and the old hymns have not been forgotten…
...and it all traces back to the heart of a man and his wife, who we passionately call Preacher and Mrs. Moody. We are so thankful for them and all those who gave of themselves to forge out this great ministry of God’s love. Throughout the years, the love and compassion of this godly man and wife truly demonstrated the epitome of God’s love.
On July 31, 2018, as he made full proof of his ministry, Preacher Moody, 90, and a veteran of World War II, finished his course and peacefully entered his heavenly home. Just two days later, Mrs. Frances Moody, 88, his dear wife of sixty-seven years, followed her husband into the loving arms of Jesus. They are now a part of that great cloud of witnesses cheering us on as we tell others about the amazing grace and unconditional love of God. Preacher Moody is a proven hero of the faith, and he and Mrs. Moody leave a godly heritage and a matchless legacy of love and faithfulness.
