“Jessie Irene Brand was a loving, giving person dedicated to her God, to people and to her church,” said Monty Foster, former pastor of Harmony Baptist Church (Teays Valley) of Irene Brand. That dedication is still being experienced through the significant legacy gift she left for the West Virginia Baptist Camp at Cowen.
David Radcliff, current pastor of Harmony Baptist Church, shared these thoughts of Irene: “Irene was a member of Harmony Baptist Church for 77 years, she was saved when she was 11 years old, she directed the choir for more than 60 years and the played the piano for the church for close to 70 years. She also taught Sunday School for approximately 65 years.”
In a letter she wrote in 1987, addressed to the future 2012 pianist (which humorously ended up being her), she wrote, “My greatest desire has been to let my light shine before others so that the presence of God would be revealed in my life. The words of Erma Bombeck sum up my feelings about what I hope my Christian witness has shown: ‘When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘Lord, I used everything you gave me.’”
When Irene Brand met her Savior face-to-face on April 8, 2018, I am sure she heard those words. The legacy gift that Irene left will strengthen a ministry that was very fond to her heart. For more than 75 years, the West Virginia Baptist Camp at Cowen has been a place “Where people meet Jesus and grow as His disciples in a community of faith.” In this way, Irene is letting her line shine for generations to come.
If you or someone in your church is interested in learning about ways you can leave a lasting legacy, please contact our office. It is people like Irene who enable us to continue Doing Christ’s Work Together.
