A. J. Tomlinson, Historical Notes

"I came with the understanding we were going to search the Bible to see if we could find The Church of God just like David said we would find it. I came and after staying all night with Brother W. F. Bryant I got up the next morning, had prayers, ate breakfast and took out up the mountain. I was gone for an hour or more… I came back down the mountain and entered the meeting. Questions were asked, Bible answers were given. They said they took the whole Bible rightly divided as their only rule of faith and practice. I said, ‘Well if you take the whole Bible rightly divided, that makes it The Church of God. Why do you want to call it the Holiness Church at Camp Creek?’ They agreed with me but couldn’t answer my question. Then I said, ‘You have agreed that this that I have said makes it The Church of God, and will you be willing to take it and keep it The Church of God?’ They said that they were willing. I then asked if they were willing to take me in with the understanding that it IS The Church of God—not going to be, but IS The Church of God? They were willing. So I stood right there in front of the fireplace, and Brother Spurling, who has gone on to heaven, took the Bible and gave it to me. He handed it to me and said, ‘Will you take this as the Word of God, believe it and practice it, obey its precepts and walk in the light as God is in the light?’ I thought deeply. I remembered what a time I had on the mountain. I meant business. David meant business and Isaiah meant business when he said, Arise, shine…"
(A. J. Tomlinson, Historical Notes, pp. 76, 77)