Full of Faith – A Day With Deacon Morris Rowe

I left his car in a hurry, hoping to avoid another torrential downpour from the heavens. The dark clouds billowing overhead seemed to tease us all day, covering the road in droplets without a moment’s notice. As I waived my hand in farewell, watching his Chrysler become a shadowy blur in the distance, I found my thoughts still bubbling over from the excitement of the day.

There was something about the way he described his faith that crawled underneath my skin and deep into my core. His notion of what it meant to be a Christian made it sound so easy, so certain. I let his words play over in my mind throughout the night, trying to understand that power to which he kept referring.

“A lot of Christians don’t realize the power that they have,” he said almost pityingly. “I see a lot of people struggling with the same things over and over.”

I could see the frustration in his eyes after he said this. He wants so badly for other believers to understand what he’s come to understand – that God can do anything. To some, his faith may seem quiet; he’s not a man to overextend himself in religious ritual and jargon. But this quiet faith of his is also unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It is a faith that is full.

Born in Queens, New York, Deacon Rowe came to Holiness Tabernacle Church Of God In Christ not expecting much. “I never thought I’d be here. A Deacon?!” he laughs, shaking his head in disbelief. He makes this statement often, as if he might wake up tomorrow and realize this was all a dream. Running a fork across his perfectly cooked prime rib, he continues to talk; marveling at what God has done in his life.

“When I first got here I asked God, ‘What am I here for?’ and He started putting me in places. God gave me one word: serve.” If there was one thing Deacon Rowe knows how to do well, it is serve. It’s something he learned at an early age. His parents taught him how to work. As a child he would accompany his father on projects, playing the role of the gopher.

“What do you mean by gopher?” I asked confused.

He smiled widely, “Oh you know, I would go for the wrench and go for lunch!”

Those early years have played a vital role in shaping how he lives within Christian community. He is always going for something. Whether it be cooking, cleaning, driving or helping run the Missions Department, Deacon Rowe enjoys working. He also enjoys sharing. “Maybe my testimony will help somebody.”

His testimony is one of a constantly growing trust in God and love for Him and His people. In a few short years Deacon Rowe has seen God work wonders in his life: bringing his children home, helping him buy things he thought he couldn’t afford, and planting within him a seed of discipline that has grown into a well-watered faith.

A brown belt in martial arts, Deacon Rowe finds the spiritual disciplines easy. Fasting and meditation were a part of his martial arts training and all those years have helped him remain disciplined in his walk with God. In martial arts he learned to fight while in pain, to the point where he could not feel the pain anymore. It’s the same in his walk with God. He’s learned to pray while in pain, to the point where his faith outweighs every obstacle around him. He prays often, sometimes battling with God.  

“See, you don’t really want it…otherwise you’d ask for it,” he says sternly. Deacon Rowe is not afraid to ask God for the things he needs. “I talk to God about my problems. If I need something, I tell Him.” He wants others to catch on and do the same. “Ask and let it go…keep it moving.” He doesn’t believe in worrying because he is so sure that the fruits of his prayer will show up eventually. “He distracts me with so many other things that I don’t have time to worry about what I asked Him for. I know it’s going to show up. When it does, I say ‘I thank You.’”

And Deacon Rowe is thankful for a lot. He is most thankful for the simple relationship he has with God. It is the most precious relationship in his life, one he is unwilling to compromise. “God listens to me. When I pray on Saturday mornings with the other Deacons, I feel like I’m sitting in His lap… because He’s my Father.” The relationship he has with his heavenly Father mimics the one he shared with his earthly father.

“When I was a kid I used to be up under my father. I’d get in the bed with him, on the couch under his arm and just talk. I’d sit in his lap. Same thing [with my heavenly father.]” He is genuine and sincere, no qualms about who God is or what God can do. “I don’t doubt Him, He’s done too much for me.”

Still Deacon Rowe is certain that God only wants to do more for him and through him. Being in the Missions Department has helped him see the needs of people and has shown him how true it is when Jesus says that the harvest is plenty, but the laborers are few. He wants to support whatever the church seeks to accomplish and help Pastor Pruitte accomplish all the goals he puts forth.

“I didn’t know church was like this,” he says. “There’s so much to do. I’m going to do it.” I can hear the sincerity in his voice, he wants to be wherever God wants him and do whatever God tells him. He’s easily satisfied with the modesty of life, but knows that God has majesty in store for him. This modest man, who came to church one day expecting nothing, now believes in a God of great expectations.

We exchange pleasantries over sweet desserts and he leans back into his chair once more. He cocks his head back, as if pondering and then he says it. "I am amazed that He turned something so bad into good.” He is referring to himself. He is a man who marvels at God, with a faith that rises to the brim and remains a constant. He lingers over his Dairy Queen banana split with a joyous smile, satisfied with little, but willing to do much for the One who has done too much for him. And in a way only those who know Deacon Rowe well could appreciate, he tells me, “Dairy Queen is the bomb! Put that in the article,” he grins.