George Foster, Jr. and the Solid Rock Church of God in Christ in Idaho Falls
Note: While I remember meeting Bishop Foster in the early 1990’s,
I regret not getting to know him. For anyone who did, please add stories from
his life in the comment section that will enhance the outline that
follows that I extracted from newspaper articles.
For 35 years until his death in 2010, Bishop George Foster, Jr. was a credit to the community of Idaho Falls and the body of Christ in the community.
Born and raised in Biloxi, Mississippi, George then served
in the US Marine Corp for 20 years. While in Viet Nam, when trapped by enemy
fire, he called upon God for help and deliverance.[1] It was then that he surrendered his life to
Jesus Christ and was miraculously spared. In 1965, he accepted God’s call to the
ministry and dedicated his life to winning souls for Christ.[1]
While in Viet Nam he was called
“Preacher Man” because of his faithful witness for Christ.[2]
His calling meshed well with that of his wife, Alberta. Married in 1959 in San Diego, that same year
she had given her life to the Lord and committed her life to sharing the gospel
of Jesus Christ to everyone she met.[3]
When George retired from the Marine Corp in 1975, he and his
family were living in Southern California and he was serving at the Greater
Light Church of God in Christ in San Diego.[4] In July of that year he came to Idaho Falls
to conduct a week of revival services at the Community Church of God in Christ.[4] Later that year the family moved to Idaho. George
briefly pastored the Solid Rock Church of God in Christ Church in Pocatello.[5]
In January, 1976 he spoke at another series of revival meeting at the Community
Church of God in Christ in Idaho Falls and his family sang in the services.[5] The Sunday before the revival, George presided over Community COGIC’s monthly
fellowship service, for which the guest speaker was Elder Aaron Lewis of the
United Pentecostal Church of Idaho Falls.[6] While I could not determine the date his
church in Idaho Falls officially started, by late May 1976, references to him
in the Post Register were “Rev.
George Foster, pastor of the Solid Rock Church of God in Christ at Idaho
Falls.”[7]
From the time he arrived in Idaho Falls, George and his
family were heavily involved in community and church affairs in Southeast
Idaho. Besides starting Solid Rock COGIC in Idaho Falls, Rev. Foster also
pastored Teton Peaks Christian Fellowship in Driggs.[8]
In an interdenominational service in the Idaho Falls Civic
Auditorium celebrating the nation’s Bicentennial on July 4, 1976, Rev. Foster
gave the invocation.[9] Early in that service, the sound system
failed just as Frankie Williams of the Shoshone Bannock Tribes was beginning to
perform the Lord’s Prayer in American Indian sign language to a recording of
the song. Members of the Solid Rock
Church Choir quickly and spontaneously started singing the song, and others
joined in.[10]
The choir of the Solid Rock COGIC, which over the years had
several different names and directors, was in demand for community events,
including:
- Singing at a community Thanksgiving service sponsored by the Regional Council for Christian Ministry[11]
- Singing at the annual Festival of the Trees[12]
- Singing at the “Sunrise Century III Interdenominational Community Church Service” July 3, 1977 at the Idaho Falls Civic Auditorium.[13] This service was attended by more than 1,000 people.[14]
- Singing in the first concert of the season of the Idaho Falls Symphony in 1977[15]
- Performing at the Country Club Mall during National Music Week at the invitation of the Idaho Falls Music Club in 1978[16]
- Singing in the Idaho Falls Civic Auditorium in a community service honoring Constitution Day in 1978[17]
- Singing spirituals at a Folk Festival at Bonneville High School sponsored by the Idaho Falls Music Club in 1978. This choir at that time consisted of Larry Foster, Eddie Henry, Bradford Foster, Karen Marie Foster and Alberta Foster[18]
On Saturday, June 24, 1977, a “Weekend with Christ in Music”
nondenominational concert was sponsored by Solid Rock COGIC.[19]
Singing groups from Nevada, California as well as local groups were invited to
share in this time of giving testimonies and singing to the Lord.
An article in the Post
Register later in 1977[20]
reported on the history and current activities of the choir:
The
Sold Rock Choir started with only Pastor George Foster’s family. His oldest son Billy was 16 at the time and
was the leader. Gregory McDaniel, a
talented young man from Kansas City, Missouri became director a year ago. “God has blessed us to have others join our
choir and since then we have begun to go places,” the Rev, Foster said. The choir traveled to Pocatello to sing at
the Christian Center and to Driggs at the Christian Fellowship group. Once a
month the groups sings at Youth Services Center in St. Anthony. This weekend the choir will be singing at the
Full Gospel Businessmen’s banquet in Pocatello and on Nov. 27 it will perform
at Soda Springs.
According to his obituary, Bishop Foster could be often
heard stating, "Line your will up with God's will, line your purpose up
with God's purpose and line your prayer up with God's prayer."[1] George Foster Jr. was determined to do
God’s will, not only in the churches he led, but also in involvement in the
community, involvement in the larger church in southeast Idaho and organizing a
Christian Academy to educate youth.
Bishop Foster led six churches or missions which he started. Besides Solid Rock COGIC in Idaho Falls and Teton
Peaks Christian Fellowship in Driggs, he pastored missions in Blackfoot, St.
Anthony, Burley and Elba.[21] He was a frequent invited guest speaker at
Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship meetings,[22]
Women’s Aglow events,[23]
church dedications in Idaho Falls and Ashton,[24]
a series on sharing your faith with the community at First Christian Church,[25]
meetings of the Upper Valley Charismatic Fellowship in St. Anthony[26]
and the Youth Services Center in St. Anthony.[27]
Rev. Foster was often invited to give the invocation at community events, such
as the bicentennial Thanksgiving service in 1975,[28]
the Constitution Day community service in 1978[29]
and Salvation Army’s annual dinner in 1980.[30]
In 1979 Bishop Foster was honored by the Bonneville
Tricentennial Commission for “outstanding community achievement;” he had been a
member of the Commission since 1975, participating actively in patriotic parades,
assemblies and events they sponsored.[31]
Idaho Falls Mayor Thomas Campbell was the guest speaker at a banquet honoring
Bishop Foster in 1978.[32]
In 1980 Bishop Foster and others organized Solid Rock
Christian Academy, pioneering the use of the Accelerated Christian Education curriculum in Idaho Falls.
George served as principal of the Academy, having completed training for that
position at the ACE Headquarters in Dallas, Texas. The Solid Rock Christian Academy offered
classes for kindergarten thru 9th grade.[33] The following year the Solid Rock COGIC
turned over lead management role of the Academy to New Life Assembly of God
Church, added 10th and 11th grade classes, and after New
Life’s new building was completed later that year, met in those facilities.[34]
Solid Rock COGIC also sponsored with Word of Faith Northwest Outreach several
4-day seminars for the Christian community in Idaho Falls, featuring well-known
speakers via satellite broadcasts.[35]
On October 19, 1982, Bishop Foster was driving home about
9:30 pm from a meeting when he saw flames leaping from his house, with his wife
and son standing outside watching the blaze. The fire gutted his house and he lost all
his possessions. Having started in a
basement wood-burning stove, the fire spread quickly through the house. While
Bishop Foster knew that much of the loss could never be replaced, and knew the
family would need to move on, he said it felt like the beginning of a new life.[36]
The Lord gave Him 28 more years of that
new life, sharing the life of Christ with many in Idaho Falls and Southeast
Idaho. Perhaps that new life was also
reflected in renaming the church he led in Idaho Falls New Hope Temple Church
of God in Christ in 1988.
[2] Post Register, June 30, 1978, p. A-14.
[3] Post Register, January 12, 1999.
[4] Post Register, July 3, 1975, p. B-4.
[5] Post Register, January 23, 1976. p. A-8.
[6] Post Register, January 16, 1976. p. A-8
[7] Post Register, May 21, 1976, p. A-8.
[8] Post Register, June 30, 1978, p. A-14.
[9] Post Register, June 3, 1976, p. C-7.
[10] Post Register, June 26, 1990.
[11] Post Register, November 5, 1975.
[12] Post Register, November 30, 1976,
November 21, 1977, June 10, 1979, November 6, 1980.
[13] Post Register, July 1, 1977.
[14] Post Register, July 5, 1977.
[15] Post Register, September 13, 1977.
[16] Post Register, May 5, 1978.
[17] Post Register, September 15, 1978.
[18] Post Register, October 27 & 31, 1978.
[19]
The church was referred to in the Post
Register by several different names over pretty much the same time period –
Solid Rock Church of God in Christ, Solid Rock Church, Solid Rock Our Church
and Solid Rock Our Church, Pentecostal and then in 1998 their name changed to
New Hope Temple Church of God in Christ.
[20] Post Register, November 21, 1977, p.
A-6.
[21] Post Register, November 2, 1979, p. A-14
& November 6, 1980.
[22] Post Register, August 13, 1982.
[23] Post Register, May 5, 2000 and May 7, 2001.
[24] Post Register, February 1, 1980 (Ashton
Christian Fellowship); October 21, 1983 (new location of Family Bible Church in
Idaho Falls) and January 1, 1982 (Eagle Rock Baptist Church in Idaho Falls)
Also involved in the dedication of Eagle Rock Baptist Church were pastors of
the First Church of the Nazarene, Alliance Covenant Church and Community Bible
Fellowship.
[25] Post Register, September 29, 19789, p.
A-10.
[26] Post Register, May 21, 1976, p. A-8.
[27] Post Register, May 30, 1980 &
November 6, 1980.
[28] Post Register, November 5, 1976, p.
A-10.
[29] Post Register, September 15, 1978.
[30] Post Register, May 10, 1980.
[31] Post Register, May 25, 1979.
[32] Post Register, September 22, 1978.
[33] Post Register, March 7, 1980, p. A-12
and August 14, 1980.
[34] Post Register, August 13, 1983.
[35] Post Register, August 27, 1982, November
5, 1982, February 18, 1983, April 22, 1983, May 27, 1983, July 15, 1984, August
12, 1983, September 9, 1983 and others.
[36] Post Register, October 20, 1982, “Fire
guts Falls Valley house, Pastor’s family homeless,” p. A-2 & October 21,
1982, “Family faces starting over after fire loss,” p. A-2.
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