A life of singing God's praises

By Michelle Jones, Times Correspondent
Published March 1, 2008

HOLIDAY - The Rev. Leon Ellis began playing the piano when he was very young, and at age 12 became the pianist at his father's church.

"My dad started me in the music when he was pastoring a country church," Ellis said. "This was the in late '30s and a Baptist lady taught me to play."

Since then Ellis' life has made many turns as he traveled, preached, played the piano and organ and wrote hymns to the glory of God. Currently, he is the pastor of Harvest Time Church, 4006 Buena Vista Lane, Holiday.

When he was the pastor at a Pompano Beach church, Oral Roberts asked him to play the organ for his tent ministry.

"This was in the 1950s and 1960s," said Ellis. "I would have paid them to let me do it - it was a great job."

The tents held 12,000 people and Ellis said he doesn't remember a time when they weren't full.

"It was a great experience for me," he said. "Oral is in his 90s now and his mind is still clear - it was a privilege to be with him."

To date, the 78-year-old minister has written more than 100 songs. Win the Lost at Any Cost was his No. 1 song, but all his songs have been published, he says.

"God indeed gave me music that had a message and meaning," he said. "It truly was a gift from God."

Ellis also was the administrator of a Christian School in Jacksonville during the 1980s. It was a model school for the Accelerated Christian Education curriculum used today in Christian schools around the country.

"He is an amazing person, an unsung hero," said Doug Pyle, a member of Ellis' church. "He is well established in the ministry, as well as a gospel song writer."

Many of the songs Ellis wrote are used in Church of God camp meetings.

"He is very low-key, but full of wisdom," said Pyle. "He is an example of humility and kindness."

After his first wife died, Ellis became a pastor to the singles ministry at his cousin's church, Harvest Temple in Indian Rocks. His cousin Vep Ellis traveled with Oral Roberts, too.

Ellis met his wife, Jeanne, at the Indian Rocks church and they have been married for 23 years. They have five children between them and 16 grandchildren.

Services at Harvest Time in Holiday are at 10 a.m. Sundays.

At a glance

Ellis' work

Souls are crying, men are dying, won't you lead them to the cross? Go and find them, help to win them, win the lost at any cost. Go out and win, rescue from sin, day's almost done, low sinks the sun. Souls are crying, men are dying, win the lost at any cost.

By Leon H. Ellis, 1959.

[Last modified February 29, 2008, 21:10:17]