John Worth Browning was born in Statesville, N.C., on Jan. 24, 1857. He died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. W.C. Huddleston, in Cleveland, Tenn. Nov., 21, 1939 at the age of 82 years 10 months. He was buried at Maryville, Tenn.
He received his college training at Rutherford College in North Carolina, after which he went into the practice of law for a short time. He was never satisfied with law, because of a deep and abiding call to the ministry of Christ.
At the age of twenty-five, Nov. 18, 1882, he was licensed to preach at Hickory, N.C. He joined the Holston Conference of the Methodist Episcopal church, South in 1884, and served as an active minister for 44 years. He answered to the first roll call for 56 years including the last one before he died.
His appointments included Ridgedale and Highland Park in Chattanooga, Maryville and Saltville. The fact that all these are now strong churches in the conference is due oin a large measure to his aggressive leadership and evalgelistic fire while their pastor. At least one of these churches, Maryville, more than doubled its membership during his administration;
He was married to Susie Wheeler September 3, 1890. To this union were born seven children, six of whom are now living. Theu are: Mrs. W.C. Huddleston, Cleveland, Tenn., Mrs. A.R. McCammon, Maryville, Tenn., Mrs. Percy W. Buchanan, Missionary to Japan; Mrs. W.E. Jamison, Wilcoe, W. Va., and F.W. and C.H. Browning, Knoxville.
His first wife died Dec., 16, 1917. He later married Julia Benbo who also preceded him in death by several years.
To all those who knew him, Brother Browning’s life needs no eulogy. To know him, was to recognize in him a rare personality. To know him also, was to love and respect him. He was one of the most loved men by both conference members and local congregations the conference ever had.
Once he knew you, he never forgot you. He had a very deep and abiding love for little children, and as he grew older he never lost his sympathy for and understanding of the youth of the church. He always showed fine interest in the young preachers of the conference, which evidently helped keep him young and liberal of spirit until the ripe old age of 83.
Brother Browning always avoided controversy when possible. But, when he thought the occasion demanded it he never failed to speak out for the church on the evils of his day, and was never known to compromise with evil any where any time.
He was an untiring worker throughout his entire life. He was never know nto ‘spend ay more time at any one place than was necessary’. His record, as recorded in Forty-four Annuals of Holston Conference bears witness to the above stated facts. To him, the firs business of his life was to “ be about my Father’s business”.
He had an undying love for humanity and a consuming desire to bring the lost men and women of every community face to face with Jesus Christ and see them saved and then keep them saved. He was an evangelist by nature as well as by grace, and he practiced it to the end of his life. After his superannuation, he never lost an opportunity to be in every revival he could reach, and to the knowledge of this writer, he was a power in a revival. Long may the spirit of this Godly man live in and hover over every one whose privilege it was to know him. — R.O. Eller
Source: Methodist Episcopal Church. Official Journal of the Holston Annual Conference of the Methodist Church. 1940.
