George Killingsworth

George was born May 12, 1936, to Almon Mack Killingsworth and Ludie Elizabeth Jones in Chase, Louisiana. His family moved to Pascagoula, Mississippi, in 1945. About this same time, a young girl named Bettie Ruth Thompson also moved to Pascagoula from Ackerman with her family. George and Bettie were in the same schoo,l but they were just casual friends.

After high school, George enlisted in the United States Army. After boot camp, he was stationed in Oberammergau, Germany. He served in the Army from 1954–1957. During the early part of his tour, the Korean Conflict was raging.
During one of his furloughs, he met Bettie Ruth on a blind date. Bettie Ruth’s friend set it up, but Bettie Ruth didn't want to go. However, her friend said, “If you don’t go, I will never speak to you again.” So, she went, and after a year of dating, they were married on September 6, 1958.

At that time, neither George nor Bettie Ruth had received the Holy Ghost, and the Pentecostal ministers would not marry them. So, they were married in the First Baptist Church in Pascagoula. They had one daughter, Pamela, and two sons, George Jr. and Darron.

George and Bettie Ruth began to attend the United Pentecostal Church in Pascagoula, pastored by Buford Miller. During a revival with Evangelist Kenneth Phillips they both received the Holy Ghost on the same night, February 22, 1966.

They became faithful to the UPC in Pascagoula. During another revival with Evangelist Robert Crocker, God called George, and he accepted his call to ministry in December 1967. He was working at the Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, but when called to preach, he took leave to evangelize and ended his shipyard work.

His first church to pastor was Pleasant Ridge UPC near Wesson, Mississippi, from 1968 to 1970. Upon offering his resignation at Pleasant Ridge, he felt God leading him to found a new work in Richton, Mississippi. In 1970, he established and built a new church in Richton and remained there until 1972. In 1972, George was called to pastor the UPC in Monticello, Arkansas. He resigned in 1975. In 1975 and 1976, he pastored in Burnsville, Mississippi, 1976-1978 in Meridian, 1978-1980 in New Hebron. In 1980-1984 in Decatur, Alabama, 1984-1987 in Biloxi, 1987-1994 at Greater Life in Corinth, and 1995-2001 at Cherry Chapel, Carthage, Mississippi.

Offices that he served in the UPC were:
• Arkansas District Home Missions Secretary,1972-1974
• Sunday School Director 1966-1967
• Sunday School Secretary 1995-1999
• Mississippi District Board Presbyter 1976-1978

Due to a heart transplant on May 4, 1990, he had to limit his preaching ministry. However, he continued to love God and work in the Gautier UPC in Gautier, Mississippi.

God called Brother George to his eternal home on December 2, 2007.