After graduating from Abilene Christian College in 1941, I began full-time preaching in eastern New Mexico and Sundown, Texas. While serving the South Park church in Beaumont with Harry Payne, I met and married Elma Lea Holladay in 1945. We have a son, Sol, of Vivian, Louisiana and a daughter, Mira Prince, of Tigard, Oregon.
Our first thirteen years of married life were spent in newer fields in Lake Charles, Maplewood, and New Iberia, Louisiana. In New Iberia in eight years I delivered over 4,000 lessons and sermons from the pulpit and 2,300 consecutive days of broadcasting.
We served in Port Neches, Fort Worth, and Dallas in Texas.
After six years in Lovington, New Mexico, we worked with the church in New Braunfels, Texas for ten years, and we continued living there eleven years until we moved to Tigard, Oregon in 1994.
As the years of my ministry progressed, I became increasingly aware of my many misdirections. My conviction to be honest with myself forced me to make drastic adjustments to my teachings. Sharing my new concepts from the pulpit brought thrilling response for some, but others soon aroused unbearable opposition. By the time of my retirement, I had begun to write and publish my efforts of redirection. I have found that thousands of others were questioning traditional beliefs and practices. God has made exciting use of my unskilled efforts, and he has brought many wonderful people into partnership with me in this ministry.
My changes were not a reaction to any conflict with people or out of any bitterness. I continued to meet with those that rejected my efforts for eleven years. A fuller account of my change may be read in Chapter 1 of Free To Change.
Cecil passed away June 1, 2007. His spirit lives on through his books and essays.