GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Evelyn Margaret Collins (Miss Collins) was born on August 7, 1913 in Milton Freewater, Oregon. As a teenager and young adult, Miss Collins worked on the family farm and pumped gas at her father’s tavern/gas station. In 1939, at the age of twenty-six, she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. Soon after her conversion, she and her mother, Grace Collins, decided to join the mission field. Their first service was in youth camps in the ghettos of Washington D.C.
She returned to Oregon and received a teaching degree from Cascade Christian College, graduating with honors. During World War II, she taught school in a small town outside of Salem, Oregon. She returned to Portland and pastored the Hoyt Street Methodist and the Free Methodist Church.
Miss Collins’ first love was working with children. In the early 1950s, she and her mother began sharing Bible stories and doing Bible studies with the young people in the public housing areas of northeast Portland. During this time, Miss Collins became aware of the need for suitable child care for these children. At the request of many parents, Miss Collins stepped out in faith, borrowed $600, and purchased a house on Northeast Rodney Street to begin affordable Christian daycare to help working mothers.
Within two years, the daycare center had outgrown the house. In 1956, Miss Collins had found a building at 128 Northeast Russell Street. After much cleaning and hard work, she was able to relocate the daycare center to the new location in July of 1957. This building not only allowed for a larger day care center, but had a gymnasium and a stage on the upper floor. The upper floor allowed for an effective youth outreach with the many activities that were now possible to conduct. Miss Collins always allowed the youth to use the gym, but after they were done playing, she always gave them a “treat” and a Bible lesson. Formal Christmas and Easter programs complete with costumes were presented to parents every year. The children memorized and recited large portions of Bible scripture for these programs.
Miss Collins and Mother Collins ran the center together until Mother Collins’ passing on December 30th, 1970. Miss Collins did everything in the center including cleaning, teaching, fundraising and planning field trips. She would often take her daycare children to churches throughout Oregon and Washington to recite Bible verses and sing songs. She always provided a safe and nurturing place for children to play and learn. As a result of her tireless contributions for the welfare of children, Miss Collins received numerous community service awards. In 1980, she received the KOIN television “Jefferson Award.” In 1983, she received the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Humanitarian Award.
Over all the years of Christian ministry, neither Miss Collins nor Mother Collins ever drew a salary. Not only did Miss Collins not draw a salary, she often contributed her social security check to help support the center. She worked over thirteen hours a day at the center.
Miss Collins went to be with the Lord on March 13th, 2000. Only heaven will reveal the actual number of people reached for Christ through the efforts of these two Godly Christian women.
It is the goal of ISM to carry on the Christian Youth Outreach started by Miss Collins and Mother Collins many years ago.
God blessing you always and forever.