Rev. George W. Southwick Collection Deposited at Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center

George W. Southwick (1918-2006) was a well-known figure in Pentecostal churches in southern California. He held ordination, at various times, in four different bodies: International Church of the Foursquare Gospel; Assemblies of God; Whosoever Will; and Apostolic Holiness. A graduate of L.I.F.E. Bible College in Los Angeles, he went on to become a Bible teacher and collector of theological books and periodicals. In 1975, he and his wife, Leona, founded The Bible Educator Ministry, which sent his teaching tapes around the world. He is remembered, among other things, for his sweet spirit and for faithfully teaching the Pentecostal and Anglo-Israel messages.

George W. Southwick, sitting behind the desk in the library

Southwick developed a significant collection consisting of 4,000 books, as well as numerous periodicals, tracts, pamphlets, photographs, and other archival materials. After his death, his family gave the collection to Charles Jennings, a pastor in Owasso, Oklahoma. Jennings deposited the collection at the FPHC. Southwick held to Oneness, Anglo-Israel, Calvinist, and Latter Rain beliefs, and much of his collection represented those minor traditions within Pentecostalism. This important collection includes many publications that are not otherwise accessible to researchers.

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Do you have Pentecostal historical materials that should be preserved? Please consider depositing these materials at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The FPHC, located in the Assemblies of God national offices, is the largest Pentecostal archive in the world. We would like to preserve and make your treasures accessible to those who write the history books.
Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA
Phone: 417.862.1447 ext. 4400
Toll Free: 877.840.5200
Email: Archives@ag.org

Patten University Archives Deposited at Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center

Patten University, founded as Oakland Bible Institute in 1944 by noted female evangelist Dr. Bebe H. Patten (1913-2004), has long been an important part of the landscape of Oakland, California. Patten started in the ministry as a girl evangelist, graduated from L.I.F.E. Bible College in 1933, and was ordained by the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in 1934. She was later ordained by a Wesleyan Holiness denomination and subsequently by another Pentecostal denomination. A successful revival crusade in Oakland in 1944 resulted in the formation of the Oakland Bible Institute, Patten Academy of Christian Education, and Christian Cathedral. She also formed Christian Evangelical Churches of America (CECA), which ordained graduates of the university and is a member denomination of the National Association of Evangelicals.

After severe financial difficulties led Patten University to be acquired by UniversityNow, a for-profit educational company in 2013, the school’s Christian mission was changed to a secular one. Following the acquisition, the University’s archives were placed at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center in Springfield, Missouri. In recent years the archives have been developed by long-time Patten educator and administrator Dr. Abraham Ruelas. He is also author of No Room for Doubt: The Life and Ministry of Bebe Patten (Seymour Press, 2012).

The Patten collection includes college yearbooks, catalogs, and periodicals; extensive correspondence relating to Patten and her husband, Carl Thomas Patten; photograph albums and scrapbooks; and other publications and materials. Bebe Patten was a larger-than-life personality, and the bulk of the collection relates to her and her family.

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Do you have Pentecostal historical materials that should be preserved? Please consider depositing these materials at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The FPHC, located in the Assemblies of God national offices, is the largest Pentecostal archive in the world. We would like to preserve and make your treasures accessible to those who write the history books.

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA
Phone: 417.862.1447 ext. 4400
Toll Free: 877.840.5200
Email: Archives@ag.org

Early Pentecostal Periodical, Household of God, Now Online

The Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center recently completed digitization of another periodical! Household of God, an important early American Pentecostal periodical, was edited by William F. Manley. Manley, a Pentecostal pastor and evangelist, was active in the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles and traveled extensively. John J. Scruby of Dayton, Ohio, published the periodical. Household of God published numerous letters and articles by early Pentecostal leaders.  To view Household of God, click on the following link: https://ifphc.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=publicationsGuide.householdofgod

Only ten issues of Household of God are known to have survived. Do you have additional issues of Household of God or other Pentecostal historical materials that should be preserved? Please consider depositing these materials at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The FPHC, located in the Assemblies of God national offices, is the largest Pentecostal archive in the world. We would like to preserve and make your treasures accessible to those who write the history books.

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA

Phone: 417.862.1447 ext. 4400
Toll Free:  877.840.5200
Email: Archives@ag.org

Video Now Available of COGIC Collection Dedication and Panel Discussion of Women in Ministry

Originally published by AG-News, Mon, 14 Oct 2013 – 9:09 PM CST

The personal papers of Mother Lizzie Robinson, an important church leader in the early decades of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), have been deposited at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The COGIC, a historic African-American church, is the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States.

The collection was dedicated in a special service on October 4 in the William Seymour Chapel at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. Scholars, church leaders, and students from across the denominational and racial divides filled the chapel to honor the life of Mother Lizzie Robinson and the legacy of women in the COGIC.

Mother Lizzie Robinson (1860-1945) organized the COGIC Women’s Department in 1911 and was the most prominent female COGIC leader until her death. As head of women’s auxiliaries, she founded the Prayer and Bible Band and the Sewing Circle. She also helped to lay the foundation for the creation of the Missions Department (originally known as the Home and Foreign Missions Band).

Elijah Hill, the COGIC minister and historian who deposited Robinson’s personal papers at the FPHC, delivered the keynote address. He noted that Robinson lost her position as matron of Arkansas Baptist College after she was baptized in the Holy Spirit at age 46. COGIC founder Charles H. Mason then asked her to organize women in the COGIC. Hill explained how Robinson encouraged COGIC women to become self-determining, before the broader society recognized women’s suffrage and civil rights for African-Americans.

Hill noted that the original Pentecostal vision, which “transcended racism and sexism,” made it possible for Robinson to emerge as a leader. Importantly, Robinson provided the initial vision for COGIC world missions and the Women’s Department funded COGIC missionaries. Hill noted, “the globalization of COGIC came from Lizzie Robinson.”

Glenda Goodson, a COGIC historian who also spoke at the dedication, provided an overview of the history of women in ministry in the COGIC. In one memorable story, she related how COGIC women desegregated the hotels in Albany, New York, in 1964. Goodson emphasized the powerful role of women in promoting the Holiness and Pentecostal message.

FPHC director Darrin Rodgers, as emcee of the program, praised Hill for building bridges. According to Rodgers, “What we’re witnessing today is more than just archiving old treasures. We are joining hands to work together, to honor not just one woman, but to honor and learn more about our shared Pentecostal testimony.”

Two African-American churches in Springfield participated in the dedication. Anitra Appleby of Sanctuary of Praise COGIC read Scripture, and David Knox and Quinci Williams of Deliverance Temple led worship. AGTS president Byron Klaus gave the prayer of dedication, noting that Robinson was “an example of how the power of Pentecost can break down man-made barriers in a world that desperately needs to hear the gospel.” Assemblies of God U.S. Missions executive director Zollie Smith offered a heart-felt prayer of dismissal, encouraging the present generation to grab the torch passed from Robinson and other Pentecostal pioneers. He prayed for unity in Christ “so that souls might be reached in America.”

The Mother Lizzie Robinson / Rev. Elijah L. Hill Collection includes the papers of Robinson and her daughter Ida F. Baker, as well as other publications collected by Hill. The collection includes approximately 500 original photographs (circa 1899-1960s), approximately 100 publications, and Hill’s research files on Robinson.

A panel discussion featuring Elijah Hill, Glenda Goodson, FPHC director Darrin Rodgers, and Assemblies of God missions historian Barbara Cavaness Parks was also filmed. Panelists dialogued about Robinson and the legacy of women in the COGIC and the Assemblies of God.

Watch the dedication service of the Mother Lizzie Robinson / Rev. Elijah L. Hill Collection.

Watch the panel discussion.

Joyce Lee Retirement Celebration

Joyce Stuart (Lee), one year old

Dear Friends:

You are invited to a celebration of Joyce Lee’s faithful service to the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). Joyce is slated to retire as FPHC Archivist on March 28, 2013.

Please join Joyce’s colleagues and friends for victuals and merriment on March 28, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, at the Branch Café, Assemblies of God National Office, 1445 North Boonville Avenue, Springfield, Missouri.

Joyce will have dedicated just under 26 years and 11 months of her life to preserving and promoting our Pentecostal heritage. She worked approximately 55,972 hours at the FPHC, during which she oversaw the creation of almost 90,000 catalog records. She assisted countless thousands of researchers by phone, letter, email, and in person. The FPHC became the largest repository of Pentecostal treasures in large part due to Joyce’s meticulous attention to detail and skilled bibliographic organization. Most importantly, though, Joyce’s passion for archiving flowed from her faith. In her work and throughout her life, she has shown a love for God, His Church, and His people. The world needs more Joyces.

If you have any questions, please contact Jeanine Bartels, Administrative Coordinator for the FPHC.

Jeanine Bartels
Administrative Coordinator
Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
Phone: 417.862.2781 Ext. 4400
Email: jbartels@ag.org

La Luz Apostolica

Rare Hispanic historical materials donated by widow of Felix Posos

 

Readers encouraged to deposit La Luz Apostolica and other Hispanic Pentecostal treasures at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center

 

When Felix Posos, former Superintendent of the Northern Pacific Latin American District of the Assemblies of God passed away in April 2008, his widow, Mary, realized the historical importance of the old Spanish-language magazines and other historical materials that he left behind.

She contacted the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC) and discovered that Felix had corresponded with the director, Darrin Rodgers, several years earlier and had expressed interest in donating those materials to the FPHC! Mary Posos finished the task that her husband had begun and sent a large box of treasures to the FPHC. Historians now have access to these materials, donated in memory of Felix Posos, documenting the story of Hispanic Pentecostalism.

The Posos collection includes many issues of La Luz Apostolica from 1960 through 1973 that were missing from the FPHC’s collection, as well as Spanish-language hymnals, photographs, and funeral booklets honoring deceased ministers.

“This is an exciting donation,” states Rodgers. “The stories of how God has worked through the Hispanic Pentecostal churches have often been left out of the history books, because historians have not had easy access to materials documenting this important part of our Pentecostal heritage.”

Rex Humbard Biography

The Soul-Winning Century, 1906-2006 : The Humbard Family Legacy … One Hundred Years of Ministry, by Rex Humbard. Dallas, TX: Clarion Call Marketing, 2006.

Since almost the beginning of the twentieth century Pentecostal movement, members of the Humbard family have been engaging in earnest, energetic ministry to reach the lost for Christ. Rex Humbard, whose preaching has graced the airwaves for over 65 years, has now told his family’s story in his memoirs, The Soul-Winning Century.

While Rex Humbard became a household name through his groundbreaking television ministry, his father, Alpha E. Humbard also was an important pioneer preacher in his own right. Alpha Humbard, born in 1890 sixty miles north of Little Rock, Arkansas, had a rough childhood. Poverty, fights, liquor, and hard work dominated the world in which young Alpha was reared. However, he sensed God’s calling at a young age and overcame the odds to answer this call. Alpha was a practical, direct, no-nonsense kind of preacher whose compassion for people, according to this telling, overcame any deficit created by his lack of formal education. Perhaps it was this lack of haute couture – combined with a dependence upon God — that allowed him to touch the masses where they were at.

Alpha once recalled that a seminary-trained minister bitterly complained that, while he was a learned man with good diction and degrees, he could not draw the crowds like Alpha, whom he described as “an old farm boy, a clodhopper who can’t talk good English.” Alpha recalled that he recommended that the minister throw away his cigar, which he was smoking while complaining, and get on his knees and pray (p. 27). Alpha was not alone – his innovative, sometimes rough-and-tumble ways reflected a whole generation of early Pentecostal preachers.

“Sister Aimee” documentary airs on PBS

[splashcast JWJV4127TN AMYE1023CD]

SplashCast with Flickr photos
Produced by iFPHC

After months of diligent research, organizing the story line, and working with a film crew, Public Television’s national broadcast of “Sister Aimee” is less than two weeks away. This film, written, produced and directed by Linda Garmon, is part of the American Experience series. It will air on PBS stations nationwide on Monday, April 2 at 9 p.m. in most markets.

A PBS website for the film includes a synopsis of the film, a gallery of photos, interview excerpts, and other features.

About a year and a half ago the FPHC learned of this upcoming documentary on the life of Aimee Semple McPherson. It is based on the book Aimee Semple McPherson and the Resurrection of Christian America by Matthew Avery Sutton (Harvard University Press, 2007). A review of Matthew Sutton’s book on Aimee can be found at the Harvard University Press website.

Linda Garmon, a producer with WGBH TV (Boston), first contacted us and came to Springfield, Missouri to do research at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center in December 2005. For two days she pored over a large number of newspaper clippings, books by and about “Sister Aimee,” issues of the Bridal Call and the Foursquare Crusader, as well as a number of tracts, photographs, and miscellaneous items relating to the popular yet controversial, charismatic Pentecostal evangelist.

During the course of this project, Garmon and her staff interviewed Aimee’s biographers and noted religious scholars to better present the complex and revealing portrait of one of the most significant religious figures of the early twentieth century. These interviews and insights are part of the film. Garmon’s staff also visited Angelus Temple and the archives of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in Los Angeles as well as other repositories.

While at the FPHC, Garmon was especially intrigued by any possible documentation or theories surrounding the disappearance of Aimee in 1926. And to flesh out a broader picture of Pentecostalism, she also studied primary source materials relating to the Azusa Street revival and other early Pentecostal events. According to Garmon, “Aimee was equal parts evangelist, movie star and social activist. She offered a brand of old time religion that people could connect with at a time when Americans were craving something to hold onto.”

A favorable review of the film and comments by Foursquare President Jack Hayford are included in Foursquare News Service #279.

Be sure to watch this first-class documentary!

To view the photoset of Aimee Semple McPherson at Flickr click on the link below:

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Posted by Glenn Gohr