Paul and Virginia Weidman, pioneer Assemblies of God missionaries to Africa, traveled in 1937 to Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), where they worked among the Mossi people. One of their sons, Paul Jr., learned the Mossi language quickly and was able to interpret for his missionary father. The Mossi loved this little boy, who played with their children and who became a bridge across the cultural and linguistic divides.
Little Paul’s budding missionary career was cut short when he contracted blackwater fever and died on Feb. 8, 1938. Paul Jr., who was just under 7 years of age, was buried in a dirt cemetery near the town of Tenkodogo.
Eighty-eight years ago, the March 26, 1938, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel shared Virginia Weidman’s account of this tragedy:
“Saturday afternoon he lay in his bed and sang with all his heart (in the More language) “There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus.” Then he preached, as he so often did, saying, “Do not follow Satan’s road but follow God’s road, for it alone leads to heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord.” In a short time extreme pain started. How we did call unto God for deliverance; yet He gave us grace to say, ‘Not my will but Thine be done.’ What a ray of sunshine he has been in our home! Only God can fill the vacancy. In times like this we are made to know that our Redeemer liveth.”
Paul Jr.’s death was the first of several tragedies to befall the Weidmans as they pioneered the Assemblies of God in Upper Volta. Was this suffering worth it? Forty years later the Weidmans, who had retired from mission work, returned to Burkina Faso for a visit. An elderly Mossi pastor, who decades earlier had witnessed the death of Paul Jr., assured them, “It was not in vain, missionary. There are now churches everywhere.”
Today, the Assemblies of God is the largest Protestant denomination in Burkina Faso, with more than 1 million members and adherents and over 6,000 churches and preaching points.
Read the article, “Little One Called Home,” by Virginia Weidman on page 7 of the March 26, 1938, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.
Former General Superintendent George O. Wood, the nephew of Paul and Virginia Weidman, recounted the story of their missionary work in Burkina Faso in the 2007 edition of Assemblies of God Heritage, which is accessible as a free PDF download by clicking here.
Also featured in this issue:
• “Not Debarred from our Priestly Service,” by T. J. Jones
• “Setting the Oppressed Free,” by Arthur W. Frodsham
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 Website: https://ifphc.org/
Allan Arthur Swift (1885-1964) was born in London, England, and immigrated to Canada in 1904 as a young man. He was saved in the Methodist Church in Stratford, Ontario, in 1906. A year later, at the age of 21, he received his Pentecostal baptism in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Seeking more of God, Swift had become interested in the baptism in the Holy Spirit and wanted to experience it for himself.
“I discovered that I had been praying and looking for a feeling, but my heart had not been exercising any real faith,” He reported.
He said that day by day his heart began to fill with joy, as he anticipated that God was going to answer his prayers.
He attended a cottage prayer meeting held in the home of a Mrs. Kelly in Calgary. Noted medical doctor and pioneer Pentecostal evangelist, Lilian Yeomans, was also in this group. The people were in prayer for most of the night.
At 2:30 a.m., as Swift was kneeling by a chair, he later recounted, “The power began to fall . . . God spoke to me and told me to yield my voice to Him. This I did and the Spirit began to speak through me in other tongues. No one was near to urge but God did it all.”
From that point forward he was committed to following God and being led by the Spirit. He was totally sold on the moving and gifts of the Spirit.
In 1909, he enrolled as a Bible student at A.B. Simpson’s Missionary Training Institute (Nyack, New York), where he became associated with early Pentecostal pioneers such as David H. McDowell, Frank M. Boyd, W.I. Evans, W.W. Simpson, and Gottfried Bender.
In 1911, he married Carrie Peters in Pulaski, New York. They had three children.
Swift was ordained to the full-gospel ministry in 1912 by Bethel Pentecostal Church in Newark, New Jersey, where he was the founding pastor. He remained as pastor for six years, and during that time the first church building was erected as well as a convention building, which housed Bethel Bible Training Institute, an early school which trained missionaries and Bible students.
After pastoring in Newark, he served as a missionary in Yunnan, China, for nine years, beginning in 1915. He went under the direction of the Pentecostal Missionary Union, a British missionary organization. A son, Kenneth, died in China. A daughter was also born on the mission field.
Swift returned to the United States where he was ordained by the Eastern District of the Assemblies of God on Jan. 17, 1928, and he served for a while as an evangelist based in East Orange, New Jersey. In 1929, he became pastor at Trinity Pentecostal Church (Assemblies of God) in Elizabeth, New Jersey, a church he founded through cottage prayer meetings, which he had conducted while still pastoring in Newark, years earlier. He continued to pastor at Trinity for a little over eight years.
He shared one testimony from his church in Elizabeth about a woman who came to the church and spoke Spanish. She had been a Christian for a long time, but she was skeptical about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues.
Then one Sunday morning, another woman gave a message in tongues, and the first lady understood what was spoken. The first lady worked in an office in New York City and did business in the cultured Castilian Spanish, and she said the message in other tongues was in that language. It was Psalm 45. The lady who gave the utterance in tongues did not know Spanish. Swift was given the interpretation and shared it with the congregation. Afterwards the first woman was amazed because she understood the message given in tongues as well as the interpretation. This convinced her of the reality of the Pentecostal baptism. She sought God for it and soon received it.
Swift followed on the coattails of J. Roswell and Alice Reynold Flower when he became the founding principal of Eastern Bible Institute (now University of Valley Forge). For several summers the Flowers conducted summer classes in tents at the Maranatha campgrounds in Green Lane, Pennsylvania, and this led to the founding of the school. Swift served as principal for 11 years (1938-49). He returned to the pastorate at Elizabeth, altogether serving for about 20 years in that one congregation.
After retiring from pastoral duties in 1958, Swift traveled about as a “minister at large.” He became well-known as a Bible teacher, traveling to churches and camp meetings in various places in the United States and Canada. Some of his messages included topics on divine healing, hearing the voice of God, spiritual life, salvation, sanctification, and studies from the Book of Genesis and other books of the Bible. He also served as assistant superintendent of the Eastern District from 1951-1953. He was a member of the New Jersey District presbytery as well as the general presbytery.
The last place he ministered was a two-week revival at Riverside Gospel Tabernacle in Jacksonville, Florida, in January 1964. He passed away the next month.
Allan Swift was known and loved by thousands throughout the Pentecostal movement. His ministry as a Bible teacher made a deep impression upon people of all ages. He also served as a missionary to China, pastored two congregations in New Jersey, and served as the founding principal of Eastern Bible Institute int Green Lane, Pennsylvania.
Read “Brother Swift Called Home,” on page 21 of the March 15, 1964, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.
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 Website: https://ifphc.org/
By Ruthie Edgerly Oberg Originally published on AG News, 12 March 2026
Paul L. Kitch (1910-2005) was an Assemblies of God missionary to Burkina Faso at a time when it was still known as French West Africa or Mossi land. He left the United States in 1938 with his wife, Bernadine, and young son, Paul, ready to give all he had for the cause of the furtherance of the gospel of Christ. It would cost him his wife, his daughter, and lead him on a 10-day adventure with 35 others in a lifeboat adrift in the Atlantic Ocean.
Kitch graduated from Central Bible Institute in Springfield, Missouri, in 1931. It was there that he met and married his wife, Bernadine. They received ministry credentials with the Illinois District Council and sailed for mission’s appointment in French West Africa on March 30, 1938. After spending a few months in language school in France, they settled in Tenkodogo with the Mossi tribe. In August of 1939, God blessed them with a baby girl, Lita Ann.
As happened with so many early missionaries, typhus claimed the life of Lita Ann at the age of 2. Seven months later, her mother followed in death. At the time of Bernadine’s death, Kitch was so ill himself that it was an entire month before he was told that his wife had died. Paul Jr. was also very ill with typhus.
Both Kitch and his son recovered and moved to Ouagadougou to convalesce for several weeks. In October 1942, it was decided that they should return to America to fully regain their health and seek God for direction. They boarded the S.S. West Kebar, an American cargo vessel with a crew of about 70 and nine other passengers.
One night, after about three weeks on board, the Kitches were having devotions in their cabin when there was a great explosion. The lights went out. Young Paul asked his father if they were having another lifeboat drill. He replied, “Yes, son. We’re having a real lifeboat drill.” Going up on deck, they discovered that the ship had been torpedoed by a submarine. One of the four lifeboats was completely destroyed; another had been blown away from the ship. Kitch saw the third pulling away; another with about 15 already on board was still there.
Within moments 35 people crammed into the 28-foot lifeboat. Kitch asked if there was time to retrieve things from the ship, as all their worldly goods were on that boat. The captain responded that if they were within 50 to 75 yards of the ship when it went down it would suck them under with it. Kitch watched as they rowed away from everything he owned.
A plan began to be made for their survival. The captain believed he had an idea of their whereabouts and set a course for land. Rations were to be handed out twice a day. In the mornings, they received two ounces of water, two small crackers, and one ounce of pemmican. Each evening, they received the same with a small chocolate square substituted for the pemmican. Since they had been reading Robinson Crusoe, Kitch encouraged his son to play the part of the characters in the book; embrace the adventure, and trust God to see them through.
There were only four blankets among 35 people and the heavy rains caused them to be sopping wet and freezing during the nights and scorched in the tropic sun during the day. On the eighth day at sea, they spotted a ship passing by but their tiny lifeboat was not sighted.
On the ninth day, they sighted land and on the 10th day a plane spotted them and alerted the coastal patrol. A sub chaser came out to meet them and took them to the island of Barbados, off the coast of Venezuela. The Barbados newspaper reported of their rescue, “The Sunday arrivals had been in a lifeboat for many days, yet 8-year-old Paul Kitch was in the best of health and spirits, and his first request was for ice cream.”
For one month they stayed on the island and Kitch had the opportunity to speak in various churches and share of the faithfulness of God even amid great loss and danger. Later he learned that many of the believers had been praying that a Pentecostal missionary would come and visit them, and they rejoiced that God answered prayer in bringing him their way.
In the March 13, 1943, Pentecostal Evangel, Kitch relays the story and recollects that “in the 30 days following our rescue I preached 25 times. It was remarkable how much strength and energy the Lord had blessed me with after the 10 days at sea.” Of about 80 persons on the S.S. West Kebar, more than half perished.
Paul Kitch later remarried after returning to the States and pastored Assembly of God churches in Missouri. In 1985, 42 years after leaving the continent, Paul Jr. returned to West Africa with his wife, Delma, where they served in Togo and then South Africa.
Read the full article, “Ten Days in a Lifeboat,” on page 1 of the March 13, 1943, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.
Also featured in this issue:
“For the Name of the Lord Jesus,” by William Long
“The Sifting of the Church,” by D.M. Panton
“Reaching Interned Japanese in Idaho,” by Marie Juergensen
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 Website: http://www.iFPHC.org
Robert A. Brown (1872-1948), with his wife Marie, founded Glad Tidings Tabernacle in New York City, which for many years was the largest congregation in the Assemblies of God. However, Brown began his life on the other side of the world and spent his youth far away from God. The March 6, 1948, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel published Robert’s life story.
Brown was born in a small town in Northern Ireland and grew into a tall, athletic, and popular young man. Seeking adventure, he moved to England and became a police officer. Brown went to the pubs, drank alcohol, and participated in the destructive habits of the world. He was an unlikely candidate to become a minister of the gospel.
One of Brown’s cousins in Ireland accepted Christ, became a zealous preacher, and began to pray for him. When Brown traveled back to Ireland to see his family, he decided to go hear his cousin preach. He thought he could make fun of his cousin’s newfound faith. But Brown was deeply impressed by his cousin’s earnest preaching and changed life. At the end of the service, his cousin came over to Brown and pleaded with him to turn his life over to God. Brown refused, but the Holy Spirit grabbed hold of his heart. The young policeman felt conviction for his sins and could not shake the sense that he needed to submit his life to God. For three days he experienced heavy conviction until, at last, Brown surrendered his life to the Lord in his family’s old Irish farm house.
Two of Brown’s close friends were also converted, and together the three young men decided to immigrate to America. They arrived in New York City in 1898. Brown studied for the ministry and was ordained by the Wesleyan Methodist Church. He displayed genuine faith and he lived out the gospel story in his lifestyle. He was a bivocational minister, working as chief engineer at a government building while also engaging in church work.
One day, in 1907, he decided to attend a service held a small Holiness mission in New York City. Two young women ministers, Marie Burgess and Jessie Brown (not related to Robert), led the service and were fearlessly preaching the Pentecostal message. Robert was moved by their preaching, but he refused to accept their contention that biblical spiritual gifts, such as speaking in tongues, were still available for Christians today. Yet he continued to attend their services, perhaps because of the spiritual power he sensed.
The meetings led by Marie Burgess and Jessie Brown grew in attendance. The growing congregation relocated to larger quarters, and the female preachers asked Robert to give the dedication sermon. He did, and two drunken men accepted Christ that night. Robert still did not fully accept the Pentecostal message. He could not deny that God was present in the meetings. The gospel was being preached with miraculous results. Souls were being saved and bodies were healed.
Robert was asked to preach again, and he decided to preach on Acts 2:4 and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. As Robert preached, he grew under great conviction that he needed to experience the baptism in the Holy Spirit. He received the experience a little while later, on Jan. 11, 1908.
Love blossomed, and Robert’s ministry colleague became his wife. He married Marie Burgess in 1909, and they established what became Glad Tidings Tabernacle. Robert had significant ministry and personality giftings. But, according to the Pentecostal Evangel article, he continually “expressed contempt” for the thought that he should rely on his gifts rather than on the Holy Spirit. He considered his gifts “unworthy substitutes for the power from on High.”
Robert loved the character “Valiant-for-Truth” in John Bunyan’s classic book, The Pilgrim’s Progress . He would often quote Valiant-for-Truth’s famous line, “I am a pilgrim, and am going to the Celestial City.” Similarly, Robert viewed himself as a pilgrim in a strange land, destined for heaven where his true citizenship lay.
Robert Brown became an Assemblies of God executive presbyter in 1915 and served numerous leadership roles, in addition to pastoring one of the most influential churches. But the Pentecostal Evangel article recalled his spiritual influence as his greatest trait. Robert Brown, the article extolled, “always stood for the highest standards of righteousness and holiness.”
Read the article, “Called Home,” on pages 3 and 11 of the March 6, 1948, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.
Also featured in this issue:
• “A Pentecostal Revival in the Congo,” by Edmund Hodgson
• “The Test of True Discipleship,” by Robert A. Brown
• “A Mighty Revival at C.B.I.,” by Kathleen Belknap
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 Website: https://ifphc.org/
The Assemblies of God has been shaped not only by evangelists and church planters, but also by patient builders of people and institutions. Among them stands Delbert H. “Del” Tarr, Jr (1934-2025) — missionary, linguist, educator, author, and former president of the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary — whose life embodied a simple conviction: to preach Christ well, one must first listen and learn well.
Born June 14, 1934, Tarr and his wife, Dorothy “Dolly” Tarr (1931–2022), were appointed missionaries with Assemblies of God World Missions in 1959. Their early years of service were in West Africa, in what was then Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso). It was there that Tarr’s lifelong passion for language, culture, and theological formation took deep root.
In a Feb. 24, 1963, article he wrote for the Pentecostal Evangel titled, “Repeat That Please!,” Tarr offered a vivid window into those formative years.
“This is a stock expression for missionaries learning another language,” he wrote, describing the humility of starting from scratch. Whether studying French, Moré, or Kasem, he said the missionary finds himself “in the position of a small child facing the vast problem of limited expression and comprehension.”
Language study, he admitted, was lonely.
“The first few weeks you are in the country you feel completely isolated although you are surrounded by people,” Tarr stated.
He never forgot standing at a train station in a French-speaking town with no one to meet them, no place to stay, and no one who could understand him.
“Language study is frustrating,” he wrote, not only because of vocabulary, but because of “new thought patterns to be mastered.” In French, cars do not run — “they walk.” In Moré, they “obey.”
Yet even in the frustration, Tarr discerned the hand of God. The discipline of language study, he realized, was not wasted time but “an integral part of fulfilling His call to preach the gospel to every creature.”
As weeks turned into months, something beautiful happened: “Suddenly you are rewarded with the realization that a new translation of the Bible is open to you.” Reading Scripture in another language, he said, was like seeing with both eyes instead of one — the same truth, but with greater depth.
That conviction shaped his missionary philosophy.
“You can’t be a good missionary until you can communicate with people on their own level,” an older missionary once told him. Tarr agreed.
“His real person and his language are inseparable,” he wrote. When Africans heard a white missionary speak in their mother tongue, barriers fell. “Our chances of touching his soul with the gospel are greatly enhanced.”
Those early lessons in humility and communication guided the next decades of Tarr’s ministry.
In West Africa, he helped lead Bible training efforts, including directing the Mossiland Bible School in Burkina Faso and eventually assisted in the founding of the West Africa Advanced School of Theology (WAAST) in Lomé, Togo — a regional graduate institution serving Francophone and Anglophone leaders across the continent.
Serving as the WAAST academic dean of the French section, he invested deeply in curriculum development and leadership formation, equipping pastors from multiple nations to return home prepared to shepherd growing Pentecostal churches. Along the way, he earned a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota with concentrations in Cultural Anthropology and Cross-Cultural Communications.
Tarr’s influence extended far beyond West Africa. He became a respected voice in cross-cultural communication, anthropology, and missiology. His writings — including Intercultural Communications, The Foolishness of God: A Linguist Looks at the Mystery of Tongues, Double Image: Insights from African Parables, and Shepherds Not Kings — reflected the same themes he articulated in 1963: listen carefully, think deeply, and love people enough to speak in ways they understand.
In the 1980s, Tarr became the founding president of California Theological Seminary in Fresno, California, and in 1990, Tarr began his tenure as president of the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (AGTS) in Springfield, Missouri.
Under his leadership (1990–1999), the seminary’s academic profile was strengthened alongside a successful capital campaign that culminated in the construction of the Michael and Frances Cardone Building, giving the seminary a permanent and visible home adjacent to Evangel University. He later served as Professor Emeritus of Cross-Cultural Communications and Anthropology, continuing to teach and mentor long after his presidency concluded.
Students remember Tarr not simply as a scholar, but as a shepherd. He modeled intellectual rigor without spiritual dryness, global awareness without cultural arrogance. He knew firsthand the vulnerability of standing in a train station unable to communicate — and he taught future missionaries to embrace that vulnerability as holy ground.
Late in life, Tarr reflected with gratitude that he had ministered or taught in 71 countries. Yet the heart of his ministry remained what he described decades earlier: the slow, humbling, beautiful work of learning to say, “Repeat that, please.”
Language study, he wrote, “is hard; it is taxing on the nerves… but it is worth it.” The same could be said of a life poured out in patient obedience. Through classrooms in Africa, lecture halls in Springfield, and pages of thoughtful scholarship, Del Tarr demonstrated that Spirit-empowered mission requires both courage and comprehension — and that sometimes the most powerful words we learn to say are the ones that teach us to listen first.
His legacy lives on in the thousands of pastors, missionaries, and scholars who carry forward that vision: to speak the gospel clearly, in every language, to every people, with humility and love.
Read Del Tarr’s article, “Repeat That Please!,” on page 8 of the Feb. 24, 1963, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.
Also featured in this issue:
• “Breaking the Barriers of Dark Silence,” by Maxine Strobridge
• “WMC Fingerprints,” by R.L. Brandt
• “I Found a Positive Cure for Dope Addiction,” by Sonny Arguinzoni
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 Website: https://ifphc.org/
When Assemblies of God missionary Sidney Goodwin (1936-1963) arrived in Ghana, West Africa, it was a homecoming he had been looking forward to for many years. Raised by missionary parents Homer and Thelma Goodwin, Sidney grew up in Ghana, knew its languages and customs, and loved its people. After studying in the United States, he returned to his family and friends shortly before Christmas of 1962 as a fully appointed missionary, bringing his own wife, Sandra, and their 3-year-old daughter, Gwenda.
Excitement was in the air for Goodwin’s African friends. The presbyter for the Bawku area, where Sidney grew up, requested the entire Goodwin family to come to a village called Tili for a mass “welcome home” service and outdoor Christmas revival. On Christmas Eve, the Goodwin families arrived to find their friends had spared no expense to show their love and appreciation. Sidney and Sandra were presented with six live chickens, dozens of eggs, yams, and other fruits and vegetables. Water had been transported in abundance, a grass shelter had been erected, and an estimated 600 had gathered for the evening service.
Because the service was to be held in the evening, Sidney brought along a portable light plant in the Speed the Light (STL) vehicle. When they tested it earlier in the day,it was not functioning properly, but as service time approached it seemed to be doing better, though still not up to par. Just as the service was scheduled to begin, Sidney went to check on the light plant.
Suddenly, there was a flash of light and the church shelter went dark. Homer Goodwin rushed to the STL vehicle to find that the portable generator in the pickup tailgate had exploded. Sidney was trapped in the camper that covered the pickup bed. Homer quickly rolled Sidney onto the ground to extinguish the flames. There were no witnesses so there could only be speculation as to the cause of the explosion.
The African church went immediately to prayer and Sidney was rushed to the hospital, 22 miles away. With burns over 60% of his body, the doctors did not offer the family much hope. For eight days, Sidney exhibited exceptional bravery, patience, and concern for those around him while many worked tirelessly to save his life. Ghanaian Christians trekked through the night over unmarked bush trails to donate blood to the boy they had loved since he was a child. One devoted African friend stayed at the door of Sidney’s room, 24 hours a day, sleeping on the cement floor. The Ghana Air Force, British Royal Air Force, and American embassy did all they could to supply much needed plasma from as far away as New York. Many cried out to God for help as three generations of Goodwin missionaries waited in the hospital for a miracle.
Sidney realized the gravity of his situation and told his family that he loved them but needed to say good-bye. When his father insisted that God had more for him to do, Sidney replied, “Daddy, I’m not afraid to die. This is God’s will.”
On Jan. 1, 1963, Sidney quietly slipped away and was buried the next day on the western edge of the Assemblies of God Mission plot in Bawku where he had played as a child. The area presbyter, Abiwini Kusasi, said to those who were gathered there, “Many years ago, when all of us Kusasis were in spiritual darkness, Reverend and Mrs. Goodwin came to bring us the light of the gospel. Our brother Sidney came with them as a baby. Through the years he prepared himself and had returned with his wife and baby to help us further. We do not understand why God has taken him, but we know God does all things well.”
The Feb. 17, 1963, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel carried the story of Sidney’s death. After the publication of the article, additional details were later provided by the family that gave a fuller picture of the incident.
Sandra and Gwenda moved to the central Ashanti area with Sidney’s parents and his younger siblings. For two years they ministered as a family to the Ashanti people until, reluctantly, Sandra and Gwenda returned to the States for a furlough and the opportunity to seek God for the future. After receiving more education and ministerial ordination, Sandra moved to Tanzania, East Africa, where she taught in the Bible training school.
Twelve years after Sidney was buried, Sandra and Gwenda returned to Ghana for the dedication of a memorial library at the North Ghana Bible School in his honor. Sandra was touched to hear story after story from pastors, evangelists, and leaders who told of passing by the young missionary’s grave each day on the path as they walked to school. Many of them, at different times, had paused to kneel there and dedicate their lives to continue the work the young man had begun.
Sandra spent 20 years as a single parent and saw her daughter graduate from Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. Sandra later married Myron Clopine and served the Assemblies of God as National Women’s Ministries Director from 1986 to 1994. She also provided leadership to the founding of the National Prayer Center and served as chaplain for Maranatha Village in Springfield. After Myron passed away, Sandra married David Drake, long-time professor at Central Bible College. The Goodwin/Clopine/Drake families have exemplified what God can do with a family willing to consecrate all to His service.
Read the report on Sidney’s homegoing on page 8 of the Feb. 17, 1963, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.
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 Website: https://ifphc.org/
Nearly every major religious revival since the invention of the printing press has seen prolific use of the small printed pamphlet known as the gospel tract. The Pentecostal revival has been no exception.
While some religious movements, like the Wycliffites of the 14th century, made good use of the printed pamphlet even before the evolution of movable type, it was Gutenberg’s invention in the 15th century that helped make the religious tract a publishing phenomenon. Taken from the word “tractate” (meaning “treatise”), tracts have been used as a cost-effective way to reach large numbers of people with a simple message of persuasion.
It was after Luther’s 95 Theses were translated into German and distributed in tract form that the Protestant Reformation gained traction with the common people. The Wesleyan revival depended heavily on the reprinting of John Wesley’s sermons and Charles Wesley’s songs in an inexpensive format that could be easily carried and disseminated by the circuit riding preachers of the Methodist revival. Charles Finney wrote and distributed the small booklets. D.L. Moody believed in them so much that he founded an association of students to print and distribute them from gospel wagons, which led to the creation of Moody Press.
The American Tract Society was founded in 1825 and, during the Civil War, it joined forces with the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) to distribute tracts to soldiers in the Union Army. In the South, the Evangelical Tract Society was formed to meet the needs of the Confederate soldiers. Both societies reported an urgent need for more printed materials along with great response on the part of the soldiers. Many young men came to the saving knowledge of Jesus through their response to these tracts that made their way through the armies.
From the beginning of their own revival movement, Pentecostals were prolific publishers. Some of the credit for the promotion of the Azusa Street revival belongs to a tract by journalist Frank Bartleman. Just days after the meetings began at Azusa Street, a great earthquake hit San Francisco. Bartleman believed that this great California earthquake was a message from God that people must repent and turn to God before it was too late. He wrote a tract titled The Earthquake and distributed more than 125,000 copies. This drew even more attention to the revival that was taking place in Los Angeles.
The Assemblies of God, through Gospel Publishing House (GPH), began publishing tracts almost immediately upon its inception in 1914. GPH published tracts by their own Fellowship leaders, such as E.N. Bell, E.S. Williams, and Stanley Frodsham, as well as prominent preachers such as A.G. Ward and, later, his son, C M. Ward.
In the Feb. 10, 1940, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel a call was published for “Ten Men Wanted.” “Good men – saved men who are burdened for blinded, misguided, indifferent, sin-hardened souls. Women…young people are wanted, too.” The advertisement went on to say, “Ten workers, with the Lord’s help can accomplish wonders. Let each contribute $1.00 toward a $10.00 37-pound order of our full gospel tracts” in order to “keep public literature containers well stocked with papers and tracts…” They were reminded to “anoint your efforts with earnest prayer. Carry tracts wherever you go, and you will do much good.”
GPH tracts covered a wide variety of topics, such as the need for holiness and separation from worldliness through consecration to God. Many contained testimonies of how God had delivered people from sin and life-controlling addictions. Others told the simple message of the gospel in easily understood form, while many provided a doctrinal defense of Pentecostal distinctives.
One Assemblies of God layman in Springfield, Missouri, Lester Buttram, felt the Lord telling him in 1926 to print My Word. Buttram felt that God put some strictures on him, however. He was never to charge for his productions and he would not promote one particular denomination. The 22-year-old man withdrew $7.10 from his bank account and went to a local printer with his message. The printer was so impressed that he offered to double the order and print $15 worth of Buttram’s tracts. This led to the formation of the Gospel Tract Society, which is still in business and based in Independence, Missouri.
While most Pentecostals believe that the most effective evangelism technique is one-on-one relationship building, many still use tracts. With gospel tracts, believers are able to leave written and visual material in a variety of places, providing all kinds of people with a relevant message. Gospel Publishing House, through My Healthy Church, continues to offer a variety of tracts for use in ministry.
Read the call for tract distribution on page 3 of the Feb. 10, 1940, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.
Also featured in this issue:
• “A Healthy Assembly” by Donald Gee
• “Signposts on the Spirit-Filled Highway,” by Willard Peirce
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 Website: https://ifphc.org/
Daniel Awrey was an early teacher, evangelist, and missionary with connections not only to the Assemblies of God, but also to the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) and the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. A traveling holiness preacher, Awrey experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit in 1890 and later served as a missionary to India, Hong Kong, South America, and to Liberia, where he died in service to the gospel.
Daniel Awrey (1869-1913) was born and raised in Mimosa, Ontario, Canada. He was one of 12 children and came from Irish-German ancestry. His parents were godly people who had family prayer and took their children to church as often as possible. At about age 16, he went to the altar to seek salvation and wept bitterly. This was a turning point in his life because it caused him to ponder deeply about the things of God. At this point he believed he was a Christian, but he felt like he still needed more of God.
In 1887, at the age of 18, he began a three-year contract to learn the milling trade in Hawley, Minnesota. One night when he was oiling the heavy machinery, he lost his footing and nearly went headlong into some great cogwheels about 10 feet below. He saw his whole life flash before him as he narrowly escaped a grave tragedy. He realized that he had unforgiven sin in his life, and he repented fully. No longer content to be a nominal Christian, from that point on he did his best to serve the Lord.
A couple years later while visiting in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Awrey felt an urging from the Lord to “Go, preach My gospel.” At first, he made excuses, and then he told God, “If you can do anything with me, I will go.”
When he returned to Hawley, his pastor encouraged him to do some exhorting. He also began to lead singing. In December 1890, Awrey started attending a college in Delaware, Ohio, arriving there on December 24. He stayed with his pastor’s father, who lived there, and he began reading a book called Perfect Love by J.A. Wood, which described the Christian experience in such a way that it caused Awrey to seek more from God.
On the last night of 1890, Awrey was reading in this book until about quarter to midnight. He felt the Lord speak to his heart and say, “There is another experience for you.”
He was so determined that he told God, “If there is, I am going to have it, and I am going to kneel down here for it, and I will never get up without it.” He expected to be there for several hours. He then felt a strong anointing of the Holy Spirit as the New Year arrived, and a real peace flooded his soul.
The next morning, while conducting family worship in the Samuelson home, where he was living, once again he felt a strong anointing. That night, the first night of the new year, he attended a prayer meeting, and the leader asked for someone to lead in a voluntary prayer.
Awrey reported, “I began to pray and the Holy Spirit prayed through me in another tongue, and by faith the prayer went right up to the throne of God.” He felt like all three persons of the Trinity had come to dwell in his heart and life in a very real way. Awrey spoke in tongues 10 years before the outpouring at Topeka in 1901 and 15 years before the Azusa Street revival of 1906.
Awrey remained at the college until spring and then returned to his home at Mimosa, Ontario, where he began testifying and holding services. In June 1891 he felt prompted to attend some tent meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He ended up staying for three months. When the tent services were idle for a while, Awrey and two others went to another part of the city and began a meeting.
Awrey reported, “I prayed, found a text in the Bible, read some books, and soon felt I could preach for an hour without any trouble.” But once the tent was full of people, and the time came for the sermon, Awrey said, “I got up, and in about five minutes I said all I could think of, and there I stood. I looked at the people and they looked at me.” This was his first experience at preaching. He prayed for help and God answered, and he was able to go forward with a message for the people.
From Grand Rapids, Awrey held meetings in Ransom, Michigan, and in other towns in Michigan and Ohio. In the meantime, he had made acquaintance with Ella Pauline Braseth, a native of Norway, who was working in the house where he lived when he was working at the mill in Hawley, Minnesota. They decided to get married on March 25, 1893. Eventually they became the parents of seven children.
Awrey and his wife lived frugally, trusting the Lord to provide for their needs. Awrey worked some in the corn harvest and in the coal mines to help make ends meet, but his main calling was to preach the gospel. In March 1894, he started on a missionary trip to various small towns in Kentucky and Tennessee. Part of the time he assisted a cousin who was ministering in the Cumberland Mountains. Over a nine-month period he traveled over 1,000 miles on foot.
On Jan. 19, 1895, he was ordained by the Congregational Methodist Church. He held meetings in various places and eventually went to Texas, where he suffered persecution for preaching the gospel. While holding meetings in a schoolhouse near Atlanta, Texas, a man ran up to him and said, “When are you going to leave this town?” Awrey told him that he lived there and did not intend to leave. After that, the man grabbed an old board and began hitting Awrey on the head, shoulders, and back. The man didn’t stop until someone went to get their gun to protect Awrey. Awrey reported that the Lord kept him in such perfect peace and so filled with love that he didn’t even feel any pain in his body. Later the man was fined for the assault, and the mayor called on Awrey and allowed him to share his testimony.
While ministering in Doddridge, Texas, an offering was taken that allowed him enough money to bring his family to Texas, and he continued preaching. He suffered additional times of threats and persecution, but God protected him.
Daniel Awrey became a founding member of the Fire Baptized Holiness Association (FBHA) when it organized in Anderson, South Carolina, in July of 1898. That group had an influence on the founding of the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) and also the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. In 1899, Awrey made his home at Beniah, Tennessee, where he taught in a Bible school, and about a dozen people received the baptism in the Holy Spirit in a widely publicized set of meetings held there in 1899-1900. During 1899, it is reported that Awrey made a 7,100-mile evangelistic trip through 18 states and two provinces of Canada.
Awrey was conducting a small Bible school in Dudleyville, Arizona, when he heard reports of the Azusa Street revival. He visited the outpouring at Los Angeles and was convinced that the Pentecostal blessings there matched up with his own experience of Spirit baptism from 15 years previous.
In 1906, the Emmanuel’s Bible School was established at Doxey, Oklahoma, and Awrey served as principal from about 1908-1909. This school mentored many members of the Assemblies of God and the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. Two attendees of the school were A.B. and Dora Cox, who attended the organizational meeting of the Assemblies of God in 1914. The Coxes later pastored Bethel Temple Assembly of God in Dayton, Ohio.
Upon leaving his role as Bible school principal, Awrey saw the entire the world as his mission field. He traveled to South America, India, Asia, Africa, and other places. He felt called to teach on the proper use of spiritual gifts. He also began to emphasize the need to seek for the full restoration of the “fivefold ministry offices” of the Spirit.
During 1909 and 1910, Awrey served as a missionary in Hong Kong, where he helped establish a Bible school in Canton. He also spoke at the Stone Church in Chicago and attended the Pentecostal World Conference in Europe in 1909. He spoke at the Sunderland Convention in England in 1909, 1910, and 1911, where he reported on his missionary journeys and came into contact with a number of important Pentecostal figures. He influenced men and women such as A.A. Boddy, A.H. Post, Cecil Polhill, A.G. Garr, Pandita Ramabai, Carrie Judd Montgomery, T.B. Barratt, and others. During 1910 and 1911 he traveled with Frank Bartleman, a leader from the Azusa Street revival.
Daniel Awrey passed away on Dec. 4, 1913, while ministering to some mission stations in Liberia, West Africa. He became sick with what was termed the blackwater or African fever three weeks after he landed, and he never recovered. His widow and family were living in Los Angeles at the time.
J. Roswell Flower, editor of the Christian Evangel (later called Pentecostal Evangel) knew Daniel Awrey from his visits to Indianapolis. He reported that Awrey ministered in five different continents and traveled around the world three times, ministering in thousands of places.
“He was always free-spirited, pleasant and victorious, and even his enemies will acknowledge that he was never heard to speak in a slighting way of anyone, no matter what attitude they had taken toward him, but that he had a good word to say for nearly everybody,” Flower stated.
As an early leader in the Pentecostal movement, who influenced Assemblies of God leaders and others, he made an outstanding contribution which should not be overlooked. He experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit 15 years before the Azusa Street revival, and he preached about the gifts of the Spirit in his travels all over the U.S. and around the globe.
Read “Daniel Awrey, Ohio and Tennessee,” on page 4 of the Feb. 5, 1916, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.
Also featured in this issue:
• “Questions and Answers” by E.N. Bell
• “Daily Portion from the King’s Bounty,” by Alice Reynolds Flower
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 Website: https://ifphc.org/
James E. Hamill (1913-1994) never graced the cover of the Pentecostal Evangel even though his work was extremely influential in his community and in the Assemblies of God. However, his life’s work was featured on the cover of the Jan. 27, 1952, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel — in the form of the church he pastored for 37 years. In the 119-year history of First Assembly of Memphis, Tennessee, the congregation has had only 10 pastors, seven of them in the first 25 years.
While the church was Hamill’s life work, its history traces to the beginnings of the Pentecostal movement. The congregation was formed in 1907 when L.P. Adams, a well-educated attorney in Memphis, received the Pentecostal message from G.B. Cashwell. At the time, Adams pastored an independent Holiness church. Adams affiliated with the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), a largely African-American Pentecostal organization led by Charles H. Mason and headquartered in Memphis. The name of Adams’ congregation was Grace and Truth Church of God in Christ. Adams participated in the organizational meeting of the Assemblies of God in 1914 but did not join the Fellowship nor did he bring his church into it, preferring to remain in fellowship with Mason’s group.
In 1919, Adams resigned from the pastorate and the congregation separated from the COGIC and was renamed Pentecostal Mission. H.E. Schoettley served as pastor from 1919 until 1923, when the church joined the Arkansas District Council of the Assemblies of God. Thirty-seven households signed the initial charter, bringing the church into the Assemblies of God. In 1926, the new pastor, Ira Smith, helped to form the Tennessee District Council, separating it from Arkansas, and was later elected district superintendent of the new district.
During the 1920s and 1930s, the church experienced two splits over pastoral leadership, and found itself unable to pay a pastor. A 23-year-old student from Glad Tidings Bible Institute (San Francisco, California), named William Pickthorn, offered to lead the church without salary in 1934. Under his ministry, the church splits came back together into one congregation, which was rechristened, “First Assembly of God.” In 1943, when Central Bible Institute (Springfield, Missouri) extended an invitation to Pickthorn to serve as instructor, the church was advancing toward 500 in Sunday School attendance.
An interim filled the pulpit for the next year and attendance dropped dramatically due to the lapse in leadership. The church extended an invitation to a young man from Mississippi who, at 31 years of age, already had experience pastoring in Columbia, Tennessee; Hattiesburg, Mississippi; and Hope, Arkansas. On Dec. 31, 1944, pastor James E. Hamill looked out at his new congregation and cast a vision for the coming years. Little did anyone know that it would be almost 40 years before he would step down from that pulpit.
Seven years later, the Pentecostal Evangel highlighted the church in the Jan. 27, 1952, issue. The article reports that under Hamill’s capable leadership the church had grown to nearly 1,400 in Sunday School and was running over 1,000 in the morning services. Hamill stated in the article that the key to the church’s growth was, “spirituality, good organization, consecrated personnel, the consistent improvement of facilities, sound and sensible promotion of the program, and hard work!”
Hamill also involved the church in cutting edge media promotions. Besides their involvement in the publication of a weekly community newspaper, The Memphis Mirror, the church began a local radio program, Words of Life, and in 1955, Hamill became the first preacher in the Mid-south to have a regular television program, Christ is the Answer, which enjoyed a 25-year run.
First Assembly also became widely known for its music program under the capable direction of Hamill’s wife, Katheryne. As the home church of both the southern gospel quartet, The Blackwood Brothers, and Elvis Presley, the church experienced influence in the broader musical environment. When Katheryne retired from the church’s music ministry, she was followed by Paul Ferrin, who later became the national music director for the Assemblies of God.
Hamill’s creative leadership often set new standards for Assemblies of God church organization. He was one of the first to ask a congregation to “subscribe” to the church’s operational and outreach budget, making monthly commitments of giving. This format saw the giving at First Assembly more than double in the 1960s. He was also one of the first to be intentional in hiring multiple staff and in 1972 founded one of the earliest Pentecostal private Christian day schools, First Assembly Christian School, still in operation.
Hamill’s service to the local community and the national body of the Assemblies of God as general presbyter and executive presbyter helped to set the tone for pastoral ministry up until his retirement in the early 1980s. He was followed at Memphis First by Frank Martin, who served as pastor until taking appointment to Russia with Assemblies of God World Missions after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Thomas Lindberg became pastor in 1994, with John Johnson currently serving as a transition pastor.
While local pastors rarely grace the covers of high-profile magazines, their influence on communities through the local church will only be measured in eternity. James Hamill and the nine other pastors who led First Assembly of God in Memphis, Tennessee, for over 119 years, discipled a general superintendent (Ralph Riggs), many national and district leaders, and scores of local influencers. They are also likely the only church that has hosted the national conference of two major Pentecostal bodies, hosting the Fifth Annual Convocation of the Church of God in Christ in 1917 and serving as host church for the 17th (1937) and 30th (1963) general councils of the Assemblies of God.
Read the article on First Assembly Memphis, “On the Cover Page,” on page 4 of the Jan. 27, 1952, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.
Also featured in this issue:
• “The Escape from Sodom,” by E.T. Quanabush
• “The Healer of Mental Sickness,” by Robert Cummings
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 Website: https://ifphc.org/
From its beginning, the Assemblies of God has been committed to discipling both laypeople and clergy in the core beliefs of Christianity and their practical expression in daily life. As the global church expanded rapidly in the 1960s, AG leaders recognized the need for a training model that could reach believers regardless of location, education, or resources. Out of that vision, George M. Flattery launched the International Correspondence Institute (ICI), which has since grown into what is now known worldwide as Global University.
In 1966, as Flattery was completing his doctorate in education, one of his requirements was to research and analyze different educational models. He contacted J. Philip Hogan, director of the Department of Foreign Missions (now Assemblies of God World Missions, AGWM), to inquire about conducting a project that might benefit the missions enterprise. Hogan approved Flattery’s proposal to travel overseas and survey the training needs of Bible schools around the world.
This research, combined with Flattery’s own experience as a missionary kid in Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), where he had benefited from correspondence courses, led him to propose the idea of a global correspondence school. He presented his initial ideas to Hogan with a vision for standardized discipleship and ministerial training that could serve the worldwide Church.
Meanwhile, early in 1967, Charles Greenaway was asked to present at the annual School of Missions on the growing need for correspondence-based training on the mission fields. Several regions had already begun small national programs to disciple believers and train ministers, but these efforts were largely independent, with each country developing its own materials.
Greenaway reached out to Flattery to see whether his research might inform the presentation. Flattery enthusiastically shared both his findings and his passion for a unified global training model. When Greenaway later surveyed regional missions directors, their response was overwhelmingly positive.
Maynard Ketchum, field secretary for Southern Asia, wrote, “I think the great need is for a standardized course. Although illustrations must be ‘localized,’ the basic courses could be the same, and I think the Missions Department should take the initiative.”
Because of Flattery’s expertise in education, Hogan authorized him to develop a detailed plan for the Foreign Missions Committee that would “develop a worldwide correspondence training program where the church, at whatever level it finds itself, can be served, and that young people in any culture anywhere can have an opportunity to sound biblical teaching.” He was given $5,000 in Boys and Girls Missionary Crusade funds (now BGMC) to begin the work.
In August 1967 — just one month after presenting his proposal — Flattery was appointed president of a new school with no students, no curriculum, and no name. Though nontraditional educational models were already being used in some places, this moment marked the beginning of what would become an unprecedented advance in theological education. Flattery’s lifelong dream — to train Christians in all nations to reach the lost in all nations — was beginning to take shape.
Through his international experience and research in educational anthropology, Flattery became convinced that while cultures differ, people everywhere share the needs common to human nature. Building on that insight, he developed a core evangelism course, The Great Questions of Life, along with several discipleship courses on Christian living.
When the International Correspondence Institute officially launched in 1969, its fourfold mission was evangelism, discipleship, workers’ training, and degree-level theological education for believers around the world.
Working from cramped offices in “Mission Village” at Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri, Flattery was joined by Carl Malz as academic dean and Louise Jeter Walker as assistant to the dean. Together they set an ambitious goal: to enroll 1 million students.
In the Jan 23, 1972, edition of the Pentecostal Evangel, Flattery’s article, “ICI Builds Churches,” was published. Drawing on reports from Mark Buntain in North India and Mark Bliss in Iran, Flattery demonstrated that ICI was not merely educating students but actively equipping pastors and fueling new church plants. He wrote that for the church to fulfill God’s purpose, it must be “enlarged, established, and extended,” adding, “ICI is devoting 100% of its personnel and energy to this end.”
By 1972, growth was so rapid that ICI relocated its international headquarters to Brussels, Belgium. The move strengthened the school’s global identity and strategic reach. Borrowing facilities from Continental Bible College, ICI staff began hosting training workshops and expanding into Bible-college-level coursework, drawing on professors from established institutions.
In 1991, ICI moved its international headquarters from Brussels to Irving, Texas, continuing its mission under the theme “From All Nations to All Nations.” In 1999, the institution returned to Springfield, Missouri, merging with Berean University to form Global University (GU).
By the time George M. Flattery passed away in 2025, the school that began as a doctoral research project had recorded more than 4.7 million personal decisions for Christ through its evangelism courses. Today, Global University operates through 205 offices in 166 countries, producing materials in 141 languages. Students have planted more than 116,000 churches and house churches, and over 20 million people have been impacted through direct study of GU courses.
Read George Flattery’s “ICI Builds Churches” article on page 22 of the Jan. 23, 1972, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.
Also featured in this issue:
• “Add Life to Your Years,” by Russel Fornwalt
• “Praying in the Holy Ghost,” by Normand Thompson
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 Website: https://ifphc.org/
Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center 