May 29, 2025 · 4:08 pm

Ira Stanphill: The Story Behind the Beloved Assemblies of God Gospel Singer and Songwriter

This Week in AG History — May 25, 1952

By Glenn W. Gohr
Originally published on AG-News, 29 May 2025

Ira Stanphill was one of the best-loved Assemblies of God gospel singers and songwriters of the 20th century. He wrote over 600 songs, including “Mansion Over the Hilltop,” “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow,” “Supper Time,” “Follow Me,” “Room at the Cross,” and “Happiness Is the Lord.” While he wrote many of his most popular songs during an extended period of personal turmoil, his music brought hope and joy to countless people.

Ira Forest Stanphill (1914-1993) was born in Bellview, New Mexico. After World War I erupted, the Stanphill family lived in a succession of smaller towns in Oklahoma and Kansas. At the tender age of 5, while living in Mound Valley, Kansas, Stanphill’s musical appetite was stimulated by Claude Gilson, a blind pianist who came to the Stanphill home to play for their prayer meetings. After the services, Claude would entertain the family with popular and classical pieces. Ira would watch and listen to him for hours.

Ira’s parents were musical, so it is not surprising that young Ira had an aptitude for music. He was very gifted, and music — gospel music especially — became his passion. After the family moved to Coffeyville, Kansas, in 1922, Ira learned simple chording and studied piano and voice. He also could play the ukulele, and he entered a contest to perform on the radio. The station manager, recognizing the talent of this young boy, soon had Ira conducting a 15-minute radio program where he would take requests for songs that he would play on his ukulele.

By the time he reached fourth grade, Ira was already proficient in piano, organ, ukulele, and the accordion. Later, he also learned to play the xylophone, guitar, saxophone, and clarinet.

Stanphill was converted to Christ at age 12, and his family attended the Assembly of God church in Coffeyville. Stanphill was 15 when he wrote his first little chorus, “Move Forward,” for a Christ’s Ambassadors (AG youth ministry) group. He graduated from Coffeyville High School in 1932, in the midst of the Great Depression, and at age 17, he began a career as a singer. He sang gospel songs on the radio, and he accompanied himself on the accordion. He sang in jails and on street corners, and he participated in revival crusades, prayer meetings, and tent campaigns.

Stanphill graduated from Chillicothe [Missouri] Junior College, and at age 22, he was called to preach. The first summer he traveled with Silas Rexroat, who was then the Christ’s Ambassadors (Youth) director for the state of Kansas. Next, he served as youth and music director for J.M. Cockerell’s church in Breckenridge, Texas. While at Breckenridge, he published his first song, “Afterwhile,” in 1935. This was soon followed by “After the Showers” and “There’s a Saviour Who Cares.”

In 1936, he answered calls to preach revivals in Arcadia, Kansas; Pawhuska, Oklahoma; and Springfield, Missouri. While in Springfield, he was asked to take over as pastor of South Side Assembly of God, and he soon became acquainted with the musical family of K.H. Lawson, who was Southern Missouri District treasurer and later became district superintendent. One of his daughters, Zelma, played the piano by ear and accompanied her parents on a local radio program.

It wasn’t long before Ira and Zelma were attending church rallies and other events together. They had a common interest in music, and on April 23, 1939, they were married in Central Assembly. Five days later, Ira Stanphill was ordained with the Southern Missouri District on April 28, 1939.

Ira and Zelma traveled in evangelistic work in the Midwest and on the East Coast. Soon Stanphill was invited to serve for a time as music director at Faith Tabernacle in Oklahoma City under the ministry of G.W. Hardcastle Sr., where he also had charge of a broadcast over station KTOK.

In 1941, the Stanphills attended Assemblies of God evangelist Raymond T. Richey’s meetings in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and before long they were part of the Richey evangelistic team. Ira even helped Richey in his plan to develop a red, white, and blue campaign tent. When Richey headed to Texas and Florida for the winter, Stanphill found a position as assistant to Howard Rusthoi in Los Angles. Then he pastored Trinity Assembly of God in Orange, California, for a brief time. Later he became associate pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Bakersfield, California.

After two years in Bakersfield, Stanphill went back into full-time evangelistic work, traveling primarily in the Midwest.

One of Ira Stanphill’s best-known songs, “Room At the Cross,” was written in 1946 as a result of a suggested title at one of his meetings at Riverside Church in Kansas City, Missouri. He was given several possible song titles by church members, and he planned to write the song before it was service time. Hurriedly he wrote a song between Sunday School and church. He sang the song, but it wasn’t any good.

He asked the congregation to give him another chance, and he would put a song together in time for the evening service. He laid out all the suggested titles again and prayerfully chose “Room At the Cross.” This song was a success and later became the closing song for each altar call of the Revivaltime radio broadcast.

After nine years of a stormy marriage, Ira and Zelma were divorced in 1948. She was awarded custody of their 4-year-old son, but later Ira, along with Zelma’s parents, the Lawsons, had charge of the boy.

These were hard times for Ira Stanphill. The Stanphills never reconciled, and Ira remained single. More than 150 songs were written during this dark period in his life, including “Mansion Over the Hilltop,” “Supper Time,” “I’ll Trust in Him Though I Don’t Understand,” “We’ll Talk It Over,” and “I Don’t Know About Tomorrow.” He would later write and speak about the anguish that birthed these widely loved songs.

Zelma was in a bad car accident in February 1951. Zelma’s father and Ira traveled to New York, but when they arrived, she had already passed away from her injuries. This closed one chapter in Ira’s life, and with Zelma’s father’s blessing, he was free to remarry.

Ira had been good friends for many years with D.P. Holloway, former superintendent of the Mississippi District and later a pastor in Cleveland, Ohio. After Zelma’s death, he cultivated a relationship with one of his daughters, Gloria Holloway, and they ended up getting married by Albert Ott in the home of Charles R. Jones in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 7, 1951.

Ira continued in evangelistic work and also pastored churches in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Texas. He also served for a time as campus pastor at Evangel College (now Evangel University). He was inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1981.

The Stanphills moved to Overland Park, Kansas in 1993 to live near their two daughters. In semi-retirement, Ira Stanphill began producing a TV program called “Young At Heart” on Channel 38, a religious station in Chicago. He also conducted a senior adult camp for the Illinois District and sang in concert with the Cathedrals. He appeared on a couple of videos produced by Bill and Gloria Gaither. On the tape, “Old Friends,” Ira gives a testimony about the song, “Supper Time.” On another tape, “Turn Your Radio On,” Stanphill gives the background for the song, “He Washed My Eyes With Tears.”

Ira Stanphill’s testimony and his music live on. Almost everyone has heard at least one of his gospel songs. They each have a message that speaks to the heart and continue to be a blessing to all who hear them. “Room At the Cross” continues to be a favorite because of its use in the Revivaltime radio broadcast, as well as being an invitation song printed in a number of songbooks and hymnals. “Mansion Over the Hilltop” and “Supper Time” are also all-time favorites.

Read “Music by Ira Stanphill,” on page 16 of the May 25, 1952, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “Selling Out for God,” by J. Paul Bruton

• “Establishing New Churches,” by Ethel M. McClendon

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

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/

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May 22, 2025 · 2:38 pm

Howard Carter: The Young British Artist Who Became a Prominent Pentecostal Bible Teacher

This Week in AG History — May 19, 1945

By Ruthie Edgerly Oberg
Originally published on AG-News, 22 May 2025

Howard Carter (1891-1971) was an early British Assemblies of God leader who planted congregations, trained ministers, and traveled the world encouraging missionaries. He also gave to the Pentecostal movement some of its most lasting teaching on spiritual gifts.

Carter was raised by a godly mother in the Anglican church but did not show much interest in religion. He was a mediocre student who stuttered and did not find a place of belonging until he discovered his talent as an artist. He gained the highest awards in the Royal Society of Artists’ examinations and began a career as a draftsman, a job at which he excelled.

As a young man, he began to experience disillusionment as he realized that the finest works of art fade in time. Even the great English cathedrals with their soaring buttresses and stained glass windows would one day disappear. Carter wanted to give himself to something that could impact eternity.

A friend invited him to visit the Church of Christ, where he was impressed with the informal and friendly services. He accepted Christ and was baptized. He became involved in Friday night meetings with the YMCA, where he met a man whose preaching and exuberant praise during prayer intrigued him. The man invited Carter to join him in Pentecostal meetings that were taking place in a room over a shop outside of Birmingham. Carter listened to the messages and observed the Pentecostal worship services and believed immediately that what he was seeing coincided with the experience of the early church in the New Testament.

He began to seek the Pentecostal experience but struggled with the concept that speaking in tongues was a necessary aspect of receiving the infilling of the Holy Spirit. In a May 19, 1945, article in the Pentecostal Evangel, Carter described a deep experience with God when he felt the manifestation of the Spirit in a way that left him spiritually enthralled but did not include speaking in tongues. He recalled, “For a time, this was conclusive evidence to me that the speaking with other tongues was not the evidence of the Baptism … people asked me if I had received the Holy Spirit. I would confidently affirm that I had, yet in my spirit I felt a lack … it was as if I had seen a great deluge of rain falling over a country parched by the sun and greatly refreshing it for the time, but leaving no river flowing through it.”

It was a full year later when Carter experienced the fullness of the Spirit with the evidence of tongues. “From that day on in the year 1915 to the present, I have never ceased to speak with other tongues … not only did the showers fall …but a river has flowed ever since, from which I have been able to slake my thirst daily.”

Interestingly, Carter’s faith developed deep roots while in prison during World War I. Like many Pentecostals in this period, Howard Carter was a pacifist. When Britain passed the Military Service Act in 1916, Carter registered as a conscientious objector. Because he made his living as a draftsman and not as a minister, even though he was pastoring a small Pentecostal work at the time, he was not allowed to claim his religious affiliation as an exemption to military service. On March 16, 1917, Carter was sentenced to 112 days hard labor, locked in solitary confinement, and given a diet of bread and water.

It was during his imprisonment that a lifelong quest to unlock the mysteries of the gifts of the Spirit began. Having nothing to study but his Bible, he spent his confined hours praying and searching through the entirety of the Scriptures, seeking to develop a fuller understanding of spiritual gifts, a topic he felt had been neglected by church theology for centuries. The teaching he developed during this time enabled him to construct a balanced and scriptural teaching on the gifts of the Spirit, which was his greatest contribution to the Pentecostal movement.

Carter went on to direct a Pentecostal Bible school for 27 years, and he was a founding member of the British Assemblies of God, serving first as vice-chairman and then as chairman. During his years as the leader of that movement he made it a goal to visit every Assemblies of God missionary on the field, including taking a two-year missionary journey with his young American protégé, Lester Sumrall.

Resigning his position with the British Assemblies in 1945, Carter continued to travel the world, encouraging missionaries and leading many into the Pentecostal experience through his teaching on spiritual gifts. In 1955, at the age of 64, the confirmed bachelor married Ruth Steelberg, widow of the general superintendent of the U.S. Assemblies of God, Wesley Steelberg. The newlyweds embarked on a world preaching tour, inspiring others to move out in faith and exercise the gifts of the Spirit. They ministered together until Carter’s death in 1971.

Carter’s life motto can be summed up in the prayer he penned in 1923 after attending the great campaign in London of successful evangelist Stephen Jeffreys. As he contrasted his mundane ministry of Bible school teacher with the successful evangelistic crusade he wrote in the front of his Bible, “Let me never lose the all-important truth that to be in Thy will is better than success, and grant that I may ever love Thyself more than Thy service.”

While Carter was never considered a great evangelist, he was a solid teacher and an encourager who made an eternal impact that will outlast even the beautiful architecture of Westminster Abbey.

Read Howard Carter’s article, “Speaking in Tongues as the Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit,” on page 2 of the May 19, 1945, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “How Pentecost Came to India,” by Minnie Abrams

• “The Tarrying Meeting,” by Stanley Frodsham

• “An Anniversary Testimony,” by A.H. Argue

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

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/

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May 15, 2025 · 12:49 pm

Aggie Hurst: Discover the 1930 Account of this Classic Pentecostal Missionary Story

This Week in AG History — May 17, 1930

By Ruthie Edgerly Oberg
Originally published on AG-News, 15 May 2025

The Assemblies of God fellowship has always loved missionary stories. One of the most well-known stories is that of Aggie Berg Hurst, whose 1986 autobiography, Aggie, tells of her journey from the early loss of her parents in the Congo through her remarkable search for family identity as an adult. However, many are not aware that the interest in Aggie’s story began with an earlier book published in 1930 by Gospel Publishing House, Jungle Trails.

In the May 17, 1930, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel, Associate Editor Charles E. Robinson reviewed the new missionary biography written by Anna Berg, wife of missionary Arthur Berg, titled Jungle Trails: A Little Girl Without a Country. Robinson described it as “not a story about missions but about missionaries, not about missionary work but about missionaries at work.”

In Jungle Trails, Anna Berg recounts the winding journey that led to the adoption of their daughter, Aina Cecilia Flood. In the early 1920s, a young Swedish couple, David and Svea Flood, responded to the call of God and set out for Belgian Congo (present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo). Along with their son David Jr., they joined fellow missionaries Joel and Bertha Erikson, determined to bring the gospel to a region untouched by Christianity.

When they arrived, the tribal chief of the village of N’Dolera refused to allow them into the village. Undeterred, the Floods and the Eriksons built mud huts on a nearby hillside and began their ministry in isolation. Their efforts appeared fruitless. The villagers avoided them, and the only regular contact came from a young African boy who brought them food.

Despite years of hardship and sickness, the only visible spiritual fruit was this one boy, who gave his life to Christ. Yet Svea Flood remained steadfast, pouring her heart into sharing the gospel with him.

In 1923, the Floods welcomed their second child, a daughter named Aina. But joy soon turned to sorrow. Just 17 days after the birth, Svea died from complications related to malaria. David Flood, broken with grief and bitterness, buried his wife on the hillside and made a devastating decision. He returned to Sweden with his son but left baby Aina behind — believing the infant would not survive the long journey.

David entrusted Aina to the Eriksons, but their guardianship was tragically brief. Along with another missionary, both Joel and Bertha Erikson died within days, likely of disease. Arthur and Anna Berg, American missionaries in the area, helped care for the sick and bury their colleagues. Left with no one to care for the orphaned baby, the Bergs took Aina in as their own.

Jungle Trails contains the usual elements of missionary life — illness, sacrifice, triumph, encounters with wild animals — but the heart of the story centers on little Aina, whom the Bergs renamed Agnus (nicknamed “Aggie”), and the bureaucratic red tape often left out of missionary accounts. Because Aggie was born to Swedish parents, she could not become a Belgian citizen. Her father was unavailable to apply for a Swedish passport, and the American Bergs could not secure U.S. citizenship for a Swedish child. The 1930 book, and Robinson’s review, concludes with the complicated and emotional path toward Aggie’s eventual adoption and citizenship — but her story did not end there.

As Aggie grew, she married a pastor named Dewey Hurst and committed her life to Christian ministry. Although she lived faithfully, she carried a longing to learn more about her origins. In 1963, a Swedish magazine arrived in her mailbox. She was stunned to find a photo of her mother’s grave, along with a remarkable story.

The article described how the young African boy Svea led to Christ had remained faithful. After the missionaries had gone, he convinced the chief to allow him to build a school in the village. Over time, many of the students and their families came to faith. By 1963, there were over 600 Christian believers in that village alone.

Deeply moved, Aggie began to investigate further. Her search took her to Sweden, where she found her biological father. David Flood was an old, frail man living in a modest apartment. Decades of guilt and bitterness had left him emotionally and spiritually devastated. When Aggie introduced herself as the daughter he had left behind in Africa, he wept.

Initially, David could barely speak about the past. “God abandoned us,” he said. But Aggie gently shared what she had discovered — that Svea’s single convert had become a catalyst for a spiritual movement. Their faith and sacrifice had not been wasted. Their mission had produced an abundant harvest — beyond what either of them could have imagined.

David Flood’s heart softened. Though bedridden, he rededicated his life to God just weeks before he passed away — at last at peace, knowing God had used their efforts after all.

Aggie’s journey continued. Some years later, she and her husband traveled to Africa and visited the village where she had been born. There, she met the man who had been her mother’s only convert. Now a respected church leader, he embraced Aggie and introduced her to a congregation of thousands.

Pointing to the crowd, he said, “Your mother was the one who brought the gospel to us. We are all here because of her.” Before Aggie stood a living legacy — hundreds of believers whose faith could be traced back to one woman’s obedience, one boy’s conversion, and one family’s sacrifice.

This extraordinary story — first introduced in a 1930 book published by Gospel Publishing House and highlighted in the Pentecostal Evangel — is more than a missionary biography; it is a powerful testament to the unseen work of God, the enduring impact of faithfulness, and the redemptive nature of grace.

Read Robinson’s book review of Jungle Trails on page 8 of the May 17, 1930, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “A Singing Church,” by Ernest S. Williams

• “Delivered from Sorrow, Suicide and Sin,” by Alice Bowne

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

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/

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May 9, 2025 · 2:57 pm

Lowell and Connie Lundstrom: From Nightclubs to the Pulpit

This Week in AG History — May 5, 1963

By Darrin J. Rodgers
Originally published on AG-News, 08 May 2025

At the age of 7, Lowell Lundstrom (1939-2012) decided he would become either a preacher or a famous entertainer. He became both, but not before experiencing the thrill of worldly success and seeing his life veer out of control.

Lowell’s grandmother gave young Lowell a book about the life of Jesus, which inspired him to dream about sharing Christ’s story with others. But he grew enamored with the fast-paced world of popular culture and soon abandoned the idea of entering the ministry.

Lowell spent countless hours as a youth sneaking into bars and nightclubs, where he learned how to play the guitar. At age 13, he won a talent contest in his hometown in South Dakota. He soon joined a Dixieland jazz band, and by age 14 he started his own rock and roll band.

Lowell seemingly had everything a worldly teenager could desire — clothes, money, popularity, and nightclub engagements. He tasted success, and it was sweet. One evening, he met a beautiful brunette girl at a nightclub who would change the trajectory of his life. This girl, Connie Brown, was raised in an Assemblies of God church, but she had fallen away from the Lord and had become a nightclub entertainer. She had certain standards and refused to do certain things that many of the other entertainers did. But deep inside, she felt dirty and knew that she had chosen a life of compromise.

Lowell and Connie bonded quickly. She started playing guitar in his band, the Rhythm-airs. Lowell and his band won contests, played on radio and television, and got gigs at dances and nightclubs.

Success bred sleeplessness and stress. Lowell was constantly on the road, driving from town to town. After he narrowly avoided death in a car crash, he realized that he was out of control. Scared that he would die, Lowell remembered his childhood faith and began to cry out to God.

The Holy Spirit began dealing with Lowell’s rebellious heart, but the young entertainer did not want to give up his sinful lifestyle. He started negotiating with God: “Ten years, Lord,” he prayed, “Just give me 10 years to do what I want to, and then I’ll serve you.” After another car crash almost ended his life, Lowell grew disgusted with his sin and rebellion. He was only 17, but realized that he was heading toward an early death.

One Sunday night, Lowell had planned to take Connie to a movie. They instead went to an evangelistic service at Connie’s church, the Assembly of God in Sisseton, South Dakota. There, on April 7, 1957, Lowell gave his heart to the Lord. He cancelled his nightclub engagements and found a job picking rocks, the only work he could find in his rural South Dakota community.

Lowell and Connie began using their musical abilities for the Lord, singing in churches and sharing their testimonies. They found true peace and joy and wanted to share it with others. They prepared for ministry at two Assemblies of God schools — Lakewood Park Bible School (now Trinity Bible College & Graduate School, Ellendale, North Dakota) and North Central Bible College (now North Central University, Minneapolis, Minnesota).

After seeing Lowell’s drastic life transformation, Lowell’s entire family decided to follow suit and follow Christ. Lowell’s brothers, Larry and Leon, joined them in ministry, as did Connie and Lowell’s children. The Lundstroms became prominent Assemblies of God evangelists and traveled across the United States by bus, holding interdenominational evangelistic crusades.

Lowell and Connie Lundstrom were best-known in their home territory of the northern Great Plains, where they blended well into the Scandinavian culture. In countless small towns on the northern prairies, Assemblies of God, Baptist, Lutheran, and other churches cooperated in sponsoring the Lundstroms. An estimated 1 million people decided to follow Christ in the Lundstrom crusades, which spanned five decades.

Lowell recorded 30-minute weekly radio broadcasts, “Message for America,” which aired for 20 years on as many as 170 radio stations. He also served as president and chancellor of Trinity Bible College for 10 years. In 1996, after almost 40 years of itinerant ministry, the Lundstroms put down roots in suburban Minneapolis, where they founded Celebration Church (AG). After six decades of ministry, Connie and Lowell went to be with the Lord — Connie in December 2011 and Lowell in July 2012.

Lowell Lundstrom’s life beautifully demonstrates how God can redeem a person who has succumbed to the temptations of the world. At a young age, Lowell was faced with a choice to either follow God or follow the world. He tasted worldly success, but soon realized that his life was out of control. When he decided to follow Christ, he gave up his aspirations of making it big in the rock and roll scene. Lowell instead followed God’s call into ministry, where he used his gifts to lead countless people to find peace and joy in Christ.

Read Lowell Lundstrom’s story, “God, Leave Me Alone!” written by Betty Swinford, on pages 6-7 of the May 5, 1963, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “Christ is All,” by James A. Cross

• “Christ: The Master Teacher,” by Grace L. Walther

• “Light for the Lost: Tenth Anniversary Banquet,” by Everett James

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

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/

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May 1, 2025 · 3:01 pm

Norman T. Spong: The Budding Engineer Who Became an Assemblies of God Church Planter

This Week in AG History — May 1, 1960

By Glenn W. Gohr
Originally published on AG-News, 01 May 2025

Norman Theodore Spong (1906-1997) is best remembered as a church planter and pioneer pastor in the Assemblies of God. After completing his Bible school education, he launched out into evangelistic work and also took over floundering small churches to build up the congregations. He often ended up erecting new facilities before he moved on to the next assignment where he felt God leading.

Spong, born in East Kane, Pennsylvania, was one of 10 children. His parents were Swedish immigrants, who came to America in the late 1890s. Eventually Norman’s family settled in Youngstown, Ohio, where they attended a Baptist church until some of them received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. They soon were asked to leave.

In his teenage years, Spong surrendered his life to Christ under the ministry of T.K. Leonard who was holding services for his pastor, George E. Smith. He knelt at the altar of a little church on Hillman Street in Youngstown, and a marvelous transformation took place in his life. He was soon sharing the gospel with his friends and holding services for boys and girls in a nearby schoolhouse. Thirty-five young people attended the schoolhouse meetings, and out of this experience, a church was birthed on the west side of Youngstown.

After completing high school, Spong took a job in the engineering department of United States Steel. He demonstrated skills in drawing and penmanship, and after seven years with the company, he faced a bright future if he stayed. But feeling a call to full-time ministry, he told his boss that he was going to leave to attend a Bible school to do full-time church work. His boss told him, “Norman, you are a fool.” But he left anyway, and headed to Springfield, Missouri, to prepare for the ministry at Central Bible Institute.

During one of his trips to Springfield, he rode with the Bender family, which included Clara Bender. She was the daughter of William and Ella Bender of New Castle, Pennsylvania, who were immigrants from Germany. Norman and Clara became acquainted through some youth meetings at the New Castle church and then fell in love and decided to marry after they both attended Central Bible Institute.

Spong was greatly influenced by a young professor named Frank M. Boyd, who left Central Bible Institute to serve at Southern California Bible Institute. Spong decided to follow Boyd to California, where he finished his last year of Bible school.

While he was in Southern California, he held Sunday School classes for about 30 Greek children. From these Sunday School classes, a Greek church was started in Los Angeles. Over 20 years later, he received a letter from one of the children who had grown up and had never forgotten him. Her name was Georgia Zaferis. She said she picked up a copy of the April 25, 1954, Pentecostal Evangel, and saw the name of N.T. Spong listed as an evangelist. She had been a 10-year-old girl when he was her Sunday School teacher, and she wanted him to know what an impact he had made on her life, and that this had continued on to her marriage and three children who by this time were attending the Greek Full Gospel Church in Los Angeles.

While in California, Spong also heard a missionary from China speak to the students. He wrestled with thoughts to possibly go to China as a missionary. But after much prayer, he felt like God was telling him, “I want you to be a pioneer pastor. I will lead you into a pattern supporting a pioneering ministry.” He strongly felt this was his calling, and after graduation and throughout his lifetime, he pioneered a number of different Assemblies of God churches.

After successfully pastoring four established churches over a period of 30 years, Spong continued with his calling as a church planter and builder. In 1954, he was called to serve a small congregation in Somerville, New Jersey. Accepting the challenge, he bult up the church, helped them to become General Council affiliated, and 10 years later a lovely new Assembly of God church was dedicated because of his visionary efforts and leadership.

At the cornerstone laying for the new church, the newspaper headline boldly declared, “Do-It-Yourself Project Makes Church Reality.” And this was true. There were only five paid workers on the construction site — three masons and two carpenters. The rest of the work was done by the pastor and approximately a dozen men from the congregation who donated their labor at nights and on Saturdays.

Other places he pioneered churches included Erie, Pennsylvania; Hartford, Connecticut; Vineland, New Jersey; and Youngstown, Ohio. He also helped in the establishment of an Assembly of God in Salem, Ohio. Since Spong had been a professional engineer for seven years before he entered the ministry, he was able to act as a general contractor for the building at Somerville, New Jersey, as well as buildings for some of the other churches he pioneered.

Even in retirement, Spong continued ministry by helping to nurture and establish a church in Boca Raton, Florida. Moving to Florida in January 1967, he preached to a small group of people that District Superintendent J. Foy Johnson said needed a shepherd. For the next 20 months, without vacation, he fully devoted himself to get that church started. He helped the congregants write a constitution and bylaws, helped them became General Council affiliated, and also embarked on another building program.

His last effort in ministry was to establish a new ministry among senior citizens in the condominium village where he lived. He conducted weekly services and special services during the year, and he hosted an outdoor Easter sunrise service that included special music, guest speakers, and was an outreach to the community. He also helped a small church in Lakeland, Florida, called Park Assembly (later renamed Skyview Assembly of God) that needed help building a new facility. He became the overseer, and was able to help them reduce costs and complete the project that was started.

The pioneering efforts of Norman Spong were filled with faith, personal sacrifice, and godly vision. He laid a solid Pentecostal foundation with his preaching and his efforts to undergird and build up each congregation where he ministered. He not only planted churches, but also oversaw the building construction at several churches where he ministered.

Read Ruth Lyon’s article, “The Power of a Pioneer Spirit,” on pages 22-23 of the May 1, 1960, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “He Careth for You,” by Emil A. Balliet

• “Why Should I be a Church Member?” by C.M. Ward

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

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/

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April 25, 2025 · 3:22 pm

16,000 PAGES OF HISTORIC SLAVIC PENTECOSTAL PUBLICATIONS NOW ACCESSIBLE ONLINE

Dr. Vitalii Hura, a Ukrainian Pentecostal historian and educator who moved to the United States in 2022, is working for the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (the archives and research center of the Assemblies of God USA) on a grant-funded project to gather and digitize important Slavic Pentecostal publications.

In March 2025, the first batch of 16,131 pages of Slavic Pentecostal publications was uploaded to the Consortium of Pentecostal Archives (CPA) website (https://pentecostalarchives.org). The batch included 8,291 pages in Ukrainian; 7,600 in Russian; and 240 in Polish.

Hura, along with other notable Slavic Pentecostal scholars in Ukraine, Canada and the United States — including Mykhailol Mokienko, Oleg Bornovolokov, Mykhailo Khromyak, Dmytro Koval, and Roman Onufriychuk — assembled these rare publications.

Hura states, “my colleagues spent years traveling to villages and cities across the former Soviet Union gathering materials documenting the story of Pentecostalism among Eastern Europeans, and I am thrilled that they are now online and accessible to researchers worldwide.”

Team of Ukrainian Pentecostal researchers: Vitalii Hura, Dmytro Koval, Valerii Fedoranovich, Mykhaylo Khromyak, Oleg Bornovolokov, Mykhailo Mokoienko (UNIAN, Kyiv, Ukraine, 2021).

The CPA website makes these publications accessible in high-quality, easy-to-use, text-searchable digital format.

The Consortium of Pentecostal Archives, founded in 2011, is a collaborative effort initiated by Pentecostal archives to make their materials accessible online at no cost to users. The Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC) was a founding CPA member. According to FPHC director Darrin Rodgers, the CPA website is becoming “a backbone of global Pentecostal research and ministerial education.”

Links to Notable Slavic Pentecostal Publications

Among the most notable Slavic publications on the CPA website are those published in Odessa, Ukraine, by Assemblies of God missionary Ivan Voronaev (1885–1937), one of the most important Slavic Pentecostal pioneers. These include:

Another important Assemblies of God missionary to Eastern Europe, Gustav Herbert Schmidt, published the journal Reconciler (Примиритель) from 1929 to 1939, while leading the Russian and Eastern European Mission and a Bible college in Danzig. The CPA website includes the complete collection of 83 issues, totaling 1,008 pages.

For the first time, the Ukrainian-language journal Builder of the Church of God (Будівничий Церкви Божої), published in 1937 by Demyan Herasevych, a pioneer of the Tomlinson Church of God (now Church of God of Prophecy) in Ukraine, is also available online.

An additional treasure of the collection is 15 issues of the Polish Pentecostal journal Przystęp (1936-1939), an important source for the study of the work of the Holy Spirit among Slavs in Eastern Europe.

More recent Ukrainian Pentecostal history is documented by Evangelist (Благовісник), a magazine (1992-2024) edited by Yuriy Vavryniuk.

Pentecostal Slavs have migrated around the world, establishing churches throughout the Slavic diaspora. The story of Slavic Pentecostals in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay) is reflected in 36 issues (1955-1963) of the journal Christian Herald (Христианский вестник).

The life of the Ukrainian Branch of the Assemblies of God USA is documented in the journal Evangelical Pilgrim (Євангельський паломник) (1941-1970), edited by Fred Smolchuck. The CPA website also includes an earlier American Russian-language magazine, The Traveller (Путешественник)(1925-1931), edited by Assemblies of God USA ministers Samuel J. Wasilenko and Demian A. Matysuk.

The online archive also includes several books by Ivan Zinchuk (1924-2001), a Canadian radio evangelist of Ukrainian descent.

One particularly remarkable document is a typescript by Anna Bagdansarian describing the journey of Slavic Pentecostals to the United States via China, the Philippines, Australia, and South America, which occurred from the 1920s through the 1950s.

Of significant theological value are two collections of essays on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, written by Donald Gee (1891–1966), a British Assemblies of God leader whose writings are very popular in Eastern Europe. These works provide deep insight into the development of Pentecostal pneumatology in the first half of the 20th century.

Contemporary theological reflections on the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the systematization of Pentecostal doctrine are presented in the five-volume work, Word about God: Evangelical Theology for Eastern Christians (Слово о Боге: Евангельское богословие для восточных христиан) by Thomas Wespetal. The CPA website includes four other theological volumes by Wespetal and four books by theologians William Menzies and Robert Menzies:

Spiritual Sources (Духовные источники) and Spiritual Sources (Духовні джерела)— Russian and Ukrainian language pastoral magazines published by Life Publishers — feature articles from George O. Wood, James Bradford, and other leaders of the Assemblies of God USA.

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April 25, 2025 · 3:21 pm

16 000 СТРАНИЦ ИСТОРИЧЕСКИХ ИЗДАНИЙ СЛАВЯН- ПЯТИДЕСЯТНИЧЕСКОВ ТЕПЕРЬ ДОСТУПНЫ ОНЛАЙН

Д-р Виталий Гура — украинский пятидесятнический историк и преподаватель, переехал в США в 2022 году и сейчас работает в Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (архивный и исследовательский центр Ассамблей Божьих в США). Его основным проектом является работа над сбором и оцифровкой важнейших славянских пятидесятнических изданий.

В марте 2025 года первая партия из 16 131 страницы славянских пятидесятнических публикаций была загружена на сайт Консорциума пятидесятнических архивов (the Consortium of Pentecostal Archives  или CPA) — https://pentecostalarchives.org. В эту коллекцию вошли: 8 291 страниц на украинском, 7 600 — на русском и 240 — на польском языках.

Виталий Гура собрал эти редкие издания в сотрудничестве с другими известными украинскими пятидесятническими исследователями из Украины, Канады и США такими как Михаил Мокиенко, Олег Борноволоков, Михаил Хромяк, Дмитрий Коваль и Роман Онуфрийчук.

В. Гура отмечает: «Мои коллеги и предшественники провели годы, путешествуя по деревням и городам бывшего Советского Союза, собирая материалы, документирующие историю пятидесятнических церквей на территории Восточной Европы. Я рад, что теперь они доступны онлайн для исследователей со всего мира.»

Команда украинских исследователей пятидесятничества: Виталий Гура, Дмитрий Коваль, Валерий Федоронович, Михаил Хромяк, Олег Борноволоков, Михаил Мокиенко (УНИАН, Киев, Украина, 2021).

Сайт CPA предоставляет доступ к этим публикациям в высококачественном, удобном для пользователя, текстово-поисковом цифровом формате.

Консорциум пятидесятнических архивов (CPA), основанный в 2011 году, является совместной инициативой архивов пятидесятнического движения с целью сделать свои материалы доступными онлайн бесплатно. The Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center  (FPHC) был одним из учредителей CPA. По словам директора FPHC Даррина Роджерса, сайт CPA становится «основой глобальных исследований пятидесятничества и богословского образования служителей».

Ссылки на важные славянские пятидесятнические публикации

Среди наиболее значимых славянских изданий на сайте CPA — публикации, выпущенные в Одессе (Украина) миссионером Ассамблей Божьих Иваном Воронаевым (1885–1937), одним из ключевых пионеров славянского пятидесятнического движения. Среди них:

Густав Герберт Шмидт так же был влиятельной фигурой в пятидесятнической истории Восточных Славян. Как миссионер от Ассамблей Божьих он возглавлял в Данциге (Польша), Российско-Восточноевропейскую Миссию и Библейский институт, а также с 1929 по 1939 год был редактором журнала Примиритель (Reconciler). На сайте CPA размещена коллекция из 83 выпусков этого журнала — всего 1 008 страниц.

Впервые в интернете стал доступен и украиноязычный журнал Будівничий Церкви Божої (Builder of Church of God), изданный в 1937 году Демьяном Герасевичем — братом Ивана Гериса, одного из пионеров Церкви Божьей Томлинсона в Украине (ныне — Церковь Божья в Пророчествах).

Еще одной ценной находкой являются 15 выпусков польского пятидесятнического журнала Przystęp (1936–1939) — важного источника по изучению действия Святого Духа среди славян Восточной Европы.

Современная история украинского пятидесятничества отражена в журнале «Благовісник» (Evangelist), издаваемом с 1992 по 2024 год под редакцией Юрия Вавринюка.

Пятидесятники-славяне много мигрировали по всему миру, открывая церкви в диаспоре. О их жизни и служении в Латинской Америке (Аргентина, Бразилия, Парагвай, Уругвай) рассказывает 36 выпусков журнала Христианский вестник (Christian Herald) который издавался с 1955 по 1963 гг.

История украинского отделения Ассамблей Божьих в США задокументирована в журнале Євангельський паломник (Evangelical Pilgrim, 1941–1970), редактором которого был Фред Смольчук. В архив также включен ранний американский журнал на русском языке Путешественник (The Traveller, 1925–1931), издаваемый служителями Ассамблей Божьих США — Самуилом Василенко и Демианом Матысюком.

Онлайн-архив включает также несколько книг Ивана Зинчика (1924–2001) — канадского радиопроповедника украинского происхождения.

Особо интересным является машинописный документ Анны Багдансарян, в котором описывается путь миграции славян-пятидесятников в США через Китай, Филиппины, Австралию и Южную Америку на протяжении с 1920-х по 1950-е годы.

Большую богословскую ценность представляют два сборника статей о дарах Святого Духа, написанных Дональдом Джи (1891–1966) — британским лидером Ассамблей Божьих. Его труды были очень популярны в Восточной Европе и дают глубокое понимание развития пятидесятнической пневматологии в первой половине XX века.

Современное богословское осмысление крещения Святым Духом и систематизация пятидесятнического вероучения представлена в пятитомнике Слово о Боге: Евангельское богословие для восточных христиан (Word about God: Evangelical Theology for Eastern Christians) авторства д-ра Томаса Веспетала. Сайт CPA также включает еще четыре богословских труда Веспетала и четыре книги известных пятидесятнических богословов докторов Уильяма и Роберта Мензиcов:

(Christ-Centered: The Evangelical Nature of Pentecostal Theology)

(Pentecost: This Story is Our Story)

(Speaking in Tongues: Jesus and the Apostolic Church as Models for the Church Today)

(Spirit and Power: Foundations of a Pentecostal Experience)

Также в архиве представлены журналы «Духовные источники» (на русском) и «Духовні джерела» (на украинском) — глубокие материалы для пастырей и лидеров церквей издаваемые Life Publishers. В этих журналах печатались статьи таких лидеров Ассамблей Божьих США как Джордж Вуд, Джим Бредфорд и другие.

[RUS]

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April 25, 2025 · 3:20 pm

16 000 СТОРІНОК ІСТОРИЧНИХ ВИДАНЬ  П’ЯТДЕСЯТНИКІВ- СЛОВ’ЯН  ТЕПЕР ДОСТУПНІ ОНЛАЙН

Д-р Віталій Гура — український п’ятидесятницький історик і викладач, який у 2022 році переїхав до США та нині працює у Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (архівний і дослідницький центр Асамблей Божих у США). Зараз він працює над проєктом по збору та цифровій обробці найважливіших слов’янських п’ятидесятницьких видань.

У березні 2025 року перша частина матеріалів, що складається  з 16 131 сторінок слов’янських п’ятидесятницьких публікацій була завантажена на сайт Консорціуму п’ятидесятницьких архівів (The Consortium of Pentecostal Archives або CPA) — https://pentecostalarchives.org. До цієї колекції увійшли: 8 291 сторінок українською, 7 600 — російською, та 240 — польською мовами.

Віталій Гура зібрав ці рідкісні видання у співпраці з іншими відомими п’ятидесятницькими дослідниками з України, Канади та США, зокрема: Михайлом Мокієнком, Олегом Борноволоковим, Михайлом Хром’яком, Дмитром Ковалем та Романом Онуфрійчуком.

Віталій Гура зазначає:
«Мої колеги й попередники роками подорожували селами й містами колишнього Радянського Союзу, збираючи матеріали, які документують історію п’ятидесятницьких церков у Східній Європі. Я щиро радий, що ці видання тепер доступні онлайн для дослідників з усього світу.»

Команда українських п’ятидесятницьких дослідників: Віталій Гура, Дмитро Коваль, Валерій Федоронович, Михайло Хром’як, Олег Борноволоков, Михайло Мокієнко (УНІАН, Київ, Україна, 2021).

Сайт CPA надає доступ до цих публікацій у високоякісному, зручному для користувача, текстово-пошуковому цифровому форматі.

Консорціум п’ятидесятницьких архівів (CPA), заснований у 2011 році, є спільною ініціативою архівів п’ятидесятницького руху, спрямованою на безкоштовне надання матеріалів онлайн.  Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC) був одним із засновників CPA. За словами директора FPHC Дарріна Роджерса, сайт CPA стає «основою глобальних досліджень п’ятидесятництва та богословської освіти служителів».

Посилання на важливі слов’янські п’ятидесятницькі публікації

Серед найбільш значущих слов’янських видань на сайті CPA — публікації, видані в Одесі (Україна) місіонером Асамблей Божих Іваном Воронаєвим (1885–1937), одним із ключових піонерів слов’янського п’ятидесятницького руху.

До них належать:

Густав Герберт Шмідт також був впливовою фігурою в історії п’ятидесятництва серед східнослов’янських народів. Як місіонер Асамблей Божих, він очолював у Данцигу (Польща) Російсько-Східноєвропейську місію та Біблійний інститут, а також з 1929 по 1939 рік був редактором журналу Примиритель (Reconciler). На сайті CPA представлено повну колекцію з 83 видань цього журналу — загалом 1008 сторінок.

Вперше в інтернеті став доступним і україномовний журнал Будівничий Церкви Божої (Builder of Church of God), що видавався у 1930-х роках Дем’яном Герасевичем — братом Івана Гериса, одного з піонерів Церкви Божої Томлінсона в Україні (нині — Церква Божа в Пророцтвах).

Ще однією цінною знахідкою є 15 випусків польського п’ятидесятницького журналу Przystęp (1936–1939) — важливого джерела для дослідження дії Святого Духа серед слов’ян Східної Європи.

Сучасна історія українського п’ятидесятництва представлена у журналі Благовісник (Evangelist), який видавався з 1992 по 2024 рік під редакцією Юрія Вавринюка.

Слов’янські п’ятидесятники часто мігрували по світу, засновуючи церкви в діаспорі. Про їхнє життя та служіння в Латинській Америці (Аргентина, Бразилія, Парагвай, Уругвай) свідчать 36 випусків журналу Християнський Вісник (Christian Herald) (1955–1963).

Історію українського відділення Асамблей Божих у США документує журнал Євангельський Паломник (Evangelical Pilgrim, 1941–1970), редактором якого був Фред Смольчук. До архіву також включено ранній американський журнал російською мовою Путешественник (The Traveller, 1925–1931), який видавали служителі Асамблей Божих США — Самуїл Василенко і Демʼян Матисюк.

Онлайн-архів також включає кілька книг Івана Зінчика (1924–2001) — відомого канадського радіопроповідника українського походження.

Особливо цікавою є машинописна праця Анни Багдансарян, у якій описано шлях міграції слов’янських п’ятидесятників до США через Китай, Філіппіни, Австралію та Південну Америку у період 1920-х – 1950-х років.

Велику богословську цінність становлять дві збірки статей про дари Святого Духа, написані Дональдом Джі (1891–1966) — британським лідером Асамблей Божих. Його праці мали широку популярність у Східній Європі й дають глибоке розуміння розвитку п’ятидесятницької пневматології в першій половині XX століття.

Сучасне богословське осмислення хрещення Святим Духом і систематизацію п’ятидесятницького вчення представлено у п’ятитомному виданні Слово про Бога: Євангельське богослов’я для східних християн (Word about God: Evangelical Theology for Eastern Christians) авторства д-ра Томаса Веспетала. На сайті CPA також представлено ще чотири праці Веспетала та чотири книги відомих п’ятидесятницьких богословів д-рів Вільяма та Роберта Мензісів:

(Christ-Centered: The Evangelical Nature of Pentecostal Theology)

(Pentecost: This Story is Our Story)

(Speaking in Tongues: Jesus and the Apostolic Church as Models for the Church Today)

(Spirit and Power: Foundations of a Pentecostal Experience)

Також в архіві представлені журнали Духовні джерела (українською) та Духовные источники (російською) — глибокі пасторські матеріали, які видає Life Publishers. У цих журналах публікувались статті таких лідерів Асамблей Божих США, як Джордж Вуд, Джим Бредфорд та інші.

[UKR]

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April 24, 2025 · 3:32 pm

Charlie Lee: Acclaimed Navajo Artist and Assemblies of God Pastor

This Week in AG History — April 24, 1960

By Darrin J. Rodgers
Originally published on AG-News, 24 April 2025

Charlie Lee (1924-2003), a talented young Navajo artist, won widespread recognition and numerous awards for his paintings and sketches of life on the reservation. Despite his success, Lee felt dissatisfied with his life. In the fall of 1947, an Apache school friend invited him to visit an Assemblies of God church at the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona, where he found new life and accepted Christ on New Year’s Day, 1948.

Feeling called to the ministry, Lee enrolled at Central Bible Institute in Springfield, Missouri. He graduated in 1951 and traveled extensively as an evangelist among Native Americans. In 1953, Lee and his wife, Coralie, returned to his home state of New Mexico and pioneered Mesa View Assembly of God in Shiprock. Lee wanted to share the hope he had found in Christ with other Native Americans.

Lee continued to paint, mostly depictions of Native life, but his primary concern was ministry. Within 10 years, his congregation grew to several hundred people, mostly converts who had previously been addicted to alcohol or other drugs.

Lee became one of the best-known Native American pastors within the Assemblies of God. His congregation in Shiprock, in 1976, became the first Native American church on a federally recognized reservation to make the transition from being a supported mission to a fully indigenous, self-supporting, General Council-affiliated church. While some non-Christians criticized Lee for neglecting his art in favor of ministry, Lee responded that he derived a “greater thrill” from seeing the “Master Artist” painting on the canvas of people’s lives.

Read Lee’s testimony, “Navajo Artist Builds a Church for His People,” which was published on pages 8 and 9 of the April 24, 1960, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “Africa As I Saw It,” by C.C. Crace

• “Busy Mother Ministers to the Blind,” by Maxine Strobridge

• “Has God Forgotten?” by Meyer and Alice Tan-Ditter

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

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/

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April 17, 2025 · 11:46 am

First Beatnik Chapel in New York City Opened by Ann Wilkerson in 1963

Mom Wilkerson (left) and Fay Mianulli (center) speaking with a man outside The Lost Coin coffeehouse in Greenwich Village, New York; circa 1968.

This Week in AG History — April 19, 1964

By Darrin J. Rodgers
Originally published on AG-News, 17 April 2025

Ann Wilkerson (1907-1997) opened the first “beatnik chapel” in New York City in 1963. The mother of Assemblies of God evangelist David Wilkerson, she assisted him in ministry since the early years of his work with gang members, drug addicts, and other members of the counterculture. The April 19, 1964, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel provided a fascinating glimpse into Ann’s work.

Ann and ministry partner Fay Mianulli pioneered the chapel ministering to beatniks. It officially opened in November 1963 and initially went by the name Catacomb Chapel, referring to its location in a basement café at 99 MacDougal Street. 

Ann and Fay canvassed the neighborhood, distributing small handbills that read, “Come for a unique experience in religious conversation,” also touting light refreshments. People strolling in the heart of Greenwich Village could hear strains of “The Old Rugged Cross” coming from Catacomb Chapel mingled with the sounds of live jazz performances in the neighborhood. 

The chapel was open from 8 p.m. until midnight every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Those who wandered into the dim chapel soon discovered that Bibles replaced the ash trays in the former coffeehouse, and coffee and doughnuts were the only refreshments offered. A young woman name Laurie, a recent convert who formerly was a professional musician, set the mood by playing the guitar and singing gospel hymns. 

Ann and Fay were older than most of the visitors to the chapel, and their outward appearance may not have matched the area’s vibe of cultural revolution. However, they loved, mothered, and shared the gospel with countless people who might not otherwise darken the doors of a church — including young drug addicts, people involved in a homosexual lifestyle, and beatniks.

The Catacomb Chapel’s success in attracting members of the counterculture led to its demise. The owners evicted Ann and Fay because they drew too many “undesirables.” Undaunted, they started two new coffeehouses: The Lost Coin on Sullivan Street; and The Living Room on St. Marks Place. They made many referrals to Teen Challenge, the drug rehab ministry started by David Wilkerson, and saw many young people come to Christ.

“Mom” — as Ann was often called — was a fearless soulwinner. One day she was preaching in the streets in a Greenwich Village park and attracted a large crowd. The police came by and instructed her to leave, lest they throw her in the paddy wagon. Mom responded, “Go get the paddy wagon,” and the crowd broke into laughter. She then broke up the meeting and told the crowd, “If anyone wants to hear more, I’m going down to the Lost Coin.” Many followed her. 

Ann Wilkerson lived her life to share Christ’s love with others, she never compromised the gospel message, and she was respected by even the rowdiest people. 

Read, “New York’s First Beatnik Chapel Opens,” on page 7 of the April 19, 1964, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “I Remember,” by Joseph Wannenmacher

• “Dimensions of Divine Love,” by Lloyd Christiansen

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

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/

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