INTERNATIONAL PENTECOSTAL HOLINESS CHURCH

SPRING 1998Number 5

Celebrating 100 Years of MinistryCelebrating 100 Years of MinistryCelebrating 100 Years of MinistryCelebrating 100 Years of MinistryCelebrating 100 Years of Ministry

1898 - 19981898 - 19981898 - 19981898 - 19981898 - 1998

A publication of the

International PentecostalHoliness Church

Archives and Research Center

PO Box 12609Oklahoma City, OK 73157

(405) 787-7110Fax: (405) 789-3957Archives@iphc.org

http://www.pctii.org/arc/archives.html

Subscription rate $5 per year. All communi-cations, subscriptions, and donations of fundsor historical materials should be sent to theabove address.

Editor and Director of CenterDr. Harold D. Hunter

Managing EditorSondra D. Slater Hunter

Desktop PublishingKristy D. Cofer

Sondra D. Slater Hunter

General SuperintendentBishop James D. Leggett

LEGACY is published twice yearly.POSTMASTER: Send address changesto LEGACY, IPHC Archives and ResearchCenter, PO Box 12609, Oklahoma City,OK 73157.

COVER: On January 30, 1911, in theoctagon-shaped Pentecostal HolinessChurch building at Falcon, North Caro-lina, duly elected delegates met for thepurpose of effecting a consolidation be-tween the Pentecostal Holiness Church andthe Fire-Baptized Holiness Church. Suchwas accomplished by the close of the fol-lowing day. The name of the smallergroup, Pentecostal Holiness Church, wasaccepted for the new union. J.A. Culbretherected this structure in 1898 to honor Ho-liness meetings held in tents (thus theuniquely-shaped building). The Octagonbuilding served as a camp-meeting taber-nacle, a local church and an educationalbuilding. It was moved, restored, and for-mally rededicated on November 25, 1975.

Harold D. Hunter, Ph.D.Director

Archives and Research Center

“Not Living in the Past, ButLEARNING FROM THE PAST”

The purpose of our Archives is toradiate the light of Christ displayedthrough men and women in our history

to the church of today, while leaving an afterglow of Hisfaithfulness as a heritage for generations yet to come.

The mandate of the IPHC Archives and Research Center is toCOLLECT and PRESERVE historical records and tokeep alive the experiences of the church fromwhich we all may gain wisdom. We make thisvaluable information ACCESSable for use bychurch administrators, publishers, authors, scholars,students, and family members. Remember CPA!

The children of Abraham were taught to say: “Our father was an Armanean who wandered . . . “ (Deut. 26:5).

This story was told for many years. But God commanded that thestory be committed to writing. This helps explain why so manyChristians journey to Israel—because there is a writtenaccount that has been preserved about the acts ofGod in the land of Abraham.

In ancient Israel and in the apostolic age, chosen servants wereguided to commit to writing and thus to a permanent form, God’sword for the church. In due time the Jewish people lost not onlytheir ark and temple, but their land itself. Yet their heritage waspreserved in the sacred writings of the Law and the prophets.

When we think about the preservation of Scripture, we should alsonot forget the work of the scribes—those anonymous and faithfullaborers of the so-called “Dark Ages,” when civilization (in theclassical sense) was threatened on all sides and it was impossibleto multiply the books as we now do by the printing press—whopreserved scriptures by copying the manuscripts faithfully.

It’s A Birthday, A Milestone—A Celebration!Using the theme “Celebrate the Past - Seize the Future,” the IPHCwill observe two national celebrations of her centennial in 1998.The first will be held October 14 in Oklahoma City followed byFalcon, North Carolina on November 23-14. The IPHC Archivesand Research Center is committed to seizing the future, however, Continued on page 3

Rootsand

WINGS

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LEARNING FROM THE PAST continued

one cannot know where to go unlessthey know where they have been! Joinus in celebrating the rich past of achurch that has a promising future.

These celebrations will provide an op-portunity to honor the faithfulness ofGod and remember God’s chosen ser-vants. We cannot be so self-absorbedthat we fail to acknowledge those whohave gone before us. We will pauseand consider the plumbline seen bythe prophet Amos. A question we willface is, “Are we keeping God’s cov-enant with having raised up this Move-ment, the Azusa Street Revival, andthe IPHC in particular?”

Our sister church , the Fire-BaptizedHoliness Church of God of the Ameri-cas (FBHCGA) will celebrate their cen-tennial June 11 in Greenville, SouthCarolina. Special invitations havebeen extended to Bishop Leggett, Dr.Vinson Synan and Dr. Harold Hunter,but all are welcome to attend. BishopW.E. Fuller, Jr. , son of the legendaryBishop W.E. Fuller, Sr., will presideover the FBHCGA General Council.Bishop Fuller will also participate in theIPHC Centennial Celebration held inFalcon.

If you need more information on theFuller connection or like stories, theIPHC Archives and Research Centerhas made available the CentennialTimeline at the IPHC web site. I pro-vided commentary on most entries. Alonger version of this text will be dis-tributed by the Pentecostal World Con-ference when meeting September 22-25 in Seoul, Korea.

I extend a warm welcome to the fol-lowing newly-appointed IPHC confer-ence archivists: Rev. Orren Simpson ,Sonshine Conference; Mrs. FrancesAmos , South Carolina Conference;Mrs. Grace Bachelor , Mid-AtlanticConference; Rev. Leroy Baker , TexasConference; Rev. Damon Burrows ,Kansas Conference; Dr. C.R. Connor ,Applachian Conference; Rev. Albert

Maggard , Great Plains Conference.b

●We are pleased to announce thata Centennial History is beingwritten by Dr. Vinson Synan. Thisprolific and talented favorite son ofthe IPHC has distinguished himselfas a sympathetic, yet reliable,narrator of IPHC life. The book isscheduled for release in October.Pre-publication sales requestsshould be directed to Life SpringsResources.

●Thanks to Rev. D. ChrisThompson for conducting aseminar highlighting NorthCarolina historians and archivists.Held March 28 in Falcon, NC, thefeatured speaker was Dr. Harold D.Hunter , Director of the IPHCArchives and Research Center.Also participating in this event wasDr. Daniel Woods, author of arecent dissertation on IPHC history.Over 100 attended this event.

●The IPHC Archives and ResearchCenter was contacted by ChristianHistory magazine to provide digitalcopies of IPHC people and eventsfor a forthcoming issue dedicatedsolely to Pentecostalism. Thisspecial issue will also feature atimeline on Pentecostalism by Dr.Vinson Synan.

●Our successful search for one-hundred-year-old documents allowsus to feature the following duringthe centennial: Blood and Fire(Fire-Baptized Holiness hymnal, c.1895); The Guide (a publication ofthe Fire-Baptized Holinessorphanage in Oklahoma City startedin 1897); Live Coals of Fire (Fire-Baptized Holiness paper edited byB.H. Irwin , 1899-1900); and tractsby B.H. Irwin (1895). We are indesperate need of a photograph ofB.H. Irwin . Please let us know if

Take a NoteTake a NoteTake a NoteTake a NoteTake a Noteyou can help.●A joint meeting of The Societyfor Pentecostal Studies (SPS) andthe Wesleyan Theological Society(WTS) convened March 12-14 atthe Church of God TheologicalSeminary in Cleveland, Tennes-see. Rev. William Purinton , Dr.Daniel Woods, and Mr. StanYork presented papers on IPHChistory. All three utilized holdingsat the IPHC Archives and Re-search Center, in fact two traveledto Oklahoma City and spent sev-eral days in the center. Other par-ticipants included Dr. Harold D.Hunter and Dr. Vinson Synan.Archivists from SPS and WTS metand planned various joint ventures.Chief among them is a special con-ference in 1999 that will benefitIPHC historians and archivists.

●Duties as coeditor of thePentecostal Charismatic Churchesof North America (PCCNA)magazine, Reconciliation, led toan interview in early January withBishop Gilbert E. Patterson byDr. Harold D. Hunter. Dr. Hunteralso preached at BishopPatterson’s church, the Temple ofDeliverance, in Memphis onSunday morning. Preaching to thepacked auditorium proved to be ablessed experience. BishopPatterson’s services are broadcaston the Trinity BroadcastingNetwork.

●The IPHC Archives andResearch Center published the firstIPHC web page. Now, we are thefirst Pentecostal archives toprovide video-enabled onlinereference assistance. MicrosoftNetMeeting will be used at<ils.family.four11.com>. ContactMrs. Kaye Oxley for instructions.

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KKKKKansas Cityansas Cityansas Cityansas Cityansas City

23rd General Conference

Archives & Research Center Breakfast HighlightsExcerpts from

“Bits and Pieces”Speaker: Dr. A. D. Beacham, Jr.

August 9, 1997

The 1997 General Conferencemotto begins with the phrase,Celebrate the Past, as an invitationto Seize the Future. The drawing to

the left of the motto portraysmovement through anopen door following theflight of the Holy Spirit.It reminds us that theopen door and the pres-ence of the Holy Spiritare not just our experi-ence but are part of ourlegacy.

The fact that we are inthis city, with traceableroots to one branch of thechurch, adds to thesignificance of thisbreakfast. While there

have been commendable efforts atpreserving the artifacts of ourhistory, this marks the first time thatwe are able to celebrate and givethanks for the commitment ofdenominational leadership to thisvital effort. Bishop Underwood, Dr.Harold Hunter, the GEB and GBAare to be commended for supportingthis effort that will bear fruit in yearsto come.

Through the years many haveworked to preserve and record ourhistory. Among them are Dr. JosephCampbell, Dr. Vinson Synan, Rev.and Mrs. W. Eddie Morris, Mrs.Margaret Muse Drum, Rev. NoelBrooks, Rev. Smith Haley, BishopB.E. Underwood, and the regulararchives writings in what was theSouthern California ConferenceNews, to name a few. As I thought

of these efforts, three aspects of whythis is important came to mind.

First, it is important that wecatalog the fact that we belongtheologically and historically tothe Christian faith. We are nottheological deviants from thewitness of Scripture and apostolictradition. We may have need tosharpen our focus and speak moreclearly in certain areas, but in an agewhere truth is relative and memoryis short, it is imperative that wepreserve the facts of our theologicalheritage for the generation that willinherit the changes in knowledgeand learning accompanying theadvent of the 21st Century.

Second, related to the first, wemust preserve the accounts of the

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Archives and Research Director, Dr.Harold Hunter, presents a commendationplaque to Bishop B.E. Underwood.

Other participants at the breakfast included speakers Dr. Doug Beacham and Dr. Vinson Synan,songleader Rev. Laverne Tripp, and Rev. D. Chris Thompson, Conference Archivist for North Carolina.

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mighty acts of God in and throughthe lives of the people who havebeen God’s instruments in bring-ing us to this place in our history.If we use wisely the technologicalresources available to us, we will

preserve for another generation thefaces, voices, and actions of eventswhich are shaping the church as wewalk through the door of the future.But it is also vital that we find,preserve and present to our genera-tion those acts of God throughfaithful servants in previous decadesthat have shaped us.

Third, we need to remember thatthe people God has used are, toput it simply, people. Theylaughed, they cried, they made wiseand not-so-wise decisions, but theyloved the Lord Jesus Christ and thePentecostal Holiness Church. Wecan learn from their humor as wellas from the stark reality they facedin days of great economic and socialdifficulty.

That’s why I’ve titled this presenta-tion “Bits and Pieces.” Through theyears of my own study of the

church, I’ve run across somefunny, sad, and interesting thingsabout our history and the peoplewho made it. For instance, in the1933 Georgia Conference Min-utes, Superintendent G.F. Taylor

in his annual report wrote,�In addition to these services, I have filledmy place to the best of my ability asEditor of the Advocate and Sunday schoolliterature. With the exception of about 15minutes, I have lived this year exactly asI have desired; and this is the best record Ihave ever made in this world. My soul isnow sanctified, and I have the baptism ofthe Holy Spirit. �I’ve often wondered if those fewminutes were in relation to aconference board meeting! Thefact that Taylor was also presidentof the institute as well as pastor ofthe local church gives plenty ofopportunity for an interestingfifteen minutes!

Byon A. Jones, while president ofFranklin Springs Institute, re-corded in his diary for 1927 theseremarks:Monday, Jan. 17:Monday, Jan. 17:Monday, Jan. 17:Monday, Jan. 17:Monday, Jan. 17: Furnace out ofcommission. No school today. Wentover to Pruitte (funeral home) to

build a vault for burying SisterJordan. Has turned some warmertoday. May God give grace to Bro.Wily Jordan in this dark hour.

Tues. Jan 18:Tues. Jan 18:Tues. Jan 18:Tues. Jan 18:Tues. Jan 18: Taught school tillrecess. ThenBros. Todd,Nash, and Iand some ofthe singersfrom herewent to thefuneral atPruitte.Everythingwas carriedout in niceorder. Thepeople couldnot all get inthe church.Bro. Toddspoke first.Bro. Nashfollowed

them. Iconcluded. Notmany dry

eyes at close of service. Helped get out Advocate

tonight.Friday, Jan. 21:Friday, Jan. 21:Friday, Jan. 21:Friday, Jan. 21:Friday, Jan. 21: Another fine spring day. SisterKing gave me a rooster and a pulletwhich makes us 5 hens now. None ofus felt like going to service tonight.Usually some of us go.

Sat. Jan. 22:Sat. Jan. 22:Sat. Jan. 22:Sat. Jan. 22:Sat. Jan. 22: Worked 8 hours in shoptoday. My boil which is over the lefteye this time has hurt me a bit today. Ihave lots of boils. I have heard they areworth $5.00 each.

Wed. Jan. 26:Wed. Jan. 26:Wed. Jan. 26:Wed. Jan. 26:Wed. Jan. 26: Raining and badtoday and tonight. I find more andmore as days go by that I am filling aplace before I am prepared for it. I needto go to school at least 5 more yearsthen I could do better I feel.

Mon. Jan. 31:Mon. Jan. 31:Mon. Jan. 31:Mon. Jan. 31:Mon. Jan. 31: Fine day. We aretrying to live as cheaply as possible ese

About 120 brave and energetic souls defied the dark early morning hours to attend the breakfast.

behind every day. Some one has said,�if you can�t make both ends meat, tomake one of them vegetables.�

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“BITS and PIECES” continued

Sun. Feb. 27: Sun. Feb. 27: Sun. Feb. 27: Sun. Feb. 27: Sun. Feb. 27: Bro. King preacheda fine sermon today. He is a greatpreacher. I wonder if I shall everamount to anything as a preacher oranything else for that matter.

Finally, I want to include someeditorial comments from the lateBlanche L. King, widow of BishopKing, and at the time of this writing,assistant editor of the Advocate(H.T. Spence was the editor). Thecolumn, titled “I Wonder if WeMight . . .” was her observationsabout annual conferences and campmeetings. Found in the January 24,1952 Advocate, she wondered “if wemight change our ways a bit.”

“I sometimes attend our annual conferences,and unlike many ladies, I rather enjoy thebusiness sessions. However, there arecertain phases of these sessions that areworse than dull — they are almost exasper-ating. I am thinking particularly of that partof the conference that usually follows

immediately after the opening devotionalperiod — the roll call. I have been in large

conferences, held in tents or open taber-nacles, when the secretary endeavored toenroll the ministers and church delegates.He usually gets along fairly well with theministers who are present, for they have onlyto answer “Here” or “Present.” But whenhe hears no response he hesitates to pass on,wondering, evidently, if the minister hasfailed to hear his name, or if the secretaryhas failed to hear the minister’s response.But he finishes the ministerial roll andbegins the roll call of churches.

“‘Mossy Meadows’ or ‘Happy Hollow’ iscalled, and a timid little sister rises to giveher name. But her courage and her voicefail her, and she can scarcely be heard evenby those who are near. The secretary putshis hand behind his ear and asks her toplease repeat the name. The presidingBishop is sympathetic and strains forward inan effort to hear what she says. Everyone inthe audience turns and looks at her, somesympathetically and some not so benignlydisposed. By this time she is so frightenedshe has almost forgotten her own name.

“There might possibly be a trumpet-voicedpreacher near who has understood her

name and shouts it out, and the little sisterblushingly takes her seat. Or perhaps noone is so obliging, and the puzzled secretarywrites down what it sounds like and passeson. In the meantime the Bishop is sitting onthe platform, fanning himself furiously,thinking of the business that should bedisposed of in this particular session, andhow fast the time is going by; and the peopleare getting tired and wondering how longbefore dinner will be served.”

Mrs. King, seeing the wasted timeand confusion, makes a recommen-dation to institute a registrationbooth at the beginning of everyannual conference.

Yes, the history of the PentecostalHoliness Church is filled with thiskind of humor, insight, personalstruggles, and desires to improve.We can learn a lot from it that willencourage us and remind us of whatwe can be about as we walk through

this door of the future.b

Come On . . . Let’s Celebrate100 Years

Suggestions for Celebrating the IPHC Centennial at Your Local Church ● Publicize the event with local media. ● Plan a centennial month. Showcase Notify media about the national historical vignettes of prominent IPHC centennial and your local celebration. figures in your Sunday services. ● Run a series of short articles or ● Set up a “Centennial Moments” display in interesting facts titled Centennial church foyer. Highlight major events, Moments in your church bulletin. founder(s), pastors, members, educators, ● Dress church choir in period clothes missionaries, evangelists, etc. and sing century-old hymns. ● Present a multimedia history of IPHC, ● Contact the IPHC Archives and your conference, your local church. Research Center to purchase a ● Engage sister churches; seek centennial video. r reconciliation, offer affirmation.

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International Pentecostal Holiness Church International Pentecostal Holiness Church International Pentecostal Holiness Church International Pentecostal Holiness Church International Pentecostal Holiness Church

Heritage SocietyHeritage SocietyHeritage SocietyHeritage SocietyHeritage SocietyThe need for financial supporters of the IPHC Archives and Research Center led us tofound the International Pentecostal Holiness Church Heritage Society for which we areseeking charter members.

To Become A MemberMembership dues in the Society will be $250 per quadriennium and will entitle membersto:

● A 4-year subscription to LEGACY.● An attractive certificate suitable for framing.● Member�s engraved name on the IPHC Heritage Society Honor Roll which is prominently displayed in our new Archives and Research Center facility.

These memberships will be renewed at the beginning of each new quadriennium.Lifetime memberships may be acquired for a onetime $1,000 gift. Married couplesqualify for the same cost of membership. (For example, Dr. & Mrs. Harold D. Hunterwould pay $250 per quadriennium or $1,000 for a lifetime membership.)

The $250 membership may be two separate $125 payments; the $1,000 lifetimemembership may be paid in four installments of $250. Subscriptions to LEGACY andcertificate issuance will become effective with the first payment. Membership must bepaid in full, however, before engraving of name on Honor Roll.

In MemoriaThe IPHC Heritage Society offers In Memoria inscriptions for a deceased individual ormarried couple. You may memorialize family, friends and leaders who have greatlyinfluenced your life with a onetime donation of $250. The honoree�s name will beengraved on a special section of the Honor Roll. What a wonderful way to honor thosepioneers who played a great role in the heritage we are preserving.

Why a Heritage Society?Expenses for basic staffing at the IPHC Archives and Research Center are part of theRDC commitment. However, many costs that relate to document restoration,equipment (microfiche, microfilm, camera, computer hardware and software, etc.)needs and maintenance, development of film, library shelving, storage containers, etc.,make the burden more than RDC resources can support.

Therefore, we call on those who understand the importance of preserving our heritageand keeping open the doors of a viable research center for Pentecostal Holinessmembers, friends and interested scholars, to step forward. Become an IPHC HeritagePartner today with a membership and show your support. Membership fees are taxdeductible. Call Mrs. Kaye Oxley at (405) 787-7110 (ext. 3132) or write to the Archivesand Research Center to receive information and an application.

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International PentecostalHoliness Church

Archives & Research CenterP.O. Box 12609

Oklahoma City, OK 73157-2609

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Heritage SocietyHeritage SocietyHeritage SocietyHeritage SocietyHeritage SocietyCCCCCharter Memberharter Memberharter Memberharter Memberharter Membersssss

LIFETIMELIFETIMELIFETIMELIFETIMELIFETIME MEMBERSMEMBERSMEMBERSMEMBERSMEMBERSRev. Daisy Morris

Falcon, NC N. Carolina Conference

Falcon, NC

MEMBERS FORMEMBERS FORMEMBERS FORMEMBERS FORMEMBERS FOR1998-20011998-20011998-20011998-20011998-2001

QUADRENNIUMQUADRENNIUMQUADRENNIUMQUADRENNIUMQUADRENNIUMDr. & Mrs. Harold Hunter

Oklahoma City, OK

Ms. Ruby AlcornTallahassee, FL

Rev. & Mrs. Bill AndersonHot Springs, AR

Mr. John W. CampbellFayetteville, NC

Ed & Lois A. HensonShawsville, VA

Ms. Clara L. IngramLexington, SC

Mrs. Etheleen C. RussellMontgomery, Alabama

Mrs. Harrison H. ValentineFort Smith, AR

IN MEMORIAMIN MEMORIAMIN MEMORIAMIN MEMORIAMIN MEMORIAMRev. Harrison H.Valentine

Fort Smith, AR

Thanks to these who have joinedour list of valuable contributors.

Document Contributions● Edna Parker-Dunn, NC: Copy of herbook titled Just Me (Vignettes of a MissionaryWife) - autobiography covering the 45 yearsshe served alongside her husband, John, asIPHC missionaries to four continents.

● Irene O. DeFontes -Baltimore,MA: Copy of her book titled People of theNight - autobiography covering the years sheserved as an IPHC missionary nurse to thepeople of South Africa from 1946-1963.● Bert Synan -Royston, GA: Centennialinformation and a brick from the original churchbuilding of the 100-year-old IPHC congregationin Royston.

● Grace Bachelor-Baltimore, MA:Old copy of Lifeline magazine from the days ourIPHC youth were called “Lifeliners.”● Charles Jones-Oklahoma City,OK: Copy of his book titled Black Holiness - AGuide to the Study of Black Participation inWesleyan Perfectionist and GlossolalicPentecostal Movements (a bibliography ofblack Holiness churches).

● Roberta Shealy-Winterville, GA:Copies of old Advocates.

● Carl Sexton-Liberty, SC: Variousitems from churches in the Upper SouthCarolina Conference.

● Louise Smith-Chocowinity, NC:Book titled The Devil published in1907 by G.F.Taylor; copy of the 1911 Discipline.

● Smith Haley-Macon, GA: Inserts tohis historical notebooks which are a part of theSmith Haley Collection here in the IPHCArchives & Research Center.

● Dorothy Gilbert-Oklahoma City,OK: 1957 California Conference camp

meeting picture.

● Hazel Wetman-Ontario, Canada:Various tracts, newspaper articles, notes fromThe Full Gospel Tabernacle in Mount Dennis,Ontario; 1931 Minutes of the Second AnnualSession of the Ontario Conference of thePentecostal Holiness Church ;1929 Discipline;1942 edition of Salvation Army New Testamentw/songs.

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDOklahoma City, OK

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