“We must have materials for our youth,” Peter C. Hickson (1902-1984) wrote to Church of God General Overseer S.W. Latimer in October 1932. This passionate request revealed a heart for youth ministry along with a recognition of the importance and power of the printed word that would guide this emerging black leader throughout his inspiring ministry.
“Tuesday, Meeting here tonight…. Ruth Bishop, Joel L. Bishop, Helen Swanson, Rufus Hulbert, Father, Mother, Harold, Helga, Grace and I joined in on the Church of God tonight. Walkers, [Reinholdt] Klaudt and Helen [Swanson] stayed all night,” Clara Peterson (1905-1942) wrote in her diary on May 28, 1929.
This is the story of a radio station with a soul.
In the 1920s, the Moreland Evangelistic Party, comprised of David Ray Moreland; his wife, Mary; and their daughters Lourenna and Ollena, became one of the best know evangelistic families in the Church of God.
“And help us to stay faithful until the end,” visitors to the H.L. Chesser home heard as each mealtime blessing concluded. Those who knew Hallie Louticious Chesser knew that these words were not only the prayer of his lips, but they were also words by which he lived his life. H.L. Chesser (1898-1987) knew what it was to come from a family of humble means.
“Robert, come with me to a mission where the people speak in ‘other tongues,’ as they did in the early church. I tell you it is all so wonderful. Every time I go there, I am blessed.” With that brief but enthusiastic invitation from his father, Robert Cook and his wife, Anna, found themselves in the Upper Room Mission on South Spring Street in Los Angeles, California.
