The Church of God Historical Commission recently announced that Louis F. Morgan is the recipient of the Charles W. Conn Historical Writing Award for his Streams of Living Water, a history of the Church of God in Mississippi.
Written in 2009 on the occasion of one hundred years of Church of God ministry in Mississippi, Morgan’s book is the first known Church of God history published as an e-book. It is available free of charge on the internet and can be read online at http://www.louismorgan.info/mshistory.html or downloaded and printed.
Morgan currently serves as Assistant Professor and Librarian for Public Service and Learning at Lee University. A faculty member at Lee since 2003, he previously served as archivist at the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center. Morgan earned a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Regent University (Virginia Beach, Virginia) in 2009. A native of Mississippi and a licensed minister, Morgan’s publications include two books and more than thirty academic and inspirational articles. He frequently speaks at local churches and was recently appointed chairman of the historical commission for the Church of God in Tennessee.
The Church of God International Executive Council created the Charles W. Conn Historical Writing Award in 2002 to honor long-time Church of God author and historian Charles W. Conn. Conn wrote the most significant history of the Church of God in 1955. When Like a Mighty Army was revised in 1977, the Church of God designated Conn as Church Historian. Following his passing, Pathway Press published a tribute edition of in 2008.
The mission of the Historical Commission is “To preserve and perpetuate the history and heritage of the Church of God and its global Pentecostal mission.” The Commission gives special attention to the collecting and preserving of historical documents, to the writing of history, and to promoting occasions for the church to remember, appreciate and celebrate our heritage.
The Charles W. Conn Historical Writing Award and the biennial Church of God Heritage Exhibit at the International General Assembly are among the ministries of the Historical Commission. The Commission selects a book each General Assembly period to receive the writing award. The Heritage Exhibit has been a popular attraction at Assemblies since 1996. The Dixon Pentecostal Research Center creates the exhibit around a theme highlighting an important aspect of Church of God heritage. This year’s exhibit, “Into All the World,” is a celebration of the centennial of world missions and can be viewed in the exhibit hall.