]> PUBLIC "-//The New York Public Library//TEXT (US::NN::Sc MG 477::Alexander and Shirlene Stewart Pentecostal Collection, 1925-1993)//ENG" "scmgassp.xml" Inventory of the Alexander and Shirlene Stewart Pentecostal Collection, 1925-1993 Processed by Christine McKay; machine-readable finding aid created by Apex Data Services; revised by Terry Catapano.

© 2000 The New York Public Library. Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations. All rights reserved.

 Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, April 1999. Description is in English October 16, 2006 EAD v1.0 finding aid converted to EAD 2002 using UC Berkeley's eadv1to2002.pl perl script. Inventory of the Alexander and Shirlene Stewart Pentecostal Collection, 1925-1993 Sc Mg 477 Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture The New York Public Library New York, New York Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. New York Public Library. 515 Malcolm X Boulevard New York, NY 10037-1801 (212) 491-2224 scmarbref@nypl.org http://nypl.org/research/sc/scm/marb.html Christine McKay May 1993 Apex Data Services; Terry Catapano

©2000 The New York Public Library. Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations. All rights reserved.
Preface

This inventory was prepared under the auspices of the Preservation of the Black Religious Heritage Project of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The project, which was funded by the Lilly Endowment, was established to identify, preserve and acquire primary research materials essential for the documentation of African-American religious life.

 Descriptive Summary Alexander and Shirlene Stewart Pentecostal Collection, 1925-1993. Sc Mg 477 1/2 archives box (.2 linear ft.). The New York Public Library Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture English Administrative Information Source

Provenance: Gift of Alexander and Shirlene Stewart

SCM93-5

 Historical Note

The Alexander and Shirlene Stewart Pentecostal Collection was donated by Alexander Stewart, Assistant Historian of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, to complement the DuPree African-American Pentecostal Collection. It documents the doctrines and activities of four African-American Pentecostal denominations: Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, founded by Robert C. Lawson in 1919; Bible Way Church World Wide, founded by Smallwood Williams in 1927 as a Washington, D.C. congregation of Lawson's Church and incorporated as a denomination in 1927; Church of The Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, founded by Sherrod C. Johnson in 1933 after a split with Lawson; and United Pentecostal Council of the Assemblies of God, founded in 1919 to assist missions.

 Scope and Content Note

The collection includes miscellaneous programs, clippings, correspondence, sermons, articles, journals, and other printed material.

Series Description/Container List 1 1 Bible Way Church World Wide, 1991

The folder includes programs for memorial services for Smallwood Williams and his daughter, musician and educator Pearl Williams-Jones, and an obituary for Smallwood Williams.

 Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith

The folders contain miscellaneous correspondence; clippings on Refuge Temple in New York and Robert C. Lawson, and Solomon's Temple in Detroit, and its pastor William L. Bonner; several issues of <emph render="italic">Contender of the Faith; </emph>a souvenir journal for Solomon's Temple; a 1932 brochure for Lawson's Industrial Union Training School in North Carolina; and other printed material. Also included are writings by Lawson and Bonner, including a lesson on homosexuality, and a scholarly paper on missions by Alexander Stewart with a response by Kenneth D. Gill.

 1 2 Miscellaneous Correspondence and Printed Material, 1925-1993 1 3 Writings of William L. Bonner, 1977-1979 1 4 Writings of Robert C. Lawson, n.d. 1 5 Church of The Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, 1948-1991

The folder includes a 1948 issue of <emph render="italic">Guiding Light </emph>containing a sermon by Sherrod C. Johnson and biographical information; an obituary for Johnson; excerpts from a statement regarding the church dress code; and a 1989 letter discussing the death of Johnson and subsequent split in the denomination.

 1 6 United Pentecostal Council of the Assemblies of God, 1991

The folder contains a program of the 72d National Convention with a historical statement and lists of officers and tenets of faith.