Oakwood University - Acorn Yearbook (Huntsville, AL)

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Church school group, Detroit, Michigan 1957. Q l F W '!? N911 . -A 0 as .75 el 'h s .A a. : 1 I v I L I 616 'l-I... black leaders. But the church turned a deaf ear, and at that time, several of our leading black pastors left the orgnized church. J.K. Humphrey organized the first black conference, churches were es- tablished in America and in the West Indies. And there were other conditions existing in the church organization which placed the black believer and the black pastor in a position of inferiority. Now here are some examples which I think are very important to an un- derstanding ofthe subject we are endeavoring to present. I have already referred to the operation of the committees, par- ticularly in the Southland, and how it was more or less a rubber stamp committee. Then secondly, there was inequality of wages and allowances. For example, a black minister in Atlanta with a church of 500, with I5-20 years of service, would have a salary less than that of a young white pastor with a church of one hundred members. I can recall that when I first went to the Southwestern Union as union evangelist, one ofthe first prerequisites I laid down was the fact-of equality of salaries. That was in 1946. Thirdly, there were limited funds for church and school build- ings. Surprisingly, very few churches were built for black congrega- tions during the years prior to regional conferences. There were limited funds for evangelism and very little equipment of any kind. . I 1 During this time, our black leaders were forced to attend sclircr ted meetings held by the church: that is. annual cittlliclls I remember an experience back in the early 3U's ol the Rui.. Council in Fort Worth, Texas. where our black leaders had to .. the service elevatorg of course, many refused lo do that. and th were branded as agitators. etc. During those days Scy enth-day .-X ventist blacks were not accepted in our hospitals and sanitari..:t The sanitarium in Washington did not permit blacks to enter un l940. Prior to that, there was a very tragic experience 'where woman who was very' ill was refused admittance and died later t R her way to Freedmen's Hospital. Blacks could not eat .it the view and Herald until the early l95O's. When Elders Peter and P terson had their oflice in the General Conference. they could :1 even have their meals at the cafeteria. lf was in the iqftllis bet. the largest white Seventh-day' Adventist church in Detroit accept its tirst black member, And. today. a Black Set enth-day AX ventist is not welcomed in the white church in Nlobile, sXl.th.i::' So you can see how the trend of segregation yytthit: the I ' continued, even though in the 50's many other clttlfclics opened their door, to say nothing of the change of climate .11 sports and in the other areas ofsociety. Conscqtiently, on iitc ey C I

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with the employment of a full time general secretary As has been already stated we numbered then only 900 but someone had a vi sion and the vision brought results We now number 15 000 and the advancement merits a full time secretary in each Union Con ference to spend his entire time in the duties outlined by the Au tumn Council of 1929 Elder Peter continued My plea for the perfecting and strength ening of the department I would also suggest that the negro Advi sory Committee be called together in 1942 and every two years thereafter Sufficient time should be given to discuss plans and rec ommendations for the development of the colored work with its own peculiar problems Personally I believe the present organiza tion known as the Negro Department can be made a more ideal system or organization for the Negro work of North America if fully carried out and broadened It is in harmony with the Spirit of Prophecy and in every conference where it is put into full opera tion there will be greater and larger returns to the cause of God As it is we are domg well but we can do better To put this organi zation full force where it is not now operating will of course call for expenditures ofa few more dollars but even from a business view point we must spend money to make money It must not be that 20 ' . r s 5 - ' a ' 7, . 65 . 1 , - . , ' 1 , - , . u s - ' 5 , - , . children of this world are the only generation wiser than the chil- dren of light. In closing, Brother Chairman, I ask for a continued confidence in the consecrated ability of Negro leaders. Give us a fair chance, a greater responsibility with our own people, and I assure you there will be yet greater results in the building up of the work of God as related to the great Advent Movement where all races should stand together, united and true for the completing of the task committed to us by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? Let me refer to three significant statements that Elder Peters made in his report: Q11 His appeal for confidence in the consecrated ability of Negro leaders. C25 His appeal for a fair chance of greater responsibility with our own people. C31 There will be greater results in the building up of the work of God as related to the great Ad- vent movement. I wonder what would have been the state of affairs today in our church as related to the development of our work among the blacks in the area of leadership and participation if the actions taken had been implemented. Recommendations are not worth the paper they are printed on unless they are carried out. For example, in 1929, the same appeal Elder Peters made in 1941 was made by our

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Lake Region Conference-First teacher's institute, January 6-8, 1946, Chicago, Illinois. ' 22. -3 M ' ,.,,',, historic years 1944 and91955, racial segregation was still the policy, though it was unwritten in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. And this condition led our church to its vital historic compromise that was the organization of regional conferences. When I think of the historic event, I am reminded of the words of Ellen G. White- until the Lord shows us a better way. This phrase is lifted from the statement made by Sister White in Vol- ume 9, pp. 206, 207, written at the turn of the century. It says in essence that because of the tensions between the races, because of the rigors ofJim Crowism, white and black believers would be wise to build and operate separate facilities, and that this is to be done until the Lord shows us a better wayf' It was for these very rea- sons that we made reference that Black Adventism was organized into separate local jurisdiction with black leaders. The meeting to organize conferences was in Chicago in 1944. I quote from the minutes of that historic meeting. Whereas the present development of our work among the col- ored people in North America had resulted under the signal bless- ings of God in the Establishment of some 233 churches with some 22 ,Jul- Qtr: as v,,, G0 P' 1 xv, 17,000 members, and whereas it appears that a different plan of or- ganization for our colored membership would bring further great advance in soul-winning endeavor, therefore we recognized, that colored conferences sustain the same relation to their respective union conferences as to their white conferences. Some leaders who played key roles in the establishment of black conferences were G.E. Peters, J.H. Wagner, L.H. Bland, J.G. Da- sent, J.G. Thomas, H.W. Kibble, T.M. Rowe and W.W. Fordham. It took us one whole century-from 1844 to 1944-to reach a membership of 17,000 in the Black constituency. In the 30 years since the organization of conferences, we have rocketed from 17,000 to l00,000. In 1929, at the Autumn Council Session in Columbus, Ohio, E1- der Peters made the appeal which I referred to earlier, Give us a fair chance and I assure you there will be yet greater results in the building up of the work of God as related to the great Advent Movement. We thank God that the chance was finally given to us in 1945 to demonstrate what God could do through consecrated black lead-