When history speaks
Apr 16, 2018Such is the case for Mother Earlynn McDowell, granddaughter of the late Bishop C. H. Mason, founder of the Church of God in Christ. On December 20, 2015, she will be in Minnesota speaking at the Minnesota Branch of the C. H. Mason Historical Society Annual Fire Side Chat. She will be sharing intimate stories about her life and that of her grandfather.Mother Earlynn McDowell has a story to tell. The Church of God in Christ, Inc. (COGIC) is a Christian organization in the Holiness-Pentecostal tradition. It is the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. The membership is predominantly African American with more than six million members. The Church has congregations in 63 countries around the world. Mother Earlynn McDowell is able to give us an amplified view of the founder and his impact on the world. From the pulpit where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his last sermon, to the funeral services for Malcolm X, the Church of God in Christ has been at the center of Black history. This is in the backdrop of this rich history that makes Mother McDowell a sought after speaker throughout the country.Mother McDowell is the daughter of Mrs. Lelia Mason Byas, and the fifth grandchild of Bishop Mason. She remembers vividly that when she was child the Byas home in Detroit was always busy with people. She recalls, “People were constantly coming and going in and out of our house. Everybody wanted to see my grandfather. He would visit many churches and convocations, but I just wanted my grandfather to myself.” Mother McDowell is rich in COGIC history. Her mother Lelia was the GOCI historian.In a 2012 interview with the D. J. Young Heritage Foundation, Mother McDowell shared what she would like to emphasize to this generation. “We need to know who we are and what we have in Christ Jesus. We need to emphasize study of the Word. The Word is our foundation. We need to emphasize prayer. When nothing else works, pray, when you’ve done everything you can do. Prayer succeeds when everything else fails. No matter how much education we receive from theological sch... (Insight News)
