New Page 1

Charles H. Mason & Mother Lizzie Robinson Museum

Home News and Events History Who's Who Business Directory Church Directory Books and CD's

Products and Services Staff and Advisory Contact Us

National Museum of African American Religions

We thank Bishop L. H. Ford for promoting and restoring the history of the women in the Church of God in Christ. By acknowledging in 1992 at a press conference, the importance of Mother Lizzie Robinson as an organizer of the church and giving a proclamation from World Headquarters acknowledging her contribution in enhancing the growth of the Church of God in Christ.


In 1895, Bishop Charles Harrison Mason was the only denomination founded by African Americans that has an original doctrine not assimilated from White Protestant religions.	August 21, 1992, Elder Elijah L. Hill obtained the street naming for the first female to obtain a street change in the state of Nebraska in the city of Omaha called "Lizzie Robinson Avenue."

In 1917 President Woodrow Wilson agreed in the Congress of the United States of America in the selective service for WWI. At that time Germany began to invade United States peace time ships. Bishop Charles Harrison Mason wrote a telegraph to Washington D.C. to the president to negotiate on how the Church of God in Christ would not violate their 14th Amendment right to not bare arms based upon their religion. The President sent Bishop Mason a request to visit him at the White House, and by this invitation Mason became the first African American denominational leader to be invited by the president of the United States. Bishop Charles Harrison Mason had set a precedence as being a non-violent conscience objector surrounding WWI maintaining his religious faith. Ironically, the Federal Bureau of Investigation still opened up a file against Mason arresting him in Lexington, MS, and in Paris, Texas. The only way Mason got off of the charges of treason was the God gave him favor when the Judge looked at who Mason was he stated, "I will not have anything to do with this man." He dropped the FBI's case.	1918 October the Federal Bureau of Investigation opened an FBI file on Mother Lizzie Robinson because she was a part of Bishop Charles Harrison Mason's organization that believed in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. She was jailed for her religious beliefs and for being a leader of the women's movement of the Church of God in Christ during an era where Women's Suffrage Rights hadn't been born. The Klu Klux Klan didn't want to acknowledge her as a female leader individual crowds rotten egged her when she entered certain cities because of lack of finances she entered on foot she was imprisoned often for her faith, rotten-egged, and beaten for teaching the word of God as a African American female pioneer leader of her day. Mother realized that she had to continue because she had to leave a foundation for other women that would stand upon her shoulders that women' ministry would be a part of the next generations future.

In 1916, the above picture is Kaiser William Wilhelm II started WWI in Europe that later also got America involved in WWI. Bishop Charles Harrison Mason spoke of the Kaiser in his sermon in 1918 at a Baptismal service in Memphis, Tennessee. Bishop Mason spoke of global events in the world, and prophesied that the Kaiser would not succeed in his aggressions in Europe, and ironically Mason also admonished President Woodrow Wilson for calling the United States to pray before he decided to get involved in WWI. Bishop C.H. Mason was making history by being vocal about world events during the time of "Jim Crow" in America, but Mason believed that God was greater than the Kingdoms of this World.	In 1925 Mother Lizzie Robinson introduced the Global vision too Bishop Charles Harrison Mason to move it's vision from the United States to Overseas, he consented and she sent women missionaries to various countries to spread the Church of God in Christ faith in many countries throughout the world. The Home and Foreign Mission Departments was under her care under the Women's department, and she traveled throughout the United States establishing Home and Foreign Missions in every Church of God in Christ church to raise funds for global missions to fund the early women missionaries who established the first foundation of mission within the Church of God in Christ organization.

In 1911-1915, Bishop Charles Harrison Mason established fellowships with white Pentecostals who later used his name and ordination in order to access the rights for clergy to ride trains for free Mason's organization was one of the earlier Pentecostal bodies that had been organized with a legal charter in the United States	During the 100th Year Centennial Azusa Street Celebration in March 2006 the Assembly of God's Theological Seminary Professors Dr. Deborah M. Gill, Ph.D., and Dr. James H. Riley, Jr., D. Th. Listed and reviewed the book "Women Come Alive" as a significant historical text in 20th Century Pentecostals history surrounding women's achievement in Christian history. Click on this to review their reviews.

In the Azusa Street Revival that occurred in 1906-1911 in Los Angeles, California one of Bishop William J. Seymour's themes was written on the side of his interracial church that stated, "Who so ever Will May Come, Let Brotherly-Love Prevail, " This theme establish by Bishop William J. Seymour was the object of Bishop Charles Harrison Mason's doctrinal view on interracial worship. Mason later by appointing white Pentecostals within his all African American denomination was something unheard of in American history during "Jim Crow." Bishop Mason appointed Elder Adams white in 1918 over his WorldHeadquaters in Memphis, Tennessee as overseer.	July 8, 1992, The WorldHeadquaters of the Church of God in Christ given under the hand of the seal of the Office of the Late Fourth in session the Late Presiding Bishop Louis Henry Ford acknowledges the importance of Mother Lizzie Robinson to the national church and admonishes historian Elder Elijah L. Hill's appointment to research history supported by the national church. He stated BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED: "Bishop Vernon Richardson has appointed a State Historian in the State of Nebraska in order to research and verify that which will enhance the history of the Church of God in Christ in the State of Nebraska under the auspices of Elder Elijah Hill and by will of the CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST there in Omaha, Nebraska." Given under my hand and the Seal of the Presiding Bishop at World Headquarters in the City of Memphis, Tennessee, this 27th day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and ninety-two.

In 1904, Pastor James Delk was converted by Bishop Charles Harrison Mason's ministry as a white brother. The Klu Klux Klan beat him over two times to get him to denounced Mason. Pastor James Delk stayed the the all African American denomination until his death in the 1960's.	April 1993, Elder Elijah L. Hill successfully convinced The Federal Registry of Historic Place in Washington, D.C. to nominate the final property associated with the worldwide humanitarian history of Mother Lizzie Robinson as significant to America's national history.

In 1995, the President of the United States William Jefferson Clinton came to visit the site where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., gave his last speech to America the day before he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Ironically, Dr. Marin Luther King Jr., was a non-violent interracialist and Bishop Charles Harrison Mason was a non-violent interracialist at the beginning turn of the 20th Century 50 years before Martin's Civil Rights movement in America.	The World's Largest On-Line research Encyclopedia list the National Registry of Historic Places designation of The Robinson House as a point of global research, and mentions the two properties Elder Elijah Hill obtain local landmark designations on June 9, 1992 for the first Church of God in Christ church founded by Mother Lizzie Robinson and her husband in Omaha, Nebraska in 1910. Click on this link below to see Wikipedia's research.

In the 1950's Emmet Till was the sacrificial lamb of the Civil Rights Movement in America him and his mother were church of God in Christ members. Emmett was hung and mutilated in Money, Mississippi, and the picture on the right of Bishop Louis Ford who preached the funeral of Emmet Till in Chicago, Illinois.	This is the first Women's Ministry Magazine developed by Mother Lizzie Robinson in 1943 two years before her death. This magazine was in print or over 36 years as the official organ magazine of the Women's Ministry of the Church of God in Christ.

In 1968, at the historical Mason Temple the WorldHeadquaters where the founder Bishop Charles Harrison Mason was entombed in 1961. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his last speech to the world from Mason's Headquarters pulpit, called I've Been To the Mountain Top." Here also is a picture of Dr. King visiting the great Mason Temple for SCLC rallies in the early 1950's. The historical Mason Temple was at that time the largest facility built by African Americans.	In December 1945 the famous Mason Temple Church of God in Christ Headquarters was completed in Memphis, Tennessee as the largest building constructed by African Americans in the United States of America. The greatest contribution of African American Women to Religion is their amazing ability to raise money, and Mother Lizzie Robinson's last desire was to see this temple constructed before she died. She did just that by raising half of the national budget $100,000 while sick at home with the help of all her national mothers in every state. She walked through the temple the day before her death to see that her dream had come true, and then laid back down on her bed told her daughter Ida Baker to take her personal money and purchase the existing sign in front of the historic Mason Temple that night she died in Memphis, TN.

	Dr. Adrienne Israel, Vice President of Guilford College wrote a book review in the worldwide Whole Truth Magazine about Elder Elijah L. Hill's book "Women Come Alive" about his though research on the life story of Mother Lizzie Robinson the first General Mother appointed over Women's Ministry in 1911.

Home News and Events History Who's Who Business Directory Church Directory Books and CD's

Products and Services Staff and Advisory Contact Us