Bishop Alaska A. Smith, D.D.
First Chief Apostle

Restoring the Church Name

(This information provided was written by Bishop A.A. Smith concerning the restoring of the church name in 1941.)

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To the saints and brethren in Christ, which are scattered abroad throughout the world, Peace; for as much as some have taken in hand to circulate false propaganda concerning the status of our Church, founded by the late Senior Bishop B. A. R. Johnson, we feel it our duty to make known the Truth. St. John 8 :32.

Ever since the untimely death of our estimable Bishop Johnson, there has arisen certain definite trouble makers in our church organization. The sole source of the trouble has been from the late Senior Bishop’s wife, Mrs. Johnson. It seems to me in my endeavor to create harmony in the wonderful work created for us by Senior Bishop Johnson and

to foster our church movement instead of involving the church movement in bickerings, I have been constantly met with opposition from Mrs. Johnson.

I have attempted to carry on the works in the path blazed for me and for our movement by the late Rev. Johnson, and it seems to me that our movement has far more important things before it than petty squabbles. The teachings of our church are far more important than inconsequential disputes, but I wish to be on record with you so that you can be fully advised that it has been my endeavor at all times to continue along that noble road so gloriously paved for us by the late Senior.

I wish to call to your attention an instance in which Mrs. Johnson attempted to divert our movement from that clear road paved for us by the late Senior. The record is clear. Much is made by Mrs. Johnson that I changed the name of our church. That is not the fact for she did change the name and I restored it, and I shall prove this to your complete satisfaction. Our church was formerly known as “The House of God, The Holy Church of the Living God, The Pillar and the Ground of the Truth”. This name was created for us by the late Senior Bishop Johnson on April 4, 1918, and he in his wisdom, he changed the name to “The House of God, The Holy Church of the Living God, The Pillar and the Ground of the Truth, The House of Prayer for All People” on August 31, 1939. There is documentary proof to substantiate this fact filed in Washington, D. C. There is also documentary proof that early in 1941, at a time when our very Rev. Senior Bishop Johnson was dead, Mrs. Johnson and over her signature she changed the name of the Church as it had been created by the

late Bishop Johnson to the name of “Commandment Keepers of the House of God, The Holy Church of the Living God, The Pillar and the Ground of the Truth, The House of Prayer for all People”. When I had been advised of this heresy on the part of Mrs. Johnson, I was completely shocked and I know that you and all the rest of our faithful church members must have been similarly shocked or would be similarly shocked if you knew of this fact. Mrs. Johnson and some of her followers, solely in the State of New Jersey, boldly assumed to change the name that our late distinguished Bishop Johnson had created for us. I was shocked beyond words, and the only recourse that I thought advisable was to restore the name that our beloved late Senior Bishop Johnson had created for us. I stress to you restore for what I did was to restore the name created for us by Rev. Johnson and undo the unwarranted act by Mrs. Johnson. In restoring the name many of the prominent church members of our movement throughout the country, and I stress throughout the country and do not limit it solely to New Jersey, New York, or any other isolated part of the country, assisted me in undoing this despicable act of Mrs. Johnson and restoring the name so nobly created for us by Bishop Johnson.

This is an instance in which I have attempted to continue the work of Bishop Johnson over and against the continued attempts of Mrs. Johnson to create a new movement entirely different from that which we have always had, but using our well established movement as a springboard for her new work. I will with every ounce of energy that I have, attempt to continue the sound and well established teachings of our late Rev. Senior Bishop Johnson and will continually obstruct Mrs. Johnson from changing our church.

I am sure that now that I have disclosed to you the perfidy of Mrs. Johnson that you will realize that it is important that you continue with us in our well established way. I know that you have been a loyal and faithful follower of our church for a considerable length of time and now that you have been made familiar with all matters, I am sure that you will continue to give us your allegiance. In these troubled times when our country calls upon you for its allegiance, I similarly in the interest of our beloved church ‘movement call upon you for your expression of allegiance to us. With your unity in our purpose, I am confident that our church will and must continue to prosper as it has heretofore.

Information Retrieved From Church Archives And Members of The Organization.
Articles Rewritten by Dr. Larry Steven Sherrill Sr.