Interview with Mary E. Rawlings, April 27, 1990

Partial Transcript: My name is Wynona Rowe. The interview is being conducted by myself on April the 24th. This is 1990.

Segment Synopsis: The interviewer introduces her subject, Mary Elizabeth Rawlings. Rawlings is a member of the House of God Church in Lexington, Kentucky. The interviewer designates she is going to call the interviewee "Lady Rawlings" for the duration of the interview.

Keywords: Church interviews; Interviews; Kentucky churches; Rawlings, Lady; Rawlings, Mary Elizabeth

Subjects: African Americans--Kentucky--Lexington.; African Americans--Religion.; Blacks in Lexington; House of God, Inc.

Partial Transcript: Lady Rawlings, can you tell me, uh, when were you born and where were you born?

Segment Synopsis: Rawlings tells Rowe she was born on May 21, 1919, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Rawlings talks about how she doesn’t remember experiencing any racism in her childhood. She recalls the schools and buses being segregated, though the neighborhoods were not. She discusses her family, including her parents, siblings, and relatives outside of her immediate family she knew. Rawlings talks about her own children.

Keywords: Black families; Children; Conditions of African American communities; Home ownership; Integrated neighborhoods; Maiden names; Parents; Segregated buses; Segregated schools

Subjects: African American families; African Americans--Economic conditions; African Americans--Genealogy.; African Americans--Segregation; Charlottesville (Va.); Segregation in education

Partial Transcript: Can I ask you about you about your parents' education, if you, by any chance, remember?

Segment Synopsis: Rawlings discusses how neither she or her parents finished high school. She compares the quality of her education to the education of present day children, circa 1990. She talks about lacking resources the white children had at their schools. Rawlings talks about her father, a railroad brakeman. She recalls dropping out of school to work and support her family before she got married and moved to Lexington, Kentucky at 16 years of age.

Keywords: Brakeman; Discrimination in education; Education level; High school dropouts; Railroad workers; School houses

Subjects: African Americans--Education; African Americans--Segregation; Alcoholic fathers; Families; Parents; Railroads--Employees.; Schools; Segregation in education

Partial Transcript: So you married at age 16, and who did you marry?

Segment Synopsis: Rawlings talks about her marriage to Simon Peter Rawlings, a bishop in the House of God Church. She talks about her husband, including where he was born in Kentucky and his family background. The interviewer explains why she is discussing the genealogy of the families.

Keywords: Biblical names; Christian couples; Family genealogy; House of God Church; House of God bishops; Religious couples

Subjects: African American families; African Americans--Genealogy.; African Americans--Relations with Jews.; African Americans--Religion.; Bishops; Family histories.; House of God, Inc.; Marriage

Partial Transcript: Lady Rawlings, I was wondering, has your religion always been pro-Jewish?

Segment Synopsis: Rawlings discusses being raised as a Baptist as a child, then joined the House of God Church in 1935. She talks about meeting her husband of 55 years in Charlottesville, while he was travelling with the church. Rawlings talks about the origins of the pro-Jewish beliefs of the House of God Church and why the church is pro-Jewish. The House of God believers believe they are a part of the Israelite community and are pro-Jewish. She talks about the practices of the House of God, which stem from the Bible. She discusses the Church’s adherence to the commandments.

Keywords: Biblical traditions; Christian beliefs; Converts to the House of God; Holy Ghost; House of God; House of God Church; Israelites; Pro-Jewish; Religious converts; Young couples

Subjects: African American Baptists; African Americans--Marriage.; African Americans--Relations with Jews.; African Americans--Religion.; Bible; Holy Spirit; House of God, Inc.; Jews; Spirituality; Ten commandments

Partial Transcript: Who was the founder of the House of God, Lady Rawlings?

Segment Synopsis: Rawlings talks about the founder of the House of God, Inc. church, Bishop R. A. R. Johnson. She discusses the details of his life and the founding of the House of God, Inc., which occurred in 1918. She also describes other biblical observances the House of God followers observe, including avoiding the consumption of certain types of meat.

Keywords: Biblical observances; Biblical traditions; House of God; House of God Church; Israelites; Kosher diet; Religious converts

Subjects: African Americans--Religion.; African Americans--Social conditions; Charlottesville (Va.); House of God, Inc.; Methodists; Sabbath; Slavery

Partial Transcript: Can you tell me a little about Bishop Rawlings, his position...

Segment Synopsis: Rawlings talks about the ordination of her husband and the various positions he held within the church. She discusses his position as a pastor in Lexington, Kentucky at the House of God Church. She talks about the various titles given to her husband for his different positions and the size of the church her husband was pastor for. Rawlings talks about the different locations of the House of God church in and around Lexington.

Keywords: Kentucky churches; Ordination of bishops; Protestant bishops; Religion; Storefront churches

Subjects: African Americans--Religion.; Bishops; Church buildings--Kentucky.; Churches--Kentucky; Georgetown (Ky.); House of God, Inc.; Lexington (Ky.); Stamping Ground (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Um, how, how big is the organization now?

Segment Synopsis: Rawlings discusses the church’s international locations, including a location in Africa, locations in Jamaica, and Canada. She details the establishment of the churches in these international locations. She talks about her husband’s large part in creating most of the House of God, Inc. locations in the United States and countries outside of the U.S. Rawlings talks about the different meetings and conventions the church holds throughout the year and explains the various auxiliaries of the church, which have meetings each year.

Keywords: African churches; Canadian churches; Church conventions; Jamaican churches

Subjects: Africa; African American leadership; African Americans--Religion; Bishops; Canada; Christian leadership; Church meetings; Jamaica; Kentucky--Religion; Lexington (Ky.); Religion

Partial Transcript: How does the junior church operate? What, what is that? What do they do?

Segment Synopsis: Rawlings discusses the youth activities of the church, including Sabbath school. She details the different services of the Sabbath and the length of time of the Sabbath activities during the day. Rawlings talks about the “spirit” which goes through the church and how she came to appreciate the congregation’s reaction to being “moved by the spirit” and dancing. She then talks about how her husband came to join the church, as he was impressed by the family atmosphere.

Keywords: Church families; Holy Ghost; Pentecostal practices; Sabbath activities; Sabbath school

Subjects: African American churches; African Americans--Religion; Blacks in Lexington; Community life; Holy Spirit; Religious life.; Sunday schools

Partial Transcript: Do you believe people in your church--now that we're speaking about people courting--

Segment Synopsis: Rawlings talks about her disapproval of the House of God members dating outside of the church, citing Biblical reasons for this decision. She talks about the marriage practices of the church, including not allowing divorced people to remarry within the church.

Keywords: Biblical observances; Biblical practices; Divorced Christians; Remarriage

Subjects: African American churches; African Americans--Marriage.; African Americans--Religion.; Christian women; Church; Divorce; Family life; Marriages; Religion.

Partial Transcript: Can you tell me, when you were travelling with the church and Bishop and yourself, and he was pioneering and recruiting, or bringing in all these other churches from states and other countries, did you have any racial problems?

Segment Synopsis: Rawlings discusses facing racial issues in the South while travelling with the church. She talks about being turned away from restaurants and service stations and tells some anecdotes about their travels relating to these issues, including the bathrooms at service stations being locked so they would not be able to use them. She discusses the racial discrimination they faced while travelling to Florida from Kentucky and the various facilities they were not able to use. She discusses the civil rights protests which would occur while they were travelling throughout the South, as well as protests which occurred in Lexington.

Keywords: Black segregation; Civil rights marches; Dairy Queen; Racism in the south; Segregated bathrooms; Segregated water fountains; Service stations; Southern states

Subjects: African American churches; African Americans--Civil rights--Southern States; African Americans--Segregation; African Americans--Social conditions--To 1964.; Civil rights demonstrations; Clergy--Kentucky; Discrimination.; Lexington (Ky.); Race discrimination.; Racism; Segregation.

Partial Transcript: Can--we're coming to the end of this tape.

Segment Synopsis: Rawlings names the various assistant pastors in the House of God, Inc. church. She discusses her leadership role within the church. She details where each of the other leaders are located within the U.S. She also discusses some of the first families who belonged to the church in Lexington when she and her husband came to the church. Rawlings also talks about building a new church in Lexington. She tells Rowe her favorite scripture verse and the interview ends.

Keywords: Bible quotes; Female Christians; House of God; House of God Church; Kentucky churches; Lexington (Ky.) church buildings; Lexington churches; Scripture quotes

Subjects: African American churches; African Americans--Religion.; Church buildings--Kentucky.; Church history.; Churches--Kentucky; Clergy--Kentucky; House of God, Inc.; Lexington (Ky.); Religious life.; Women church officers; Women--Kentucky--Lexington.