On November 8, 1896, Prophet William S. Crowdy incorporated our religious organization, the Church of God and Saints of Christ, in Emporia, Kansas. Certainly, this was a significant event in the history of our organization.
On November 8, 1896, Prophet William S. Crowdy incorporated our religious organization, the Church of God and Saints of Christ, in Emporia, Kansas. Certainly, this was a significant event in the history of our organization. However, this fact alone is not enough to justify our celebration of this day. This date serves merely as a focal point on which we take time to reflect upon the life and works of the Prophet, the significance of our way of life, and the omnipotence of God Almighty.
In the following paragraphs, we look back on the life of Prophet William S. Crowdy and the events surrounding the establishment of our organization. It is hoped that the reader will come to have a greater appreciation of the magnitude of what the Prophet established, especially if we consider his historical context. More importantly, however, it is hoped that the reader will come away with a greater reverence for God as he/she recognizes the guiding force of the hand of God in the Prophet’s life and work.
According to Jeremiah 1:5, the Lord ordains His prophets before their birth. In addition, St. Luke 13:33 submits that God sustains His prophets. The experiences of Prophet William S. Crowdy show that he was no exception. Prophet William S. Crowdy was born Wilson Crowdy on August 11, 1847 in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, under the oppression of slavery in the United States. Wilson fled the slave plantation and took the name William to conceal his identity.
Even early on, God’s influence in his life is evident. Case in point, at a time when Fugitive Slave Laws were being enforced, God made a way for the young Crowdy to not only escape the control of his slave master, but to elude capture for the remainder of the slavery era.
Later, the young Crowdy enlisted in the Union Army and from 1863 to 1865 he fought in the Civil War against the establishment that oppressed him and his people. After the war, he continued his career in the military, becoming a quartermaster sergeant in the Fifth Cavalry in 1867 before being discharged in 1872. Later, after residing in Kansas City for a time, he settled his family in Guthrie, Oklahoma and established himself as a successful farmer and cook.
At that time, the Oklahoma Territory was being opened up for settlement. It was known as a place that was relatively friendly to African-Americans. In fact, it was once believed that Oklahoma would become the first black state. Oklahoma would later become the home of the affluent African-American neighborhood known as Black Wall Street. Certainly, the Hand of God was at work, leading Bill Crowdy to Oklahoma.
On September 13, 1892, God Almighty stepped out of the everywhere-ness of eternity into the somewhere-ness of time to reveal Himself to Bill Crowdy. It was at this watershed moment in history that Bill Crowdy became Prophet William S. Crowdy. As he later recalled this momentous event, the Prophet said, “The command was so awakening that one could not resist its calling.”
As the story goes, Bill Crowdy was felling trees when he heard what sounded like rushing birds. He also heard a voice speaking to him, telling him to “Run for your life.” Subsequently, the Prophet fled to the woods where he received the vision from God.
Prophet William S. Crowdy’s flight into the woods took him away from society so that God could, in essence, have him to Himself. This separation from the world seems to be a characteristic of the revelation process that goes all the way back to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3, 17:1-5), Isaac (Genesis 26:2-4), and Jacob (Genesis 28:10-15). In particular, Ezekiel’s experience as recorded in Ezekiel 3:12-15 seems very similar to the Prophet’s initial experience.
God also prepares His prophets to meet the world by teaching and protecting them (Exodus 4:10-12, Joshua 1:8-9, Isaiah 6:5-7). God also infused His words in him. As the story goes, the Prophet was shown a little book and told to “eat it up.” He recalls, “In my mouth, it was sweet as honey, but in my belly, it was bitter as gall,” (see Ezekiel 2:8-10, 3:1-3). Further, God told the Prophet what to expect from the people (see Ezekiel 3:4-7), and God reassured him that He would “make his forehead strong against their foreheads,” (see Ezekiel 3:8-11).
In Prophet William S. Crowdy’s vision, God revealed to him the Ancient Plan of Salvation. In the vision, the Prophet saw himself in a little room with tables coming down. Each table was inscribed with the 