Mike *--_--*, Oct. 14, 2007
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Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides information about African American minister Lightfoot Solomon Michaux and his church ministry.
This post also showcases a film clip of Elder Michaux and his congregation singing the Gospel song "Happy Am I". A commenter in that discussion thread wrote that this church service was filmed in 1935.
Selected comments from the discussion thread for this YouTube video are also included in this pancocojams post.
The content of this post is presented for historical, religious, and cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Elder Michaux for his religious and cultural legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
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INFORMATION ABOUT ELDER LIGHTFOOT SOLOMON MICHAUX
"Lightfoot Solomon Michaux (November 7, 1885 – October 20,
1968) was an African-American evangelist. Michaux was an early pioneer in radio
and television evangelism, an innovative real estate developer, an astute
businessman, a newspaper publisher, and a restaurateur. He founded seven East
Coast Church of God congregations. He was also the founder of the National
Memorial to the Progress of the Colored Race in America, an 1100-acre farm on
the James River in James City County, Virginia.
Early life
Michaux was born in Newport News, Virginia, to John Michaux
and May Blanche. His father was a fish seller and grocer in downtown Newport
News. Michaux dropped out of public school in the fourth grade in order to help
with his father's business.
He eventually opened his own combination grocery store and dance studio, where he met his future wife, Mary Eliza Pauline. They were married in 1906. During World War I, Michaux obtained contracts to supply food to the defense department. In 1917 he moved his business to Hopewell, Virginia.[1][2]
Founding of the Church of God
Unable to find a church that suited him in Hopewell,
Michaux, his wife, and a friend collaborated in 1917 to found a congregation
called "Everybody's Mission". Michaux became ordained as a preacher
in 1918 in the Church of Christ (Holiness) at the urging of his wife and began
preaching in the church. He returned to Newport News at the end of World War I
in 1919 and joined his father's business. During that year Michuax launched a
gospel tent revival in Newport News with the goal of recruiting 150 congregants
to a new church. He achieved this goal quickly and he and his congregants
formed a Church of Christ (Holiness) congregation.
In 1921, Michaux' congregation split off to form an independent Church of God congregation in the Holiness Tradition, but independent of and separate from other Churches of God. Soon thereafter Michaux established a second Church of God congregation in nearby Hampton, Virginia. He also created the Gospel Spreading Tabernacle Association as a corporation to oversee the financial affairs of the church and related interests.[3]
Michaux began moving up the East Coast, founding
congregations as he travelled, and by 1935 had established a network of seven
churches. By 1928 he had moved his church organization headquarters to
Washington, D.C. The church organization that Elder Michaux founded is still in
existence today and is known as the Gospel Spreading Church of God.
Broadcast Evangelism
In 1929 Michaux began broadcasting his religious message
from radio station WJSV in Alexandria, Virginia. The "Happiness Hour"
was a mixture of upbeat, syncopated gospel music performed by the Radio Choir,
energetic holiness gospel sermons delivered by Elder Michaux, and inspirational
themes related to the power of positive thinking. In 1932 WJSV was sold to the
CBS Radio Network and the weekly program was syndicated and broadcast by over
50 CBS affiliated radio stations.[2] The audience for the Saturday evening
broadcasts was estimated to be as much as 25 million, making Michaux the most
popular Black evangelical preacher to that time. The introductory theme song to
the show was an upbeat version of a gospel song, "Happy Am I", which
led to Elder Michaux becoming known as the "Happy Am I" preacher. His
flamboyant, fast-paced, entertaining, theatrical radio shows attracted large
audiences at home and internationally, and the live shows were attended by
important political and cultural figures.
Michaux was interested in all manner of media and evangelism, including newspaper, television, and community outreach. He published a newspaper called the "Happy News". He contracted with the BBC for two broadcasts in 1936 and 1938, making him an early pioneer in international radio ministry. In 1947 Michaux began broadcasting the Elder Michaux program on television station WTTG which eventually was broadcast on the DuMont Television Network from 1948 to 1949. Elder Michaux was among the earliest U.S. television shows with an African American host."...
LYRICS: HAPPY AM I
(Composer: Elder Lightfoot Solomon Michaux)
Sweetly I trust in my Redeemer as I go singing on my way
So happy am I (yes so happy now), yes happy am I (very happy now)
Ever I know that He is with me, keeping my soul from day to day
So happy am I (happy now am I), yes happy am I (yes happy am I)
Chorus:
Happy am I with my Redeemer
Singing along the homeward way
And telling the lost (tell-) of (-ing) His (all) great love (the lost of His great mercy)
Happy am I to know He's with me (I'm always happy)
Keeping me spotless day by day (yes day by day)
I'm happy along (yes) the way (I'm happy) to heaven above (along the way, along the journey)
Sweetly I sing along the journey helping the lost to know His love
So happy am I (yes so happy now), yes happy am I (very happy now)
Hoping to meet Him in the morning in that sweet happy home above
So happy am I (happy now am I), yes happy am I (yes happy am I)
Repeat Chorus
Looking for Him most any moment, ready when Jesus shall appear
So happy am I (yes so happy now), yes happy am I (very happy now)
Keeping my lamp all trimmed and burning, feeling His coming now is near
So happy am I (happy now am I), yes happy am I (yes happy am I)
Repeat Chorus (x2)
Online Source: https://namethathymn.com/hymn-lyrics/viewtopic.php?t=5093
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SELECTED COMMENTS
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtkU5glPQ_4&ab_channel=Mike%2a--_--%2a
Numbers are included for referencing purposes only.
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