United House of Prayer For All People

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The United House of Prayer for All People was founded by Charles Manuel Grace (Marcelino Manuel da Graca) (1881?-1960), who proclaimed himself as "Bishop" in 1919. Marcelino Manuel da Graca was born in Brava in the Cape Verde Islands. In 1919 Bishop Grace, with his own hands, built the first United House of Prayer For All People in West Wareham, Massachusetts, and incorporated the United House of Prayer for All People in Washington, D.C. in 1927. According to church literature and their official website, the United House of Prayer for All People has 131 places of worship in 25 states. The National Headquarters for the church is located in Washington, D.C.

Following Bishop C. M. (Sweet Daddy) Grace's death in 1960, Bishop W. (Sweet Daddy) McCollough took over the reins of the organization. After the death of Bishop McCollough in early 1991, the Honorable S. C. (Sweet Daddy) Madison was elected Bishop of the United House of Prayer for All People. Bishop Madison passed away on Saturday, April 5, 2008, he was 86 years old.

Contents

[edit] The United House of Prayer Creed

1. We believe in the Almighty God, maker of Heaven and Earth.

2. We believe in Jesus Christ, His only begotten son who was conceived by the Holy Ghost and crucified for the redemptions of the sins of the people so that all men would have a right to the tree of life.

3. We believe in water baptisms for the repentance of sins.

4. We believe that you must be born again of the Holy Ghost.

5. We believe in one leader as the ruler of the Kingdom of God.

[edit] The United House of Prayer Purpose

The purpose of the organization is to establish maintain and perpetuate the doctrine of Christianity and the Apostolic Faith throughout the world among all people; To erect and maintain houses of prayer and worship where all people may gather for prayer and to worship the Almighty God in spirit and in truth, irrespective of denomination or creed, and to maintain the Apostolic Faith of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

[edit] Order of Services at the United House of Prayer For All People

Sunday

  9:00 am Sunday School
  11:00 am Morning Service
  5:00 pm Youth Service
  7:30 pm General Gospel Service

Monday-Wednesday, Friday

  7:30 pm General Gospel Service

Thursday

  7:30 pm Youth Service

Saturday

  7:30 pm Saint's Repair Night

[edit] Past and Present Bishops of the United House of Prayer For All People

1. Bishop C.M. Grace (1919 - January 12, 1960)

2. Bishop W. McCollough (February 6, 1960 - March 21, 1991)

3. Bishop S.C. Madison (May 24, 1991 - April 5, 2008)

4. Bishop C.M. Bailey (May 23, 2008 - )

[edit] History of the Bishops of the United House of Prayer for All People

[1]Bishop Charles Manuel (Sweet Daddy) Grace was born Marcelino Manuel da Graca, January 25, 1884, in Brava Cape Verde Islands, a Portuguese possession off the west coast of Africa. His family reported that as Jesus did in His day, Bishop Grace, as a young boy would teach the word of God in communal areas. In the nineteenth century, in the tradition of the Biblical Abraham, Bishop Grace became a Father of Faith. And like unto Abraham, in Jesus' Name, through faith in His Name, he left out of his country, and from his kindred and from his father's house "Unto a land that I [the Lord] will shew thee."(Genesis, Chapter 12, verse 1). He came to America on a ship called Freedom in 1903 and settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Elderly members of the House of Prayer recall Daddy Grace testifying of his reluctance to accept the commission of the Lord. As the Bible records, Moses, Jonah, and even Jesus himself, when face with the magnitude of the task set before them, had misgivings about the charge entrusted to each of them, respectively. Bishop Grace also sought to flee his responsibilities and return to his native home. But by his own testimony, God would not turn him loose and singed the very hair on his head in order to get him to do His [God's] will.

In 1919, Daddy Grace built the first House of Prayer in West Wareham, Massachusetts at the cost of thirty-nine dollars. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Daddy Grace traveled America preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and establishing the United House of Prayer for all People. The Constitution and By-Laws of The United House of Prayer promulgated in 1929, stated that the purpose of the organization, in pertinent part was "to erect and maintain places of worship and assembly where all people may gather prayer and to worship the Almighty God, irrespective of denomination or creed." Bishop Grace demonstrated his commitment to these stated principles- - using the words of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as written in the King James Version of the Holy Bible and the power of God as given him without measure. He traveled extensively throughout the segregated south in the 1920s and 1930s preaching to integrated congregations. His foresight dismayed many critics who were not to become enlightened until the later civil rights struggles of the 1950s and 1960s and the religious ecumenical movements which followed.

Members of the House of Prayer, who were personal witnesses to the works of Daddy Grace, often glow with pride as they recall how Daddy Grace came and made them somebody. Many of the members of the House of Prayer spent their days scrubbing floors, doing laundry, working in the fields or performing other forms of menial labor. BUT OH! THE NIGHTS! Services started nightly at 7:30 pm. The same folks who sweated by day; at night became ushers, queens, secretaries, deacons, preachers and presidents of auxiliaries. In doing so, the membership was given the opportunity to remove the shackles placed upon them by society, and feel free and important!

One of the principles of the Gospel of Christ taught by Daddy Grace which provoked controversy; and was controversial in Jesus' day, was the concept of one man leadership. But Bishop Grace used the Holy Bible as his reference and taught the people that God only used one man at a time (e.g. Noah, Moses, and the Lord Jesus to name a few). The doctrine that Daddy Grace preached, along with the concept of one man leadership, has proven successful throughout the existence of The United House of Prayer in America. Indeed, the House of Prayer membership has done nothing but prosper under the leadership of one man. The passing of Bishop C.M. (Sweet Daddy) Grace on January 12, 1960, represented a desolate day in the lives of the House of Prayer membership. The man who meant so much to so many, was now gone, but God did not leave his children comfortless. Bishop W. McCollough, successor bishop to Daddy Grace, took over the reigns of this organization and led it to higher heights and deeper depths in Christ Jesus.

[2]Bishop Walter (Sweet Daddy) McCollough joined the House of Prayer in Charlotte, North Carolina at the age of fourteen. There he served as a Boy Scout. After moving to Washington, DC he served as Boy Scout, Junior Trustee for the Young People, Senior Trustee, Choir Member, Male Usher, Grace Soldier, Junior Elder, Senior Elder Board Chairman, Pastor, Senior Minister, the Bishop, thus giving rise to the familiar phrase, from Boy Scout to Bishop.

As leader of this great organization, Sweet Daddy McCollough preached the irrefutable Gospel of God backed up by the King James Version of the Holy Bible. His doctrine of hope [the Gospel of Jesus Christ] was accepted by hundreds of thousands. To the world outside of the House of Prayer, a number of our practices seemed peculiar calling our bishop "DADDY"; making red, white, and blue the official exterior colors of the church structures, and praising God with gospel bands. But while he was often maligned, Daddy McCollough, as spiritual adviser and chief executive officer of this organization, continued to "maintain the faith of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ", as required by the Constitution and the By-Laws of The United House of Prayer. As did Daddy Grace before him, Daddy McCollough taught that God had a house, a place where He [God] would come and that God's house had a name. He taught of the promise of deliverance through prayer; he taught of God's Kingdom being a perpetual kingdom; he taught of giving praises to God in dance and with the instruments; he taught of being born again of the spirit, and taught of the promise of eternal life.

Daddy McCollough was concerned about both the body and soul of man. While he traveled from coast to coast, trying to redeem the souls of men and mankind everywhere, he launched a Nationwide Building Program that was unparalleled. Throughout the nation, low-income, affordable housing was being erected, which benefited not only the parishioners, but members of the community wherein they were located. New church structures were being built by their own construction teams and other edifices were receiving major renovations, which were being financed one hundred percent by the church. Day care centers and senior citizens dwellings were also erected. One of the unique features of Daddy McCollough's building programs was that all of the church structures were completely paid for at the time of dedication.

Daddy McCollough was revered, loved and respected by the House of Prayer membership and by the members of the community who came to know him. Under his dynamic leadership, the House of Prayer acquired a fleet of luxury coach buses that made interstate travel very comfortable; property was acquired for the House of Prayer for use as future development sites; concert and marching bands were organized to march in annual parades and annual competitions; and softball teams were organized, nationwide, for interstate competition. In addition, Daddy McCollough established a scholarship college fund. During an era when youth were disenchanted with education, more youth in the House of Prayer were matriculating in institutions of higher learning than at any other time due to the inspiration received from our leader and the financial support received from the McCollough Scholarship Fund.

At the time of his passing, March 21, 1991, Daddy McCollough left the House of Prayer with a legacy of which we can be proud. So today, as we [the proud members of the House of Prayer] rejoice in the fruits of the Lord under the Madison Dispensation, we will be forever grateful to Daddy McCollough for having picked up the mantle from Daddy Grace and for having endured his many crosses in order to crown us with such a rich heritage.

[3]The Honorable Bishop Dr. S.C. (Sweet Daddy) Madison, leader of the United House of Prayer for All People (successor to the late Bishop W. McCollough) was born February 24, 1922 in Greenville, SC. Under the direction of his mother, he joined the House of Prayer around the age of eight or nine. Having received the Holy Ghost at age 17, he further developed his steadfastness and sense of purpose and answered the call that the Founder Daddy Grace made for ministers. As a young man, he was sent by Daddy Grace to pastor. He received his first assignment as pastor in Lancaster, SC. Subsequent assignments followed: Salisbury, NC (March 1941 - December 1942), Hopewell, VA (January 1943 - October 1944), South Mills, NC (1944 - 1949), Salisbury, NC (September 1949 - the fall of 1964), Philadelphia, PA (1964 - 1969), and God’s White House, National Headquarters of the United House of Prayer (1969 - May 1991).

At age 23, he was appointed by Bishop Grace to the General Council, the highest ecclesiastical body of the church. His General Council accomplishments include positions held as Clerk of the General Council, Chairman of the Constitutional Revision Committee, and Judge of the General Council.

In 1968, he was sent by Daddy McCollough to pastor God's White House, The National Headquarters, in Washington, DC. He wore the many responsibilities that came with being a pastor of the National Headquarters, well. The highlight of his ministerial reign under Bishop W. McCollough was elevation to the position of Senior Minister in 1986. Upon the death of Bishop W. McCollough on March 21, 1991, in his role as the Senior Minister, he served as the acting chief executive officer of the United House of Prayer.

On May 24, 1991, by the hand of God and the vote of the people, Bishop S.C. Madison assumed the reigns of this Holy Kingdom, and in just five short years has made vast accomplishments which have confounded his critics, astound even those of us who are his loyal and staunch supporters, and established a Whirlwind Pace for completing activities which is unprecedented. Shortly after entering the office of Bishop, Precious Daddy Madison pledged to fulfill everything that was on Daddy McCollough's agenda. Not only did he do it in record breaking time, but he has initiated and completed new projects. To date, under the Madison Dispensation, over 123 Houses of Prayer have received major renovation or have been newly constructed. Added to this number are numerous apartments, senior citizens' dwellings, parsonages, houses, and commercial properties. All of this record breaking construction bears the "Madison Signature and Style."

Bishop Madison was an advocate for scholastic achievement and was the chief executive officer and major contributor to the McCollough Scholarship College Fund. One of the hallmarks of Bishop Madison’s support for education was an expansion of the academic vision of the organization through inaugurating the Annual First Lady Scholastic Achievement Awards Program, aided by his wife and their personal resources. Under the skilled guidance and majestic leadership, Bishop Madison as chief executive officer enhanced the education program for ministers. He continued the church’s legacy by assuring the proper education for ministers of the United House of Prayer at the McCollough Theological Seminary located in Richmond, VA.

In October 1992, God revealed unto Precious Daddy Madison to open the Special Whirlwind Revival for the benefit of his people. A whirlwind is a fast moving windstorm which appears quickly. Daddy Madison constantly engenders us to seek after the fruits of the spirit, while walking "With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love." Through the Spiritual Whirlwind Revival, many have been healed, obtained salvation, and received other spiritual gifts.

Bishop Madison’s outstanding contributions to the improvement of the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of American citizens have been recognized locally, statewide and nationally, including Presidential citations and awards.

[edit] References

  1. ^ >Official Website of the United House of Prayer for All People. Retrieved on 2008-04-18.
  2. ^ >Official Website of the United House of Prayer for All People. Retrieved on 2008-04-18.
  3. ^ >Official Website of the United House of Prayer for All People. Retrieved on 2008-04-18.

[edit] External links