T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History
Collection
ABSTRACT
INTERVIEWEE NAME: Beryl
McGhee COLLECTION: 4700.0861
IDENTIFICATION:
Secretary at Southern University; Member of Bethel A.M.E. Church
INTERVIEWER: Toni
Morrison
PROJECT: McKinley
3
DATES: June
18, 1997 FOCUS
DATES: 1997
ABSTRACT:
Introduction; born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 12, 1955;
father is Larry Clayton McGhee, Sr., director of facilities planning at
Southern University; mother is Fredrica Williams McGhee, a second grade teacher
at Sharon Hills Elementary; secretary at Southern University; Bethel A.M.E.
Church located on Sixth Street; role of Bethel is to help with the spiritual,
emotional, and physical lives of the people in the South Baton Rouge community;
role of the church in McGhee's personal life is the opportunity to do service;
Bethel founded in 1867 by Reverend George Gordon; outreach services at Bethel
include the Eva Scott Gilchrist Quality of Life Center, the Governor's After School
Drug Program, the State Saturday Tutorial Program, and the Juneteenth Picnic;
Bethel Church traditions include Founder's Day, Hat Day, Men and Women's Day,
Miss Christian Teen Pageant, Revival, Bible school, Children's Interface
Sabbath; Bethel joined the South Baton Rouge Minister's Coalition within the
last six years; special relationship with New St. John Missionary Baptist
Church; Bethel supported through tithes and fundraising activities; new
minister Reverend Charles James trying to institute the Buy a Brick Campaign to
build a memorial wall; fundraising activities include a giveaway at Men's Day
and Miss Teen presentation at Women's Day; Bethel played a role in the civil
rights movement; description of a typical Sunday church service; chancel choir
basically older members with traditional voices; gospel choir is three or four
years old and is more modern music; two women ministers include the paster's
wife who's an associate minister at Bethel and a minister at Herd Chapel and
also Audrey Jones who's a licentiate; other females in Bethel include Joyce
Laudun the pro tem of the steward board and the administrative personnel;
McGhee believes Bethel has allowed women more freedom to move into the ministry
than other denominations; A.M.E. stands for African Methodist Episcopal Church;
originated when Absalom Jones and Richard Allen could not worship freely in the
Methodist church and decided to form their own church; difference between
A.M.E. Zion and A.M.E.; organization of A.M.E. church includes districts,
bishops, and conferences; current bishop is Richard Allen Chapel, Sr. from
Africa; Bethel located in the eighth district; Bethel sends delegate and
alternate to the conferences; Bethel addresses the needs of the youth through
Bible school, the tutoring program, the outreach center, the YMOB and YSIS; all
Bethel activities are open to the public; size of congregation is 100 to 175
and includes blue and white collar workers, college professors, teenagers etc;
Bethel went from mainly an upper class setting to a more diverse setting over
the years; significant event at Bethel occurred when Frank Reed was brought in
from Baltimore to perform revivals; weekly activities include Bible study, the
tutorial program, and choir rehearsal; former reverend Brumfield instituted
many youth programs; current minister very involved with the youth, also; good
relationship with Southern University and LSU; effect of location on Bethel
TAPES: T1236 TOTAL PLAYING TIME: 30
min
# PAGES
TRANSCRIPT: 22
OTHER
MATERIALS:
RESTRICTIONS: None