Peter C. Hickson: A Pioneer Youth Leader
“We must have materials for our youth,” Peter C. Hickson (1902-1984) wrote to Church of God General Overseer S.W. Latimer in October 1932. This passionate request revealed a heart for youth ministry along with a recognition of the importance and power of the printed word that would guide this emerging black leader throughout his inspiring ministry. The next spring the Church of God Evangel responded to the need for youth resources and published fourteen pages of literature for the recently established national youth ministry known as Young People’s Endeavor (YPE).
Peter C. Hickson (right) “burns the note” of the Church of God in Daytona Beach, where he served as pastor from 1960-1978.
Peter Callahan Hickson was saved as a child in the Baptist church, but received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit during a Church of God revival. He immediately became involved in local Church of God in Eustis, Florida. First serving as the church clerk, Hickson held a number of offices in the local congregation including trustee, deacon and Sunday school superintendent. Licensed as an Evangelist in 1931 at the age of twenty-nine, he was appointed to his first pastorate in Umatilla, Florida.
Brother Hickson carried a heavy burden for youth and Sunday school ministry. At that time in our history the Church of God was divided into black and white governmental structures, with a national overseer of what was then called the “Church of God Colored Work.” After serving as assistant state Sunday school superintend of black churches, Hickson became president of the YPE among black congregations in Florida in 1931. The next year he hosted a national YPE convention, and the Black Bishop’s Council appointed him as general president of the YPE for all black churches. He worked to establish a local YPE in every church, and the annual youth convention became an important means of involving youth in ministry.
Although occasional articles in the Church of God Evangel were helpful, Hickson realized the importance of providing regular printed materials for Church of God youth. With that in mind he asked for a monthly publication, which the black Assembly authorized. Brother Hickson published the inaugural issue of the Church of God Gospel Herald on November 26, 1936. Although its original purpose was to facilitate youth ministry, the Gospel Herald soon developed into the primary voice for black ministries in the Church of God. Funding the publication proved difficult, however, especially during the Great Depression. Along with encouraging youth workers to solicit subscriptions, Editor and Publisher Hickson depended on a Gospel Herald Booster’s March in local churches as well as annual Black Assembly offerings.
Brother Hickson left an immense legacy as writer, editor, pastor and national leader. Accounts of his ministry describe him as a biblical scholar and as a “man of great intelligence and keen business sense.” He reportedly preached over 6,000 sermons in his lifetime, and his writing informed and inspired across generational lines. Much of what we know about the history of black ministries in the Church of God is due to his writing and editorial skills. A true pioneer, his hard work and administrative abilities brought growth not only to youth ministry but to all areas of Church of God black ministries.
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This article was written by Church of God Historian David G. Roebuck, Ph.D., who is director of the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center and assistant professor of the history of Christianity at Lee University. This “Church of God Chronicles” was first published in the February 2008 Church of God Evangel.
