Rev. William T. Witherspoon

W. T. Witherspoon came out of the Christian Missionary Church. While attending a church pastored by Willis Stump and Willmina Stump, Charles Mansbridge went to a small mission one night to hear G. T. Haywood preach the message of Jesus' name. Later Charles invited W. T. Witherspoon to hear Haywood. Both men, Witherspoon and Mansbridge, readily received the revelation of Jesus Name baptism.

In 1916 W. T. Witherspoon was called to the ministry. He opened the church at 32 Brehl Avenue, south of West Broad Street in Columbus. In 1917 the very humble Brehl Avenue church, which seated about one hundred people, was heated by a stove and had gas lights. The congregation had no indoor plumbing. There was no running water but there was one water bucket that served everyone. In the winter when it snowed, sleds provided transportation to church. During one church service, one of the sleds was stolen. Pastor Witherspoon simply searched the neighborhood until he found the sled and returned it to its owner. The lively church services were marked by miracles and growth. Spirited music from a pump organ, piano, tambourine, and triangle inspired praise and worship. Revival was continuous with evangelists such as L. R. Ooton, Andrew Urshan, T. C. Davis, and others. Extended services of two to three weeks were common and often held in tents with sawdust floors. One such meeting was at Broad and Brehl with services every night except Monday. On December 27, 1923, seven young ladies were baptized in the river at Grandview and McKinley Avenues.

Pastor Witherspoon's next building on Hayden Avenue could seat 250 people, and in 1927 it was remodeled to seat 450 people. By 1935 it was necessary to move to 1074 West Broad Street, which accommodated 700 people. The church was known in those days as the Apostolic Gospel Church. During Witherspoon's ministry, which covered thirty years, he witnessed many conversions to the doctrine of Jesus Name baptism and the Holy Ghost experience with speaking in tongues.

In 1938 Witherspoon was selected to be general chairman of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ. He extended an invitation to the Pentecostal Church Inc. to explore the possibilities of a merger. The Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ and Pentecostal Church Inc. felt they would be able to come together and have fellowship with the goal of unity as a foundation. After lengthy discussions, Witherspoon left the room where the two groups were in session. Pen and paper in hand, he wrote a fundamental doctrine statement for the brethren to consider. The statement was acceptable to everyone. His statement was the final gesture necessary to bring a spirit of unity to both groups.

The early days of Jesus Name baptism and the Oneness revelation were often troubled with lack of organization. Strong leaders continued seeking common ground where true unity would be a lasting realization. From the 1920s to the 1940s, four of the stronger infant movements, with their elected officers, were led of the Holy Ghost to bring into being an organization that would stand. W. T. Witherspoon served as general chairman with S. R. Hanby, who served as the general secretary-treasurer of three of the groups. The Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, the Pentecostal Ministerial Alliance, and the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ were nurtured by Witherspoon's strong leadership.

The other group seeking to unite was the Pentecostal Church Incorporated, with Howard Goss as general chairman and Oscar Vouga as general secretary-treasurer. These two groups met in their general conferences in St. Louis, Missouri, in September 1945 where the merger was completed. The outgrowth of the unity of these two groups was the United Pentecostal Church Incorporated.

Officers for the newly formed United Pentecostal Church Incorporated were Howard Goss, General Superintendent; W. T. Witherspoon, Assistant General Superintendent; Stanley W. Chambers, General Secretary-Treasurer; and T. R. Dungan, Assistant General Secretary. W. T. Witherspoon was elected to an honorable position in the newly merged United Pentecostal Church International in 1945. His service to the organization ended with his death in 1947.