C. P. Jones
C. P. Jones
Brother Jones stepped outside to see what was going on. His heart dropped when he saw a mob of men with dogs. The dogs were howling, and the men held torches. Fear rose within him when he saw what these men had planned. They were setting his church on fire!
Charlie had never met his real father. His mother was a teenager who had been a slave. Misunderstood by others in the church and hated by some of the whites, Charlie was determined not to get bitter.
“My fascination with the life of Charles Price Jones started with a book. In 2011 I attended Bible Missionary general conference and saw a book on the life of Bro. Elbert Dodd for a dollar. It seemed like I could not go wrong for a dollar, so I took the book home to read. One of the facts that Bro. Spencer Johnson, the author, mentioned was that a man by the name of Charles Price Jones had come to preach a revival for Bro. Dodd. He said that this was the man whose church was burned down by a white mob. He said that Bro. Jones had gone to the charred remains and sung, “I’m Happy with Jesus Alone.” This narrative was only a partial page of the book, but it stood out to me. It seemed so important that I find out more about this man, Bro. Jones. In my mind, I could see him walking around the ashes of his church. I could feel the anguish of everything that he had worked to achieve being gone. Then, I could feel the victory as he turned to Jesus. This victory of love and the power of the Holy Spirit was so real to me that I walked around my house crying. I told God, “Whatever you did in the heart of this man, do to me!”
After months and months of research, I finally found Anita Bingham Jefferson, his biographer. She so graciously sent me the books and songbook that enabled me to have the information I needed for this project. It has become a part of me. Now I pass it on to others.”
~ Elizabeth Smith Hamilton
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