Library receives donation of The Remnant Newspaper Collection

by Rev. Yabbeju (Jabez) Rapaka, Ph.D., Special Collections Assistant

Library Archivist Don Gantz receives The Remnant Newspaper Collection from Jerrell Miller. Library Archivist Don Gantz receives The Remnant Newspaper Collection from Rev. Jerrell H. Miller.

Regent University Library recently received a donation of primary source materials chronicling an American revival in the 1990s. Rev. Jerrell H. Miller, editor of The Remnant, a monthly revival newspaper, presented copies of twelve years of his publication to the Library’s Special Collections. The newspaper reflects a prophetic stream of the Pentecostal movement, and features many articles on the Brownsville Revival that began in June 1995 at Brownsville Assemblies of God Church near Pensacola, Florida.

The Brownsville Revival lasted for nearly 10 years, touched the lives of thousands of individuals, and had a global impact, spreading revival flames to many churches throughout the world. During the peak of the revival more than 4 million people attended the meetings. In addition to the United States, they came from more than 34 countries, including Japan, England, India, South Africa, France, Canada, Australia, and the Philippines. According to Rev. Miller, many Methodists, Pentecostals, Anglicans, Presbyterians, and even Mormons came to Brownsville to encounter God. Several luminaries in modern PentecostalCharismatic circles, including Paul Yongi Cho, Reinhard Bonke, and Thomas Trask (then General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God) graced the pulpit at Brownsville and addressed worshipers hungry for the touch of God.

In addition to having a detailed chronicle of the Brownsville Revival, The Remnant newspaper covers other revivals occurring during the same period that will be of interest to those doing research in the history of the Pentecostal, Charismatic, and other renewal movements. These include Hardeeville, Ramona, and Mobile in the United States, as well as revivals in England, Japan, and Nigeria.

Regent University has a strong collection of resources related to global renewal movements, including the Pentecostal Research Collection. The Remnant Newspaper Collection has ties to other collections in the Library, such as the John Wimber Collection and the North American Renewal Service Committee Papers (NARSC). Once the newspapers are processed, a research guide with more information will be available on the Library website.