John Luke Bray Methodist Sermons, 1907-1938 and undated
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Summary
- Creator:
- Bray, John Luke
- Abstract:
- Methodist minister, active in southern Virginia in the early twentieth century. Collection of 74 unpublished typewritten sermons and texts for prayer meetings assembled by a Methodist minister active in Virginia in the early twentieth century. Although no author's name is given, from church appointment records it is almost certain that the minister is John Luke Bray (1871-1938). The sermons were given from 1907 to 1938 in localities in southern Virginia (almost all in Danville, Crewe, South Boston, Richmond, and Norfolk); the earliest sermon was given in Shawnee, Oklahoma. At times the minister may have been using churches that offered space to other denominations. The sermon notes, typed in red and black and typically two to four pages, document the typical style of Methodist preaching in the South and sometimes refer to social or economic issues. Each envelope enclosing the sermon text is marked with the title and when and where preached; most have multiple dates and locations. There are also a few miscellaneous items, including newspaper clippings, handwritten notes, and one leaf with an undated hymn with words by A. W. Davis, entitled "Over the Top With Jesus," dedicated to a "Rev. D. H. Kenney." Some fragile items have been photocopied. Arranged in two series: Prayer Meetings and Sermons.
- Extent:
- 0.4 Linear Feet
78 Items - Language:
- Material in English
- Collection ID:
- RL.00147
Background
- Scope and content:
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Collection of 74 unpublished typewritten sermons and texts for prayer meetings (also called sermons) assembled by a Methodist minister active in Virginia in the early twentieth century. Although no author's name is given, from church appointment records it is almost certain that the minister is John Luke Bray (1871-1938). The sermons were given from 1907 to 1938 in localities in southern Virginia (almost all in Danville, Crewe, South Boston, Richmond, and Norfolk); the earliest sermon (1907) was given in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The minister served for several years in each church, the last sermons of 1936-1938 being given in the Methodist Church in the railroad town of Crewe, Va., which possibly also served a Baptist congregation, an arrangement not unusual in rural areas. The sermon notes, typed in red and black and typically two to four pages in length, offer evidence of the typical style of preaching in Methodist churches in the South and sometimes refer to social or economic issues. Each envelope enclosing the sermon text is marked with the title, taken from a Biblical text, and when and where preached; most have multiple dates and locations. Most envelopes are marked in a corner as "Sermon Notes," but some are labeled "Prayer Meetings," with the text inside still labeled by the minister as a sermon. There are also a few miscellaneous items, including newspaper clippings, handwritten notes, and one leaf with an undated hymn with words by A. W. Davis, entitled "Over the Top With Jesus," dedicated to a "Rev. D. H. Kenney." Some fragile items have been photocopied. Arranged in two series: Prayer Meetings and Sermons, with the bulk of the sermons housed in the latter group. Within each series, arranged in Biblical order.
- Biographical / historical:
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The minister who authored these sermons was undoubtedly a member of the Methodist Church South, and from church appointment records he is almost certainly John Luke Bray. According to Bray's obituary in the Virginia Conference Annual (1938), he was born in 1871 in Gloucester County, Virginia to John and Sarah Luke Bray, and entered the Methodist ministry in the Virginia Conference at the age of 18. He was at Randolph-Macon College for an unspecified period but did not graduate. At some point he was reportedly Superintendent of the Masonic Orphanage in Richmond. He married Pauline Clements of Gloucester, Virginia early in his career. In 1901 he left for the West, and seems to have been minister of the Methodist Church in Shawnee, Oklahoma (then Indian territory) in 1906. He returned to Virginia in 1907; a year later Taylor University in Indiana had conferred on him the Divinity Degree. Going by the sermons that survive in this collection, by 1911 he was preaching in Virginia. His first appointment may have been in Lambert's Point, Virginia (near Norfolk). He then was appointed to various large congregations in Richmond and the Norfolk area, then migrated to smaller churches in Southern Virginia. He died in 1938, perhaps in Crewe, Virginia, a small community where he held his last appointment, and is buried in Richmond.
- Acquisition information:
- The John Luke Bray Methodist Sermons were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase in April 2007.
- Processing information:
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Processed by Alice Poffinberger, Michael Shumate, and Ted Holt, April 2008
Encoded by Ted Holt, Paula Jeannet, and Michael Shumate, April 2008
Accession 2007-0114 is described in this finding aid.
- Physical location:
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.
- Subjects:
- Methodist Church -- Virginia -- Clergy
Methodist Church -- Virginia -- History
Methodist Church -- Virginia
Methodist Church -- Sermons -- 20th century
Sermons
Prayer meetings -- Virginia
Sermons, American -- 20th century
Sermons, American -- Virginia
Sermons, American
Preaching -- History
Hymns - Names:
- Bray, John Luke
- Places:
- Virginia -- Social conditions
Virginia -- Religious life and customs
Contents
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Collection is open for research.
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- Preferred citation:
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[Identification of item], John Luke Bray Methodist Sermons, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University