Elizabeth Powell was born in Buena Vista, Georgia in 1902 and came to Youngstown in 1925. In the 105 years she lived, she would break barriers to fight for civil rights and bring spiritual vitality to the city. Upon finishing night school at South High, she began working as a maid at the Ohio Hotel, and later plowing farms and working at General Fireproofing during World War II. She was also active improving conditions for workers through unionization efforts at this time. Powell was active in community service during these years as well. She founded an organization called the South Side Prayer Band, which provided services such as cooking and cleaning and raising money for the needy. She also taught Sunday School for many years.
In the 1950’s, she heard the calling to the ministry. For a woman to become a Baptist minister was no easy task at this time and there was little precedent. Powell persevered however, attending the Bible Theological Institute of Youngstown and the Youngstown Baptist Ministers Institute. She was ordained by the Reverend Lonnie Simon in 1956, a man whose ministry had incidentally been predicted by Powell while she was preaching at a revival where Simon was playing the piano in 1950. The Reverend Mother Powell founded her own church, the World Fellowship Interdenominational Church in 1962 on Dewey Avenue, from which she preached and provided care for over four decades.
The Reverend Mother Elizabeth Powell was involved in many organizations in her lifetime such as the NAACP and the Youngstown Human Rights Council and was honored with many awards, including induction into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame, the Sojourner Truth Award and the SS Booker Award, among others. Reverend Powell also shared the stage with President Bill Clinton when he visited Youngstown on July 4th, 1996; President Clinton declared the Reverend Powell “the best-looking 94-year-old woman in the world [transcript of Clinton's speech].
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- The Reverend Mother Elizabeth Powell with Governor Bob Taft
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- Delta Heritage Project biography of the Reverend Mother Elizabeth Powell, part 1
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- Delta Heritage Project biography of the Reverend Mother Elizabeth Powell, part 2
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- The Reverend Mother Elizabeth Powell outside of her church
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- Reverend Mother Elizabeth Powell with McCullough and Juanita Williams
To access the Delta Heritage Project’s items on the Reverend Mother Elizabeth Powell, click here.
To learn more about the Reverend Mother Elizabeth Powell, here are some additional resources:
- Borzea, R. Nick. “Meeting at the crossroads,” The Jambar, July 25 1996, Page 2: Permalink PDF
- Coward, Reverend Alfred D. “Reverend Powell makes a difference in Youngstown, Ohio.” Weed & Seed In-Sites Magazine, Summer, 2002, Page 17. Plaintext PDF
- “Rev. Elizabeth Powell, church founder, dies” October 24, 2007, The Vindicator: link
