The Twin City Star

NOTABLE WORK OF
DR. ROBERT L. POPE

Rose From Humble Beginning
to Influential Leadership.

BORN IN CLARKE COUNTY, GA

Career of Zealous Clergyman Who Has
Gained Wide Distinction as Organizer
and Church Financier. Places
In Which He Has Served and Some
of His Achievements.

Denver.—Shorter chapel, A. M. E.
church, has the distinction of having
as its minister one of the most active
and energetic men in the whole
A. M. E. denomination in the person
of the Rev. R. L. Pope, D. D., who,
like a large number of the aggressive
men of the race, was born in the south.
He is a native of Clarke county, Ga.,
and is forty-five years of age. His
parents were members of the A. M. E.
Church. His father gave the land and
almost erected the church edifice in
the town where young Pope was born.
It was in the county of his birth
that the Rev. Mr. Pope received his
elementary training in the public
school and from there went to Knox
institute, Athens, Ga., where he took a
higher course of study. He was considered
a bright student and advanced
rapidly. After completing the academic
course at Knox institute he entered
Allen university, Columbia, S. C., with
a fixed determination of getting a college
education. Dr. Pope also studied
at Morris Brown university in Atlanta.
During his course of training he entered
the ministry, and in order to fit
himself for his life's work took a theological
course at Gammon Theological
seminary in Atlanta, graduating at the
head of a class of seventeen. Like
most aggressive ministers, he has not
stopped feeding his mind. While in
Denver he has done postgraduate work
at Denver university.
It was while attending school in
Athens that he connected himself with
the active work of the church and Sunday
school. He was a member of
Pierce chapel, A. M. E. church. In
February, 1895, he was licensed to
preach by Bishop J. S. Flipper, who
was then presiding elder of the Athens
district. In the fall of 1895 he was admitted
to membership on trial in the
Atlanta, (Ga.) conference by Bishop A.
Grant. His progress in the church
was rapid, for within two years he
was admitted into full membership, ordained
deacon and the next year advanced
to the elderhood.
During his active ministry Dr. Pope
has filled the following charges: Kirkwood
mission, West End mission.
Trinity station, Atlanta; St. Paul,
Troy. Ala.; St. Luke, Dufaula, Ala.;
St John, Montgomery, Ala.; Campbell
chapel, Denver, and at Shorter chapel,
Denver, his present charge, where he
is doing a great work for the moral,
spiritual and intellectual uplift of his
people.
Two splendid churches now stand as
a monument to his work and life.
One cost $3,000 and the other $25,000;
also a beautiful parsonage was built
under his ministry. He has been designated
as a debt payer as well as a
revivalist. He has taken into the
church during his ministry over 2,000.
While in Montgomery he raised the
membership from 700 to 1,014.
Dr. Pope has had the pleasure of being
a member of two general conferences—Norfolk,
Va., and Kansas City,
Mo.—and has been elected a delegate
to the centennial general conference,
which meets next May in Philadelphia.
In church affairs he has been a
zealous worker, and at the same time
he has been honored by the people
whom he serves. He heads the Colorado
dele gates to the general conference
and has the indorsement of his conference
for the position of secretary of
education. He was a delegate to the
world's conference of Methodism, held
in Toronto. Canada, and was one of
the secretaries of the last general conference
held in Kansas City, Mo.
In his ministerial work he has been
assisted by a well educated, cultured
companion, who was in her maiden
days Miss Janie M. Crane, a teacher in
Morris Brown university.

REV. DR. ROBERT L. POPE