Lake in 1914 for the training of ministers of the Gospel and the planting of churches, healing rooms and Bible Schools throughout the world. It is an association of ministers, ministries, and churches that have agreed to work together for the advancement of the Gospel of The Kingdom of God as preached and demonstrated through Jesus Christ and His Apostles. The History of
The International Apostoli
c Council, Inc. As Told By Rev. Wilford H. Reidt
(Dr. John G. Lake’s Son-in-Law)
To Rev. Curry R. Blake
An Official And Accurate History of
The International Apostolic Council, Inc. The history of the I.A.C. actually goes back to the year 1908 when Dr. Lake, his wife and children and Tom Hezmalhach’s family, and a secretary left America to go to Africa on a missions trip. You have to remember that in those days there were no “mission’s boards” or denominations to send you out. No true Pentecostal would have belonged to a denomination or any such organization at that time anyway. They were all too suspicious of any man-made or man-run group. Most had either left their denomination by choice or they were disfellowshipped when they received the Baptism of Holy Spirit. Dr. Lake had been an Elder in Dowie’s Church in Zion, but after Dowie began to go off into doctrinal error, Lake left Zion and went to Chicago. Dr. Lake once confided to me that in his younger days, anytime he would have a setback in his Christian walk, he had a tendency to go back into his secular area of expertise, which was business. It seemed that anything he did would prosper. Anyway, when he left Zion for Chicago, in 1904, he bought a seat on the Chicago Board of Trade and was hired by several of the largestinsurance companies to establish and manage a Trust for them. It was during this time that he was making $50,000.00 per year. Back when he had been at Zion, he had become close friends with a younger man named F.F. Bosworth who was the Zion Band director. In September of 1906 when Charles Parham went to Zion to establish the Pentecostal message in the North, Voliva (Dowie’s successor) had issued direct orders to the people of Zion not to rent any building to Parham so that he could not hold any meetings there. Bosworth invited Parham to hold his meetings in his (Boworth’s) home. When Bosworth received the Holy Spirit baptism and spoke in tongues, it made “the powers that be” so mad that it eventually caused Bosworth to leave Zion, and go to Dallas, TX. In October 1907, Lake received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Lake said that soon after that was when the Holy Spirit began dealing with him about going back into the ministry. (He had been admitted to the Methodist ministry in 1891, but had turned down a pastorate in order to found two newspapers, “The Soo Times” and”The Harvey Citizen”). It was at this time, (April, 1907) that he puit his job, sold everything and entered into full time ministry, living by faith, which in those days meant praying everything in. One day while he was in Zion to minister, The Lord told him to “go to Indianapolis. Prepare for a winter campaign. Get a large hall. In the spring you will go to Africa.” You know the rest of the story of how they got there. One miracle after another. They left on April 19, 1908 and arrived in South Africa in May of that same year. Soon after their arrival, Lake began The Apostolic Faith Mission. He also started another church organization in South Africa called the Zion Christian Church. On December 22 of 1908, while Lake was away on a preaching trip, his beloved wife Jennie died suddenly. The true cause of her death was never determined Many rumors spread however, with most persistent being that she died of malnutrition and overwork. Some have even claimed that she was poisoned by Dowie’s people. That left Lake and his children in Africa with no wife and no mother. Lake’s sister became a sort of step-mother to the children and helped Lake raise them. Lake returned to America twice, once to recruit missionaries and raise funds and the second time was to quelch rumors that he had mishandled funds. In 1912 Lake returned to America to stay. Lake remarried in late 1913 to Miss Florence Switzer. Jim Hill, the railroad tycoon gave Lake and his family free passes to ride anywhere they wanted to go. Lake travelled around the country preaching. In April of 1914 he went to Hot Springs, Arkansas to participate in the formation of an association of Pentecostal fellowships that would become known as The Assemblies of God. Later in 1914, Lake would travel to London, England. While he was there he founded The International Apostolic Council. At the outbreak of World War 1, he was asked to leave England because of America’s neutrality. For a little over one year he continued using the name International Apostolic Council, but in February of 1915, he decided to change the name to “The International Apostolic Congress”, to lessen any confusion that might arise with “The General Council of The Assemblies of God”. This name was used as the umbrella organization for all churches started by Lake or anyone that affiliated with him until he died in 1935. Lake’s main work was centered in Spokane, WA. In 1934, less than a year before his death, he announced the founding of what he called a “School of the Prophets”. (This term was regularly used by Apostolic or Pentecostal people as a generic name for a Bible School.) When I (Wilford Reidt) came under Dr. Lake’s ministry in 1931,1 knew I had finally found what I had been looking for. Later I married his daughter Gertrude and we set about to re-establish and perpetuate Dr. Lake’s ministry by publishing most of the sermons he had preached. His wife Florence had been a stenographer and had taken down his sermons in shorthand from the front pew. We decided to keep the organizational name as it was when he died, until such a time as someone that would pick up the ministry and carry it on in it’s intended fashion came along. This corresponded with a prophecy that was given by Lake one year to the day before he died. Because of that prophecy and how closely you fit it and because of the way in which you have pursued the anointing that Lake carried, I decided, after over nine months of prayer to allow you to pick up the ministry and revert it back to it’s original name. Gertrude and I wanted someone that would not only keep the ministry alive and going, but who also seemed to have the hunger and committment to see it become what it was intended to be, which was a fellowship of churches and ministries of all kinds that could join together and discuss various topics without becoming a denomination. The perpetuation of the healing ministry was also a great concern for us. While we have seen many healings, I know my own ministry has never come close to the degree of intensity that Lake had for the gospel of healing. I only pray that you will continue to pursue the healing ministry with fervor. Reidt Nov. 1986
