Hi, my name is Dr. Gary W. Garrett. In 1999 I developed the Apostolic Archives International Inc., the Apostolic Ministerial Hall of Fame and Heritage Museum. Three distinct divisions with One objective! The purpose of this historical institution is to give Apostolic Christians, ownership of something in which they can be proud. A place where our heritage is displayed in a responsible and unapologetic manner.

Many years ago I realized the need to formulate a collection of materials and present an opportunity for the world to learn and appreciate the awesome heritage of Apostolic Pentecostalism.

Also included in this plethora are personal accounts of many individuals that lived before the restored "Oneness" position in 1913. Their contributions to the development of 20th Century Pentecostalism should be studied and appreciated as they propagated the Baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with other tongues before baptism in Jesus' Name became a front and center issue in the movement.

In the year 1913, the Arroyo Seco, Camp Meeting proved to be the turning point for Pentecostalism. The restoration of baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins brought the modern apostolic faith movement, face-to-face with the apostles doctrines of the first century.

For this reason the Apostolic Archives International was established, including, the Apostolic Ministerial Hall of Fame and Museum. Our timeless motto declares the purpose of this great institution:

PRESERVING HISTORY - HONORING EXCELLENCE - CONNECTING GENERATIONS.

HOW THIS INSTITUTION CAME TO BE.

It was in the early part of 1999 that I had a vision one night. It seemed to me that the vision lasted all night. When I awoke the next morning, I was illuminated with a compelling desire to begin the assignment that God had birthed within my spirit during the night. The Holy Spirit revealed to me every working part of the historical institution that was to be called, APOSTOLIC ARCHIVES INTERNATIONAL. Along with the vision, came a compelling understanding that I was to establish an institution that would fulfill St. Paul's charge to the church in I Timothy 5:17 "bestow double honor on those who labor in the word and doctrine". I was led in my spirit to call it, "APOSTOLIC MINISTERIAL HALL OF FAME." I was also given inspiration to establish a modern style museum where artifacts and memorabilia would be on display to help connect the present generation with the father's of the Apostolic Faith. It would be called "HERITAGE MUSEUM."

I immediately made a trip to Indianapolis, Indiana to share my vision with my friend and mentor, Bishop Morris E. Golder. I explained to Bishop Golder in detail what the Holy Ghost had birthed within my spirit concerning a repository that would contain historical records that pertained to the Pentecostal movement at large. He was moved with interest and excitement. Bishop Golder expressed how he could only wish that he had access to a historical repository of this magnitude when he wrote the history of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. He was excited over the prospect that all the history of Pentecostalism would be contained under one roof. His approval gave me a greater determination to get started on my quest.

From the age of ten years old, I had been building a private collection of audio sermons on cassette tape. Then, one day, my father introduced me to a stack of LP records that contained sermons by Elder Morris E. Golder. At that time, I knew nothing about Elder Golder, but his sermons gave me a strong desire to know more about him and the message he preached. This was the beginning of my personal collection. I have always been in love with photography, and I would take pictures of every minister that I knew. This added a new dimension to my historical project.

When I was a child, my father owned a Bell and Howell home movie camera. Un-be-known to me, he used his camera to film preachers and special events. Many years later these movie clips became the foundation for my video collection.

By the time I was twenty years old, I had built a substantial collection of periodicals, books, recordings and pictures. All part of my personal collection. At this time I still had no idea that I would be given a divine assignment that would someday become recognized on a global scale. It wasn't until I had the vision in 1999 that I realized that from the age of ten God had been working His plan in my life.

The first thing that was accomplished following the vision, was my in dept conversation with Bishop Golder. He agreed to the formation of what I called, "The Golder Commission". He and I studied the impact of what such an institution could have on the world. Especially for those who were desirous of Apostolic-Pentecostal history. 

This was followed by filing corporation papers with the State of Missouri for non-profit status. Since I was the only member at the time, I immediately chose a board of directors that included, Bishop M.E. Golder, Bishop N.A. Urshan, Bishop James E. Tyson, my father, Dr. W.J. Garrett, and other ministers from various "Oneness" organizations. Their purpose was to give advice and direction to the Apostolic Archives International Inc. I have always believed that it would take a coalition of good and honest people working together to insure the success of the Apostolic Archives International Inc. The AAI does not tolerate prejudice or racism in any form. After that, I built a website for the purpose of advertising our mission, and establishing our BRAND NAME.

From this point, the success of the AAI has been nothing less than remarkable. With the help of our Executive Board, including our Executive Branches of State Representatives and Goodwill Ambassadors, we have been able to collect and preserve an enormous amount of materials such as; periodicals, magazines, books, photographs, documents, Christian school and college annuals, ministerial directories, audio and video recordings, and much more!

The Apostolic Ministerial Hall of Fame and Heritage Museum has been a complete success. Beginning with nothing, we now display artifacts from seventy of the most prolific Apostolic ministers of the 20th Century. And we continue to grow! Our motto has remained the same and is the flagship of our purpose.

PRESERVING HISTORY - HONORING EXCELLENCE - CONNECTING GENERATIONS

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