The Mission
It was a cold February day in State College, Pa.; the air was crisp and slithered its
way to touch the skin of Penn State students, despite their layers of fluffy coats and
animal-shaped hats. Amongst the turbulence of some students darting to class, a voice
rang out and echoed off the Willard Hall brick walls—“Today we are going to talk about
sex and Christianity.”
It was an unusually warm and sunny February afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Hill
District, a poverty-stricken neighborhood two miles from downtown Pittsburgh. On the
corner of Bedford Avenue and Chauncey Drive stood a man armed with a Bible,
bullhorn, and an audience. The man’s arms flailed passionately to augment his
enthusiastic declaration—“Do not fear the Lord.”
***
A 2011 study conducted by Mark Chaves shows that church attendance has been in
decline since the 1950s. Additionally, the percentage of people who have never attended
a religious service has increased substantially between 1990 and 2008. However, 73
percent of the United States population identify as Christian.
***
In State College, the voice grew louder and softer like the rise and fall of a
playground swing; it came not from a student, child, nor professor, but an averagelooking, middle-aged man dressed in a red sweatshirt, blue coat, jeans, gloves and boots.
With arms outstretched and raised to the sky, a ray of light shone through the clouds and
illuminated Gary Cattell’s face with biblical strength.
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One hundred miles west, the pitch of the other preacher’s proclamation
continuously rose and fell like waves in an ocean. When his voice reached its apex, just
before crashing down to a lower note, watchers would yell “Amen” and clap as if ignited
by his speech. Dressed in an oversized, white long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and an old pair of
sneakers, Reverend Sheldon Stoudemire stood amongst the birds chirping, bees buzzing,
and people living.
***
Joseph Campbell, an American writer and mythologist, composed “The Hero’s
Journey,” a 17-stage, cyclical life-pattern to describe how people follow, find, and
perform their destined calling. In the fourth stage, people leave their comfortable lives
and venture into an unknown world to fulfill their calling.
***
Throughout the seventies, Cattell says he was a “longhaired, hippie freak.” During
his last few years of high school and his first year of college at Penn State University,
Cattell spent time at bars, drinking, doing drugs, partying, and seducing women. Growing
up in a nonreligious household with two parents working full-time, Cattell was left to his
own devices and his life quickly spiraled out of control—he began taking unprecedented
risks tempting the fate of his existence.
In the early 1980s, Army Ranger Sheldon Stoudemire was stationed in East
Berlin, Germany to defend West Berliners against their enslavement from the Soviet
Union’s construction of the Berlin Wall. As battle loomed in the distance Stoudemire, in
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his early twenties, spent his days digging trenches, studying strategic military formations,
and polishing his gun for battle. Eventually, the United States made an advancement and
Stoudemire, a trained assassin, vowed to kill Soviet Union soldiers if it helped destroy the
Berlin Wall—in hindsight he admits taking the lives of innocents.
***
On January 22, 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of “Jane Roe,” during the
American lawsuit Roe v. Wade. Norma McCorvey, the longtime pro-choice activist
masked by the pseudonym “Jane Roe,” succeeded in legalizing abortion. In 1995, a year
after publishing her autobiography I Am Roe, McCorvey announced her change on the
stance of abortion saying, “Abortion at any point [is] wrong. It [is] so clear.” She since
has become an influential advocate for the pro-life movement—we are not what we were.
***
As a teenager, Cattell struggled with the concept of existence and purpose. When
he was a senior in high school he, “started to ask the questions ‘Why do I exist?’ and
‘What’s the purpose of life?’” Unlike many in society today, Cattell couldn’t fathom a
life without some larger deity intended to define human existence through guidance.
Cattell can’t pinpoint the exact moment he found God, but rather recognizes the
revelation as a gradual process culminating in August of 1982 when he defined himself as
Christian.
After the destruction of the Berlin Wall, Stoudemire returned to his hometown of
Clairton, Pa., where he began leading the youth ministry program at Mt. Olive First
Baptist Church and studying to become an ordained member of the clergy, in addition to
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boxing professionally. Stoudemire’s professional boxing career ended during his fifth
career fight against Rodney Tatum in Akron, Ohio. Nearing the end of the fourth round,
Tatum wound up his right fist and slammed it against Stoudemire’s face. Click;
something clicked in Stoudemire as he fell back onto the mat. Looking back, he describes
it by being hit with a brick sent from God, meant to rid him from his enjoyment of
physical violence so he could focus solely on his ministry. “I knew what I had to do, and
I was going to do it,” Stoudemire said. A few weeks after his last fight, Sheldon
Stoudemire was no longer just Sheldon Stoudemire—he was Reverend Sheldon
Stoudemire.
***
“It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for a bird
to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on
indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.”-C.S.
Lewis, Mere Christianity
***
Gary Cattell, more commonly known as the Willard Preacher, can be seen at the
bottom of Penn State’s Willard Hall steps from sunrise until sunset during weekdays—his
White skin, rounded glasses, and short hair have become a staple of the campus. In
November of 1982, Cattell, a devout Orthodox Christian, took his worship outside the
State College Holy Trinity Orthodox Church to the steps of Willard Hall. Cattell’s
mission is redefining what it means to be a street preacher. Whereas many preachers
force their messages on unwilling passersby, Cattell claims to share his views in an
unintimidating and educating manner. “I’m really just giving out information,” he said.
4
“[The students’] salvation is between them and God, but I’m trying to give out
information that might help them down that path.”
Less than a year after his last fight, Rev. Stoudemire recognized that battles were
being fought in the streets—people were killing and people were dying. Realizing
something needed to be done to curtail the violence, he moved his ministry from the
confines of his Clairton church to the browbeaten sidewalks of his hometown and other
crime-ridden neighborhoods surrounding Pittsburgh, like the Hill District. His Black skin,
mesmerizing hazel eyes, and passionate voice reverberate amongst the degraded brick
buildings. Having seen the attractive nature of guns and gratification through violence, he
wanted to make a strong statement against gun violence by leading people to God. Rev.
Stoudemire recognized that he was addicted to the adrenaline high from shooting enemy
soldiers and punching competitors. Luckily, he says he “snapped out of it” the moment
his head hit the mat in Akron, but not everyone will be that lucky. “So I want to be that
jolting force that steers young kids, teenagers, and adults away from guns and towards the
light,” he added.
***
“Spread the love of God through your life, but only use words when necessary,” Mother
Teresa.
***
The Pennsylvania State University was founded on February 22, 1855 and given
the title “Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania”; Main Building, the university’s first
edifice, was the site of all classes for its 64 students. After only granting agricultural
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degrees for thirty years, the university instituted a comprehensive liberal arts program,
which energized its enrollment. In the early 20th century, the school’s name was changed
to The Pennsylvania State University and it became Pennsylvania’s largest grantor of
baccalaureate degrees. Throughout the 1970s the university acquired hundreds of acres of
land to accommodate for its rapidly increasing enrollment. From its inception, Penn
State’s overwhelmingly White population has been the subject of controversy for
discrimination. On April 8, 1988, 250 students stormed the Penn State
telecommunications building, in response to violent attacks on Blacks in downtown State
College. To calm anger, the university formed the Office of the Vice Provost for
Educational Equity, which aims to “create an environment characterized by equal access
and respected participation for all groups and individuals irrespective of cultural
differences.” Despite the efforts of the office, Penn State has since been accused of
discriminating based on sexual orientation. In 2008, Jennifer Harris, a former university
basketball player, filed a sexual discrimination lawsuit claiming the then-coach released
her from the team based on her perceived sexual orientation. The discrimination
accusations have cut the ties between the school’s innocent past and forced it into a faulty
present.
The Hill District was originally a safe haven for Southern Blacks trying to escape
the segregation laws of the South, and it quickly became a symbol of acceptance leading
up to and through World War I. Eventually, “the Hill” (as locals call it) became a racial
melting pot and cultural cornucopia with the arrival of Armenians, Syrians, Greeks,
Poles, Russians, Chinese, and Slovaks. The ethnic diversity created a vibrant community
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and streets lined with stores, restaurants, clubs, and churches representing many factions
of the world. From the 1930s to the 1950s the Hill was packed with talented jazz
musicians, artists, and writers. It embodied the ideals of strong religious worship and
acceptance; the Hill was sprinkled with Methodist, Catholic, Baptist, and Presbyterian
churches, each with their own devoted followers. In September 1955, the federal
government, having left the Hill alone for quite some time, enacted the “Hill
redevelopment program,” which cleared ninety-five acres of the lower Hill—leaving
lower Hill residents homeless and forced to find substandard housing elsewhere. Then in
1968, following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Hill occupants vented their
anger by rioting throughout the Hill District and downtown Pittsburgh; setting fires and
damaging property. The rioters had one goal in mind—revenge.
***
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Date: April 1, 2013
Weather at 10am:
-gloomy, 36 degrees
Weather at 11am:
-heavy hail, 33 degrees
Weather at 12pm:
-sunny, 47 degrees
In 2012 Slate Magazine ran an article titled “Things Can Change.”
***
Today Penn State is largely White (representing 75.4 percent of the total student
enrollment), heterosexual, and is a product of State College residents and their
sentiments. The city has been noted as an ultra-conservative, and semi-racist city. At an
October McCain/Palin rally just outside State College, a man holding a “Democrat for
McCain” poster said, “I don’t want to sound racist here, but I do not want a Black man
running my country.”
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Today the Hill remains crippled by its turbulent past unable to reclaim its preWorld War I glory. Pittsburghers presently know the Hill as “the place you avoid at all
costs unless you live there.” A 1999 census indicates current residents are predominantly
Black with an annual income of less than $10,000 and limited education passed high
school—there is no new information regarding religious involvement.
***
In a recent article regarding women’s rights, author Anne-Marie Slaughter traces the
struggles women faced and are still facing to balance career and family life in a mandominated society. She said, “[Women] were sure then that by now, we would be living
in a 50-50 world. Something derailed that dream.” Blacks in history were sure then that
by now, they would be living in a 50-50 world. Something derailed that dream. One can
only speculate at the cause of White entitlement. Education? Money? Politics? All of the
above?
Both Cattell and Rev. Stoudemire would say that, despite societal trends, all are equal
before God.
***
A group of students surrounded Cattell, who was talking to a female in the middle
of the hubbub. The sun was at its peak on the cold February day as it illuminated the
scene. “You…sex…Hell,” Cattell’s voice rang out; it was impossible to hear the full
content of each sentence over the jeering group of students. Large, football-player-like
students, pounced on Cattell’s every word and tore them to pieces—screaming fiery
insults like “shut the f--- up” or “get off the campus” or “I’m an Atheist and I like it.” The
8
female caught in the chaos said nothing and listened tentatively, trying to decide if she
should follow her instincts and flee. A group of students dressed in expensive
conservative clothes, perched atop the steps and along the sidewalk, staring
condescendingly like they knew better than to engage with Cattell. Other students
burdened with heavy backpacks quietly weaved in and out of the crowd, like sly foxes
curious to get a glimpse of the action. Occasionally some passersby would flip Cattell off
or yell “f--- off,” which energized the lion-like crowd. Suddenly Dr. Errol Henderson, a
Political Science professor, approached Cattell, pointing his fingers towards him and
yelling at him to leave the students alone. Amongst the gathering of observers preparing
for a physical fight, some can be heard cheering, clapping, and supporting Dr. Henderson.
A few days later the duo made Huffington Post headlines for footage of their almost
physical altercation outside Willard Hall. Of the footage Dr. Henderson said, “It made me
look the like big, bad Black man who picked a fight with the Willard Preacher…There’s
a reason someone filmed the scene, but it’s not because of me.”
A gathering of adults and children stood facing Rev. Stoudemire, watching,
listening, and praying intently on the corner of Bedford Avenue and Chauncey Drive.
Rev. Stoudemire’s jarringly enthusiastic and passionate voice rang out like a bell echoing
for miles—his speech went undisturbed, except for the occasional “amen” from various
observers. Each listener, even the small children holding Spiderman and Dora the
Explorer backpacks, acted like human sponges ready and willing to soak up and marinate
in his Christian words of encouragement. As Rev. Stoudemire preached, he paced back
and forth and made brief eye contact with each observer—he wasn’t just talking at a
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random collection of people, he was preaching into the souls of every individual. As his
service continued, an older man approached the group, walked up to Rev. Stoudemire,
and whispered in his ear. Rev. Stoudemire proceeded to tell the group that the man asked
them to pray for him and his strength to conquer his drinking problem—the community
consented. Some of the observers took hands, while others clasped their own for more
intimate prayer. Rev. Stoudemire began to pray out loud, and others followed with
similar sentiments expressing encouragement, motivation, and drive—it was no longer
his service, it was theirs. As two men walked away to continue with their day, one man
said to the other, “It’s nice to know someone cares about us.” This scene didn’t make
Huffington Post headlines, or any local Pittsburgh newspaper. Instead, it will be have to
be memorialized in the hearts of those who witnessed it.
***
On September 8, 1994 all national nightly news channels reported the crash of US Air
Flight 427 en route from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to Pittsburgh. Six miles
from the runway, the Boeing 737-300 aircraft lost control and crashed into a hillside just
outside Aliquippa, Pa. All 132 people aboard were killed.
Today, there were more than 87,000 flights, in the United State, that safely made it to
their destination. All 11,484,000 people aboard the aircrafts survived. No nightly news
channels will report the successes.
***
Just outside State College, along the I-99 south, there is a green and white traffic
sign that advertises the proximity of Innovation Park, a business center. State College is
the symbol of innovation. Of education. Of privilege. Most of the children have grown up
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with two caring parents, family dinners at 5 p.m., and the “no television before
homework” rule. Parents have the opportunity to choose which of the twelve schools in
the State College Area School District they wish to send their children. All of the schools
are regarded as prestigious institutions for intellectual enhancement; Robert O’Donnell,
the superintendent of the school district said, “Classroom experiences that benefit all
students need to be our highest priority.” The majority of students who graduate from a
school in State College, and surrounding neighborhoods, attend Penn State. Thus,
Cattell’s observers have been consistently submersed in the intellectual and scholastic
aura of State College and Penn State University.
On Bedford Avenue, a road that runs through the heart of the Hill, there are
numerous “Neighborhood Crime Watch” signs, posted on rotting telephone poles. Traffic
signs continuously inform travelers how to reverse their route and drive to downtown
Pittsburgh. How to leave the Hill. How to turn a blind eye to the underprivileged. Most of
the children have grown up with a single parent struggling to make ends meet. There are
three high schools in the Hill—all of which are closed—so children are bused to
substandard elementary and high schools in other Pittsburgh neighborhoods. Thus, most
of Rev. Stoudemire’s observers exist in the harsh realities of life, and can only dream of
the opportunity for higher education. “The educational system is failing [the kids],” Rev.
Stoudemire said. “They aren’t taught about religion and God, but instead wars and
suffering…that’s a problem.”
***
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In How College Affects Students researchers found, “consistent evidence of declines in
students’ traditional religious affiliations during their college years and in their general
religious orientations.”
***
State College has three main roads: West College Avenue, West Beaver Avenue,
and Atherton Street. Along these roads there are six churches. Cattell said, “I think that
we’ve lost our religion and sight of that in America.”
The Hill District has three main roads: Bedford Avenue, Webster Avenue, and
Centre Avenue. Along these roads there are twelve churches. Rev. Stoudemire said, “I
seek for people to go minister to…people go to the church on Sunday, and street ministry
goes to the people everyday.”
***
According to a nationwide survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, “74
percent of black women and 70 percent of black men said that ‘living a religious life’ is
very important. On that same question, the number falls to 57 percent of white women
and 43 percent of white men.”
***
What does it mean to be White? The word “Cattell” was derived from the old
Welsh name “Cadell.” The first tribes to settle in Wales migrated from Europe around
3,000 B.C. These tribes—the Iberian, Celtic, and Nordic—were characterized by White,
brawny, brown haired men and pale, blond haired women. Migrating from different
regions of Europe, Wales became an ethnically diverse country with racial homogeneity.
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The different tribes gradually bonded and merged to defend their new territory from
Roman and Norman invaders. Over time, Wales’ inhabitants formed a distinct national
identity and sense of community over their shared history. Cattell’s ancestral history is
marked by different groups intertwining to establish one collective identity.
Today, Wales is a primarily White country. Today, in the United States, Cattell is
rarely reminded of his Whiteness.
What does it mean to be Black? The word “Stoudemire” comes from the German
name “Staudenmaier,” which was the name for a tenant farmer. During the 19th century,
Germany witnessed a sizable influx of Africans, and by the 1920s there were about
75,000 Afro-Germans living in Germany’s metropolitan areas. In 1932, when Adolf
Hitler came to power, the Nazis aimed to exterminate Blacks, homosexuals, and the
mentally ill, in addition, to the Jews—about 25,000 Blacks died in the “Black
Holocaust.” Although, many Blacks were able to escape capture since the Nazis
concentrated on the Jews and Blacks were widely dispersed across Germany. HansJürgen Massaquoi, author of Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany,
writes of his desire to fit in with the Nazi culture—he had a babysitter sew a swastika on
his sweater. Massaquoi said he escaped the fate of many Blacks by fleeing from city to
city, and eventually immigrated to the United States in hopes of leaving racist Germany.
Stoudemire’s ancestral history is marked by discrimination, fear, and fleeing.
Today, Germany is the 16th most populous country, with Blacks representing one
percent of the population. Today, in the United States, Stoudemire is constantly reminded
of his Blackness.
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***
As a child in Harlem, Adrian Piper, a light-skinned African American, said her peers
criticized her for “acting white” and for not being “black enough.” In 1991 Piper
penned an essay, “Passing for White, Passing for Black,” to describe her experience as a
light-skinned African American who could pass for White. She wrote:
A benefit and a disadvantage of looking white is that most people treat you as
though you were white…you come to expect this sort of treatment, not, perhaps,
realizing that you're being treated this way because people think you're white, but
falsely supposing, rather, that you're being treated this way because people think
you are a valuable person…you come to expect a certain level of respect, a
certain degree of attention to your voice and opinions, certain liberties of action
and self-expression to which you falsely suppose yourself to be entitled because
your voice, your opinion, and your conduct are valuable in themselves. To those
who in fact believe that black people are not entitled to this degree of respect,
attention, and liberty, the sight of a black person behaving as though she were
can, indeed, look very much like arrogance. It may not occur to them that she
simply does not realize that her blackness should make any difference.
***
Most State College residents lead a typical middle-class American life. On
Sunday residents attend their religious services before lining up to dine at the popular
Waffle Shop with their families. After a filling breakfast, most head off to recreational
league soccer games or book club meetings. Evening comes sooner than expected and
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families hurry home for honey-baked ham and the nightly news. Their day is filled with
friends, family, and fun—the American dream. A luxury, as Hill residents would say.
Less than one hundred people flock to the Holy Trinity Orthodox Christian
Church, Cattell’s church, for its 10 a.m. service. Here and there a few residents nod and
greet familiar faces, but most times the church is quiet enough to shock attendees when a
baby lets out a sudden cry. There’s a feeling of indifference in the air, like church is a
weekly obligation and nothing more. The service is ritualistic with the pastor and each
attendee fulfilling their duty to complete the process. After the service, the minimal
greeting routine is repeated and each churchgoer hurries off to carry out the plans of their
day.
Holy Trinity Orthodox Christian Church is situated in a quaint Victorian
neighborhood; before, during, and after the service one can hear the birds chirping.
Most Hill District residents lead a life unknown to seventy percent of the United
States population—a lower-class life. On Sunday, many wake up at 9 a.m. to attend
religious services before lining up outside the Jubilee Kitchen to receive a hot meal
around noon. Evening is marked by growling stomachs, prayers for strength, and hopes
the electricity doesn’t turn off. Their day is characterized by the constant scream of
poverty and dreams for a better future. Unfortunate, as State College residents would say.
Over one hundred people scurry to Central Baptist Church, a church Stoudemire
occasionally attends, to embark on their spiritual journey. At 9:15 a.m., judging by the
number of attendees, one might think the service is about to start, but that’s not the case.
People gather in large groups shaking hands, sharing stories, and living together; there
15
are no outsiders as new attendees are welcomed in and quickly assimilated. When the
service starts people stand, raise their hands, and shout “Hallelujah,” to augment the
speaker’s fervent sermon. After the celebration-like service, churchgoers continue their
mingling and discuss the service; gradually the crowd dissipates as shouts of “I’ll see you
later!” and “Have a good one!” fade.
Central Baptist Church, located along Wylie Avenue, is a large brick building
with bright red doors—from 9 a.m. until mid-afternoon the doors are open and sound
pours out.
***
A 2012 Pew Research Center study on Religion and Public Life, found that as income
decreases, religious involvement slowly increases. To yield results, researchers employed
a strict, scientific methodology and analyzed various religious groups across the United
States. Researchers didn’t explain or rationalize their findings, because they can’t be
explained using science. Perhaps lower classes are more open to God because they have
nothing left to lose, and everything to gain. One might suspect religion provides a beacon
of light in the darkness of despair—maybe religion is hope.
***
Cattell and Stoudemire make up a minute part of the population who devotedly
enter religious servitude. Both said they were called by God to preach their faith, and are
continuously driven by the feeling they have to serve God’s will—both say they will
preach until their death. Cattell said, “Most seem, to me, to be going through life not
thinking about the fact that one day they’ll have to stand before god and be judged, and
wither either go to heaven or hell based on their lives; God wants me to remind them of
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that.” Stoudemire said, “Years ago, a pastor told me to never take people for granted, and
I am grateful for those words. I have a deep appreciation for those who I’ve had a chance
to minister to over the years…I’m doing this for the Lord.”
Cattell and Stoudemire can’t pinpoint one overarching goal of their ministries
because their ministries aren’t one-dimensional objects that can be bottled up and
analyzed. Although in different ways, both have seen the hurt, need, and injustice in the
world today, and these life experiences have informed the unique ministries they lead.
Cattell and Stoudemire are different men, in different areas, with different backgrounds,
yet they have one mission—to diminish violence, restore morality and religion, help
sufferers, and leave the world in a better state than when they entered. For them,
preaching can accomplish the mission; preaching is the mission.
***
A 2011 study conducted by Mark Chaves found that “a career in religious leadership is
less attractive than it used to be, especially among young people. About 1 percent of
college freshmen expected to become clergy in the 1960s, declining to 0.3 percent in the
late 1980s, and remaining at about that level since then.” However, “unbranded,
nondenominational, more free-form religious expression,” like street preaching will
continue to increase.
***
As the sun was beginning its descent, Cattell’s voice faded to a sudden halt. He
froze in front of Willard Hall and said a prayer expressing his appreciation for the chance
to preach. Cattell then gathered his nearby water bottle and started to walk across the
quiet campus—each step, each breath, and each heartbeat led him away from Willard
17
Hall and closer to his home. Another week completed, he thought as the bright rays
highlighted his face and silhouetted his figure. Walking into the sunny abyss with a quick
strut, he grew smaller and smaller until his image disappeared from view.
Rev. Stoudemire lowered his voice and bullhorn—his weapons—and retreated to
his parked car, unsure if he made a difference, yet certain he gave tremendous effort. As
he got in his rusty, red Ford explorer, Rev. Stoudemire put the key in the ignition, rolled
down the manually controlled window, and tuned the radio to Pittsburgh’s Christian
music wavelength. Pausing for a moment he said, “Thank you Lord, for this
opportunity,” then switched the gear into drive, and stepped on the pedal. His
Pennsylvania license plate vanished as the car strolled down the street, back to his
civilian life.
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Sources
Ben Schmitt: “Pittsburgh Street Preacher”
Bill Schackner: “Penn State Softens Policy on Campus Speak-Outs”
Chadwick Lynch: “10 Questions: The Willard Preacher”
Dave Howland and Ted Anthony: “88 Arrested After Sit-In Protest,” The Daily Collegian
Ernest Pascarella and Patrick Terenzini: “How College Affects Students”
Ervin Dyer: “The Word on the Street”
A Framework to Foster Diversity at Penn State: 1998-2003,
http://equity.psu.edu/framework/pdf/Framework199803.pdf
A Framework to Foster Diversity at Penn State: 2004-2009,
http://equity.psu.edu/framework/pdf/framework-2004-09.pdf
Frank Newport: “Seven in 10 Americans Are Very or Moderately Religious”
Gary Cattell—Interview
Gary Cattell: “Christianity as Life: Proclaiming the Message to College Students”
“Harris Claim Settled,” http://news.psu.edu/story/198428/2007/02/05/harris-claim-settled
Holy Trinity Orthodox Christian Church: http://holytrinity-oca.org/our-mission,
http://holytrinity-oca.org/about-holy-trinity
Hill District Profiles:
http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cp/assets/census/2000_census_pgh_jan06.pdf
Mark Chaves: “Religious Trends in America,” Social Work & Christianity
Paul Korol: “A Brief History of the Hill”
Penn State History: http://www.psu.edu/this-is-penn-state/our-history
Pew Research Center: “ ‘Nones’ on the Rise: One-in-Five Adults Have No Religious
Affiliation”
Reverend Sheldon Stoudemire—Interview
Reverend Sheldon Stoudemire: “The Street Ministry Experience”
State College Profile: http://www.city-data.com/city/State-College-Pennsylvania.html
Theola Labbe-DeBose: “Black Women are Among Country’s Most Religious Groups”
“Who is The Willard Preacher?” http://onwardstate.com/2012/09/13/the-willard-preacher
“Wylie Avenue Days,” http://www.wqed.org/education/pghist/logs/wylie.php
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