Who's Who at Westlawn Gospel Chapel, IL

Westlawn Gospel Chapel, Chicago, Cook, IL (AA-OB) 1956-current

Early Correspondents

• Dr. LeRoy Louis Yates, Sr. +1957-2018

Notable Families

Banks family

Melvin was the founder of the "largest Black Christian publishing house in the United States". As per an article in Christianity Today from 2021, he started Urban Ministries, Inc. (UMI) in his basement in Chicago in 1970, "focusing on Sunday school curriculum and Bible study materials for African American Christians. The ministry grew to serve more than 50,000 black churches."

As per the article, Melvin was given the Gospel at the age of 9 by a Black assembly planter from Detroit who gave him a lesson about Paul's answer to the Philippian jailer. He turned his life over to Christ the following week. When he was 12, the same itinerant encouraged him to share his testimony around his home city of Birmingham. He left for Moody Bible Institute in 1952, where he was one of only ten Black students at the time. A Bahamian brethren itinerant encouraged him to the South Side assembly where he met his wife Olive, married in 1955.

They were among the founders of Westlawn. He then studied biblical archaeology at Wheaton College, graduating with his M.A. in 1960, and was invited to work for Scripture Press, initially as a salesman to Black churches, but soon attempted to influence them to reform their packaging to be friendlier to Black constituents, which was only approved after he elected a white colleague to pitch the idea. He subsequently resigned in 1970 to start Urban Ministries, Inc. with the help of his wife Olive, and Henry Soles as the charter editor.

Previous to founding UMI, he founded the Urban Outreach Foundation dedicated to "rescuing families and communities by equipping pastors, leaders & churches". He is also one of the founders of Circle Y Ranch in Bangor, MI in the 1950's.

Wheaton awarded Melvin an honorary doctorate in 1992, and Moody named him alumnus of the year in 2008. In 2017, he received the Kenneth N. Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association for "pioneering work in innovating and contextualizing Christian Education materials for the African American market".

• Dr. Melvin Eugene Banks, Sr. 1956-2021 (b. 1934 Birmingham, AL - d. 2021 Chi., IL), son of Shirley Banks. In 1940, he resided with his sister Margaret with their maternal grandparents, Lemuel "Lem" Ellis (b. 1878/1881 AL - d. 1954) & Clemmie Riddle Ellis (b. 1882 AL - d. 1941 Birmingham, AL). Lem was employed in 1920 in the coger stock house for Sloss-Sheffield Steel & Iron, previously known as Sloss Furnaces, founded by a co-founder of Birmingham. In 1926 he worked as a chauffeur, and 1940 as a truck driver.
• Olive Gertrude Perkins Banks 1956-current (b. 1935 Sturgis, MI), daughter of Joseph Harrison Perkins (b. 1905 Crab Orchard, KY - d. 1965 Centreville, St. Joseph, MI) & Olive Gertrude Davison Pannell-Perkins (b. 1904 Sturgis, MI - d. 1947 Battle Creek, MI). In 1940, Joseph Perkins was employed with George Freeman's manufacturing company in Sturgis, which in 1908 was located in Racine, WI and produced folding chairs used in cars.

Benjamin family

Chicago Tribune 1991-2-3: "James L. Benjamin, age 65, proud Army veteran of the Korean War, loving husband of Katie Kutters, nee Mive; beloved father of Sidney D., Randall K., and Esther D., and stepfather to Linda M., Eugene P. and Patricia A. Lewis; dear grandfather of 13; fond nephew of Florine. Services Sunday, 7:30pm at West Lawn Gospel Chapel, 2115 S. St. Louis. Interment will be at V.A. Wood National Cemetery, Milwaukee, WI."

• James L. Benjamin +1991 (1926-1991)
• Katie Mive Kutters-Benjamin

Dawson family

Robert started an assembly in Compton, California about 1963. See Visiting Ministry reports.

• Robert Dawson 1950's? (1927-2014)

Henry family

Minnie wrote a thought-provoking article for Letters of Interest in Nov. 1970, "How It Feels To Be A Black Christian In A White School".

• Minnie Henry +1970+

Hull family

In 1973, Judith was working towards an M.A. degree in Inner-City Studies at Northwestern Illinois State, while a part-time schoolteacher, a young housewife, and supervising the Westlawn tutoring program that inspired an article she wrote for Letters of Interest 1973-1, "An Inner-City Assembly Serves Its Community".

• Judith Hull +1973+

Johnson family

• James Johnson +1968+
• Mary Alice Williams Johnson +1968-1987 (1938-1987 Chi., IL; m. 1956), daughter of Edward Williams & Elizabeth Wideman Williams. Memorial @ Westlawn. Employee of the IDES.
  • Karen Johnson Cook
  • Pamela Johnson
  • Michelle Johnson

Rollerson family

• Harvey Rollerson 1956-2018
• Mrs. Rollerson 1956+
  • Monte Rollerson - Monte hosted weekly gospel roller-skating parties at local rinks.
  • Derrick Rollerson +1980-current - Derrick founded an outreach ministry for urban teenagers in the mid-1990's. He and his wife Eileen were commended in 1980 to work with Youth for Christ in the inner city, and he served as director of Westlawn's youth ministries, and helped with the summer program at Circle Y Ranch.
  • Ken Rollerson - Ken's group "Singles United Ministry" organized Celebrate Jesus 95 that drew 300 area young people, and another in 1996 that expected over 500, inspired by a sermon at Westside on the "virtue of solving problems". See Chicago Tribune's 1996-12-20 issue.

Yates family

Beverly's brother was Rev. Dr. William E. "Bill" Pannell (b. 1929 Sturgis, MI - d. 2024), who was Fuller Theological Seminary's first Black trustee (1971-1974), professor of evangelism (1974-2000), dean of the chapel (1992-2000), director of the African American Church Studies Program. A feature-length documentary The Gospel According to Bill Pannell was released in 2024, accompanied by a farewell message. Also see Fuller's memorial.

• Dr. LeRoy Louis Yates, Sr. 1956-2018 (b. 1929 - d. 2018 Chi., IL). Dr. Yates was listed 1980-2007 in Who's Who among Black Americans.
• Beverly Joanne Pannell Yates 1956-current (b. 1931 MI; m. 1951 Chicago, IL), daughter of William "Willie" R. Pannell (b. 1903 Chi., IL) Olive Gertrude Davison Pannell-Perkins (b. 1904 Sturgis, St. Joseph, MI - d. 1947 Battle Creek, Calhoun, MI). Willie's mother was born in Spain, his father in West Virginia. In 1950, Beverly was employed as a nurse at the Cook County Nurse's Home, under the direction of George P. Roberts (b. 1891 Greece).

Sources

• Ancestry.com
• Chicago Tribune