Arthur M. Brazier
Arthur M. Brazier was an American Oneness Pentecostal bishop, pastor, and community organizer in Chicago. He served as pastor of the Apostolic Church of God in the Woodlawn neighborhood from 1960 until his retirement in 2008, overseeing major building expansions and membership growth.
Brazier was also a leading figure in Chicago’s mid-20th-century community organizing, including the founding leadership of The Woodlawn Organization, which became a major force in neighborhood advocacy and civil-rights-era civic life on the South Side.
Early life and education
Brazier was born in Chicago on July 22, 1921, and grew up on the South Side. Public tributes report that he attended Douglas Elementary School and Wendell Phillips High School, later completing a high school correspondence course and night school while working.He graduated from Moody Bible Institute in 1956 after attending at night while employed as a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service.
Military service
During World War II, Brazier served in the United States Army, including duty in the China–Burma–India theater; later public recognitions credited him with two battle stars for the North Burma and Central Burma campaigns.Ministry
According to official and legislative tributes, Brazier felt called to ministry in the late 1940s and began formal ministerial preparation in the 1950s while still working for the postal service.He became pastor of the Universal Church of Christ in 1952.
In 1960, following leadership changes at the Apostolic Church of God, Brazier was asked to become its pastor; his congregation merged with ACOG, and he began a decades-long pastorate in Woodlawn.
Pastor of the Apostolic Church of God (1960–2008)
Brazier served as pastor of the Apostolic Church of God from 1960 until retiring in 2008. ACOG’s institutional history and legislative tributes credit his tenure with rapid growth and multiple building expansions, including:- construction of a new sanctuary at 63rd Street and Kenwood Avenue ;
- later expansion to a larger campus at 63rd Street and Dorchester Avenue with a 3,000-seat sanctuary and television facilities ;
- subsequent additions such as a banquet-hall wing and a youth and family center.
Brazier handed leadership of the church to his son, Dr. Byron T. Brazier, who succeeded him in 2008.
Episcopal leadership
Brazier served as a diocesan bishop in the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. A 2008 Illinois House resolution stated that he served as diocesan of the 6th Episcopal District, overseeing more than 80 churches, for 30 years.A 1994 Congressional Record proclamation also referenced his election as a bishop in 1976 and identified him as an episcopal leader in the PAW.
Community organizing and civil rights
During the 1960s, Brazier became prominent in local civil-rights and neighborhood advocacy. Illinois legislative and University of Chicago accounts describe his partnership with community organizer Saul Alinsky and his leadership role in The Woodlawn Organization, a coalition that sought greater community control and opposed aspects of the University of Chicago’s expansion into Woodlawn in the early 1960s.TWO became one of the best-known examples of Alinsky-style community organizing in Chicago; it developed a citywide profile through campaigns involving housing, redevelopment, and neighborhood institutions.
A 2008 Illinois House resolution further stated that Brazier met Martin Luther King Jr. in 1966 and protested with him in Chicago against segregated housing and schools, while also supporting community programs intended to reduce violence and strengthen neighborhood stability.
Civic leadership
Brazier held multiple civic and public-service roles. The Public Building Commission of Chicago reported that he was appointed to its Board of Commissioners on August 28, 1986, by Mayor Harold Washington with the advice and consent of the Chicago City Council; he served until his death and chaired the Commission’s Audit Committee.Media ministry
By the 1990s, Brazier and ACOG were associated with broadcast and radio teaching. A proclamation entered into the Congressional Record in 1994 described ACOG’s “Saving Grace Ministries” as airing on television and referenced a Bible teaching hour on WYCA radio, alongside other church ministries.Writings
Brazier was the author of several works. A 2008 Illinois House resolution listed three titles:Black Self-Determination;Saved by Grace and Grace Alone;From Milk to Meat.His best-known publication is Black Self-Determination: The Story of the Woodlawn Organization, a contemporaneous account of TWO and its approach to neighborhood organizing and redevelopment.
Transportation advocacy
In the 1990s, Brazier supported proposals related to transit infrastructure in Woodlawn. In 1994, reporting on community debate over the future of the CTA’s Jackson Park “L” branch noted that Brazier argued for demolishing the portion east of Cottage Grove, linking it to neighborhood blight and redevelopment concerns. In 1996 the CTA Board ultimately voted to tear down the three-quarter mile section of the elevated structure. Today, Cottage Grove is the eastern terminus of the Green Line, though some have called for the restoration of the elevated service, particularly in the wake of the Obama Presidential Center opening.Personal life
Brazier was married to Esther Isabelle Brazier. His son, Dr. Byron T. Brazier, later became senior pastor of the Apostolic Church of God.Death and legacy
Brazier died on October 22, 2010, at age 89. Following his death, the Public Building Commission of Chicago adopted a formal resolution honoring him as a civic and religious leader and recognizing his decades of service on the Commission.Brazier is interred with his wife, Esther Isabelle Brazier, at Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago, IL.