Lectern used by Reverend Dr. Clay Evans at Fellowship Baptist Church
date: label: Date
content: 1973
name: label: Commissioned by
content: Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, American, founded 1950
label: Used by
content: Reverend Clay Evans, American, 1925 - 2019
notes: label: Caption
content: Reverend Dr. Clay Evans (June 23, 1925- November 27, 2019) was a prominent civil rights leader, Baptist minister, and gospel singer. Born in Brownsville, Tennessee, Dr. Evans utilized his platform on countless occasions to address sociopolitical issues of the times. His connection to addressing community issues while having a deep passion for musical ministry connected him to millions of Americans worldwide. This lectern was in use during the time he served as the founding pastor at the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois.
label: Description
content: This is a wooden lectern originally used by Reverend Clay Evans. It has three sides, two that face the audience and the third that the speaker stands behind. The two audience-facing sides are solid panels of dark wood. Near the top edge of each of these two panels is text carved into the wood and painted with gold paint. The text reads from left-hand panel to right [“IT IS NO SECRET / WHAT GOD CAN DO.] The two panels do not reach all the way to the floor. Instead, there are an additional two smaller lengths of the same polished dark wood that form a triangular-shaped base for the main body of the lectern to rest on. The third side of the lectern is open and has four shelves of various heights. The top shelf forms the desk on which to rest papers during a speech. This top surface is covered by blue fabric. Just under the lip of this top surface on the right-hand side are two metal switch plates. Two thick rubber covered wires emerge from under the lectern on the right-hand side.
place: label: Place used
content: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Baptist
label: Topic
content: Civil Rights
label: Topic
content: Communities
label: Topic
content: Gospel (Music)
label: Topic
content: Preaching
label: Topic
content: Religion
label: Topic
content: Singers (Musicians)
label: Topic
content: Social reform
label: Topic
content: The Black Church
label: Topic
content: Urban life
label: Topic
content: Worship services
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Sacred and Ceremonial Objects
label: Classification
content: Furnishings, Housewares, and Décor
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Rev. Clay Evans
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2021.109.1
objectType: label: Type
content: lecterns
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No known copyright restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: wood with cloth, chrome, and electrical wiring
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (pulpit): 50 × 59 1/2 × 26 in. (127 × 151.1 × 66 cm)