Rare Father Divine Signed Typed letter Framed with original Photograph

Rare Father Divine (1882-1965) Typed letter signed June 12, 1956 on stationery headed: "The U.S.A. Northeastern Churches and Connections Under The Peace Mission Movement". Addresses of churches or missions throughout Northeast are listed on the left and right sides of page. Professionally framed with an original C. 1930 Father Divine sepia photograph. Frame measures 28.5"X 15.5". Letter addressed to Miss Gentle Dove of Los Angleles........ Transcribed in full: Dear Miss Dove: Your letter of the 14th ultimo is received and I am replying to let you know I appreciated your word of thanks for the joyous time you had with us during our tenth Anniversary Celebration. The woderful part of it is, is that you an take this joy with you wherever you go and live and relive every day in this Eternal Anniversary of MY Marriage to MY Church - MY SpotlessVirgin Rosebud Bride. Enter in the strait gate through faith and I will be with you continually, that you may enjoy the privilege of being as this leaves ME, for I AM ever Well, Healthy, Joyful, Peaceful, Lively, Loving, Successful, Prosperous and Happy in Spirit, Body and Mind and in every organ, muscle, sinew, joint, limb, vein and bone in every ATOM, fibre and cell of MY BODILY FORM. Respectfully and Sincere, I AM REV. M. J. DIVINE, Ms. D., D.D. REV.MJD.r (Better known as FATHER DIVINE) ............................. Divine founded the Peace Mission movement near Savannah, Georgia C.1910. After preaching in the South, he moved to Harlem in 1915 and became one of the neighborhood's biggest landlords, acquired wealth through other businesses, including restaurants and grocery stores, and began calling himself "Father Divine". People were said to be drawn to Father Divine's teachings because of the "love and benevolence [he] supernaturally extended to whoever came within its radius, "the revelation to countless numbers that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ was here and now in the person of Father Divine". Father Divine provided work, shelter, and food in a time of great need, and this, coupled with his charismatic message, created a great draw for people. His provision of jobs for his followers was especially important during the time of the Great Depression. Although once dismissed as a cult leader, he built the largest religious movement in northern ghettos during the Great Depression. He was an early civil-rights activist leading anti-lynching campaigns, instituting economic cooperatives, and organizing political action against racial discrimination. The movement spread world wide. During the 1940s, his health and influence declined, but his movement symbolized the progressive spirit in the black church and helped define the church's active role in the civil-rights movement.