Message Magazine



www.messagemagazine.org

Basic History
MESSAGE, originally the Gospel Herald, was founded by James Edson White in 1898. During the late 1800s, MESSAGE was a premier religious communication paper for Blacks in the South and the Mississippi Delta. It was designed to uplift the Black race, recently freed from slavery. Its content aimed to educate its readers in Bible topics, Christian living, the gospel, and practical living. The Gospel Herald's name was then changed to MESSAGE magazine in 1934. One hundred years later MESSAGE still aims to educate and uplift the Black race.

Basic Beliefs
MESSAGE Magazine’s goal is to lead all people into a personal relationship with God, by presenting the Bible-based gospel of Jesus Christ to affect positive life-changing and passionate virtuous living for today and eternity.

Leadership
Editor—Ron Smith
Associate Editor—Dwain Neilson Esmond
Marketing Representative—Jason McCracken

Basic Facts
In the beginning, the targeted audience of the Gospel Herald was the Black race in the South. The purpose of the magazine was to teach and galvanize Black people to reach for a better way of life--educationally, economically, and spiritually. The mission to educate Black people came in part from Dr. John H. Kellogg, famed superintendent of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, who suggested that Edson White publish a paper carrying an account of the work among Blacks. In the first issue of the Gospel Herald, in May 1898, Edson White, in his first editorial, explained that the object of the magazine was to "awaken an interest in the South."

Location
Message Magazine
55 West Oak Ridge Drive
Hagerstown, MD 21740
Phone (301) 393-4099
Fax (301) 393-4103