Archie Ijames (September 1, 1913 – May 30, 1993) was an American Christian minister and assistant pastor of

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide", ...

Peoples Temple The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ, originally Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church and commonly shortened to Peoples Temple, was an American new religious organization which existed between 1954 and 1978. Founded in Indianapolis, Ind ...

. Born in Davie County, North Carolina, Ijames was the son of a

sharecropper Sharecropping is a legal arrangement with regard to agricultural land in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. Sharecropping has a long history and there are a wide range ...

descended from former slaves. He became a minister in the

Disciples of Christ The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...

and joined

in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1956. Ijames was a follower of

William Branham William Marrion Branham (April 6, 1909 – December 24, 1965) was an American Christian minister and faith healer who initiated the post-World War II healing revival, and claimed to be a prophet with the anointing of Elijah, who had come t ...

who traveled to Indianapolis to attend Branham's joint revival with Jones in June 1956. Ijames was enamored with Jones views on racial integration and became one of his earliest followers. He was instrumental in many different projects undertaken by Jones and People's temple. Jones appointed Ijames as assistant pastor of the church and later to the executive board overseeing other ministers and church activities. Ijames was the only black minister that Jones permitted to preach at People's Temple. He was a sensitive man, and Ijames frequently brought the crowd to tears in his emotional sermons. Ijames convinced Jones to bring Peoples Temple into the Disciples of Christ denomination in 1960 and participated in the ceremony ordaining Jones as a Disciples of Christ minister in 1964. Ijames accompanied Jones on his 1973 trip to

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

to inspect land for the creation of

Jonestown The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known by its informal name "Jonestown", was a remote settlement in Guyana established by the Peoples Temple, a U.S.–based cult under the leadership of Jim Jones. Jonestown became internationall ...

. Ijames stayed behind in Guyana to oversee the early construction of the community. Ijames returned to the United States in 1976 where he served in a leadership role at Peoples Temple's San Francisco church. After the

Jonestown Massacre The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known by its informal name "Jonestown", was a remote settlement in Guyana established by the Peoples Temple, a U.S.–based cult under the leadership of Jim Jones. Jonestown became internationa ...

in November 1978, Ijames received significant media attention as the highest ranking member of People's Temple to escape the mass murder suicide. After the events at Jonestown, Ijames left People's Temple. He became a street preacher in San Francisco, preaching to the homeless and organizing food and clothing drives for them.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ijames, Archie 1913 births 1993 deaths People from Davie County, North Carolina