TheInternational Pentecostal Church of Christ (or IPCC) is a Wesleyan/Pentecostal organization formed in 1976 by the merger of twoPentecostal organizations. In 1907,Gaston B. Cashwell, called theApostle of Pentecost in the South, founded a periodical calledThe Bridegroom's Messenger, inAtlanta, Georgia. About the same time, Paul and Hattie Barth started a church. The Barths became editors ofThe Bridegroom's Messenger. In 1918, they beganBeulah Heights Bible School in Atlanta, and in 1921 they organized an association that became theInternational Pentecostal Assemblies. John Stroup, a member of the Methodist Protestant Church, professed receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost in 1908. Stroup was one of the first individuals to take the Pentecostal message into southern Ohio and parts of Kentucky. He organized thePentecostal Church of Christ inFlatwoods, Kentucky in 1917. The body originally headquartered inAshland, Kentucky, and later in London, Ohio. In 1976, theInternational Pentecostal Assemblies and thePentecostal Church of Christ merged to become theInternational Pentecostal Church of Christ. Headquarters are located inLondon, Ohio. The church operates a youth camp, and the Global Missions Department, the National Youth Department and Women's Ministries. Doctrines are detailed in a 19-article Statement of Faith ranging from the inspiration of the Scriptures to tithes and offerings. The IPCC is one of a few Pentecostal and Evangelical denominations to elevate the issue of racism to their statement of faith. The church holds two ordinances - waterbaptism by immersion, and holycommunion. The denomination has two practices that are encouraged within the local church -foot washing, and child dedication. The body isTrinitarian and, like many Pentecostal bodies, holds that speaking in tongues is the initial evidence ofBaptism with the Holy Spirit. Its affiliations are with thePentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America,Pentecostal World Conference, a charter member of theNational Association of Evangelicals, and theWorld Evangelical Fellowship. In 2003, the denomination had 4,961 members in 67 churches.[1] Nearly half of its congregations are located in Ohio.[2] The rest are concentrated primarily in Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina.[2] By 2010, the IPCC had dropped to 3,756 members in 62 churches.[3]