#free methodist

Ada Hall: One of the First Female Deacons

The November 25, 1913, Free Methodist had a front-page tribute to the first women deacons. The 1911 Free Methodist General Conference took steps to finally allow women some form of ordination. Now, women could become ordained deacons at the annual conference level, but with the cavet that “this ordination of women shall not be considered a step towards ordination as an elder.”1 I’ll write about…

So, I haven’t read it, in fact I hadn’t even heard of it before your ask. I have, however heard of its author, Andrew Marin - he’s the pastor who led a group at Chicago Pride wearing, “I’m Sorry” t-shirts. You’ve probably seen the picture of him being hugged by a man in his underwear…

There is a good review of the book here which I think addresses, and may alleviate your fears.How about it followers, anybody read it?

I hope that helps. If you do read it give us a review please!!  :-)

The family drama of the Davis sisters captured Midwestern newspapers in 1889 with numerous publications cross posting stories similar to this one. (Effingham Democrat, Effingham, Ill. November 27, 1889) This article is from a larger, forthcoming chapter “On the Warpath for God: The Adventures of Pentecost Band Women 1885-1890“ in Spirited Sisters, a forthcoming collection from Pennsylvania State…

A November 1912 announcement in The Daily Inter Lake about revival services in Kalispell, Montana. Christopher, Blanche, and their daughter Ada are noted as preaching. Christopher Stamp became a General Conference evangelist around 1904, and the Stamps’ speaking engagements garnered media attention wherever they went. While Christopher was the official General Conference evangelist, Blanche…

An undated photo of some women from the Pentecost Bands. Some newspaper accounts note women as young as sixteen and seventeen leaving home to join a Pentecost Band. (Photo Chris Hansen Family Photo Collection) Because the Pentecost Bands were essentially traveling revivalists, their members had the opportunity to influence countless individuals, It wasn’t unusual for a young adult to attend a…

Gaylord Congregationalist Church (Now First Congregational United Church of Christ) Clara Wetherald noted in her testimony at the 1890 Free Methodist General Conference that when she was younger she thought the only way a woman could preach was if she married a minister. So, that’s exactly what she did when, at seventeen, she married John Wetherald, an ordained elder in the Methodist Protestant…

The Free Methodist Deaconess Order Part Two

(Left to right) Rev. J.L. McCullough; Belle McCullough; Florence Mitchell. Belle McCullough was a Free Methodist Deaconess. You can see both Belle McCullough and Florence Mitchell are wearing the dark gray dresses assigned to the deaconess order. The 1907 Free Methodist General Conference was largely supportive of establishing a deaconess order, and unlike women’s ordination, the idea was met…

The History of the Free Methodist Deaconess Order Part One

Located in Evansville, Wisconsin. The original building was constructed by the United Methodist Church, Evansville became a Free Methodist school in 1880 when Superintendent George Coleman and his wife Lucy opened the school. The school was supportive of the Free Methodist Deaconess Order and offered a two-year deaconess coursework program. One of the most under-researched areas of Free…