January 15, 2026 · 4:03 pm

Pioneer Pentecostal Missionaries to China: George and Margaret Kelley

This Week in AG History —January 12, 1918

By Darrin J. Rodgers
Originally published on AG-News, 15 January 2026

George (1888-1975) and Margaret Kelley (1889-1933), two young pioneer Pentecostals, discovered that following God’s call could be exciting, fulfilling, and costly. The year 1910 was a whirlwind for the young couple. They married in January and soon afterward felt God calling them to serve as missionaries to China. They spent the bulk of the year traveling across the United States, raising financial support for their mission endeavor. Finances came together and, in November 1910, they arrived in Canton, China, where they  established a thriving Pentecostal mission.

George and Margaret were barely in their 20s when they arrived in China; he was 22, she was 21. They did not have formal seminary or language training. However, they were determined to do whatever it took to fulfill God’s call on their lives. They learned Cantonese and began developing relationships with local residents. They met a Cantonese woman who led a small Pentecostal congregation of eight people who met in homes. She invited the Kelleys to pastor the flock, which grew significantly under their ministry.

Like many early Pentecostal missionaries, the Kelleys had to be entrepreneurs. They were not initially backed by a mission agency. They had to raise their own support; it was sink or swim. In 1915, they affiliated with the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, an interracial denomination that provided missionaries with a network of churches that promised financial support. After that organization identified with the Oneness movement and rejected the doctrine of the Trinity, the Kelleys transferred their missionary appointment to the Assemblies of God in 1917.

George Kelley became well known in Assemblies of God circles. He authored 74 articles in the Pentecostal Evangel about their mission work in China. In an article published 100 years ago — in the Jan. 12, 1918, issue of the Weekly Evangel (later Pentecostal Evangel) — he described some of the challenges faced by missionaries.

George lamented that some missionaries were impoverished and lived in unsanitary conditions. “We have many missionaries now living in quarters,” he wrote, “that would not be good enough for cattle at home.” However, he expressed gratitude that he and his family were able to live in a good house, and that God had provided sufficient finances to purchase a new building for their growing congregation.

Canton became home to the Kelleys. They spent more of their life in that Chinese city than they had spent in America. They experienced life and death in China. It was there that they had six sons, but only four survived into adulthood. Margaret contracted smallpox and died in China in 1933. George was remarried in 1935 to a Chinese Christian woman, Eugenia Wan, who was a noted Pentecostal evangelist and co-founder of a Bible school. 

In many ways, George and Margaret Kelley exemplified the consecrated service of early Pentecostal missionaries. What they lacked in formal training, they learned on the job. They became part of the community they served, experiencing the challenges and joys of life, as well as the grief of death, in Canton. The Kelleys, like so many other Pentecostal pioneer missionaries, determined to follow God’s call, no matter the cost.

Read the article by George M. Kelley, “Wise Counsel and Good News from Sainam,” on page 11 of the Jan. 12, 1918, issue of the Weekly Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “The Supernatural in Christianity,” by F. A. Hale

• “The Mexican Work,” by H. C. Ball

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

Do you have Pentecostal historical materials that should be preserved? Please consider depositing these materials at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The FPHC, located in the Assemblies of God national offices, is the largest Pentecostal archive in the world. We would like to preserve and make your treasures accessible to those who write the history books.

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA
Phone: 417.862.1447 ext. 4400
Toll Free: 877.840.5200
Email: archives@ag.org
Website: https://ifphc.org/

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January 8, 2026 · 4:43 pm

In 1971, Thurman Faison Challenged White Pentecostals to Preach Against Racism and to Link Arms with Blacks in Ministry

This Week in AG History — January 9, 1972

By Ruthie Edgerly Oberg
Originally published on AG News, 08 January 2025

Riots and civil unrest marked American cities during the late 1960s and early 1970s.  When African American Assemblies of God minister Thurman Faison addressed the 1971 meeting of the Pentecostal Fellowship of North America, he spoke to the social turbulence that was on everyone’s mind. 

Faison’s message addressed the question, “How are we going to reach the Blacks of our inner cities?” The editors of the Pentecostal Evangel felt the question needed the attention of their readers and reprinted his entire address in the Jan. 9, 1972, issue. 

Having pastored in both Harlem and Chicago, Faison was well aware of the concerns facing the African American population of the inner cities. “The urban scene is a constant focus of the news media. What would reporting be without the demonstrations, riots, class struggles, and corruptions of the big cities!” He stressed that the Pentecostal church could not afford to neglect urban evangelism; the major cities of America influence the course of the nation. 

While the Pentecostal movement had long been known for their strict stance on “sins of the flesh,” many Pentecostals remained relatively quiet with regard to the sins of pride and prejudice. Faison made the point to his largely white audience that “all unrighteousness is sin — be it prejudice or adultery — and that the righteous Lord loves righteousness.” 

At that time, the Assemblies of God had engaged in little intentional outreach to the Black community in comparison to its missions efforts with other ethnic populations. In a 1970 interview, General Superintendent Thomas Zimmerman estimated that the Assemblies of God had “at least” 25 Black ministers and only a handful of churches in predominately Black neighborhoods (Pentecostal Evangel, April 26, 1970). 

Faison called Pentecostals to rediscover and maintain their God-given identity and calling to preach the plain gospel of Christ.  He noted, “The world demands what they call ‘contemporary relevance.’” He defined  “contemporary” to mean “to happen along with,” and “relevance” to mean “to have a definite relationship or bearing upon the matters at hand.” He concluded that “the gospel-preaching church meets this standard of contemporary relevance.” 

According to Faison, Christians must address pressing social issues: “God’s purposes have always … had a definite bearing upon the matters at hand.” 

Faison knew the powerful impact of the Church in an inner-city community.  In 1969, he moved from Harlem to Chicago and worked closely with Illinois District Superintendent E.M. Clark to develop an Assemblies of God outreach to African Americans. The mostly white churches of the Illinois District helped Faison to purchase church property and a parsonage in Chicago’s South Side, along with radio time to promote the new church. This partnership of Blacks and whites proved to be a powerful ministry strategy. Southside Tabernacle (now Southside Worship Center), under the leadership of Pastor Titus Lee, continues to be a strong representation of the kingdom of God in Chicago. 

In 1971, Faison stated that “the issues of yesterday are not the same today, nor will they be the same tomorrow.” Yet the headlines from 2026 reflect the same themes that he referenced in his time: demonstrations, riots, class struggles, and corruption in the big cities. Fifty-five years have passed, but many of the same social ills remain.

Why should Pentecostals boldly proclaim Christ in small towns and inner cities, and to people of every race, class, and persuasion? Faison realized that social problems, ultimately, can only be solved with the gospel. He wrote: “The biggest issues will always be constant — the problem of sin in the human heart, the alienation of men from God, and the expressions of unrighteousness in word, thought, and deed.” 

Read Faison’s entire address, “What Are We Going to Do About Our Cities?” on pages 8-9 of the Jan. 9, 1972, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel. 

Also featured in this issue:

• “He Preached Through His Hands,” by Betty Haney

• “A Call to Sleeping Jonahs,” by Charles W.H. Scott

And many more! 

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

Do you have Pentecostal historical materials that should be preserved? Please consider depositing these materials at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The FPHC, located in the Assemblies of God national offices, is the largest Pentecostal archive in the world. We would like to preserve and make your treasures accessible to those who write the history books.

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA
Phone: 417.862.1447 ext. 4400
Toll Free: 877.840.5200
Email: archives@ag.org
Website: https://ifphc.org/

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December 31, 2025 · 4:38 pm

Assemblies of God Pioneer Alma Crosby’s Unforgettable New Year’s Eve Service

This Week in AG History — January 1, 1961

By Glenn W. Gohr
Originally published on AG-News, 31 December 2025

Alma Crosby, an Assemblies of God minister and successful businesswoman, shared a testimony in 1961 of “an unforgettable New Year’s Eve” that took place in the new church building she and her husband helped construct in Beaumont, Texas.

A young man from New York City had recently moved to Beaumont, and his mother came to visit. He did not think his mother would want to spend New Year’s Eve at a party with young people, so he brought her to Crosby to let her spend the evening with Crosby and her husband. They brought her to their church, which had a nice New Year’s Eve service that included a program of gospel singing, preaching, and Communion. A foot washing service, in which church members would follow Christ’s example of service and humility and wash each other’s feet (John 13), was also planned at midnight. 

Crosby discovered that the woman, who by her dress was evidently well off, was not familiar with any of these things, so she explained the plans for the evening to her. However, Crosby was afraid that the woman would be turned off by the prospect of washing the feet of a stranger. 

By the end of the night, the woman went to the altar and committed her life to Christ. She was happy to participate in the foot washing service and even washed some of the other ladies’ feet. Crosby recalled that the visiting woman told her “happily, but tearfully, that this had been the best New Year’s Eve in all her life,” and that she returned to New York City “a new woman.”

This taught Crosby to not fear what people might think about her faith — a New Year’s Eve lesson that was “unforgettable,” in her estimation.

Alma Crosby was one of many largely unheralded Assemblies of God ministers who faithfully ministered in her community. 

Alma Ware Crosby (1891-1977) was born in Stockdale, Texas. She spent her childhood in San Antonio. In 1918, she moved to Beaumont and became a salesperson in the wholesale drug business. Four years later she joined the thin ranks of women insurance underwriters. She married Sylvester Crosby, and she and her husband were very successful in the insurance business. She retired as an underwriter with Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company after 38 years.

Crosby also felt called into ministry, and for 22 years she was a bi-vocational pastor before seeking credentials with the Assemblies of God. She delivered sermons in schools, nursing homes, and jails. 

In about 1944, Crosby was delivered from a serious case of nervous exhaustion. Her head began to lean to one side, and her body gradually became twisted. She could hardly get out of bed in the morning, and she had to hold up her head to eat. During this time, she had the flu and also the shingles several times. She suffered for seven years. She continued to preach, but had to preach sitting in a chair.

Then she decided to attend a Pentecostal meeting with an evangelist in Port Arthur, Texas. The message was from James 4:7: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” The evangelist prayed for her, but she didn’t feel any differently at the time. But she continued to stand on the words of James 4:7. Soon after this, the prayer of faith did save the sick, and she was healed.

At 67 years of age, she was ordained by the South Texas District on June 18, 1959. At that time, she had already been preaching for 22 years. She is credited with helping to start several Assemblies of God congregations in the Beaumont area, including Magnolia Park Assembly, where she served as pastor, and which was built on property that she and her husband donated.

In addition to special speaking opportunities, she served as a supply pastor and an evangelist for several years. She also wrote several articles and devotionals for the Pentecostal Evangel, as well as at least one evangelistic tract titled, Defending the Lentils.

Alma Ware Crosby’s name may not be in many history books, but her life and ministry are representative of the tens of thousands of men and women who dedicated their lives as Assemblies of God ministers to serve the Lord, love others, and build the Church. 

In her 1961 testimony, Crosby described the lesson that she learned on New’s Years Eve this way: “that Christ is the answer to the need in every heart, rich and poor alike.” She encouraged readers to “step forth like David and be ‘brave’ for Jesus.” Sixty-five years later, this lesson and encouragement still ring true.

Read “An Unforgettable New Year’s Eve,” by Alma Ware Crosby on page 7 of the Jan. 1, 1961, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “Our Great Need in the New Year” by Hardy W. Steinberg

• “The Word Made Flesh,” by J. Robert Ashcroft

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

Do you have Pentecostal historical materials that should be preserved? Please consider depositing these materials at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The FPHC, located in the Assemblies of God national offices, is the largest Pentecostal archive in the world. We would like to preserve and make your treasures accessible to those who write the history books.

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA
Phone: 417.862.1447 ext. 4400
Toll Free: 877.840.5200
Email: archives@ag.org
Website: https://ifphc.org/

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December 26, 2025 · 7:47 pm

Ruth Cone: How a Jewish Girl Became an Assemblies of God Missionary Among the Jewish People

This Week in AG History — December 23, 1962

By Ruthie Edgerly Oberg
Originally published on AG News, 25 December 2025

Christmas stories in the Pentecostal Evangel have often reminded readers that the gospel is most powerfully proclaimed through acts of Christlike love. One such story, published in the Dec. 23, 1962, issue, recounted a childhood Christmas experience that left an indelible mark on a young Jewish girl — and eventually shaped a lifetime of Christian ministry.

The story centered on Ruth Cone, who as a small child lived in Germany in the home of her grandfather, Rabbi Moses Nathan. Her father had already traveled to the United States to prepare a home for the family, locating work and housing in New York City. But tragedy struck before the family could reunite. The factory he had established — uninsured — was destroyed by fire. Forced to make a living as a traveling salesman, he was often away, leaving the family in precarious circumstances.

During those early years, young Ruth occasionally attended Sunday School at nearby Olivet Chapel. There she eagerly memorized Scripture, and the seed of God’s Word was planted in her heart. At the age of 12, while working as a newsgirl, she overheard the preaching of famed evangelist D.L. Moody at Madison Square Garden. The message of Jesus as “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” gripped her deeply.

Not long afterward, a new baby joined the family and Ruth’s mother was hospitalized for several months. As the oldest child, Ruth assumed responsibility for caring for her younger siblings, while her father continued to travel. Because the infant required special medical attention, Ruth’s concerned Sunday School teacher arranged for the baby to stay temporarily in a Christian home until the mother recovered.

That Christmas season, Ruth listened as her playmates excitedly talked about stockings filled with gifts. Hoping to share in the joy, she hung up her two clean stockings on Christmas Eve. Early the next morning, she discovered something hard inside them — a piece of coal and a potato, placed there by her younger brother. Heartbroken and mocked by her brother, Ruth burst into tears.

Later that day, everything changed.

While Ruth was caring for the children, she heard singing outside and a knock at the door. When she opened it, she found her Sunday School teacher and classmates standing there with baskets overflowing with fruit, jellies, cookies, and cake. They also brought toys and clothing for the children. Even more remarkably, they had paid the family’s rent for the month, sparing them from eviction at a time when Ruth’s father had been unable to send money.

The visitors gathered in the home and sang Christmas carols together. When Ruth’s mother was later able to return from the hospital, she granted permission for all the children to attend Sunday School, deeply moved by the kindness shown to her family.

Through these acts of compassion, Ruth began to understand what true Christianity looked like. She had often heard fellow Jews ask, “Why do Christians hate the Jews?” But her experience told a different story. She came to see that genuine, born-again Christians loved the Jewish people.

That love bore lasting fruit. As the 1962 article reported, Ruth went on to serve as a Christian missionary for 57 years — first in the southern United States among the “other sheep” [Gentiles], and later for two decades in Chicago, ministering primarily among her beloved Jewish people. She rejoiced that both her parents eventually accepted Christ and that two of her nieces entered Christian ministry.

By the time the Evangel published her story, Ruth was 91 years old and still preaching. She was also the aunt of Assemblies of God home missionary Louise Kaufmann, who served among the Jewish people from 1952 until her death in 1972. Together, they ministered at the Shalom Center, the Assemblies of God Hebrew mission in Chicago.

Looking back from today’s perspective, this Christmas testimony from 1962 reminds us that the gospel is often carried most convincingly not through argument, but through generosity, hospitality, and the genuine love of Christ.

Read the article, “Awakening: A True Christmas Story,” by Ruth Cone on page 13 of the Dec. 23, 1962, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue

• “God in a Stable,” by John C. Jackson

• “Where Shepherds Watched Their Flocks,” by Vera Swarztrauber

• “Gifts for the King,” by Stanley M. Horton

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

Do you have Pentecostal historical materials that should be preserved? Please consider depositing these materials at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The FPHC, located in the Assemblies of God national offices, is the largest Pentecostal archive in the world. We would like to preserve and make your treasures accessible to those who write the history books.

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA
Phone: 417.862.1447 ext. 4400
Toll Free: 877.840.5200
Email: archives@ag.org
Website: https://ifphc.org/

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December 19, 2025 · 10:14 am

Pentecostalism in Puerto Rico: A Movement Birthed by Refugees in 1916 Now Includes 25 Percent of Island Residents

This Week in AG History — December 16, 1916

By Darrin J. Rodgers
Originally published on AG-News, 18 December 2025

Puerto Rico is home to a vibrant, growing, and indigenous Pentecostal movement, consisting of an estimated 25% of the island’s population. Pentecostalism first came to Puerto Rico in 1916 via Hawaii, where a number of Puerto Rican families had migrated in search of employment on sugar plantations. After many Puerto Ricans living in Hawaii surrendered their lives to God during a Pentecostal revival in the early 1910s, several of them — including Salomon Feliciano, Juan Lugo, and Francisco and Panchito Ortiz — felt called to bring the Pentecostal message to their homeland.

The four Puerto Rican missionaries became credentialed with the Assemblies of God and helped spark a spiritual hurricane that reshaped the religious contours of the island. Feliciano and Lugo arrived in Puerto Rico in the fall of 1916, followed shortly afterward by the father-and-son team of Francisco and Panchito Ortiz. Lugo initially ministered in the barrio of Santurce, located in the capital city of San Juan. After a month, he moved his ministry focus to Ponce, a large city in the southern part of Puerto Rico.

The Pentecostal Evangel published numerous letters by the four missionaries. One letter by Feliciano and Lugo, published in the Dec. 16, 1916, issue, recounted both successes and challenges. They reported 43 converts and many others who felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Mainline Protestant ministers viewed the newcomers as a threat and tried to discourage them from starting a new church. Hostile government officials also interfered with the Pentecostals’ missions efforts. But the Pentecostal prayer meetings soon outgrew the home where they were held, and believers overcame public cynicism and hostility and organized the first Pentecostal church in Puerto Rico. Within several years, Pentecostal churches began popping up all over the island.

The Pentecostal movement in Puerto Rico, now 109 years old, was birthed by refugees who left their island homeland and migrated around the world in search of a better life. In Hawaii, they experienced a spiritual awakening, which changed the trajectory of their lives and propelled them to return to Puerto Rico as missionaries. While they faced opposition to the gospel, the missionaries did not shrink back. Indeed, Feliciano and Lugo concluded their letter by expressing confidence in God’s provisions in the face of trials: “When the world is against us, Jesus is with us.”

Read the article by Salomon Feliciano and Juan Lugo, “Salvation Coming to Many in Porto Rico,” on page 12 of the Dec. 16, 1916, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “I Fell in Love with the Nazarene,” by Sarah Haggard Payne

• “The Bible,” by D.W. Kerr

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now. 

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

Do you have Pentecostal historical materials that should be preserved? Please consider depositing these materials at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The FPHC, located in the Assemblies of God national offices, is the largest Pentecostal archive in the world. We would like to preserve and make your treasures accessible to those who write the history books.

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA
Phone: 417.862.1447 ext. 4400
Toll Free: 877.840.5200
Email: archives@ag.org
Website: https://ifphc.org/

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December 11, 2025 · 5:55 pm

Blanche Appleby: Assemblies of God Missionary and Prisoner of War in World War II

This Week in AG History — December 9, 1933

By Glenn W. Gohr
Originally published on AG-News, 11 December 2025

Blanche Appleby was a single female Assemblies of God missionary who served in China and the Philippines. During World War II she was imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp.

Blanche Ruth Appleby (1887-1968) was born in Pendergrass, Georgia, and was raised in a Christian home. In 1897, at the age of 10, she made a commitment to Christ in a Methodist church in northern Georgia.

Ten years later, Appleby’s family moved to Atlanta. She and her mother both had a hunger for more of God. They visited revival services and eventually found Pentecostals who were worshiping in an upper room on Marietta Street. G.B. Cashwell of Dunn, North Carolina, attended the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles, and he received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and had recently brought the Pentecostal message to Atlanta. Blanche earnestly sought to be baptized with the Spirit, and after several months she received.

One night while praying, God called her to be a missionary to China. She was afraid to say yes to God, because she knew that a number of missionaries had been martyred in China. But the words of Dr. A.B. Simpson came to mind:

God has His best things for the few
Who dare to stand the test;
He has His second choice for those
Who will not have His best.

She desired God’s best in her life, so after a great struggle in prayer, she said, “Lord, I’m willing to be made willing.” Then joy filled her heart and the words of Isaiah 55:5 were given to her through the Spirit.

Although she had no formal ministry training, Appleby went to China in 1911. During her first year as a missionary, she stayed in the Garr Missionary Home in Hong Kong, where a banner was displayed with this motto: “Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” This motto spoke volumes to her. It was a time of sacrifice, and she also realized that she had gone to China too soon, without ministry training or pledged support.

From January 1911 to August 1911, Appleby received no support from the U.S. She borrowed money. She kept a careful ledger account and paid it back when funds eventually came to her. She shared that when funds were scarce, the missionaries ate rice and “poverty gravy” made of grease, flour, salt, and water. When money was more plentiful, they had “Pentecostal gravy” which contained some meat!

Appleby initially worked with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA). She transferred her missionary appointment to the AG in 1919 and worked as a missionary with Elizabeth Kunkle in Sam Shi and Lo Pau, China. Appleby was a prolific writer and a good advocate for missionaries because she was unafraid to speak frankly about her life on the field and to ask for resources. She wrote frequent missionary reports in the Pentecostal Evangel and the Latter Rain Evangel.

Converts often became effective evangelists. Appleby reported that one of her converts, a Chinese woman, was saved and baptized in the Spirit, and then quickly became an outstanding minister. Blanche reported that 24 or 25 missions had been opened in China before 1925. She estimated that more than 500 children were attending Christian schools organized by the missionaries. And since the beginning of the Pentecostal work in China, there had been as many as 1,000 baptized in water and 500 baptized in the Spirit. She was glad to be a part of these missionary efforts.

During an extended furlough in the U.S. in the 1920s, Appleby attended Central Bible Institute in Springfield, Missouri. She graduated in 1929 and returned to China, where she served as an evangelist in Kwangsi Province, along with Rena Baldwin (who later married Alexander Lindsay). After many years of missionary service, on May 2, 1940, Blanche was ordained on May 2, 1940.

Appleby witnessed miracle after miracle as a missionary. She remembered being challenged by a heathen woman to pray for healing for a crippled woman in order to prove that her God was better than the woman’s gods. After prayer, God not only healed the cripple, but two others also. As a result of this encounter, both the woman and the cripple became Christians and were baptized in water.

Another time Appleby was called to pray for a demon-possessed woman who was a relative of one of the Christians. Together with other missionaries and local Christians, Blanche prayed. The demon refused to let the possessed woman pray in the name of Jesus. Finally, they took the woman to their missionary home and prayed with her, and then sent her home.

Early the next morning, the woman came back, saying, “Truly, your God is the true God! He has delivered me. I was able to sleep last night for the first time in months.” The woman was perfectly normal and free from the tormenting spirit.

Another healing she witnessed was of a woman known as Grandma Seen. She sold baskets in the market, but she was so blind her baskets were often stolen. In answer to prayer, God healed her blindness, saved her and her husband, and gave her a wonderful vision of heaven as well as natural vision.

In a place called Bundle of Reeds, during special meetings, missionary Louise Schultz brought her blind assistant (known as a Bible woman) to seek the baptism in the Holy Spirit. She did not know English, but when the Holy Spirit came upon her, she spoke in clear English, including a number of words with an “r” sound, which the Cantonese language does not have — among them “worship” and “Father.” She also spoke in French and German, which Schultz understood.

The Second Sino-Japanese War prevented Blanche and Rena from returning to China, so in 1940 they went to the Philippines. Twice the Japanese interned them at Los Banos, Philippines, first for a month in 1942, and then for eight months in 1944-45.

While imprisoned, Blanche read Psalm 107, which she described as an “internment” psalm. One verse says, “hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.” One time after picking water cress under armed guard scrutiny, Appleby was so faint from starvation and tropical heat that she felt her life drifting away. That psalm goes on to say, “they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.” Blanche prayed, and Julia Hodge (another prisoner) came and read from the Psalms and left. Her reading of Scripture brought fresh strength to Appleby’s body and spirit. She continued to pray in the Spirit the entire time she was imprisoned, and God sustained her.

On the very day that they were to be machine-gunned and killed, Feb. 23, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur sent the 11th Airborne, the Amphibian Tractor men, and Filipino guerrillas to rescue the missionaries just in the nick of time.

Because of her frail health, the AG mission board did not allow Appleby to return to the field. She had served 26 years in China and five in the Philippines.

In her retirement years, Appleby taught Sunday School and led a weekly prayer meeting at Faith Memorial Assembly of God (Atlanta) until shortly before her death in 1968. She left a large bequest to the Foreign Missions Department. A handwritten note in her missionary file stated, “By denying herself she left over $20,000 to the AG.” This was a significant amount of money in that time period.

After Appleby’s passing, the Georgia District secretary also wrote in her ministerial file: “A real soldier called home!” Indeed, Blanche Appleby gave everything she had — herself and her possessions — to the Lord’s work. She was found faithful.

Read Blanche Appleby’s testimony, “Protected From a Thief,” on page 9 of the Dec. 9, 1933, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “Habakkuk’s Vision” by William A. Coxe

• “The Man Borne of Four,” by Lilian B. Yeomans

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

To read about the experiences and rescue of Appleby and other AG missionaries from Japanese internment camps in the Philippines, see the two-part article in the 2004 Heritage magazine (starting on page 6) and 2005 edition (starting on page 14).

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

Do you have Pentecostal historical materials that should be preserved? Please consider depositing these materials at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The FPHC, located in the Assemblies of God national offices, is the largest Pentecostal archive in the world. We would like to preserve and make your treasures accessible to those who write the history books.

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA
Phone: 417.862.1447 ext. 4400
Toll Free: 877.840.5200
Email: archives@ag.org
Website: https://ifphc.org/

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December 5, 2025 · 1:51 pm

William F. P. Burton: Pioneer Pentecostal Missionary, Author, and Artist in Congo

This Week in AG History — December 1, 1968

By Darrin J. Rodgers
Originally published on AG-News, 04 December 2025

William Frederick Padwick Burton (1886-1971) was an unlikely pioneer Pentecostal missionary. Willie, as he was known, enjoyed a privileged childhood. His mother was from English aristocracy, and his father was a ship’s captain. 

As a youth, Burton was not interested in spiritual things. He attended good schools in England and traveled around the world, developing a broadly informed worldview. He excelled at cricket and tennis, and he became an accomplished artist. Realizing that art probably would not pay the bills, Burton focused on a more practical career path and studied electrical engineering at St. Lawrence College, Ramsgate.

In 1905, while in college, Burton attended an evangelistic service with a visiting American evangelist, Reuben A. Torrey. After hearing Torrey’s message, Burton became convinced that he was not a true Christian. Despite being a member of the Church of England, Burton came to realize that he had a very superficial faith. 

One night, Burton knelt by his bed, confessed his sins, placed his faith in God, and peace flooded his soul. Change was immediate in Burton’s life. He joyfully shared his newfound faith, he made restitution to those he had wronged, and he began what became lifelong disciplines of studying the Bible and praying.

Burton’s commitment to live wholly for God led him to identify with the Pentecostal movement. He heard about the Pentecostal revival in America and Scandinavia, so he and a friend decided to investigate the Pentecostal claims that biblical spiritual gifts, such as speaking in tongues, healing, and prophecy, were still available to believers. They formed a group that met almost every night for the entire year of 1910, studying the Bible and praying for God’s power in their lives. Before the year was out, Burton and many others had been baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Burton felt God’s call to full-time ministry. He stepped out in faith and, in 1911, quit his engineering job and became known as a “tramp preacher.” For three years he walked across the English countryside, preaching in homes and on village greens. During this formative period, he led numerous people to the Lord, witnessed miracles, developed his ministry gifts, and helped the young English Pentecostal movement to grow.

Ultimately, Burton felt called to serve as a missionary to Africa, where he would spend the rest of his life. He left England in 1914, just as World War I was breaking out, and spent a year preaching at various mission stations in South Africa. He was joined in 1915 by James Salter (the brother-in-law of noted healing evangelist Smith Wigglesworth), and together they journeyed to the Congo. He married Hettie Trollip in 1918. When the Congo Evangelistic Mission (later called the Zaire Evangelistic Mission) was formed in 1919, Burton became its first field director. Importantly, he was an early advocate for indigenous leadership of churches.

Burton employed his significant giftings as a builder, engineer, teacher, and artist to advance the gospel. He authored 28 books, including an important collection of Congo fables and proverbs. Burton’s engaging stories about African missions were widely read on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. The Pentecostal Evangel introduced Burton to American readers in 1916 and, over the course of his life, published over 90 articles by him. Burton also raised money by selling his critically-acclaimed paintings and ink drawings of Congolese landscapes and life.

When Burton went to be with the Lord in 1971, the Congo Evangelistic Mission had grown to almost 2,000 churches. He had spent the majority of his life in Africa, far from the life of privilege he knew in England. While Willie Burton initially sacrificed a certain level of social status to become a Pentecostal preacher, he ultimately became a larger-than-life figure in the history of African Pentecostalism. 

Read one of William F.P. Burton’s articles, “Receiving Power from on High,” on pages 6-7 of the Dec. 1, 1968, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “Eternal Security: Is It Conditional?” by Henry H. Ness

• “God’s Interruptions,” by Kenneth D. Barney

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

Do you have Pentecostal historical materials that should be preserved? Please consider depositing these materials at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The FPHC, located in the Assemblies of God national offices, is the largest Pentecostal archive in the world. We would like to preserve and make your treasures accessible to those who write the history books.

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA
Phone: 417.862.1447 ext. 4400
Toll Free: 877.840.5200
Email: archives@ag.org
Website: https://ifphc.org/

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November 29, 2025 · 9:36 am

Missionary Robert Cummings: How a Car Accident Became a Thanksgiving Lesson

This Week in AG History — November 24, 1957

By Ruthie Edgerly Oberg
Originally published on AG News, 28 November 2025

Assemblies of God missionary to India Robert W. Cummings (1892-1972) never forgot the day the Holy Spirit taught him what he later called “a life-changing lesson in Thanksgiving.” It wasn’t learned in a revival meeting or on the mission field in India. Instead, it was learned on a rain-soaked New York highway — with a wrecked car, an empty wallet, and a heart full of discouragement.

In the Nov. 24, 1957, Pentecostal Evangel, Cummings testified that he had already walked through one of the darkest valleys of his life. For two years he had suffered a severe nervous breakdown that left him unable to minister and left the care of their family of four entirely on the shoulders of his faithful wife. Yet by God’s mercy he had regained strength and begun preaching again.

At a missionary convention in Syracuse, Cummings experienced God’s blessing and even received a $25 offering — “a huge amount” in Depression-era America. Encouraged, he prayed over himself and his vehicle, then set out early the next morning to rejoin his family in New York City.

Hours later, in pouring rain and darkness, everything changed. Attempting to pass a slow-moving car, Cummings failed to see a black sedan rising out of a dip in the road. His car skidded, and the two vehicles collided. No one was hurt, but both cars were badly damaged.

For a missionary still recovering from emotional fragility, the crash felt like a crushing blow. He had no insurance, little money, and was hours from home. His first words — “Well, praise the Lord anyway” — felt hollow, especially in front of the agnostic college student he had picked up as a hitchhiker. Inside, he was filled with self-pity, embarrassment, and a painful sense of being let down by God.

But in the midst of his turmoil, another voice spoke to his heart — quiet, steady, unmistakably the Spirit’s.

Confronted by the Spirit, Cummings realized that thanksgiving — not murmuring — was the only response a trusting child of God could give. It didn’t come naturally. On the bus ride home, humiliation flooded him as he pictured telling his already-overburdened wife that the car was wrecked and the money gone.

Yet every time discouragement rose up like a tide, he forced his heart toward gratitude: “Thank You, Lord. I trust You. I refuse to doubt Your faithfulness.”

That posture of thanksgiving opened the door to miracle after miracle.

The mechanic agreed to release the repaired car for half the cost — $52 — and let Cummings pay the rest later. That Sunday, two unexpected ministry invitations brought in $35. On Wednesday, a Lutheran congregation — completely unaware of his situation — took a “silver offering” for the visiting missionary. The amount? Exactly $17. The precise sum he still lacked.

God had supplied to the dollar.

Looking back, Cummings said the Lord had been teaching him to push out “the spirits of self-pity, complaining, discouragement, and questioning doubt” and replace them with the Spirit of Thanksgiving.

“As I thanked Him for the unwelcome things,” he wrote, “there was no room for resentment or hurt pride — and they had to leave.”

His conclusion echoes Paul’s words to the Thessalonians: “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (1 Thessalonians 5:18).”

This Thanksgiving, may we remember — as Cummings learned — that nothing entering a yielded life is outside the loving will of God. And when we choose gratitude in the dip, we may just find that God’s provision is already on the way.

Read Robert Cummings article, “A Lesson in Thanksgiving,” on page 32 of the Nov. 24, 1957, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “Why Praise the Lord,” by Raymond Cox

• “Elijah in A Cave,” by Ruth Steward

• “Thanksgiving in the Netherlands”

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

Do you have Pentecostal historical materials that should be preserved? Please consider depositing these materials at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The FPHC, located in the Assemblies of God national offices, is the largest Pentecostal archive in the world. We would like to preserve and make your treasures accessible to those who write the history books.

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA
Phone: 417.862.1447 ext. 4400
Toll Free: 877.840.5200
Email: archives@ag.org
Website: https://ifphc.org/

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November 21, 2025 · 3:08 pm

Marcus Grable: The Layman Who Pioneered the Assemblies of God National Sunday School Department

PHOTO: (L-r): J. Z. Kamerer, Loine Honderick, and Marcus L. Grable showing the Lighthouse Plan for Sunday schools, 1942

This Week in AG History — November 22, 1947

By Glenn W. Gohr
Originally published on AG-News, 20 November 2025

One of the important early leaders in the Assemblies of God was Marcus Grable, the layman who organized and directed the National Sunday School Department of the AG, becoming known as “Mr. Sunday School.”

Marcus Lockwood Grable (1890-1970) was born in Dearborn, Missouri, and moved with his family to St. Joseph, Missouri. He met and married Bina M. Peterman, and they were married in 1913 in nearby Wathena, Kansas.

Grable was a layman, and he started working as a lineman for a telephone company in Lawson, Missouri. He then became manager of the Ash Grove Telephone Company for 20 years. After his retirement, he was a salesman in Long Beach, California for a couple of years. By 1933, he became associated with Waddell and Reed Investment Company in Springfield, Missouri, and continued working with that company for the rest of his years. At that time, he was a Methodist. He also was a member of The Gideons International.

In 1933, Grable attended an interdenominational revival in the Shrine Mosque in Springfield. He was very moved by the invocation given by Ralph Riggs, the pastor of Central Assembly of God. Marcus said to his wife, “That man knows God!” Hungry for more of God, Grable soon decided to leave his socially prominent church and join the Assemblies of God.

The 1930s were a crucial time for Assemblies of God Sunday Schools. In 1933, Ralph Riggs wrote A Successful Sunday School, a manual that “quickly found its way into the hands of church workers throughout the Fellowship.”

General Superintendent Ernest S. Williams told the delegates at the 1933 General Council, “Sunday School interest has become almost a revival in our assemblies since the last General Council resulting in larger enrollments and an addition of approximately 600 new Sunday Schools.”

In May of 1934, J.Z. Kamerer, general manager of the Gospel Publishing House, set up a promotional office to stimulate interest in Sunday School and to advertise Assemblies of God Sunday School curriculum. Someone was needed to lead a new Sunday School department, and the Executive Presbytery found such a person when they appointed Marcus L. Grable, a person with unbounded enthusiasm for Sunday School. He also had experience, having served for several years as the president of the interdenominational Greene County Sunday School Association.

Marcus Grable had visited the last great International Sunday School Convention, which had been held in Kansas City in 1924, and he had many good ideas to help promote Sunday Schools. The department started with only a table, a chair, and a typewriter for his office.

The new department’s training emphasis was launched when Grable mailed a copy of A Successful Sunday School to every Assemblies of God pastor. He followed this by initiating the “Training for Christian Service” course. He and his wife spent many weekends traveling to churches within driving distance of Springfield to train teachers in local churches. Frequently accompanying the Grables were two young women who were part of the Gospel Publishing House’s editorial staff, Zella Lindsey and Dorothy Morris.

Even though he did not have much formal education, Marcus Grable was able to write and speak persuasively. Grable had a wholesome way of dealing with issues, and as a layperson, he was not a threat to pastors. He fully believed in the importance of Sunday School for the local church, and he promoted it with a passion. He was reared on a farm and many of his illustrations came from that setting. For instance, he urged Sunday Schools to keep good records. He used the example of how a farmer knows exactly how many chickens he bought, how much feed is dispensed, and how many fryers and eggs are sold.

By the time of the outbreak of World War II, the Sunday School had become a strategic force in the Assemblies of God, both as an evangelistic tool and as a means of conserving the results of evangelism. One thousand new Sunday Schools were being opened annually by the late 1930s.

Grable supplied his district Sunday School representatives with posters, charts, visual demonstrations, and large flannel boards. He employed sign painters and artists, so the visuals had professional quality. Statisticians studied trends and attendance reports, so his staff had good, hard data to work with. He produced Helps for Sunday School Secretaries, the Superintendent’s Assistant quarterly magazine, an annual Sunday School calendar, and various brochures to help the local Sunday School superintendent. He also started Our Sunday School Counsellor, which was published monthly, starting in July 1941.

Grable also advocated for holding local, regional, and eventually national Sunday School conventions. In February 1940, the first nationwide Sunday School conference of the Assemblies of God was held in Springfield, Missouri. Grable envisioned bringing local church workers together for practical workshops and inspiring mass meetings. He aspired to network Sunday School people 50 years before that term became a buzzword among church leaders. This first national conference was followed by other national Sunday School conventions and regional Sunday School conferences.

One of the programs Grable developed was called “The Lighthouse Plan for Sunday Schools,” which was launched in the fall of 1940. This involved having every district appoint a competent Sunday School worker to be known as District Sunday School Representative. This worker was to be responsible for the advancement of Sunday School work in his own district. The posters and promotional material outlined 12 features which could help improve Sunday Schools in the local church. These features were taught and emphasized at various Sunday School conferences and conventions.

By 1948, the National Sunday School Conventions held in Springfield had to be moved to the Shrine Mosque, because it was the largest auditorium in the city. Within a few years, the attendance exceeded 10,000. During the 1950s, regional conferences began to be held, with the accumulated attendance totaling more than 26,000.

Grable continued to lead the National Sunday School Department for 15 years, retiring after the national Sunday School convention in 1949. When he left this position, the department had a large staff of nearly 30 employees in Springfield, as well as a large number of Sunday School representatives and workers to promote Sunday School work all over the nation. Sunday School attendance, rallies, conferences, and conventions were booming. He definitely made his mark on the Assemblies of God and rightfully earned the name, “Mr. Sunday School.”

Read, “Evangelism in the Sunday School,” on page 6 of the Nov. 22, 1947, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “Where Is Happiness?” by D. Leroy Sanders

• “A Cause For Thanksgiving,” by Charles S. Price

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

Do you have Pentecostal historical materials that should be preserved? Please consider depositing these materials at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The FPHC, located in the Assemblies of God national offices, is the largest Pentecostal archive in the world. We would like to preserve and make your treasures accessible to those who write the history books.

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA
Phone: 417.862.1447 ext. 4400
Toll Free: 877.840.5200
Email: archives@ag.org
Website: https://ifphc.org/

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November 13, 2025 · 5:03 pm

Buddy Barrel: The Story Behind Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge (BGMC)

This Week in AG History — November 12, 1967

By Glenn W. Gohr
Originally published on AG-News, 13 November 2025

BGMC is a vibrant Assemblies of God missions program for kids that has a rich history. Originally called Boys and Girls Missionary Crusade, but now known as Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge, BGMC was first introduced at the National Sunday School Convention in Springfield, Missouri, in March 1949. Before that time there was a missions program in place for adults, and a missions program for youth called “Speed the Light,” but nothing for the kids. The concept was developed by Hart Armstrong (1912-2001), a former missionary and editor of Gospel Publishing House Sunday School materials.

BGMC is a program used to promote missions among kids and also raise funds for various missionary projects. It especially focuses on sending out Sunday School and training literature for missionaries to distribute. The first BGMC offering was received in October 1949, and BGMC giving that first year reached $1,290.39.

Barrel banks were chosen as the collection containers because at that time anything sent to a foreign field was packed in sturdy wooden barrels. This evolved into Buddy Barrel becoming the mascot or symbol for BGMC.

The program started with small wooden barrel banks that kids took to their homes in order to collect coins for missions. After collecting coins throughout the month, on a designated Sunday, each Sunday School child would return his or her barrel to give that money in an offering for BGMC. The method has changed from small wooden barrels to larger plastic barrels. The current Buddy Barrel bank is made of transparent plastic. The concept of Buddy Barrel has also evolved into a life-like puppet mascot (a large barrel with a face) that helps to encourage kids to give to BGMC.

The money for BGMC comes from kids giving in Buddy Barrels and adults receiving special offerings. The money is used to support various Assemblies of God missionary projects and ministries. Since 2001, BGMC has been the official children’s missions education program for the Assemblies of God.

In 1950, Frances Foster was appointed to oversee the BGMC program. She remained in this position for 21 years. In 1952, BGMC began to emphasize a specific mission field every year. Throughout the year, emphasis is placed on one field and its missionaries, with a special offering taken up on BGMC Day, which includes the adults in the church.

Fifty-eight years ago, Foster, the BGMC coordinator, wrote an article, “BGMC Comes of Age,” in the Nov. 12, 1967, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel. She mentioned that it had been 18 years since the start of BGMC. She said, “Two considerations prompted this missionary program for Assemblies of God children 12 years and under.” One was the “urgent need of a children’s missionary program.” The other consideration was a great need for gospel literature overseas.

According to Foster, “Missionaries needed literature to strengthen their teaching ministry,” as well as for evangelizing. Overseas Bible schools had meager libraries or none at all. Foster asserted, “One of the biggest areas of need was for translating and printing Sunday School literature in foreign languages and dialects.” This is important. Literature sometimes goes where a missionary cannot go and it can remain even after a missionary must leave. Now missionaries can use BGMC funds for anything they need to help them spread the gospel. Only the lack of funds can curtail the impact and effectiveness of BGMC.

At the time of Foster’s article, BGMC giving had reached almost $2 million in 18 years. Since it was started 76 years ago, BGMC has raised more than $200 million for missions.

Read “BGMC Comes of Age,” on pages 26 and 27 of the Nov. 12, 1967, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “Keep Thyself Pure,” by Wilson A. Katter

• “Evangelistic Center Dedicated in Pretoria, South Africa” by Vernon Pettenger

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

Do you have Pentecostal historical materials that should be preserved? Please consider depositing these materials at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The FPHC, located in the Assemblies of God national offices, is the largest Pentecostal archive in the world. We would like to preserve and make your treasures accessible to those who write the history books.

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA
Phone: 417.862.1447 ext. 4400
Toll Free: 877.840.5200
Email: archives@ag.org
Website: https://ifphc.org/

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