January 30, 2025 · 4:04 pm

Samuel Jamieson: How a Presbyterian Pastor Was Baptized in the Holy Spirit

This Week in AG History — January 31, 1931

By Darrin J. Rodgers
Originally published on AG-News, 30 January 2025

Samuel A. Jamieson (1857-1933), one of the founding fathers of the Assemblies of God, previously served as a denominational leader in the Presbyterian church in Minnesota. Despite having all the outward signs of ministerial success, Jamieson felt that inside he was spiritually dry. Jamieson shared his testimony in the Jan. 31, 1931, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Jamieson, a graduate of Wabash College and Lane Theological Seminary, was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1881. A pastor and church planter, he also served as superintendent over home missions for five Minnesota counties. He organized 35 Presbyterian congregations and 25 new churches were built under his direction.

Jamieson appeared to be a model minister, but he continued to grow more and more spiritually weary. What could he do? Jamieson and his wife, Hattie, had reached a point of desperation when they heard about the Azusa Street Revival (1906-1909) in Los Angeles, which was a focal point of the emerging Pentecostal movement. They believed it might be an answer to their prayers.

In 1908, Hattie Jamieson went to Atlanta, Georgia, where she attended services at the Pentecostal Mission for over three months. She was Spirit-baptized, and she testified that “He [God] flooded my soul with peace and joy.” She returned home and encouraged her husband to resign his position and also seek the Baptism.

Jamieson rejected his wife’s plea, fearing that identifying with the Pentecostals would be costly. “For me to give up my position of honor and my good salary,” he wrote, “would eventually lead me to the poorhouse.” Hattie continued to reason with him, saying that he needed to be “willing to pay the price” to follow God.

Finally, after three years, Jamieson relented. He began praying earnestly and, he recalled, “the Lord soon removed from my mind all hindrances to tarrying for the Baptism.” In 1911 he resigned his position in Duluth, Minnesota, and joined with Florence Crawford’s Apostolic Faith Mission in Portland, Oregon. The following year, they moved on to Dallas, Texas, where Jamieson was Spirit-baptized under the ministry of healing evangelist Maria Woodworth-Etter.

Jamieson attended the organizational meeting of the Assemblies of God in April 1914, and he became a noted pastor, educator, and executive presbyter in the Fellowship. He served as principal of Midwest Bible School (Auburn, Nebraska), which was the first Bible school owned by the General Council of the Assemblies of God. He also authored two books of sermons published by Gospel Publishing House: The Great Shepherd (1924) and Pillars of Truth (1926).

Jamieson, in his 1931 article, wrote that the baptism in the Holy Spirit changed his ministry in the following three ways. First, Jamieson realized that he had been relying upon his academic training rather than upon the Holy Spirit in his sermon preparation. He literally burned up his old sermon notes, humorously noting, “they were so dry that they burned like tinder.” Second, Jamieson wrote, “After I received my Baptism the Bible was practically a new book to me. I understood it as I never had done before. Preaching under the anointing became a delight, and my love for souls was very much increased.” Third, Jamieson wrote, “It increased my love for God and my fellow men, gave me a more consuming compassion for souls, and changed my view of the ministry so that it was no longer looked upon as a profession but as a calling.”

Samuel A. Jamieson’s testimony beautifully captures the early Pentecostal worldview. This worldview, at its core, included a transformational experience with God that brought people into a deeper life in Christ and empowered them to be witnesses. Jamieson concluded his 1931 article with the following admonition: “To those who would read this narrative I would suggest that if you want to succeed in your Christian work you should seek the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.” Jamieson hoped that his testimony would spur others to seek what he had found.

Read the article, “How a Presbyterian Preacher Received the Baptism,” by S.A. Jamieson, on page 2 of the Jan. 31, 1931, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “The Thrilling Experience of a Congo Missionary,” by Alva Walker

• “The Pentecostal People and What They Believe,” by Stanley H. Frodsham

• “After Twenty Years in Egypt,” by Lillian Trasher

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of 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 23, 2025 · 4:39 pm

Robert L. Brandt: Assemblies of God Leader in North Dakota, Montana, and U.S. Missions

This Week in AG History — January 24, 1971

By Ruthie Edgerly Oberg
Originally published on AG-News, 23 January 2025

Robert Louis (R.L.) Brandt (1917-2007), born on a small farm in North Dakota, became a prominent preacher, teacher, evangelist, author, and leader within the Assemblies of God. His legacy is marked by his wisdom in navigating difficult decisions and his deep commitment to seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit through prayer. These qualities made him an invaluable asset to the Fellowship he loved.

Brandt was born in 1917 and experienced his conversion in 1933 under the ministry of Donald Gee at Lake Geneva Bible Camp in Minnesota. Encouraged to seek more of God, he began attending small prayer meetings in homes around Egeland, North Dakota. These gatherings included Bible study, robust singing, and focused prayer, during which two elderly women prayed him through to the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Around the same time, Brandt felt a strong conviction that he was called to the ministry.

After graduating from high school, Brandt enrolled in North Central Bible Institute (now North Central University) in Minneapolis. Upon graduation, he returned home to find the Pentecostals around Egeland in disarray following a church split caused by an independent evangelist. Brandt had only recently received his preaching license with the North Dakota District of the Assemblies of God, when the evangelist sought to recruit him into his growing movement, offering him the opportunity to speak on a radio broadcast. Though many encouraged him to accept the offer, Brandt chose to remain with the Assemblies of God — a decision that would benefit both him and the Fellowship.

In 1939, Brandt began his ministry in Stanley, North Dakota, and in 1940, he married Marian Williams, a young woman from the early prayer groups in Egeland. One month later, he was ordained by Assistant General Superintendent Fred Vogler at Lakewood Bible Camp in Devils Lake, North Dakota. The couple remained in Stanley for six years, planting a strong church on nearly debt-free property, before accepting the pastorate of the Assembly of God in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

In Grand Forks, the Brandts lived in a parsonage in the rear of the church, converting every room into Sunday school classrooms. The need for a larger building soon became evident. Four years later, they dedicated a new church building, seating 250 with a full basement and balcony. The growth of both churches in Stanley and Grand Forks brought him to the attention of other ministers, and Brandt was elected as the second superintendent of the North Dakota District of the Assemblies of God when Herman Johnson left that position.

Shortly before Brandt’s appointment as district superintendent, the idea of starting a Bible school in North Dakota was proposed. Brandt initially opposed the idea, believing the district was too small to support it and that it was too close to North Central Bible College in Minneapolis. When the district council approved the proposal, Brandt wrestled with his disapproval until, through prayer, he felt a change in his spirit. He embraced the idea and later became president of the new school, known as Lakewood Park Bible School (now Trinity Bible College and Graduate School in Ellendale, North Dakota), when he assumed the role of district superintendent.

In 1958, Brandt was called to Springfield, Missouri, to lead the Home Missions Department of the Assemblies of God. His focus was on training church planters and encouraging existing churches to support those new church plants. During this time, he also discovered a talent for writing. His first book, Praying with Paul, emerged from his personal practice of praying the prayers found in Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. Brandt went on to write 11 more books and numerous articles for the Pentecostal Evangel, including “Corinth’s Dangerous Sin” in the Jan. 24, 1971, issue, which discussed the importance of church unity in the context of the Lord’s Supper.

After seven years in Springfield, Brandt returned to pastoral ministry, taking the pulpit at First Assembly of God in Billings, Montana. Within a few years, he was elected assistant superintendent of the Montana District. After four years, Brandt felt in his spirit that his time in Billings was coming to an end. He notified his superintendent, Earl Goodman, that his resignation as pastor would also include his resignation as assistant superintendent. However, shortly thereafter, Goodman tragically died in a boating accident, and Brandt found himself stepping into the role of district superintendent in Montana, a position he held for 13 years.

In his retirement, Brandt traveled globally, preaching and encouraging missionaries. He also served the Assemblies of God as an executive presbyter and a board member for North Central University, Central Indian Bible College, and Northwest University. Brandt passed away in 2007 at the age of 90 after suffering a stroke.

Robert L. Brandt is remembered as a man who was willing to hear God and to follow wherever the Spirit might lead.

Read the article, “Corinth’s Dangerous Sin,” on page 2 of the Jan. 24, 1971, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “The Communion of the Holy Spirit,” by Lewi Pethrus

• “Ninth Pentecostal World Conference”

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 17, 2025 · 2:26 pm

Jacob and Isabelle Mueller: The Cost of Missions

This Week in AG History — January 14, 1928

By Darrin J. Rodgers
Originally published on AG-News, 16 January 2025

“Do missions pay?” Veteran missionary Jacob J. Mueller wrote that this commonly asked question “pained” his heart. In a 1928 Pentecostal Evangel article, Mueller encouraged readers to support missions work, even when it seemed that the high personal and financial toll required to spread the gospel might not be worth it.

Jacob J. Mueller (1893-1978) knew from personal experience the costly nature of the missionary call. Mueller and his wife, Isabelle, received appointment as Assemblies of God missionaries and arrived in India in February 1922. Isabelle died six months later, at 36 years of age, of typhoid fever. Mueller continued to minister in Laheriasarai, North India, despite his great grief.

Early Pentecostal missionaries knew the chances were high they would never return home. They bought one-way tickets and some even shipped their belongings to the mission field in a casket. These missionaries exhibited a consecration that, quite literally, often involved dying to self.

Mueller suggested that it would be better to ask, “Do missions cost?” rather than, “Do missions pay?” He encouraged readers to ask themselves: “Have missions cost us anything in real sacrificial giving? Have they cost us a son, a daughter, yea, our own lives?”

According to Mueller, Christians are called to obey God’s command to fulfill the Great Commission to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth. The success of missions is measured not by a cost-benefit analysis, but by faithfulness to God’s call.

Read the article by Jacob J. Mueller, “Do Missions Cost?” on page 11 of the Jan. 14, 1928, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “Weighty Words of Counsel,” by A.G. Ward

• “The Potter and the Clay,” by Thomas B. Lennon

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 10, 2025 · 2:48 pm

D. W. Kerr: Pioneer Assemblies of God Pastor, Educator, and Theologian

This Week in AG History — January 11, 1919

By Glenn W. Gohr
Originally published on AG News, 09 January 2025

One of the notable founding fathers of the Assemblies of God is D.W. Kerr. He was a pastor, Bible teacher, and early executive presbyter of the AG. He is recognized for helping to found three of the early Bible schools in the AG, and he is credited with being the principal author of the Statement of Fundamental Truths.

Daniel Warren “D.W.” Kerr (1856-1927) was born in Centre County, Pennsylvania, the youngest of nine children. His family were devoted members of the Evangelical Association, a small Wesleyan denomination. He grew up on a farm and graduated from the Cumberland Valley State Normal School in 1874. In 1883 he enrolled at North-Western College in Naperville, Illinois, where he studied for the ministry and met his future wife.

Matilda “Mattie” Zeller was born in Hancock County, Ohio, the youngest of nine children. Her family was also active in the Evangelical Association, and her father was a minister who preached in congregations throughout Ohio and Michigan. D.W. and Mattie were married by her father on Feb. 4, 1886, in Hancock County, Ohio.

After being licensed with the Evangelical Association and serving in rural congregations in Illinois for a few years, D.W. and Mattie Kerr decided to join the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA), where he served as a pastor, evangelist, Bible teacher, and conference speaker. Kerr and his wife spent at least 16 summers teaching Bible studies and directing prayer meetings at Beulah Park, a retreat center near Cleveland, Ohio. Because of this ministry, Kerr was in demand as a conference speaker in various places in the Northeast and Midwest. He also served CMA pastorates in Findlay, Ohio; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Dayton, Ohio; and Cleveland.

Reports of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the Apostolic Faith Mission on Azusa Street in Los Angeles, stirred the hearts of many within the CMA. The annual CMA convention at Beulah Park in the summer of 1907 was a scene of great expectancy and anticipation. As the Kerrs were side-by-side in the prayer room, seeking more of God, they “came through to a beautiful baptism of the Holy Spirit, speaking and singing in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” For the next five years, the Kerrs proclaimed the message of Holy Spirit baptism and empowerment in many cities, including Chicago, Cleveland, and Toronto.

In 1911, after conducting an evangelistic tour of the West Coast, Kerr was further influenced by William Durham, Frank Bartleman, George B. Studd, and George and Carrie Judd Montgomery. This ultimately led to a split from the CMA. In October 1911, Kerr was elected pastor of the CMA Church in Cleveland, Ohio, and the congregation was very open to the Pentecostal message. Two years later, the congregation changed their bylaws and voted unanimously to adopt a position in favor of the Pentecostal experience. They changed their name to The Pentecostal Church of Cleveland. At the same time Kerr and the church dropped their affiliation with the CMA. After 1914, Kerr and the congregation chose to affiliate with the Assemblies of God. The congregation is now First Assembly of God (Lyndhurst, Ohio).

When the call was issued to meet at Hot Springs in April 1914, Kerr, having just recently dropped his affiliation with the CMA, was unsure if spiritual liberty could be maintained if he were to join another group. But upon discovering that the Assemblies of God had organized on a voluntary and cooperative basis, he readily joined. And despite his absence at the First Council, the first group of executive presbyters appointed him and two others to join the Executive Presbytery. He continued to serve on the Executive Presbytery until 1925. He also served on the nominating and program committees at various General Councils.

At the 1916 General Council, Kerr was assigned the opening sermon and served on the five-member committee assigned to write and present a statement of fundamental truths. The final document, which was largely Kerr’s work, was adopted. Of particular significance was Kerr’s detailed outline of the godhead, which supported the Trinitarian view rather than the Oneness teaching. The Statement of Fundamental Truths has withstood the test of time and has remained steadfast, with only very minor changes made over the years.

Kerr pastored the church in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1911 to 1919. During this time, he established himself as a staunch supporter of missions, even being called a “Crank on Missions.”

In 1918, he was elected chairman of the Second Annual World-Wide Missionary Conference, an interdenominational Pentecostal event that attracted broad support. He served as chairman of this event for the next five years.

Kerr declared, “That church will become a missionary church whose pastor is a missionary, and I am a missionary at home, but I live my life in the world around, and am glad to devote all my energies in that direction.” His church was even called the “Banner Missionary Church of the Pentecostal Movement.”

In 1923, Kerr was appointed by the General Council’s Executive Presbytery to the post of missionary field secretary, and he was assigned the task of conducting missionary conventions across the country. By 1925, the AG had one missionary for every five preachers.

In the fall of 1919, along with his son-in-law, Willard Peirce, he helped Robert and Mary Craig in the founding of Pacific Bible and Missionary Training School in San Francisco (which later became Glad Tidings Bible Institute and then Bethany University).

During the summer of 1920, Harold K. Needham, Kerr, and Peirce opened Southern California Bible Institute in Los Angeles (now Vanguard University) to prepare Christian workers for the various ministries of the church. Kerr stayed for two years, and during that time he helped in the founding of the Southern California District and served as its first chairman.

In the fall of 1922, Kerr, assisted by his son-in-law, became the first principal or president of Central Bible Institute, which first met in the basement of Central Assembly in Springfield, Missouri. He served for one year and resigned due to health issues, although he continued teaching at the school for the next five years. Many of his sermons were published in the Pentecostal Evangel, and he wrote a book called Waters in the Desert.

Kerr is representative of a number of seasoned clergy who were drawn into the Pentecostal Movement in its infancy, joined the Assemblies of God, and filled positions of leadership in the foundational years of the AG. He made his mark through promoting missions, helping to found Bible schools, and in formulating the Statement of Fundamental Truths.

Read D.W. Kerr’s article, “Do All Speak With Tongues?” on page 7 of the Jan. 11, 1919, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “A Sign People — What Meaneth This?” by Elizabeth Sisson

• “Seventh Day Trouble,” by E.N. Bell

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 2, 2025 · 11:43 am

José Gustavo Galdámez Studied for the Catholic Priesthood in El Salvador, But Became an Assemblies of God Leader

This Week in AG History — January 3, 1965

By Darrin J. Rodgers
Originally published on AG-News, 02 January 2025

José Gustavo Galdámez, a bright young man in El Salvador, was born in 1903 to a devout Catholic family. He studied for the priesthood, but a series of disappointments and poor choices caused his life to spiral out of control. A powerful encounter with God, however, set his life on a new trajectory and he ultimately became a leading Assemblies of God pastor and educator in El Salvador. Assemblies of God missionary Melvin Hodges shared Galdámez’s story in a Jan. 3, 1965, article in the Pentecostal Evangel.

At a young age, Galdámez was dedicated to the Lord by his parents, who desired that he become a Catholic priest. They sent him to parochial school, where the priests kept him under their watchful eyes and helped to form him spiritually and scholastically. The young Galdámez, sincere in his faith and possessing high ideals, entered Colegio Salesiano, a school for priests in training.

The very priests who were supposed to care for the young man ended up shattering his faith. According to Hodges, Galdámez experienced “grievous disappointment” when he saw the priests not living up to their ideals. Hodges did not provide details about what Galdámez witnessed, but it was enough to cause the young man to reject religion, which he concluded was synonymous with business.

Galdámez, who left the school with several other disillusioned students, was spiritually and morally adrift. He left his sheltered environment, found employment as a teacher, and in Hodges’ words, was “soon lost in the whirlwind of sinful pleasure.”

Fearing for their son, Galdámez’s parents arranged for him to be married to another teacher, Virginia. They hoped that family responsibilities would cause Galdámez to settle down. He arrived at the church for his wedding so inebriated that the priest took him aside and lectured him.

The young husband’s drunken and sinful ways continued unabated, in part due to the bad influence of his friends. Galdámez’s parents staged another intervention and found teaching jobs for the young couple in Guatemala, where the parents hoped they could start afresh and away from the influence of bad friends.

Galdámez simply found new bad friends in his new country, and his life careened out of control. In a state of drunken hopelessness and self-pity, he pointed the barrel of a loaded shotgun at his head and pulled the trigger. The shell was blank.

To make matters worse, Virginia had become bedridden with a tumor. Virginia prayed to the Virgin Mary asking for healing, but to no avail. A kind Protestant neighbor began visiting Virginia, shared the gospel, and encouraged her to pray directly to God, the Great Physician. Eventually, after many visits with her neighbor, Virginia placed her faith in Christ. She wanted to share her newfound faith with her husband, but she was scared. He was stubborn and wanted nothing to do with religion.

However, Galdámez saw that Virginia was beginning to get better, and that she credited God with her healing. Galdámez went to a priest for advice and consolation, but the priest ended up scolding his wife for associating with Protestants. Disgusted, Galdámez decided that he should do research into the Protestant faith. He ended up giving his life to Christ, and his soul began to heal even as his wife’s body was healing.

Galdámez went on to become a Pentecostal pioneer in El Salvador, pastoring one of the largest Assemblies of God churches in the nation (Templo Betel in Santa Ana) and serving as a professor at a ministerial training school. He served as general superintendent from 1957 until 1967. In 1971, the Instituto Cultural Reverendo José Gustavo Galdámez, an accredited higher education institution in San Salvador offering bachelors and masters degrees, was founded and named in his honor.

When José Gustavo Galdámez was a young man training for the Catholic priesthood, he could not have imagined that he would instead become an Assemblies of God pioneer in El Salvador. As a young man he witnessed hypocrisy that caused him reject religion, but he later witnessed his wife’s healing, which became a catalyst that brought him to true faith in Christ.

Read Melvin Hodges’ article, “Quest for Peace,” on pages 2-3 of the Jan. 3, 1965, issue of The Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “Tongues as of Fire,” by J. Robert Ashcroft

• “Bringing Korean Deaf to Christ,” by Chey Sung Man

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 27, 2024 · 9:18 pm

Praying for Revival: Early Pentecostals and New Year’s Eve Watchnight Services

This Week in AG History — December 25, 1937

By Ruthie Edgerly Oberg
Originally published on AG-News, 26 December 2024

Early Pentecostals generally viewed the observance of the “church calendar” as remnants of liturgical traditions. Apart from Easter and Christmas, there were few days that Pentecostal churches set aside for special services. One exception was New Year’s Eve, when a “Watchnight Service” would be held, typically starting around 7 p.m. and lasting until after midnight. The service featured hours of spirited singing, testimonies, and most importantly, ushering in the New Year with congregational prayer around the altar.

Pentecostal churches had historical reasons for setting aside this night as a time to seek God. On Dec. 31, 1900, a Watchnight Service in Topeka, Kansas, marked the beginning of the Pentecostal movement. Charles Parham, who organized the service at his Bethel Bible College, had a background in the Methodist Episcopal Church. It had long been a tradition in Wesleyan Methodist churches to hold annual services on Dec. 31 for reaffirming commitment to God.

John Wesley, the British founder of Methodism, had experienced conversion in a Moravian church in 1738 and attended a prayer vigil on Dec. 31. He wrote in his journal, “As we continued instant in prayer, the power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many cried for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground.”

Under Wesley’s leadership, many in the British Isles underwent life-changing conversions to Christianity. In the town of Kingswood, coal miners, once accustomed to spending their Saturday nights in alehouses, began holding all-night prayer meetings to avoid the temptations of drunkenness. Wesley joined them, preaching between 8 and 9 p.m., continuing the meeting until after midnight, praying and praising God. He later combined these “Watchnight” services with the Moravian tradition of New Year’s Eve prayer vigils.

The first American Methodist Watchnight service was held at St. George’s Church in Philadelphia in 1770. The 1777 Watchnight service, in particular, became famous for its prayers for the provision of funds for General George Washington’s troops at Valley Forge. Robert Morris, having left the service before daybreak, raised the necessary $50,000 to supply the troops. Watchnight services eventually became common not only among Methodists, but also in Anglican, Lutheran, Adventist, and Reformed churches in America.

Thus, it was no accident that Charles Parham called for a Watchnight Service on Dec. 31, 1900, to seek God for His power and presence in the coming year, 1901. It was during this service that Agnes Ozman spoke in tongues, marking the beginning of the Pentecostal understanding that speaking in tongues was a sign of the initial infilling, or baptism, of the Holy Spirit.

Watchnight services remained a key part of Pentecostal practice, even after Pentecostals formed their own fellowships, distinct from other denominations. In the Dec. 25, 1937, edition of Pentecostal Evangel, readers were encouraged to consider the following reasons why Watchnight, the last night of the old year, was so significant:

1. Because the need for prayer and spiritual awakening in the church has never been greater. Concern is growing among evangelical leaders, thoughtful laypeople, and far-seeing political leaders about the godless trends of the time.

2. Because infidelity, both doctrinal and practical, has infiltrated many Christian pulpits and churches.

3. Because the entire Church of Jesus Christ is in need of revival, which will come when God’s people unite in prayer for it.

4. Because every evangelical Christian bears a personal responsibility to God, their family, their church, and the world, to do everything in their power to point to “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” through prayer, life, and exhortation.

The article admonished readers, “As we wait upon the Lord in our Watchnight services, let us pray for a mighty Holy Ghost revival to sweep over the world, beginning in 1938.”

The cover of this issue of the Evangel featured a picture of General George Washington in prayer with the caption: “In 1777 – Why Not A Watch-Night in 1937?”

In a time when many churches cancel services on Christmas and New Year’s, it might be worth reflecting on the call from Pentecostal Evangel editor Stanley Frodsham to the Assemblies of God at the end of 1937: “Let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober” (I Thessalonians 5:6).

Read the article, “Blessed Is He That Watcheth,” on page 2 of the Dec. 25, 1937, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “The Initial Outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the Beginning of the Church Age” by J. Narver Gortner

• “Announcing the Christ Ambassador’s Herald”

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 20, 2024 · 3:18 pm

Frank Lindquist: Swedish Assemblies of God Pioneer in Minnesota

This Week in AG History — December 20, 1959

By Glenn W. Gohr
Originally published on AG News, 19 December 2024

Much of the early history of the Assemblies of God in Minnesota revolves around Frank Lindquist. He was a pioneer evangelist and church planter, as well as a pastor, district superintendent, and Bible college president who contributed greatly to the early ministries of Minneapolis Gospel Tabernacle and North Central Bible Institute.

Frank Joseph Lindquist (1898-1989) was born in McKeesport, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was raised in a predominantly Swedish community and attended the Evangelical Free Church, where his father was a deacon. His mother passed away when he was 3 years old, and for a time he lived in a foster home. His father remarried, and he was able to return home again.

When Lindquist was 15 years old, the Pentecostal message was brought by “a humble brother” to a lodge hall, and his family attended the services. His stepmother was touched by the messages and wanted more of God, but his father at first was opposed to the Pentecostal message.

Traveling evangelists such as Will and Frank Casley and Ben Hardin also influenced Lindquist in his formative years. The Casley brothers held a tent meeting in nearby Glassport when Lindquist was 16, and he was saved and baptized in the Spirit as a result. After Lindquist’s family and about 30 others were baptized in the Spirit, they were forced to leave the Evangelical Free Church. The families rented a hall and began conducting Pentecostal meetings.

As a youth, Lindquist worked in the steel mills of Pittsburgh just as his father did. He was later employed by Thomas Menzie in the dairy business. Young Frank won his employer to the Lord, and then the rest of the Menzie family was converted. Lindquist developed a close friendship with James Menzie, a younger brother of his employer, and the two of them joined Evangelist Ben Hardin in holding a tent meeting in Gary, Indiana, in 1920. Lindquist and Menzie drove to Gary with a Reo truck, hauling a tent, chairs, and other items for use in in the campaign.

After several weeks of meetings in Gary, Lindquist and Menzie set out for Minnesota in 1921. Hardin had told them that Minnesota was one of the neediest fields for the gospel, and they found this to be true. They held tent meetings in Staples, Brainerd, Pillager, Motley, Crosby, Ironton, and Casino, Minnesota. New works were started in each of these communities as a result of their evangelistic campaigns.

They endured some hardships. While holding services at Casino, someone threw acid on the tent to try to stop the meetings. The tent was ruined, but the converts refused to give up and said, “We’re gonna have a church.” There was a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit after that, and the people worked together to establish a church at Casino.

Lindquist and Menzie were holding meetings in Brainerd, Minnesota, when they helped to form the North Central District Council of the Assemblies of God in 1922. Both were ordained at that organizational meeting. At that time the district included the states of Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Later each of the other states separated to form their own districts, and in 1950 the North Central district was renamed the Minnesota district. Frank Lindquist served as North Central district superintendent for 22 years (1923-1945).

In 1924, Lindquist was asked to become the pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Minneapolis. This church later was renamed Minneapolis Gospel Tabernacle, and is now Christ Church International. Lindquist pastored the church for 43 years, retiring in 1967. In February 1928, Frank Lindquist married Irene Gunhus, who was part of his congregation. She was a faithful wife and helpmate. They were married for 61 years.

In 1926, Lindquist began broadcasting on radio station WRHM and later on station WDGY in Minneapolis. Each Sunday morning, he could be heard preaching the Word. After they were married, the theme song the Lindquists used to sing on the radio was “With Him as Our Helmsman.” In later years, the church broadcast on KTIS at noon on Saturday. Beginning in 1963, the Sunday night services were broadcast on KNOF-FM. Another highlight of his ministry in Minneapolis was in 1926, when Evangelist Charles S. Price held services in the skating arena and hundreds were saved and baptized in the Spirit, and his church grew tremendously.

While serving as North Central district superintendent and pastor of the Minneapolis Gospel Tabernacle, Lindquist became the founding president of North Central Bible Institute (now North Central University), which began inside Lindquist’s church in 1930. He served as president for 31 years (1930-1961). For a number of years, Lindquist carried a triple responsibility as pastor, Bible college president, and district superintendent.

Frank Lindquist was a firm supporter of ministerial education, even though he himself never attended a Bible college; he had taken correspondence courses from Moody Bible Institute. Lindquist felt that education and practical experience went hand in hand. His philosophy was that, “. . . you’ve got to have more than a degree to go into the ministry. You’ve got to have an anointing. You’ve got to have a call of God. You must experience the anointing of the Holy Spirit in public, private, and family life.”

Because of his many years of service in pioneering churches, pastoring what was at that time the largest AG church in Minnesota, and serving as district superintendent and Bible college president, he influenced countless people. Frank Lindquist subscribed to the following motto, which he exemplified: “The test of a leader is not what he can do for himself, but what he can inspire other men to do.”

Read Frank Lindquist’s article, “God’s Wonderful Gifts,” on pages 3 and 29 of the Dec. 20, 1959, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “Christmas in Hong Kong,” by Lula Belle Hough

• “Christmas Cookies and a Cup of Tea,” by Margaret Carlow

• “Literature — Key to the Future,” by Maynard L. Ketcham

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 13, 2024 · 4:14 pm

Waiting for Christ’s Return: A Warning from 1941 about Bible Prophecy

Assemblies of God evangelist Ivan D. Rayborn and his prophecy chart, circa 1950s.

This Week in AG History — December 13, 1941

By Ruthie Edgerly Oberg
Originally published on AG-News, 12 December 2024

On the first Sunday after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Assemblies of God church members opened their weekly magazine, the Pentecostal Evangel, to an article by Iowa evangelist (and later Kansas City pastor), William E. Long, asking them, “Can ye not discern the signs of the times?” 

Long lamented that when he was younger he possessed more Bible knowledge than he did in later years. When he started in ministry he confidently thought he “knew” the identity of the Antichrist and believed he could easily ascertain the meaning of the 144,000 of Revelation 14 and the Man-child of Revelation 12. He recalled the sermons he had heard proffering various identities of the Beast of Revelation, among whom were Kaiser Bill, Woodrow Wilson, Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Benito Mussolini, and Adolf Hitler. 

Long also recalled the fear of a dear old saint greatly disturbed about a sticker on the back of his car displaying a Blue Eagle (the symbol of President Roosevelt’s “National Recovery Administration”). She met him in front of the church in tears and, pointing to his sticker, exclaimed, “Oh, Brother Long, you have taken the Mark of the Beast!”  

Looking back as an older, more experienced preacher, Long had good advice for the Evangel readers of 1941 and for Pentecostal believers today. He cautioned against two extremes in handling biblical prophecy. The first being that we would be “carried away with every foolish idea that blows our way.” As Pentecostals we are anxious to see the prophecies of the Bible fulfilled and, in our enthusiasm, can fall prey to absurd and short-sighted teachings. 

The second extreme is that these “wild, weird ideas” would lead to a reluctance to preach prophetic sermons. Neglecting biblical prophecy is just as alarming as the first extreme, according to Long. He pleaded, “We must keep preaching the second coming of the Lord and not quit just because some have read into the Bible prophecies things that were not there.” 

After World War I, the “war to end all wars,” Long stated that many American preachers have “stood before large audiences and said they wouldn’t insult their audience by believing there would be any more wars.” Saying we have “beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks,” these preachers forgot Jesus said that right up until the time of the end “there shall be wars, and rumors of wars.” Having heard their president declare war on Japan that very week, his words took on a somber tone for Evangel readers. 

Long also pointed to Jesus’ proclamation that the Jews “shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9) and reminds his readers that “in America today there are clubs and beaches and areas with signs which say, ‘For Gentiles Only.'” Even though Long and the rest of the Western world did not yet know the fullness of the atrocities of the Jewish Holocaust happening at that very moment, he warned this would be a sign of the nearness of Christ’s return. 

He also mentioned that Pentecostals should learn from the Jews who watch for the appearance of Messiah. “The Jews are looking for Him and praying that Messiah will come. But let us ask ourselves this question: are we really anxious for Jesus Christ to return? We in America are not so anxious to have Him come. We have good jobs, we live in luxury, we have comfortable homes, we still enjoy peace.” 

Long ended his exhortation to remember the urgency of Christ’s second coming with an application from His first coming. He directed readers to Luke 2 and Simeon, a man who lived his entire life longing to see Jesus, yet who only saw the Lord for a few short moments. “Why lament because we did not have the privilege of knowing Jesus as the shepherds did, and Simeon, and John? We are going to be in His presence forever! … My prayer is, ‘Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!’ Is that your prayer, too?” 

Read Long’s article, “Signs of the Times,” on pages 2 and 3 of the Dec. 13, 1941, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel. 

Also featured in this issue:

• “Are You a Fruit-Bearing or a Withered Branch?,” by Clara A. Grace

• “A Scientist Meets the God of Science,” by James R. Graham Jr.

• “News from our School and Orphanage in Syria”

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 6, 2024 · 12:01 pm

Eddie R. Driver, Saints Home Church of God in Christ, and the Interracial Nature of Early Pentecostalism

This Week in AG History — December 2, 1916

By Darrin J. Rodgers
Originally published on AG-News, 05 December 2024

A small notice about an ongoing revival at the Saints Home Church in Los Angeles might have escaped the attention of readers of the Dec. 2, 1916, issue of the Weekly Evangel (the magazine of the Assemblies of God and the predecessor to the Pentecostal Evangel). Unless the reader was familiar with the pastor and the congregation, the revival report would have been indistinguishable from countless similar articles. The congregation’s pastor, Eddie R. Driver, reported spiritual progress: “God is blessing these meetings with a full house, souls are being saved and baptized with the Holy Ghost, the sick are being healed, and there is a great outpouring of God’s choicest blessings accompanying every service.”

Eddie Driver (1868-1944) was an African-American businessman and attorney (he was licensed to practice general and corporation law in Memphis in 1892). He accepted the call to preach in 1893 and became a Baptist pastor. Several years later he became friends with Charles H. Mason, the influential African-American Holiness Baptist pastor who went on to found the Church of God in Christ (COGIC). Driver joined Mason’s organization, became Chairman of the COGIC Council of Elders, and drafted the COGIC’s original articles of incorporation.

In 1914, Mason asked Driver to move from Memphis to Los Angeles to establish a COGIC congregation. Driver complied and became pastor of an existing Pentecostal congregation, the Apostolic Mission at 14th and Woodson streets. The congregation had roots in the interracial Azusa Street Revival (1906-1909), which had been a focal point in the emerging Pentecostal movement. As the Azusa Street revival fires grew dim, numerous small Pentecostal missions popped up across the City of Angels. The Apostolic Mission was one of those new congregations.

Driver organized the congregation as Saints Home Church of God in Christ in 1914, the first COGIC located in the western states. Driver personified the interracial nature of early Los Angeles Pentecostalism. He had a mixed ethnic heritage and could pass as an African-American, a Mexican, or a Filipino. The congregation’s leadership consisted of Blacks, whites, Mexicans, and Filipinos.

Something else about the 1916 article in the Weekly Evangel merits attention. Driver was promoting the ministry of a white evangelist, Thomas Griffin, who had been holding services at Saints Home Church. Griffin, an Irish Catholic who immigrated to the United States, accepted Christ and became a prominent Pentecostal evangelist during the first two decades of the 20th century.

Large portions of early issues of the Weekly Evangel were dedicated to small revival reports such as the one submitted by Driver. What was the racial makeup of these early congregations that promoted their activities in the Evangel? No one knows. It would require significant research to discover the identities of these early Pentecostal leaders and congregations. What we can know, as this article demonstrates, was that the early Pentecostal revival crossed the racial and ethnic divides.

Read the article, “Notes from the Field,” on page 14 of the Dec. 2, 1916, issue of the Weekly Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “Faith in Action in the Mission Field,” by Paul Bettex

• “God’s Prayer House,” by Elizabeth Sisson

• “Three Christian Soldiers,” by C.W. Doney

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Weekly 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 2, 2024 · 11:08 am

Fargo, North Dakota, and Early Pentecostal Revivals Among Scandinavian Immigrants

This Week in AG History — November 29, 1930

By Darrin J. Rodgers
Originally published on AG-News, 29 November 2024

Few Assemblies of God congregations in 1930 could boast an attendance of 1,000 people in a service. Yet when Fargo Gospel Tabernacle dedicated its new building on Oct. 8, 1930, over 1,000 people attended the services. The Nov. 29, 1930, issue of The Pentecostal Evangel reported on the event held in North Dakota’s largest city, then with a population of 28,619. British-born, Oxford-educated evangelist Charles S. Price was the dedication speaker, and long-time local pastor John Thompson also delivered a sermon in the Swedish language.

Fargo Gospel Tabernacle (now Northview Church) was organized in 1926, and by 1933 claimed approximately 500 members. How did this congregation grow so quickly in this northern city known for its large Scandinavian immigrant population? At least two factors played a part in the church’s rapid development.

First, Fargo Gospel Tabernacle was built upon the foundation of earlier Pentecostal revivals and churches in the region. The congregation’s most significant Pentecostal predecessor was the Swedish Free Mission, which was located in neighboring Moorhead, Minnesota.

John Thompson previously served as pastor of the Swedish Free Mission before becoming a member of Fargo Gospel Tabernacle in his later years. The Swedish Free Mission was a leading congregation in a network of Scandinavian congregations in Minnesota and the Dakotas in which speaking in tongues and healing commonly occurred as early as the 1890s. Many early members of Fargo Gospel Tabernacle had been previously involved in this indigenous Scandinavian-American Pentecostal revival.

Second, Fargo Gospel Tabernacle was organized by a Norwegian immigrant, Henry H. Ness, who proved particularly adept at unifying existing Pentecostals and engaging the local community in high-profile activities.

Ness was a gifted orator and organizer, he held a number of successful evangelistic events, and he also produced two weekly radio programs, the Sunshine Hour and the Back Home Hour, broadcast over local radio station WDAY. Ness left Fargo in 1933 and moved to Seattle, Washington, where he pastored an Assemblies of God congregation, Hollywood Temple, and also founded Northwest University.

Today, Northview Church is the second largest Assemblies of God congregation in North Dakota, with Sunday morning attendance of about 1,800 people.

The history of early Pentecostalism in Fargo demonstrates that the Pentecostal movement did not originate solely among English-speakers in revivals at Topeka, Kansas (1901), or Azusa Street, Los Angeles, California (1906-1909). Rather, people from various national and denominational backgrounds, all of whom had experienced a common touch of the Holy Spirit, coalesced to form what we know today as the Pentecostal movement. While revivals at Topeka and Los Angeles were among the most prominent points of Pentecostal origin, early Scandinavian Pentecostal revivals in Minnesota and the Dakotas remind us of the movement’s diverse origins.

Read the report of the dedication of Fargo Gospel Tabernacle on page 21 of the Nov. 29, 1930, issue of The Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “The Three Phases of Sanctification,” by Donald Gee

• “Is it Possible to be Happy?” by J. Narver Gortner

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

For additional information about early Pentecostal revivals among Scandinavian immigrants to the United States, see the recently published book, Revising Pentecostal History: Scandinavian-American Contributions to the Development of Pentecostalism (2024), which includes an article by Darrin Rodgers, the director of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center, about the history of Scandinavian-Americans in the Assemblies of God.

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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