SCRIPTURAL HOLINESS BY NOEL BROOKS

Brooks, Noel. Scriptural Holiness. Advocate Press, 1967. 70p. Rooted in the Holiness Movement, the IPHC treasured the teachings of Biblical and cultural holiness as it grew in the post Azusa Street years. Pentecostalism was a global event being experienced in Europe, South America, and Australia from an early day. So in 1954 when Noel Brooks (1914-2007), pastor, scholar, biographer and campaign manager of the early revivalist George Jeffreys, joined the IPHC, an author of academic depth and spirituality enriched the denomination. The book emerged from lectures in the King Memorial Lecture series at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Georgia.

The contents of the lectures addressed: Holiness in the Progress of Revelations -1(Old Testament), Holiness in the Progress of Revelation – II (New Testament), Holiness in the Order of Salvation – I (Sanctification as Process), and Holiness in the Order of Salvation - II (Sanctification as Crisis). Brooks notes in his travel he had seen a great hunger for understanding scriptural holiness and the need for people to move more confidently into that level of devotion to God, yet he also was aware that there are both positive and negative aspects to the search for holiness (legalism and works). 

Brooks skillfully leads the reader through the Bible to uncover the logical and scriptural holiness that God wants us to live for God. “Our time, our strength, our money, our possessions, our all, continually used up in the service of the Lord” (pg. 67), that, for Noel Brooks encapsulated the purpose and meaning of true “Scriptural Holiness.” -- Marilyn A. Hudson, MLIS

Note: Advocate Press is now Life Springs. Copies of the book, Scriptural Holiness may be ordered from them

THE BRITISH CONFERENCE OF THE IPHC

Noel Brooks, one time leader in the British Conference of the Pentecostal Holiness Church, compiled some facts related to the origins and history of the conference.  The following was probably written between 1977 and 1983.

"ORIGIN

In 1952 Dr. W. H. Turner attended the World Pentecostal Conference in London where he met the Rev. Howard Wallis of Bristol.  As a result the Bristol Church of which Mr. Wallis was pastor became organized as a P.H. Church.

In 1954, as a result of ground work by Chaplain Jake Till, the Rev. R.L. Rex, and Thurance York held evangelistic services in several cities and created wider interest in the P.H.C.  During that summer the Rev. and Mrs. Noel Brooks were preaching in the U.S.A. where they made their first contacts with P.H. Churches.

In October if the same year Bishop J.A. Synan organized the British Conference.  There was one church (Bristol) and several ministers of independent churches.  The first Superintendent was the Rev. H. Wallis.

DEVELOPMENTS

From the very beginning progress was slow and difficult. There was resentment from existing Pentecostal bodies. Some pastors and churches joined the conference but left almost as soon as they came. Independents found a centralized organization unacceptable.  Some found Wesleyan theology a problem. In the first ten years ten churches came into being, some as a result of pioneer work, others from independent backgrounds.  Lack of trained workers and of money impeded progress. At the present time there are only five organized churches.

In 1960 a Bible College was founded in an effort to overcome this deficiency.  At first, only evening classes were conducted, then in 1963 both day and evening classes were opened. Noel Brooks was President, and he and L.J. Harding were the main instructors.  About 100 students passed through the school the twelve years of its existence (1960-1973).  Only 20 of these were full-time students.  The small churches were unable to provide sufficient young people as students, and most of the enrollees, came from other church backgrounds. Eventually in 1973 the school was forced to close.  However, several excellent workers entered Christian work from this school.

SUPERINTENDENTS

The following have served as Conference Supertendents -

1954-1955 Howard Wallis

1955-1962 Noel Brooks

1962-1963 William Sherrod (died October 1963)

1963-1966 Noel Brooks

1967-1969 Howard Wallis

1969-1977 Charles Hopla (died March 1977)

1977 -         Arthur Coleman

MISSIONARY INTEREST

Bristol Bible College, 1960-1973

Throughout it brief existence the British Conference has kept a lively interest in mission, although it is itself under the authority of the world's Mission Board.  Three Britishers are missionaries, although they were not send out by the British Conference but joined the P.H.Church while they were on  the mission field.  They are the Rev. and Mrs. K.G. Donald of India and Mrs. Adrienne Chapman (nee Holdsworth) of South Africa.  All of these are doing great work for God in their respective spheres.

Since 1972 Noel Brooks has traveled extensively and contributed to the P.H.C. in several lands: South African and Rhodesia (1972); Canada (1972-1974); Mexico (1974); USA (1974-1976); Argentina (1976).  He has also visited North American on several occasions for special ministry.

YOUTH INTERESTS

Though there is much to discourage in the British Conference, the youth work is full of promise.  Under the leadership of the Rev. Arthur Coleman the Lifeliners work was organized and  has grown in numbers and interest from the start. An annual Youth Camp is held, as well as periodic rallies and competitions.  Several young people have taken out Mission Workers License and plan to proceed with the Ministers Course.

Brethren pray for us!  Britain is a sick country. Only about 5% of our people go to church. There is great industrial unrest and political strife..."

---Noel Brooks, "Facts about the British Conference of the Pentecostal Holiness Church" , undated manuscript, Noel Brooks Collection, Southwestern Christian University Archives.   Used by permission.  Transcribed by Marilyn A. Hudson, 2011.

New Book Chronicles History of Women Ministers in IPHC

Dr. Jeraldine Posey has authored a new book showcasing the women who served as ministers, leaders, and other works in the IPHC from 1901 to 2011. The book, Let My Handmaid Speak, is published by WestBow Press (2011). Dr. Posey has been involved in ministry for sixty years, having served as a missionary, evangelist, lecturer, counselor, teacher, and pastor. She was the first woman ordained in her Virginia conference. She holds a bachelor of theology degree, a bachelor of science, and a master of arts degree in English, and a doctor of ministry degree.

The book, Let My Handmaid Speak, that title alone should capture the attention of all. It is about Lady preachers. Dr. Jeri Posey from Hopewell, VA, presents a new look at the lady ministers who have preached with great success in the Pentecostal Holiness Church in spite of many difficulties.The debate over women preachers has raged for centuries, but the argument has not been–and probably will not be–resolved. This book is not an addendum to that dispute. It is, however, an attempt to show some of the difficulties lady ministers have overcome to answer God’s call to proclaim His Word.

The International Pentecostal Holiness Church, from its inception, has recognized women as preachers, pastors, evangelists and missionaries. 

However, the leadership of the denomination at a Solemn Assembly in 1996 acknowledged that the church had withheld from women places of honor and desired to release them to serve in leadership roles.

Historically, women have gained ground only to lose it again, and even in our twenty-first century society, some still refuse to let God’s handmaids speak.

Dr. Jeri Posey has been involved in ministry for sixty years, having served as a missionary, evangelist, lecturer, counselor, teacher, and pastor. She holds a bachelor of theology degree, a bachelor of science, and a master of arts degree in English, and a doctor of ministry degree. She is an alumnus of Holmes Bible College.

The 361 page book Let My Handmaid Speak is published by Westbow Press a division of Thomas Nelson and is available from Dr. Jeri Posey by sending a check in the amount of $24.95 for the book + $4.30 S&H to 3912 Cambridge Place, Hopewell, VA 23860. Her e-mail address is:  j.posey2011@comcast.net.

The book is also available from www.westbowpress.com, through your local bookseller, or preferred on-line retailer.

Dr. Harold Hunter Delivers Historic Presentation

At the recent Centennial Celebration of the IPHC 1911 Merger, held on the campus of Southwestern Christian University, Bethany, Oklahoma, the denominational archivist addressed the gathering.   In an engaging and informative presention he shared the history of the two merging groups - Fire Baptised Holiness and the Pentecostal Holiness - into a single unit named The Pentecostal Holiness Church.  He presented a targeted portion illustrating the unique role of the western segment of the United States in the founding, growth, and development of the southern based IPHC.

Dr. Harold Hunter, Archivist, IPHC, March 30, 2011, Bethany, Ok



WOMEN IPHC CLERGY, 1929-1939

FOOTNOTES OF PENTECOSTAL HISTORY: SOUTHWESTERN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY SERIES, NO. 1

“REPORT ACCEPTED AND CHARACTER PASSED”:

Some Ordained and Licensed Women from the years 1929 - 1939   in the Kansas and Oklahoma Conferences  of the Pentecostal Holiness Church.

Compiled By   Marilyn A. Hudson, with Alicia Hutson

Southwestern Christian University, April 2006

Introduction  

       

The year was 1965 in Wellington, Kansas, in the home of the pastor of the local Pentecostal Holiness Church.  The guest evangelist, Mary E. Ford, was a woman just easing out of middle age wearing a cream colored chiffon blouse, a sturdy brown woolen skirt, with fading hair escaping from its once tidy bun.  Her wide pleasant face was a roller coaster of expressions from intense concentration to hearty laughter. 

Sitting at the parsonage piano, a sturdy black upright, she is surrounded by the daughters of the pastor and a friend of theirs who often came to visit.  The visitor entertains them playing snappy standards from the forties and crooning tunes from the fifties.  She responded to the news that the oldest girl was taking business courses by encouraging her to keep her chin up and not let the men bully her.  She recounted with great hilarity a time when an employer had tried to bull her and all laughed at the impossibility the image presented. 

To all of those gathered around the piano that afternoon she shared her love of God, her courage, her experience, and her sense of fun.  To each and every one there she encouraged them to “press on” in their faith and to get a good education[1].

“Report Accepted....Character Passed....”

The Holiness and Pentecostal movements were unique episodes of American religious history but shared a common thread in a willingness to accept women as instruments of ministry[2].  From the earliest days in both movements women responded to God with a desire to preach the gospel with as much enthusiasm as their male counterparts. As some elements of both merged to form the Pentecostal movement, the invigorating dynamic of a life that sought to live in the fullest relationship with God was not one that would accept limitations easily.[3]

An examination of the official registers of membership for the Oklahoma and Kansas Conferences of the Pentecostal Holiness Church for the years 1929-1939 reveals some interesting insights, identifies some pioneer women, and provides a context for further discussion about the historic role of women within the Pentecostal tradition.

The title stems from a reoccurring statement recorded in the 1929 year book.  As the conference business would progress the ministers present would offer their reports (how many sermons preached, miles traveled, etc.) and at the conclusion there would be a motion of “report accepted and character passed.”    It is a fitting testimony to the role of these women and their unique place in the history of the American church and the Pentecostal tradition that without question each one was accepted.

Description of the Project

A brief survey of records contained in the “Year Book of the Pentecostal Holiness Church” for the years 1929 to 1939 was conducted.  Names of obviously female ordained and licensed women were recorded and their number compared with the total list of individuals.  One limitation may be that some additional persons on the lists may also be female and the use of initials in their names may conceal that fact. Also, there is margin of error because of a few names that can be either a man or a woman’s name and some women did marry changing their name.  However, women, according to the most common format employed, were most often listed with the title of “Mrs.” followed by their husband’s name, or their first names if a young woman or “spinster”.   The scope of this study was to collect numbers of active female ministers, compile a list of names,  and identify early women ministers, so no attempt has been made to gain broad or detailed biographical information on all of them.

History

The Pentecostal movement of the 20^th century is generally considered to have  begun in1901.  Agnes Ozman is believed to be the first person to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. She was a student in Charles Parham’s school in Topeka, Kansas in January of 1901.  An African-American student there, William Seymour carried the message west to Los Angeles and from a mission located on Azusa Street the experience  spread across the country.

From its inception the movement seemed to epitomize an equality of persons that was unique for the time period.  Service to God and blessings of the Holy Spirit (“the anointing”) became the litmus test of value over issues of gender or even race.[4]  

Pauline writings that for the Christian community existing as one in Christ there was to be no longer “male or female” or “slave and free” (Galatians 3: 28-29), now took on liberating meanings as leadership in the new Pentecostal movement featured both women and persons of color.[5]   The dynamic nature of the experience, and the resulting sense of urgency in proclaiming the gospel, convinced many that indeed the time of the Biblical “latter rains” had come.  Citing the prophet Joel in the Old Testament , “Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, your sons and daughters will prophesy...” (Joel 2:29-32), few in the movement felt they could place limitations on who ministered.[6]

Ordained and Licensed Women, Kansas and Oklahoma, 1929 and 1939.[7]

The following women were identified from the rolls of those who served as formally recognized ministers.  With some exceptions, most had been admitted to the conference within the same decade.   Most were assigned a local church; some assisted their husbands in the work, while some served as evangelists. On a administrative level, although they were frequently serving on conference committees of the more traditional women’s areas such as “Memoirs” ( a record of those who had died the preceding year) and “Public Morals”, they were also in leadership roles dealing with issues of publication, missions, and resolutions (i.e., 1939 in Kansas Mary E. Ford served on the Committee on Resolutions and later would be conference secretary-treasurer[8]). Some would in coming years be in key leadership roles on state levels and at least one went on to be published in the national publication, The Pentecostal Holiness Advocate.[9]

^{Attempts to identify the earliest women licensed or ordained in these regions is challenging due to the fact that the records from that time period are incomplete or are not clear as to gender.   From information located, however, there are several women who were ordained within a few years of Oklahoma’s 1907 statehood.  Mrs. Dolly York of Oklahoma was admitted to the ministry roll of the Oklahoma Conference in 1910 and Willa J. Short in 1911.  In the Kansas Conference Annie E. Carmack was admitted in 1913.  The earliest male counterpart was O.C. Wilkins  admitted in 1910.} [10]

Kansas (24):

Barnes, Emma

Beal, Estella

Brownback, Nellie

Carmack, Annie E.

Downing, Annie M.

Filbert, Estella

Eslin, Lavonia

Ford, Mary E.

Hall, Alline

Hill, Edith

Hoel, Olive

Kaminska, Lucinda

Orr, Lizzie

Pinkston, Mrs. J.P.

Roth, Berthe

Shannon, Mary Katherine Butterfield Davis (1916)[11]

Shively, Ora B.

Spotts, Ruby

Sprogue, Mrs. E.H.

Thiele, Hellen

Taylor, Beulah

Trader, Marietta

Ward, Linna (later Rogers)

Wassom, Della

Wedeking, Nettie

Oklahoma (107):

Adair, Gertrude

Allen, Reba

Anderson, Mrs Lillian

Atchley, Mrs. Sarah

Barger, Rosa (1927)

Beall, Estella

Bell, Eva

Bennett, Maggie

Bland or Blond, Vella Cleta

Booking, Viola

Brandstandt, Mrs. N.C

Brooks, Mrs. Eva.

Brown, Irene

Buchanan, Stella

Bullard, Beulah

Byus, Hazel

Campbell, Mrs. J.A. (1913)

Caldwell, Juanita

Carlton, Bell

Carmack, Annie

Carter, Carrie

Chilcoat,Fae or Eula

Clarke, Neva (1925)

Classen, Clara

Coley, Beatrice

Cooper, Nora

Cothran, Mrs. L.V.

Darrow, Mrs. C.L. (Smith)

Dooley, Mrs. Ed

Fowler, Mrs. S.S.

Frantz, Edna

Gaither, Mrs. S.E.

Glenn, Evelyn

Haley, Inez

Hallam, Mrs. Urchie

Hamilton, Naomi

Hampton, Mrs.  H.W.

Hatfield,  Mittie

Hargis, Lucile

Hill, Mrs. O.M.

Hope, Grace

Housdon, Minnie

Hurt, Mrs. Margarett

Hutto, Amana

Iley, Mrs. J.H.

Isbell, Mrs. Ruth

Jones, Margaret (1925)

Keener, Mrs. Lillie

King, Sadie

Landers, Essie D. (1926)

Laymon, Elsie

Lily, Mrs. L.V.

Little, Mrs. N.W.

Kern, Anna

Manning, Opal V.

Martin, Mrs. L.B. (1929)

McCully, Gladys

McGraw, Mrs. D.

Meeks, Mrytle

Mitchusson, Minnie

Moore, Ruth

Moore, Vestal

Muse, Mrs. Dan T.

Nance, Bertha

Pierce, Mrs. Idell

Peters, Mrs. L.A. (1919)

Pinkston, Mrs. Anna

Pool, Mrs. T.W.

Poteet, Vera

Price, Miss Chessie

Revell, Mrs. Emma

Roberson or Robertson, Mrs. J.W.     

Roberts, Pearl Mrs.

Rooms, Mrs. Myrtle

Rose, Martha

Ross, Mrs. Melvin

Scaggs, Chessie

Schockly, Mrs. Tinnie

Short, Willa

Smith, Mrs. C.L.(Maggie?) (1913)

Sparks, Mrs. E. W.

Spence, Mrs. H.N.

Stamphill, Myrtle

Stone, Myrtle

Steele, Edith

Stephens, Viola 

Stratton, Laura

Sutton, Anna

Taylor, Emma

Taylor, Ellen

Thornton, Margaret 

Townsend, Elsie

VanBrunt, Mrs. Dorothy

Varec, Iva

Wassom, Mrs. Della

Watt, Linnie

Weaver, Mrs. C.M (1929)

Wedel, Ello Lous

Wicks, Mildred

Wilbourn, Leeta

Williams, Mrs. W.A. (1913)

Wilkerson, Lucy.

Wilson, Clara (1929)

Wilson, Alice

Wilson, Mollie (1925)

Wright, Mrs. L.E.

York, Dolly (1910)

York, Mrs. W.C.

Summary
A survey of the conference rolls for the regions of Oklahoma and Kansas for the years 1929 to 1939 reveal that women played a significant role and were a definitive presence. The number of women who were formally recognized as being ordained, licensed or doing the work of an evangelist is impressive considering the overall size of the regions they served. The women who were leaders in ministry at an early time period in the conferences of Oklahoma and Kansas are identified adding to the rich history emerging of women in the Pentecostal movement.

The survey also raises many questions worthy of additional consideration and research.  For example, how does the central region compare to the more populated areas of the south, home base of the Pentecostal Holiness Church, at the same time?  How consistent are the percentages of women to men in successive decades, and if there is a decline can a cause be identified?[12] Who were the earliest women in the denomination as a whole to be recognized as clergy?   How were women “called” to service in the early days and in what ways did their fellow ministers mentor them?  What impact, if any, did the formation of the national “Women’s Auxiliary” in the nineteen forties and the latter “Women’s Ministries” have on the number of women going into ministry?  What were the nature and content of their sermons? And finally, how successful were they in what they did?

The Authors
Hudson is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with degrees in History and Library and Information Studies.  She is the Director of Library Services for Southwestern Christian University and an ordained minister.   Miss Alicia Hutson, a 2006 graduate of SC with a degree in ministry. Served a research assistant.

---

^[1]  The first pastor of the author was the Rev. Sallie Mae Flippin, Wellington Pentecostal Holiness Church, Kansas (1960). Her second  pastors were  Evelyn and Bill Thompson,  Wellington.  As a teenager she had the opportunity to spend time with Mary E. Ford (who is listed in the study) when she was a guest in the home of the Rev. Hoyle Baker.

^[2]Lee, Joyce and Glenn Gohr.  “Women in the Pentecostal Movement” Women in Ministry, Assembly of God U.S.A. accessed at http://womeninministry.ag.org/history/index.cfm on 4/18/2006. Provides a good chronology of notable women leaders and photos of many of them.

^[3]Benvenuti, Sheri R. “Pentecostal Women in Ministry: Where Do We Go From Here?” Cyberjournal for Pentecostal Charsimatic Research. Accessed at http:www.pctii.org/cyberj/cyberj1/ben.html on 4/18/2006.

^[4]Blumhofer, Edith, The Assemblies of God: A Popular History (Springfield: Gospel Publishing House, 1985) 137.

^[5] Hudson, Marilyn A., “In Christ: An Exploration of the Egalitarianism of Galations”, unpublished paper, Southwestern College of Christian Ministries, 1989.

^[6]Charles H. Barfoot and Gerald T. Sheppard, “Prophetic vs. Priestly Religion: The Changing Role of Women Clergy in Classical Pentecostal Churches, “ Review of Religious Research, 22:1 (September)4.

^[7] Year Book of the Annual Conferences of the Pentecostal Holiness Church; Also Missionary Facts and Figures, 1929.  Franklin Springs, Georgia: Publishing House of the P.H.C.; Year Book of the Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1939. Franklin Springs, Georgia: Publishing House of the Pentecostal Holiness Church.

^[8] Pentecostal Holiness Advocate, Sept, 12, 1946, cover photo shows her with a group of Kansas Conference leaders hading a check to Oral Roberts for new Southwestern School in Oklahoma.

^[9] Wilson, Alice. “The Lion, The Greyhound and the He-goat”, The Pentecostal Holiness Advocate, (Feb.1, 1945) 5.    She is listed as an evangelist of the Oklahoma Conference.; also Feb.22, 1945, a poem “As Soon As Funds Are Available”, pg. 3                                           

^[10] Year Book of the Annual Conference..., the 1930 issue reads for O.C. Wilkins  “1909", but the next and all subsequent years read “1910".

^[11] “Sister A.I. Shannon, Pioneer Holiness Preacher Passes”, East Oklahoma Conference News, ( March 1944) 8 and the  Kansas register in the Minutes of the Annual Conference of the Pentecostal Holiness Church., 1931.

^[12] Some clues emerge early, G.H. Montgomery writing in the Advocate artle “Do We Need A Seminary?”said “Who is going to be in charge of this seminary? ...These men (and they will have to be men, or I am through with the whole idea right now;” (Feb.15, 1945)2. [emphasis in the original].