The Pentecostal World-wide Mission Band traveled to the Bahamas in 1911. Back L to R: Unidentified, Unidentified, Flora E. Bower, Lula Williams, Efford Haynes, Clyde (Cotton) Haynes, Ida Evans. Front L to R: Roy C. Miller, J.W. Buckalew, A.J. Tomlinson, R.M. Evans holding Robert Mooreland, Carl M. Padgett.
A GLOBAL CHURCH
“Oh, for a million men who would fear nothing but God, filled with such holy zeal and Godly courage, that we could all together burst forth under the power of this mighty baptismal fire and rush to every quarter of the globe, like mad men, declaring the gospel of the Son of God, until every tribe, kindred, tongue and people could hear….”
— A.J. Tomlinson
The Last Great Conflict
The Last Great Conflict
A.J. Tomlinson’s theology, passion, and vision for the harvest was not limited to the United States of America. At least as early as 1905, he sensed a calling beyond the borders of the USA. This perception was intensified with his Spirit baptism during which he had a vision of preaching in tongues as he traveled to ten countries of the world. For Tomlinson, such an experience revealed the urgency of reaching the world in the last days. Pentecostal fire was for a purpose—empowering and enabling the church to win the world for Jesus Christ.
Arabella and Wilmore Eneas were early converts in the Bahamas
Beyond the United States
Among those Tomlinson credentialed at the Pleasant Grove Camp Meeting in May 1909 were Robert M. and Ida Evans and Edmond and Rebecca Barr. From their efforts, the Church of God soon bore international fruit.
Edmond Barr (1868–1925) was the Church of God’s first international connection. Barr was a Black Bahamian who immigrated to Florida in 1893 in search of work. There, Edmond met and married Georgia-native Rebecca Clayton (1868–1934). When Tomlinson credentialed them as evangelists on May 31, 1909, they became the first persons of African descent to hold ministerial credentials in the Church of God.
By October 1909, the Barrs realized the urgency of taking the Pentecostal message to Edmond’s homeland. Former Methodist minister, Robert Evans (1851–1924), and his wife, Ida (1866–1952), partnered with them to carry the gospel to the Bahamas.
Edmond and Rebecca Barr arrived in Nassau in November 1909 and began preaching. As an American ministering to another culture, Rebecca became our first Church of God missionary. The Evanses, along with Carl M. Padgett, joined them on January 4, 1910. Their partnership reflected the growing Church of God: male and female ministers; multinational with citizens of the United States and the Bahamas; multiracial with persons of European and African heritage; and multigenerational with mature and young participants.
Wilmore V. Eneas and his wife, Arabella, were among the first to come into the Church of God in the Bahamas. Suffering from a lengthy illness, Arabella was sitting on her porch on Meadow Street in the Bain Town community of Nassau when she heard preaching coming from the street corner. It was an unfamiliar message, so she invited the ministers to come to her home and talk. They accepted her invitation and offered to lay hands on her to pray for her healing. Unsure of Pentecostalism at first, Wilmore could not doubt the change in Arabella’s life. The Eneas’ home became a ministry center in Bain Town, until Wilmore was able to arrange a place for the emerging congregation to meet.
By the time the Evanses and Barrs returned to Florida, W.V. Eneas had emerged as the local leader of the Church of God. In 1915, he led in building a thatch place of worship called “The Camp.” About 1918, the congregation was able to build a more proper wooden church house. Ridiculing their enthusiastic worship, the townspeople called the Pentecostals “Jumpers,” and they called the location of the Church of God “Eneas Jumper Corner.” Wilmore became the first Black Church of God bishop in the Bahamas and served as pastor of the local church, now the East Street Cathedral, until 1961. He also served as overseer of the Bahamas. The Eneas legacy continues to bless the Bain Town community. The home of Wilmore and Arabella is now the W.V. Eneas Clinic—a medical clinic operated by their granddaughter, Dr. Agreta Eneas-Carey.
Among those Tomlinson credentialed at the Pleasant Grove Camp Meeting in May 1909 were Robert M. and Ida Evans and Edmond and Rebecca Barr. From their efforts, the Church of God soon bore international fruit.
Edmond Barr (1868–1925) was the Church of God’s first international connection. Barr was a Black Bahamian who immigrated to Florida in 1893 in search of work. There, Edmond met and married Georgia-native Rebecca Clayton (1868–1934). When Tomlinson credentialed them as evangelists on May 31, 1909, they became the first persons of African descent to hold ministerial credentials in the Church of God.
By October 1909, the Barrs realized the urgency of taking the Pentecostal message to Edmond’s homeland. Former Methodist minister, Robert Evans (1851–1924), and his wife, Ida (1866–1952), partnered with them to carry the gospel to the Bahamas.
Edmond and Rebecca Barr arrived in Nassau in November 1909 and began preaching. As an American ministering to another culture, Rebecca became our first Church of God missionary. The Evanses, along with Carl M. Padgett, joined them on January 4, 1910. Their partnership reflected the growing Church of God: male and female ministers; multinational with citizens of the United States and the Bahamas; multiracial with persons of European and African heritage; and multigenerational with mature and young participants.
Wilmore V. Eneas and his wife, Arabella, were among the first to come into the Church of God in the Bahamas. Suffering from a lengthy illness, Arabella was sitting on her porch on Meadow Street in the Bain Town community of Nassau when she heard preaching coming from the street corner. It was an unfamiliar message, so she invited the ministers to come to her home and talk. They accepted her invitation and offered to lay hands on her to pray for her healing. Unsure of Pentecostalism at first, Wilmore could not doubt the change in Arabella’s life. The Eneas’ home became a ministry center in Bain Town, until Wilmore was able to arrange a place for the emerging congregation to meet.
By the time the Evanses and Barrs returned to Florida, W.V. Eneas had emerged as the local leader of the Church of God. In 1915, he led in building a thatch place of worship called “The Camp.” About 1918, the congregation was able to build a more proper wooden church house. Ridiculing their enthusiastic worship, the townspeople called the Pentecostals “Jumpers,” and they called the location of the Church of God “Eneas Jumper Corner.” Wilmore became the first Black Church of God bishop in the Bahamas and served as pastor of the local church, now the East Street Cathedral, until 1961. He also served as overseer of the Bahamas. The Eneas legacy continues to bless the Bain Town community. The home of Wilmore and Arabella is now the W.V. Eneas Clinic—a medical clinic operated by their granddaughter, Dr. Agreta Eneas-Carey.
The Pentecostal World-wide Mission Band
Tomlinson’s commitment to evangelism led to his creation of the Pentecostal World-wide Mission Band in the summer of 1910. He envisioned a group of ministers creating music and preaching the gospel. Tomlinson’s friend, J.B. Mitchell, provided $124 to buy band instruments from the Sears Roebuck mail order catalog along with $125 to purchase a new tent, which Tomlinson had delivered directly to Miami.
Prior to their journey to Nassau, the band scheduled services for two weeks while they organized and practiced. Tomlinson recorded, “The tent here is arranged so as I preach I face the ocean, and in the daytime I can look out over the deep blue sea and think of the heathen beyond. The cry of my heart is, ‘O God, help me bear the responsibilities that naturally fall upon me as a leader
of the World-wide Mission Band, and give me souls, and means to supply our needs.’”
On February 15, 1911, the band boarded the S.S. Miami bound for the Bahama Islands. They would face hardship, danger, and exhausting ministry during their ten-week journey. Upon arrival on New Providence Island, they connected with the Evanses and
Barrs and began to locate places to conduct services. They held meetings in the streets, homes, the Market, the Sponge Exchange, and wherever else they could. Tomlinson frequently played the snare drum as the band marched through the streets to attract a crowd. Often dividing into smaller groups to reach more people, one Sunday, they conducted meetings in nine different locations. On more than one occasion, Tomlinson estimated 2,000 people attending services.
Beginning with Ragged Island, the band visited Out Islands and cays from March 17 until April 22. They held services in borrowed churches, homes, community halls, and numerous outdoor accommodations. They depended on offerings from home, offerings received during worship services, and the goodness of those to whom they ministered. Tomlinson penned on April 1: “They bring us food of all kinds . . . chickens, eggs, sweet potatoes, crabs, onions, beans, peas, watermelons, papayas, grits, sugar, etc. I have learned to eat crab and lobster.”
Along with blessings came the challenges of travel in an underdeveloped colony. They often experienced rough waters and sea sickness. In addition to larger boats, they traveled by sailboat and packhorse, as well as frequently walking. They slept in rented houses, donated rooms, sometimes on the floor, and outdoors on boat decks when mosquitoes and sandflies did not make sleeping too difficult.
Arriving back in Miami on April 28, it is difficult to estimate the band’s spiritual results. Conversions, Spirit baptisms, water baptisms, healings, service attendance, and church memberships were noted with imprecise numbers. They set in order a Church of God congregation at Clarence Town on Long Island, which doubled the number of organized congregations in the colony. Many Bahamians heard the gospel and received Christian literature, and their journey was an inspiration to Church of God members and friends in the United States.
Tomlinson’s commitment to evangelism led to his creation of the Pentecostal World-wide Mission Band in the summer of 1910. He envisioned a group of ministers creating music and preaching the gospel. Tomlinson’s friend, J.B. Mitchell, provided $124 to buy band instruments from the Sears Roebuck mail order catalog along with $125 to purchase a new tent, which Tomlinson had delivered directly to Miami.
Prior to their journey to Nassau, the band scheduled services for two weeks while they organized and practiced. Tomlinson recorded, “The tent here is arranged so as I preach I face the ocean, and in the daytime I can look out over the deep blue sea and think of the heathen beyond. The cry of my heart is, ‘O God, help me bear the responsibilities that naturally fall upon me as a leader
of the World-wide Mission Band, and give me souls, and means to supply our needs.’”
On February 15, 1911, the band boarded the S.S. Miami bound for the Bahama Islands. They would face hardship, danger, and exhausting ministry during their ten-week journey. Upon arrival on New Providence Island, they connected with the Evanses and
Barrs and began to locate places to conduct services. They held meetings in the streets, homes, the Market, the Sponge Exchange, and wherever else they could. Tomlinson frequently played the snare drum as the band marched through the streets to attract a crowd. Often dividing into smaller groups to reach more people, one Sunday, they conducted meetings in nine different locations. On more than one occasion, Tomlinson estimated 2,000 people attending services.
Beginning with Ragged Island, the band visited Out Islands and cays from March 17 until April 22. They held services in borrowed churches, homes, community halls, and numerous outdoor accommodations. They depended on offerings from home, offerings received during worship services, and the goodness of those to whom they ministered. Tomlinson penned on April 1: “They bring us food of all kinds . . . chickens, eggs, sweet potatoes, crabs, onions, beans, peas, watermelons, papayas, grits, sugar, etc. I have learned to eat crab and lobster.”
Along with blessings came the challenges of travel in an underdeveloped colony. They often experienced rough waters and sea sickness. In addition to larger boats, they traveled by sailboat and packhorse, as well as frequently walking. They slept in rented houses, donated rooms, sometimes on the floor, and outdoors on boat decks when mosquitoes and sandflies did not make sleeping too difficult.
Arriving back in Miami on April 28, it is difficult to estimate the band’s spiritual results. Conversions, Spirit baptisms, water baptisms, healings, service attendance, and church memberships were noted with imprecise numbers. They set in order a Church of God congregation at Clarence Town on Long Island, which doubled the number of organized congregations in the colony. Many Bahamians heard the gospel and received Christian literature, and their journey was an inspiration to Church of God members and friends in the United States.
Going on Their Own
World Missions Historian Bill George characterized early Church of God missions by observing that dedicated “individual missionaries, sensing a divine calling, went to other countries at their own initiative and expense” before there was a Missions Board or a strategy to raise sufficient finances to send and support them. The Pleasant Grove Camp Meeting raised funds to send Edmond and Rebecca Barr, and Robert Evans reportedly sold many of his possessions to fund his travel along with that of the Barrs. Often, these early missionaries sent letters soliciting prayer and financial support to numerous Holiness and Pentecostal periodicals.
World Missions Historian Bill George characterized early Church of God missions by observing that dedicated “individual missionaries, sensing a divine calling, went to other countries at their own initiative and expense” before there was a Missions Board or a strategy to raise sufficient finances to send and support them. The Pleasant Grove Camp Meeting raised funds to send Edmond and Rebecca Barr, and Robert Evans reportedly sold many of his possessions to fund his travel along with that of the Barrs. Often, these early missionaries sent letters soliciting prayer and financial support to numerous Holiness and Pentecostal periodicals.
Lillian Trasher about the time she traveled to Egypt in 1910
Lillian Trasher
One of the earliest Church of God missionaries was Lillian Trasher (1887–1961), who established an orphanage in Assiout, Egypt, in 1911. She was baptized with the Holy Spirit and came into the Church of God through a 1909 revival in Dahlonega, Georgia. She did evangelistic work and served at the Elhanan Training Institute and Orphanage in Marion, North Carolina. By 1914, Trasher was a
credentialed evangelist in the Church of God.
Trasher did not originally travel to Egypt to establish an orphanage, but she found herself responsible for an infant whose mother had died. With no one else to care for the child, she determined to do it herself and believe God for provision. Over time, she gained the respect of the Egyptian people and political leaders, so she was able to survive political and social changes when many other missionaries did not. Soon she became known as the “Nile Mother.”
Trasher’s expressions of gratitude for financial support and letters of encouragement frequently appeared in the Church of God Evangel; however, she also sought support from many sources, including denominational and independent periodicals. Her last correspondence printed in the Church of God Evangel appeared in 1918. She graciously thanked A.J. Tomlinson for an offering with a commendation that he had “always been so faithful in sending to us.” With the orphanage having grown to 90 children, she requested that the general overseer remind Church of God people to pray for her ministry. Her letter concluded, “It is a comfort for us to know that those at home are praying for us.”
One of the earliest Church of God missionaries was Lillian Trasher (1887–1961), who established an orphanage in Assiout, Egypt, in 1911. She was baptized with the Holy Spirit and came into the Church of God through a 1909 revival in Dahlonega, Georgia. She did evangelistic work and served at the Elhanan Training Institute and Orphanage in Marion, North Carolina. By 1914, Trasher was a
credentialed evangelist in the Church of God.
Trasher did not originally travel to Egypt to establish an orphanage, but she found herself responsible for an infant whose mother had died. With no one else to care for the child, she determined to do it herself and believe God for provision. Over time, she gained the respect of the Egyptian people and political leaders, so she was able to survive political and social changes when many other missionaries did not. Soon she became known as the “Nile Mother.”
Trasher’s expressions of gratitude for financial support and letters of encouragement frequently appeared in the Church of God Evangel; however, she also sought support from many sources, including denominational and independent periodicals. Her last correspondence printed in the Church of God Evangel appeared in 1918. She graciously thanked A.J. Tomlinson for an offering with a commendation that he had “always been so faithful in sending to us.” With the orphanage having grown to 90 children, she requested that the general overseer remind Church of God people to pray for her ministry. Her letter concluded, “It is a comfort for us to know that those at home are praying for us.”
Lucy Leatherman in Jerusalem ca. 1908
Lucy M. Leatherman
One of the most fascinating Church of God missionaries was Lucy Leatherman (1863–1924), who attended William J. Seymour’s Azusa Street Mission in 1906, where she received her baptism with the Holy Spirit. Historian Estrelda Alexander stated that among those who went from the Azusa Street Mission, Leatherman “traveled the farthest and most often to spread the message of Pentecostalism. Her ministry touched four continents and more than ten countries, landing her in capitals and remote cities with exotic names and cultures. She was unquestionably one of the most widely traveled persons—either man or woman—to go out from the mission.” Leatherman’s biographer, Wanda Thompson LeRoy described her as “a woman totally sold out to God and the mission He had given her.” Observing Leatherman’s conviction about the soon return of the Lord, LeRoy noted, “This belief took her into areas where women were treated as objects, living conditions were primitive, and peril was always present.”
Leatherman’s early independent missionary work was to Palestine, where she became the first Pentecostal to arrive in Jerusalem in 1907. Her travels also took her to Lebanon, Egypt, China, Japan, and the Philippines before returning to the United States in 1910. She
returned to the Middle East in late 1911 and to Jerusalem in March 1912. During that trip, she also spent time in Lebanon and Egypt before being forced to return home due to the outbreak of war in August 1914.
Leatherman connected with the Church of God sometime during her travels in the Middle East. She formally joined in Valdosta, Georgia, and received ministerial credentials as an evangelist in February 1916. By December, she was on her way to South America as a Church of God missionary. Her journey to the global south included stops in Panama and Chile. She was the first Church of God missionary in Chile, where she connected with the Methodist missionary W.C. Hoover, who had come into the Pentecostal Movement. Leatherman arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in early 1918 and worked with Church of God missionaries F.L. and Nonie Ryder, who had arrived there the previous year.
Leatherman returned to the United States in early 1921. She had suffered various illnesses during her journeys and died on June 5, 1924. Leatherman’s letters reveal the hardships early Pentecostal missionaries faced as they endured meager and unreliable resources, complicated and uncomfortable travel, rejection by non-Pentecostal missionaries, political upheavals, persecution, and illnesses.
One of the most fascinating Church of God missionaries was Lucy Leatherman (1863–1924), who attended William J. Seymour’s Azusa Street Mission in 1906, where she received her baptism with the Holy Spirit. Historian Estrelda Alexander stated that among those who went from the Azusa Street Mission, Leatherman “traveled the farthest and most often to spread the message of Pentecostalism. Her ministry touched four continents and more than ten countries, landing her in capitals and remote cities with exotic names and cultures. She was unquestionably one of the most widely traveled persons—either man or woman—to go out from the mission.” Leatherman’s biographer, Wanda Thompson LeRoy described her as “a woman totally sold out to God and the mission He had given her.” Observing Leatherman’s conviction about the soon return of the Lord, LeRoy noted, “This belief took her into areas where women were treated as objects, living conditions were primitive, and peril was always present.”
Leatherman’s early independent missionary work was to Palestine, where she became the first Pentecostal to arrive in Jerusalem in 1907. Her travels also took her to Lebanon, Egypt, China, Japan, and the Philippines before returning to the United States in 1910. She
returned to the Middle East in late 1911 and to Jerusalem in March 1912. During that trip, she also spent time in Lebanon and Egypt before being forced to return home due to the outbreak of war in August 1914.
Leatherman connected with the Church of God sometime during her travels in the Middle East. She formally joined in Valdosta, Georgia, and received ministerial credentials as an evangelist in February 1916. By December, she was on her way to South America as a Church of God missionary. Her journey to the global south included stops in Panama and Chile. She was the first Church of God missionary in Chile, where she connected with the Methodist missionary W.C. Hoover, who had come into the Pentecostal Movement. Leatherman arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in early 1918 and worked with Church of God missionaries F.L. and Nonie Ryder, who had arrived there the previous year.
Leatherman returned to the United States in early 1921. She had suffered various illnesses during her journeys and died on June 5, 1924. Leatherman’s letters reveal the hardships early Pentecostal missionaries faced as they endured meager and unreliable resources, complicated and uncomfortable travel, rejection by non-Pentecostal missionaries, political upheavals, persecution, and illnesses.
María Atkinson is dressed in her typical white preaching attire standing front and center outside the church in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico, in 1936.
María W. Atkinson
Along with sending missionaries, the Church of God has received into membership or amalgamated with persons and groups outside the USA, often accelerating the growth of those ministries by providing missionaries, finances, and educational support. One of the earliest examples was the 1932 reception of the work in Mexico established by María W. Atkinson (1877–1963).
A devout Roman Catholic and native of Mexico, Atkinson was introduced to Pentecostalism in 1924 when she was healed of cancer while living in Douglas, Arizona. Not long after her healing she experienced a vision of heaven and heard God say, “…you are ready to come here, but I need you in the world to carry the gospel to Mexico.” She began preaching and teaching healing on both sides of the
border and soon established a mission in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora. Atkinson experienced tremendous opposition by the Mexican authorities who wanted to safeguard Roman Catholicism, as well as by Protestants who resisted her emphasis on the miraculous. The Church of God recognized her as a missionary in 1931, and J.H. Ingram received her Ciudad Obregón congregation into the Church in 1932. Known as “La Madre de Mexico,” she remained an important leader among congregations in Mexico. Prior to her death, she asked that her grave marker be inscribed with the words “Here There Are No Doubts” as a testimony of her faith.
Along with sending missionaries, the Church of God has received into membership or amalgamated with persons and groups outside the USA, often accelerating the growth of those ministries by providing missionaries, finances, and educational support. One of the earliest examples was the 1932 reception of the work in Mexico established by María W. Atkinson (1877–1963).
A devout Roman Catholic and native of Mexico, Atkinson was introduced to Pentecostalism in 1924 when she was healed of cancer while living in Douglas, Arizona. Not long after her healing she experienced a vision of heaven and heard God say, “…you are ready to come here, but I need you in the world to carry the gospel to Mexico.” She began preaching and teaching healing on both sides of the
border and soon established a mission in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora. Atkinson experienced tremendous opposition by the Mexican authorities who wanted to safeguard Roman Catholicism, as well as by Protestants who resisted her emphasis on the miraculous. The Church of God recognized her as a missionary in 1931, and J.H. Ingram received her Ciudad Obregón congregation into the Church in 1932. Known as “La Madre de Mexico,” she remained an important leader among congregations in Mexico. Prior to her death, she asked that her grave marker be inscribed with the words “Here There Are No Doubts” as a testimony of her faith.
J.H. Ingram became one of the best known and most traveled missionaries in the Church of God.
J.H. Ingram
Kentucky-born James Henry Ingram (1893–1981) became one of the best known and most traveled missionaries in the Church of God. Converted in 1919 during a Pentecostal revival in Middleton, Ohio, he learned about the Church of God through the Evangel. Ingram’s passion for world missions was stirred while hearing a visiting missionary from India. Not long after he received the baptism
with the Holy Spirit, he dreamed of the island of Bermuda and began preparing to go there, including selling his car. Trips to Bermuda in 1921 and late 1925 were short-lived due first to an expired visa and later to a family illness.
When the Church of God appointed Ingram as overseer of Arizona and California in 1929, he looked for an opportunity to reach into Mexico. He was preaching in the border town of Douglas, Arizona, when he met María Atkinson in 1931. This meeting led to Atkinson’s
bringing her ministry into the Church of God.
Ingram’s biographer, Peggy Humphrey, chronicles ten major missionary journeys, including his first into Mexico in 1932. Bill George added, “Although he never served for any protracted length of time as a missionary in the resident tradition, Ingram’s travels and contacts resulted in the establishment of the denomination in dozens of countries.” In 1936, Ingram celebrated the Church of God’s fiftieth anniversary with a “Golden Jubilee Tour,” during which he circumnavigated the world, visiting thirty-one countries and colonies and bringing many congregations and members into the Church of God.
Kentucky-born James Henry Ingram (1893–1981) became one of the best known and most traveled missionaries in the Church of God. Converted in 1919 during a Pentecostal revival in Middleton, Ohio, he learned about the Church of God through the Evangel. Ingram’s passion for world missions was stirred while hearing a visiting missionary from India. Not long after he received the baptism
with the Holy Spirit, he dreamed of the island of Bermuda and began preparing to go there, including selling his car. Trips to Bermuda in 1921 and late 1925 were short-lived due first to an expired visa and later to a family illness.
When the Church of God appointed Ingram as overseer of Arizona and California in 1929, he looked for an opportunity to reach into Mexico. He was preaching in the border town of Douglas, Arizona, when he met María Atkinson in 1931. This meeting led to Atkinson’s
bringing her ministry into the Church of God.
Ingram’s biographer, Peggy Humphrey, chronicles ten major missionary journeys, including his first into Mexico in 1932. Bill George added, “Although he never served for any protracted length of time as a missionary in the resident tradition, Ingram’s travels and contacts resulted in the establishment of the denomination in dozens of countries.” In 1936, Ingram celebrated the Church of God’s fiftieth anniversary with a “Golden Jubilee Tour,” during which he circumnavigated the world, visiting thirty-one countries and colonies and bringing many congregations and members into the Church of God.
After meeting J.H. Ingram, Robert F. Cook brought his ministry in India into the Church of God in 1936.
Robert F. Cook
“Robert, come with me to a mission where the people speak in ‘other tongues,’ as they did in the early church. I tell you it is all so wonderful. Every time I go there, I am blessed.” With that brief but excited invitation from his father, Robert F. Cook (1880-1958) and his wife, Anna, found themselves in the Upper Room Mission on South Spring Street in Los Angeles, California. By the time of Cook’s visit in 1908, the Upper Room Mission was the largest Pentecostal ministry in Los Angeles.
Some months later, Anna became terribly ill and could find no relief from doctors or medicines. Believing she was dying, Robert called their pastor, Elmer Fisher, to come and pray. Fisher read James 5:14-18, anointed Anna with oil, and prayed. Anna was instantly healed. Later, when Anna became ill again, Robert prayed himself. Not only was Anna healed, but Robert was baptized with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. During that experience, Anna saw a vision in which an angel commissioned Robert to ministry.
In October 1913, the Cooks arrived in India as missionaries. Although Anna died in 1917, Robert remained in India until 1949. While there, he preached, planted churches, opened an orphanage, and established Mt. Zion Bible Institute to train ministers. Realizing the uncertainty of his financial support and that he would one day be unable to care for the growing ministry, Cook began to pray for a Pentecostal group with which to align his ministry. He desired a church body that would treat their Indian brothers and sisters as equal partners in ministry rather than adhere to the evil oppression of the Indian caste system. While seeking the Lord about these things in April 1936, he met J.H. Ingram who was on his “Golden Jubilee Tour.”
When Cook heard of Ingram’s visit to India, he felt the Spirit say, “Here is your help.” As they reviewed the doctrines and teachings of the Church of God, Cook was especially drawn to our holiness teachings. He called for a meeting of his Indian churches, and they agreed to affiliate with the Church of God. That August, Cook wrote a letter of greetings to the Church of God in the United States. Looking forward to entering yet another unreached area of India, he exclaimed— “Great things are ahead! Let us all take heart and pull together in this, God’s work, not yours or ours, but HIS work.”
“Robert, come with me to a mission where the people speak in ‘other tongues,’ as they did in the early church. I tell you it is all so wonderful. Every time I go there, I am blessed.” With that brief but excited invitation from his father, Robert F. Cook (1880-1958) and his wife, Anna, found themselves in the Upper Room Mission on South Spring Street in Los Angeles, California. By the time of Cook’s visit in 1908, the Upper Room Mission was the largest Pentecostal ministry in Los Angeles.
Some months later, Anna became terribly ill and could find no relief from doctors or medicines. Believing she was dying, Robert called their pastor, Elmer Fisher, to come and pray. Fisher read James 5:14-18, anointed Anna with oil, and prayed. Anna was instantly healed. Later, when Anna became ill again, Robert prayed himself. Not only was Anna healed, but Robert was baptized with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. During that experience, Anna saw a vision in which an angel commissioned Robert to ministry.
In October 1913, the Cooks arrived in India as missionaries. Although Anna died in 1917, Robert remained in India until 1949. While there, he preached, planted churches, opened an orphanage, and established Mt. Zion Bible Institute to train ministers. Realizing the uncertainty of his financial support and that he would one day be unable to care for the growing ministry, Cook began to pray for a Pentecostal group with which to align his ministry. He desired a church body that would treat their Indian brothers and sisters as equal partners in ministry rather than adhere to the evil oppression of the Indian caste system. While seeking the Lord about these things in April 1936, he met J.H. Ingram who was on his “Golden Jubilee Tour.”
When Cook heard of Ingram’s visit to India, he felt the Spirit say, “Here is your help.” As they reviewed the doctrines and teachings of the Church of God, Cook was especially drawn to our holiness teachings. He called for a meeting of his Indian churches, and they agreed to affiliate with the Church of God. That August, Cook wrote a letter of greetings to the Church of God in the United States. Looking forward to entering yet another unreached area of India, he exclaimed— “Great things are ahead! Let us all take heart and pull together in this, God’s work, not yours or ours, but HIS work.”
Una Iglesia Global
El compromiso de la Iglesia de Dios con la evangelización no se limitó a los Estados Unidos de América. Durante el bautismo con el Espíritu de Tomlinson, él tuvo una visión de viajar a diez países predicando en lenguas.
Edmond Barr fue la primera conexión internacional de la iglesia. Barr fue un bahameño negro que emigró a Florida y se casó con Rebecca Clayton, nativa de Georgia. Esta pareja se convirtieron en los primeros ministros afrodescendientes de la Iglesia de Dios. Llamados a llevar el mensaje pentecostal a las Bahamas, llegaron a Nassau en noviembre de 1909. Como estadounidense que ministraba a otra cultura, Rebecca Barr se convirtió en nuestra primera misionera. Robert e Ida Evans, junto con Carl Padgett, se unieron a ellos en 1910. Tomlinson creó la Banda de Misiones Pentecostales Mundiales, la cual estuvo diez semanas en las Bahamas en 1911.
Bill George señaló que los primeros “misioneros de la Iglesia de Dios, sintieron un llamado divino, y fueron a otros países por su propia iniciativa y presupuesto” antes de que existiera una junta misionera o una estrategia para recaudar apoyo financiero para enviarlos. Algunos de los primeros misioneros fueron Lillian Trasher en Egipto, Lucy Leatherman en Latinoamérica, María Atkinson en México, Robert Cook en la India y J.H. Ingram, que viajó por todo el mundo.
Edmond Barr fue la primera conexión internacional de la iglesia. Barr fue un bahameño negro que emigró a Florida y se casó con Rebecca Clayton, nativa de Georgia. Esta pareja se convirtieron en los primeros ministros afrodescendientes de la Iglesia de Dios. Llamados a llevar el mensaje pentecostal a las Bahamas, llegaron a Nassau en noviembre de 1909. Como estadounidense que ministraba a otra cultura, Rebecca Barr se convirtió en nuestra primera misionera. Robert e Ida Evans, junto con Carl Padgett, se unieron a ellos en 1910. Tomlinson creó la Banda de Misiones Pentecostales Mundiales, la cual estuvo diez semanas en las Bahamas en 1911.
Bill George señaló que los primeros “misioneros de la Iglesia de Dios, sintieron un llamado divino, y fueron a otros países por su propia iniciativa y presupuesto” antes de que existiera una junta misionera o una estrategia para recaudar apoyo financiero para enviarlos. Algunos de los primeros misioneros fueron Lillian Trasher en Egipto, Lucy Leatherman en Latinoamérica, María Atkinson en México, Robert Cook en la India y J.H. Ingram, que viajó por todo el mundo.
Heritage Resources
- George, Bill. Until All Have Heard: The Centennial History of Church of God World Missions. Cleveland, TN: Church of God World Missions, 2010.
- LeRoy, Wanda Thompson. Lucy M. Leatherman: I Trust God. Cleveland, TN: Pathway Press, 2012.
- Roebuck, David and Louis Morgan. To the Ends of the Earth. Cleveland, TN: Church of God Historical Commission, 2016.
- Swann, Michael S. The Holy Jumpers: A Concise History of the Church of God of Prophecy in the Bahamas, 1909–1974. Maitland, FL: Xulon Press, 2018.
David G. Roebuck, Ph.D. is director at the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center, assistant professor of the history of Christianity at Lee University, and church historian for the Church of God (Cleveland, TN).