W.F. Bryant (seated on left) and his family about 1905. Bryant shepherded the Holiness movement at Camp
Creek, North Carolina, between 1896 and the organization of the Holiness Church in his home on May 15, 1902.
Creek, North Carolina, between 1896 and the organization of the Holiness Church in his home on May 15, 1902.
THE USA AND CANADA
David G. Roebuck
In 1894, A.J. Tomlinson (seated) and J.B. Mitchell formed the Book & Tract Company to finance missionary work to Appalachia. This photo was taken
about 1900 after Tomlinson had moved to Culberson, North Carolina.
ON THURSDAY, August 19, 1886, R. G. Spurling preached a moving message about restoring God’s church. He believed the great reformers had failed to reform from creeds and human traditions that were used to exclude people from God’s church. He invited his listeners to rely only on the New Testament, allow equal rights to interpret the Scriptures, and sit together as the church of God. Five women and three men accepted his call and launched the Church of God’s journey toward becoming God’s church.
Richard Green Spurling, commonly known as R.G. Spurling, was born near Williamsburg, Kentucky, where his father, Richard, was doing missionary work. In 1892, the Spurling family purchased property on Barney Creek in Monroe County, Tennessee, where they operated saw and grist mills. Although the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church licensed R.G. to preach, he found himself frustrated by their teachings that the Baptist Church was the only “true” church and Baptists should not fellowship with other Christians. His ideas incited Baptist leaders to revoke his preaching license and exclude him in 1884.
Among those responding to R.G. Spurling’s sermon was his father, Richard. Because Richard was an ordained Baptist elder with the authority to set a congregation in order, he moderated their business meeting and ordained R.G. as pastor. The new congregation adopted the name “Christian Union,” expressing their belief that all Christians who follow the New Testament and testify of a relationship with Christ can unite in God’s church.
Although the Barney Creek church ceased to exist when the Spurlings sold that property in 1889, R.G. established three other congregations over the next several years. The most successful of these was at Piney Grove, Tennessee, but that congregation chose to remain independent when the Church of God began centralizing our government.
A radical transformation came to nearby Camp Creek, North Carolina, in 1896 when Holiness evangelists preached the doctrine of sanctification as a second definite work of grace. That spring four evangelists preached a ten-day meeting in the community’s Shearer Schoolhouse, and following the revival, some continued to have Sunday school and prayer meetings under the leadership of W.F. Bryant.
Our earliest history testifies that the revival spirit continued over the next four years: “The people earnestly sought God, and the interest increased until unexpectedly, like a cloud from a clear sky, the Holy Ghost began to fall on the honest, humble, sincere seekers after God. While the meetings were in progress one after another fell under the power of God, and soon quite a number were speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance . . . and a number of miraculous cases of healings were wrought by the power of God” (A.J. Tomlinson, The Last Great Conflict). Although the Lord had done an extraordinary work, historian Charles W. Conn wrote that it would be some time later before they “would understand the doctrine, person and nature of the Holy Spirit” (Like a Mighty Army).
Opponents attempted to stamp out this new doctrine by excluding the holiness believers from their local churches, burning their homes, destroying their meeting houses, and threatening their lives with shootings and beatings. While Bryant gave some spiritual oversight, R.G. Spurling frequently visited and encouraged them to organize a congregation.
Heeding his advice, believers invited Spurling and R. Frank Porter to set a church in order on May 15, 1902. Recognizing their new holiness identity, they named their congregation the Holiness Church. As the Church of God grew from that congregation in 1902, thee continued to call themselves “The Holiness Church,” until the second General Assembly adopted the name Church of God in 1907.
Our doctrinal transformation continued during 1907 and 1908 when leaders gained a clearer understanding of the Holy Spirit. Reports of revivals in Los Angeles and other places convinced the Church of God of the necessity of the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the “Bible evidence” of speaking in tongues. Pastor A.J. Tomlinson fervently preached about and sought for his personal experience until it came on the Sunday closing the third General Assembly in 1908.
Richard Green Spurling, commonly known as R.G. Spurling, was born near Williamsburg, Kentucky, where his father, Richard, was doing missionary work. In 1892, the Spurling family purchased property on Barney Creek in Monroe County, Tennessee, where they operated saw and grist mills. Although the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church licensed R.G. to preach, he found himself frustrated by their teachings that the Baptist Church was the only “true” church and Baptists should not fellowship with other Christians. His ideas incited Baptist leaders to revoke his preaching license and exclude him in 1884.
Among those responding to R.G. Spurling’s sermon was his father, Richard. Because Richard was an ordained Baptist elder with the authority to set a congregation in order, he moderated their business meeting and ordained R.G. as pastor. The new congregation adopted the name “Christian Union,” expressing their belief that all Christians who follow the New Testament and testify of a relationship with Christ can unite in God’s church.
Although the Barney Creek church ceased to exist when the Spurlings sold that property in 1889, R.G. established three other congregations over the next several years. The most successful of these was at Piney Grove, Tennessee, but that congregation chose to remain independent when the Church of God began centralizing our government.
A radical transformation came to nearby Camp Creek, North Carolina, in 1896 when Holiness evangelists preached the doctrine of sanctification as a second definite work of grace. That spring four evangelists preached a ten-day meeting in the community’s Shearer Schoolhouse, and following the revival, some continued to have Sunday school and prayer meetings under the leadership of W.F. Bryant.
Our earliest history testifies that the revival spirit continued over the next four years: “The people earnestly sought God, and the interest increased until unexpectedly, like a cloud from a clear sky, the Holy Ghost began to fall on the honest, humble, sincere seekers after God. While the meetings were in progress one after another fell under the power of God, and soon quite a number were speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance . . . and a number of miraculous cases of healings were wrought by the power of God” (A.J. Tomlinson, The Last Great Conflict). Although the Lord had done an extraordinary work, historian Charles W. Conn wrote that it would be some time later before they “would understand the doctrine, person and nature of the Holy Spirit” (Like a Mighty Army).
Opponents attempted to stamp out this new doctrine by excluding the holiness believers from their local churches, burning their homes, destroying their meeting houses, and threatening their lives with shootings and beatings. While Bryant gave some spiritual oversight, R.G. Spurling frequently visited and encouraged them to organize a congregation.
Heeding his advice, believers invited Spurling and R. Frank Porter to set a church in order on May 15, 1902. Recognizing their new holiness identity, they named their congregation the Holiness Church. As the Church of God grew from that congregation in 1902, thee continued to call themselves “The Holiness Church,” until the second General Assembly adopted the name Church of God in 1907.
Our doctrinal transformation continued during 1907 and 1908 when leaders gained a clearer understanding of the Holy Spirit. Reports of revivals in Los Angeles and other places convinced the Church of God of the necessity of the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the “Bible evidence” of speaking in tongues. Pastor A.J. Tomlinson fervently preached about and sought for his personal experience until it came on the Sunday closing the third General Assembly in 1908.
The Mountain Missionary
No other person influenced the early development of the Church of God more than A.J. Tomlinson. Tomlinson’s family belonged to Indiana’s Westfield Society of Friends (Quakers) and was active in the abolition movement as well as the Underground Railroad. Membership in the Populist Party introduced Tomlinson to the ideals of an equal society, including the working class, blacks, and women. Acquaintance with J.B. Mitchell further influenced his ideas of mission. Mitchell was a convert of Charles Finney whose holiness theology included a social emphasis in which a heart full of God’s love responds to human needs with godly compassion. Such compassion moved Tomlinson toward ministry to the whole person.
In 1894, Tomlinson and Mitchell formed the Book & Tract Company to finance home missionary work in the mountains of Appalachia. Then in 1899, he relocated to Culberson, North Carolina, where he operated a school, established an orphanage, distributed clothes to the poor, and published Samson’s Foxes (1901–1902) as a means of raising support for his mountain ministry.
When Tomlinson joined the Holiness Church on June 13, 1903, the Camp Creek congregation selected him as pastor. His organizational skills and vision soon led to establishing congregations in Georgia and Tennessee. By late 1904, success in Bradley County, Tennessee, along with good schools and job as well as a railroad, prompted his relocation to Cleveland, where the Church of God’s international headquarters remains today.
Tomlinson’s Pentecostal experience transformed him and the Church of God. His experience included a vision during which he traveled the globe speaking in the languages of the countries he visited. In less than two years, our movement spread throughout much of the southeastern United States and to our first international mission in the Bahamas.
No other person influenced the early development of the Church of God more than A.J. Tomlinson. Tomlinson’s family belonged to Indiana’s Westfield Society of Friends (Quakers) and was active in the abolition movement as well as the Underground Railroad. Membership in the Populist Party introduced Tomlinson to the ideals of an equal society, including the working class, blacks, and women. Acquaintance with J.B. Mitchell further influenced his ideas of mission. Mitchell was a convert of Charles Finney whose holiness theology included a social emphasis in which a heart full of God’s love responds to human needs with godly compassion. Such compassion moved Tomlinson toward ministry to the whole person.
In 1894, Tomlinson and Mitchell formed the Book & Tract Company to finance home missionary work in the mountains of Appalachia. Then in 1899, he relocated to Culberson, North Carolina, where he operated a school, established an orphanage, distributed clothes to the poor, and published Samson’s Foxes (1901–1902) as a means of raising support for his mountain ministry.
When Tomlinson joined the Holiness Church on June 13, 1903, the Camp Creek congregation selected him as pastor. His organizational skills and vision soon led to establishing congregations in Georgia and Tennessee. By late 1904, success in Bradley County, Tennessee, along with good schools and job as well as a railroad, prompted his relocation to Cleveland, where the Church of God’s international headquarters remains today.
Tomlinson’s Pentecostal experience transformed him and the Church of God. His experience included a vision during which he traveled the globe speaking in the languages of the countries he visited. In less than two years, our movement spread throughout much of the southeastern United States and to our first international mission in the Bahamas.
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The First General Assembly
Growth brought possibilities and challenges to the Church of God so there was a need for a general meeting “to consider questions of importance and to search the Bible for additional light and knowledge” (Tomlinson, Last Great Conflict). The first Assembly of the “Churches of East Tennessee, North Georgia, and Western North Carolina” met January 26–27, 1906. Evangelism was an imperative, and after hearing reports of recent efforts, the Assembly agreed to “do our best to press into every open door this year and work with greater zeal and energy for the spread of the glorious Gospel of the Son of God than ever before.” As one strategy, the Assembly recommended planting Sunday schools in communities where a church was not yet established, and during their discussion of the evils of tobacco, delegates suggested money not spent on tobacco could better “be used to clothe the poor” and “spread the gospel.” |
“After the consideration of the ripened fields and open doors for evangelism this year, strong men wept and said they were not only willing but really anxious to go.” —First General Assembly |
Family Day at North Cleveland ca. 1930. North Cleveland hosted the General Assemblies from 1908 to 1915 and in 1919. Then, the
Assembly Auditorium hosted North Cleveland from 1920 to 1939.
The Mother Church
After Tomlinson moved to Cleveland, he began work to establish a church in the small town of about 5,000 people. He first began a tent meeting on May 10, 1905, that lasted six weeks and included a street service on the town square. Then, he held a second lengthy tent meeting in 1905, a short-lived mission the following March, and a third tent meeting in the fall of 1906. Finally, on October 10, 1906, the Holiness Church was set in order. First worshiping in a tent and in homes, the congregation dedicated a building on September 29, 1907. In 1908, the third General Assembly met in the beautiful new facilities of what is now known as the North Cleveland Church of God.
The fact that the General Assembly and the North Cleveland Church were both birthed in 1906 was more than a coincidence. The saints of the local church and the General Assembly shared strength, resources, and leadership. Celebrating the centennial of the North Cleveland Church in 2006, the 71st General Assembly recognized the congregation’s historic and continuing role. The celebratory resolution concluded: “BE IT RESOLVED that we do hereby declare that the North Cleveland Church of God has faithfully fulfilled the role of “mother church” of our fellowship, and following the Scriptural admonition, we now rise up and call her blessed in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
After Tomlinson moved to Cleveland, he began work to establish a church in the small town of about 5,000 people. He first began a tent meeting on May 10, 1905, that lasted six weeks and included a street service on the town square. Then, he held a second lengthy tent meeting in 1905, a short-lived mission the following March, and a third tent meeting in the fall of 1906. Finally, on October 10, 1906, the Holiness Church was set in order. First worshiping in a tent and in homes, the congregation dedicated a building on September 29, 1907. In 1908, the third General Assembly met in the beautiful new facilities of what is now known as the North Cleveland Church of God.
The fact that the General Assembly and the North Cleveland Church were both birthed in 1906 was more than a coincidence. The saints of the local church and the General Assembly shared strength, resources, and leadership. Celebrating the centennial of the North Cleveland Church in 2006, the 71st General Assembly recognized the congregation’s historic and continuing role. The celebratory resolution concluded: “BE IT RESOLVED that we do hereby declare that the North Cleveland Church of God has faithfully fulfilled the role of “mother church” of our fellowship, and following the Scriptural admonition, we now rise up and call her blessed in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
“Go Out From This Place”
Following his Spirit baptism, evangelism became a consuming mission for Tomlinson and the Church of God. When warm weather arrived in the spring of 1908, he began a tent meeting in Chattanooga and established the East Chattanooga Church. Then in August, he pitched the tent in Cleveland for a two-month meeting that radically changed the local congregation. Spiritual results included 105 conversions, 163 baptized with the Spirit, and 106 added to the church.
The next spring the Cleveland congregation was compelled to take the gospel further than southeast Tennessee. On March 8, 1909, Tomlinson described the previous Sunday evening service: “The Spirit indicated that workers were to go out from this place, north, east, south and west and said, ‘separate unto me those whom I want for the work whereunto I have called them.’ … The Book of Acts is being reproduced.” In late March and early April, Tomlinson took a preaching tour to Ohio, Indiana, and Alabama, concluding in Florence, where he organized the first congregation in that state. Returning home for only a day, Tomlinson and T.L. McLain boarded a Florida-bound train. Florida became a great harvest field, and ministry there changed the Church of God from Caucasian to multiracial and from an American network of congregations to an international movement.
Following his Spirit baptism, evangelism became a consuming mission for Tomlinson and the Church of God. When warm weather arrived in the spring of 1908, he began a tent meeting in Chattanooga and established the East Chattanooga Church. Then in August, he pitched the tent in Cleveland for a two-month meeting that radically changed the local congregation. Spiritual results included 105 conversions, 163 baptized with the Spirit, and 106 added to the church.
The next spring the Cleveland congregation was compelled to take the gospel further than southeast Tennessee. On March 8, 1909, Tomlinson described the previous Sunday evening service: “The Spirit indicated that workers were to go out from this place, north, east, south and west and said, ‘separate unto me those whom I want for the work whereunto I have called them.’ … The Book of Acts is being reproduced.” In late March and early April, Tomlinson took a preaching tour to Ohio, Indiana, and Alabama, concluding in Florence, where he organized the first congregation in that state. Returning home for only a day, Tomlinson and T.L. McLain boarded a Florida-bound train. Florida became a great harvest field, and ministry there changed the Church of God from Caucasian to multiracial and from an American network of congregations to an international movement.
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The Ridgewood Church in New York City on the occasion of moving into their building purchased with 1978 Youth World Evangelism Action (YWEA) funds. The congregation includes
Romanians and Serbians, and the building serves several ethnic groups in New York City.
A Diverse Harvest Field
Just as the nations of the world have diverse languages, cultures, and ethnic groups, the United States is an increasingly diverse harvest field. There were 42.4 million immigrants living in the United States in 2014, exceeding any other country of the world. More than just statistics, these souls accentuate the observation of one Church of God leader who said: “The ends of the earth have come to the end of the block” (quoted in Bill George, Until All Have Heard).
Indeed, at least 40 different language and culture groups worship within the Church of God in the United States and Canada each Sunday. Intercultural Advancement Ministries, serving under the auspices of Mission North America within the Division of World Evangelization, supports diverse groups such as Filipinos, Haitians, Indonesians, Jamaicans, Native Americans, Portuguese, and people of African descent.
Although many details of early black congregations in the United States have been lost, one of the first congregations was organized in Miami, Florida, in 1911. Edmond Barr had immigrated to Florida from the Bahamas in 1893. There he married Rebecca Barr, and they became the first licensed ministers of color on May 31, 1909. They are best known as the first Church of God ministers to take the gospel outside the United States when they traveled to the Bahamas in November 1909. Returning to Florida in 1911, they planted a church in Miami that primarily served Bahamian immigrants. When the 1912 General Assembly Minutes listed local congregations, it included black congregations in Coconut Grove, Jacksonville, and Miami, Florida. General Overseer Tomlinson ordained Barr that year, which authorized him to establish churches and grant ministerial credentials. In 1915, Tomlinson appointed Barr as overseer of black churches in Florida, and the next two years saw an increase from seven to thirteen black churches and from 111 to 200 members.
In 1911, New Mexico minister R.M. Singleton came into the Church of God and brought with him a congregation in Raton that served Mexican immigrants. He appointed T.F. Chavez to pastor the Spanish-language congregation. Today, there are more than 1,000 Spanish-speaking congregations in the United States, and the Office of Hispanic Ministries in Mission North America works alongside eight Hispanic regions to reach the Spanish-speaking harvest.
Although there are occasional early references in Church of God records of ministry to Native Americans, the earliest organized ministry began in North Dakota in 1920. Efforts to reach North Carolina tribes began in 1948 among the Lumbee, Smiling, and Seminole, while ministry to the Southwest Navajo and Zuni began when 14 native leaders united with the Church of God on May 27, 1963. Today, Southwest Indian Ministries serves as the regional office for these tribes.
Among the many languages Church of God congregations use every Sunday, 34 churches worship in Romanian. More than half a million Romanians have immigrated to the United States. In 1975, Ridgewood Church in New York City came into the Church of God, and other Romanian congregations quickly followed, including the Philadelphia Church in Chicago (1980), and the Alleluia Church in Detroit (1981).
Just as the nations of the world have diverse languages, cultures, and ethnic groups, the United States is an increasingly diverse harvest field. There were 42.4 million immigrants living in the United States in 2014, exceeding any other country of the world. More than just statistics, these souls accentuate the observation of one Church of God leader who said: “The ends of the earth have come to the end of the block” (quoted in Bill George, Until All Have Heard).
Indeed, at least 40 different language and culture groups worship within the Church of God in the United States and Canada each Sunday. Intercultural Advancement Ministries, serving under the auspices of Mission North America within the Division of World Evangelization, supports diverse groups such as Filipinos, Haitians, Indonesians, Jamaicans, Native Americans, Portuguese, and people of African descent.
Although many details of early black congregations in the United States have been lost, one of the first congregations was organized in Miami, Florida, in 1911. Edmond Barr had immigrated to Florida from the Bahamas in 1893. There he married Rebecca Barr, and they became the first licensed ministers of color on May 31, 1909. They are best known as the first Church of God ministers to take the gospel outside the United States when they traveled to the Bahamas in November 1909. Returning to Florida in 1911, they planted a church in Miami that primarily served Bahamian immigrants. When the 1912 General Assembly Minutes listed local congregations, it included black congregations in Coconut Grove, Jacksonville, and Miami, Florida. General Overseer Tomlinson ordained Barr that year, which authorized him to establish churches and grant ministerial credentials. In 1915, Tomlinson appointed Barr as overseer of black churches in Florida, and the next two years saw an increase from seven to thirteen black churches and from 111 to 200 members.
In 1911, New Mexico minister R.M. Singleton came into the Church of God and brought with him a congregation in Raton that served Mexican immigrants. He appointed T.F. Chavez to pastor the Spanish-language congregation. Today, there are more than 1,000 Spanish-speaking congregations in the United States, and the Office of Hispanic Ministries in Mission North America works alongside eight Hispanic regions to reach the Spanish-speaking harvest.
Although there are occasional early references in Church of God records of ministry to Native Americans, the earliest organized ministry began in North Dakota in 1920. Efforts to reach North Carolina tribes began in 1948 among the Lumbee, Smiling, and Seminole, while ministry to the Southwest Navajo and Zuni began when 14 native leaders united with the Church of God on May 27, 1963. Today, Southwest Indian Ministries serves as the regional office for these tribes.
Among the many languages Church of God congregations use every Sunday, 34 churches worship in Romanian. More than half a million Romanians have immigrated to the United States. In 1975, Ridgewood Church in New York City came into the Church of God, and other Romanian congregations quickly followed, including the Philadelphia Church in Chicago (1980), and the Alleluia Church in Detroit (1981).
Camp meeting at Robsart, Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1939
The Canadian Border
Ministry to the United States’ northern neighbor naturally developed as people and ministry flowed north and south of the Canadian border. One base of ministry emerged when the Church of God reached Golden Valley, North Dakota. E.M. and Josephine Walker were among those who experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit, when Spirit-filled believers connected to the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles brought the Pentecostal message to Golden Valley in 1914. When North Carolina itinerant minister Will T. Hance reached Golden Valley and discovered a thriving Pentecostal community, he called for G.T. Stargel to come and assist him in organizing a Church of God. The congregation was set in order in the Walker’s ranch home in 1917 with Joseph W. Barker as pastor. The North Carolina ministers soon established a second congregation north of Golden Valley in the Barker Schoolhouse. According to reports of that revival, Robert Merrifield received the Holy Spirit and spoke in the Mandan tribal language. As the newly appointed pastor, Merrifield developed a special interest in ministering to Native Americans. The Walkers also often opened their home and hearts to Native Americans. In 1920, Joseph Barker and Robert Merrifield began tent meetings in Ree, North Dakota, to reach the tribes living on the Fort Berthold Reservation. With the assistance of James Holding Eagle and his wife Katherine, they established the Red Butte Church of God by 1921. Other revival efforts and congregations among Native Americans came under the ministry of Paul H. Walker while he served as state overseer from 1923 to 1936. |
NORTHWEST AND
INTERNATIONAL BIBLE COLLEGES IN 1932 AND 1933, Frank W. Lemons taught six-week Bible courses at the Church of God in Lemmon, South Dakota. Expanded to three months in 1934, the program inspired State Overseer Walker to petition the General Assembly for a Bible College in the Northwest. With the Assembly’s consent, Northwest Bible and Music Academy continued the following year at the Lemmon Church with Frank Lemons as president. With the purchase of a campground in Minot, North Dakota, the school relocated there where it served students until 1987. Nine students from Consul, Saskatchewan, attended the Northwest Bible Academy in 1935, but the extreme travel conditions motivated a request to establish a school in Canada, which opened in Consul with 26 students in 1936. Reverend J.W. Bruce was the first superintendent with Charles Bowen and Mervyn McLuhan teaching. Following several moves, the school settled in Moose Jaw where it served students until 2012. |
The first Native American church in the Church of God was established at James Holding Eagle’s place near Ree, North Dakota, ca. 1921.
Into Canada
Although a national border separates the United States and Canada, the Church of God does not consider Canada a foreign territory. In August 1918, Tomlinson announced to readers of the Church of God Evangel, “Just received a message stating that we now have a church in Canada.” The following May, F.A. Switzer reported a congregation in Manitoba, which is likely the one listed in the General Assembly Minutes that year as Scotland Farm. Addressing the 1919 General Assembly, Will Hance reported that he had traveled into Canada where he had ministered to Native Americans, but he did not specify his itinerary.
As early as 1925, Canadian minister Leo. K. Jackway from Ontario joined the Church of God at a revival in Michigan. Although there were earlier reports of ministry in the Province of Ontario, the first recorded church was at Windsor in 1935. Based first in Maryland and then in Maine, G.W. Bloomingdale began traveling between the United States and Prince Edward Island sometime around 1926. J.H. Dorsett later assisted him. Overseer Paul H. Walker announced the establishment of a church on Prince Edward Island at the 1932 General Assembly.
The genesis of the earliest congregation in Saskatchewan began when members of the Sonderberg family attended Church of God services in Minot, North Dakota, about 1928. Returning to their home in Consul, they sent a $100 money order to Paul H. Walker asking him to come preach a revival. Unable to go, he first sent Frank Lemons and then two evangelists, Josephine Walker and Helen Swanson, to hold meetings there.
Josephine Walker reported to the readers of the August 15, 1931, Evangel: “Meetings are going good here in Canada. Fifteen souls have sought God for salvation for which we praise the Lord. People here are very hungry for the truth, and we believe here is a chance for the Church of God to extend its borders.” Hearing these results, Walker then made the journey to Consul where he preached in homes, a schoolhouse, and a public hall. From this ministry, Church of God congregations began in Consul, Gouldtown, Maple Creek, Vidora, and Robsart.
The Church of God appointed Paul H. Walker as the first overseer of Canada in 1931, while he also served the Northwestern states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana. Today, the Church of God in Canada is organized into three regions—Ontario, Quebec/Maritimes, and Western—with regional overseers and a biennial National Assembly.
Although a national border separates the United States and Canada, the Church of God does not consider Canada a foreign territory. In August 1918, Tomlinson announced to readers of the Church of God Evangel, “Just received a message stating that we now have a church in Canada.” The following May, F.A. Switzer reported a congregation in Manitoba, which is likely the one listed in the General Assembly Minutes that year as Scotland Farm. Addressing the 1919 General Assembly, Will Hance reported that he had traveled into Canada where he had ministered to Native Americans, but he did not specify his itinerary.
As early as 1925, Canadian minister Leo. K. Jackway from Ontario joined the Church of God at a revival in Michigan. Although there were earlier reports of ministry in the Province of Ontario, the first recorded church was at Windsor in 1935. Based first in Maryland and then in Maine, G.W. Bloomingdale began traveling between the United States and Prince Edward Island sometime around 1926. J.H. Dorsett later assisted him. Overseer Paul H. Walker announced the establishment of a church on Prince Edward Island at the 1932 General Assembly.
The genesis of the earliest congregation in Saskatchewan began when members of the Sonderberg family attended Church of God services in Minot, North Dakota, about 1928. Returning to their home in Consul, they sent a $100 money order to Paul H. Walker asking him to come preach a revival. Unable to go, he first sent Frank Lemons and then two evangelists, Josephine Walker and Helen Swanson, to hold meetings there.
Josephine Walker reported to the readers of the August 15, 1931, Evangel: “Meetings are going good here in Canada. Fifteen souls have sought God for salvation for which we praise the Lord. People here are very hungry for the truth, and we believe here is a chance for the Church of God to extend its borders.” Hearing these results, Walker then made the journey to Consul where he preached in homes, a schoolhouse, and a public hall. From this ministry, Church of God congregations began in Consul, Gouldtown, Maple Creek, Vidora, and Robsart.
The Church of God appointed Paul H. Walker as the first overseer of Canada in 1931, while he also served the Northwestern states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana. Today, the Church of God in Canada is organized into three regions—Ontario, Quebec/Maritimes, and Western—with regional overseers and a biennial National Assembly.
THE KLAUDT FAMILY
One of the best known families in Southern Gospel music was the Klaudt Indian Family known for their instrumentation and Native American regalia. Reinhold Klaudt was born into a Russian German immigrant family in North Dakota where he met and married Lillian “White Corn” Little Soldier. She was a descendent of Chief Sitting Bull and a member of the Arikara Tribe residing on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. The couple became Church of God ministers, attended Bible Training School in Sevierville, Tennessee, and raised a family of musicians and evangelists. They planted churches in eight states, but became best known for their Southern Gospel music. The family traveled extensively often singing 400 times per year.
One of the best known families in Southern Gospel music was the Klaudt Indian Family known for their instrumentation and Native American regalia. Reinhold Klaudt was born into a Russian German immigrant family in North Dakota where he met and married Lillian “White Corn” Little Soldier. She was a descendent of Chief Sitting Bull and a member of the Arikara Tribe residing on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. The couple became Church of God ministers, attended Bible Training School in Sevierville, Tennessee, and raised a family of musicians and evangelists. They planted churches in eight states, but became best known for their Southern Gospel music. The family traveled extensively often singing 400 times per year.
David G. Roebuck, Ph.D. is director of the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center, Church of God Historian,
and Assistant Professor of the History of Christianity at Lee University.
and Assistant Professor of the History of Christianity at Lee University.