Leaders
Stories about women and men whose lives impacted upon our church.
Kathryn Grove
Kathryn Grove became the first woman in the history of either the former Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren Churches to …
Harry Hosier
An African American Who Gave A Beat To Methodist Preaching By John G. McEllhenneyRevised by Bishop Forrest C. Stith No …
Lucy Rider Meyer
The “Archbishop of Deaconesses” Who Took On The Fundamentalists 1849-1922 By John G. McEllhenney It is said of the first …
Paula Mojzes
Paula Mojzes was born in Magyarboly, Hungary. She had eight years of formal education and worked as a bank secretary in …
Anna Oliver
A century ago a few women in our church served as evangelists; a few held a “Local Preacher’s License,” the …
Phoebe Palmer
A Woman Who Proclaimed A “Shorter Way” To Holiness 1807-1874 By John G. McEllhenney John Wesley, Methodism’s founder, mapped a …
Lydia Sexton
The First Woman to be Voted Recommendation as a Pulpit Speaker by the General Conference of The United Brethren Church …
Margaret Newton Van Cott
The First Woman to be Licensed to Preach in The Methodist Episcopal Church – 1869 Margaret Newton Van Cott was …
Frances Willard
American temperance leader and reformer, well-known lecturer, writer, and educator, born in Churchville, New York, graduate of Northwestern Female College, …
Clergy
Stories about clergy from our past
Thomas Coke
English clergyman and with Francis Asbury, first Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal church in America. Though remembered primarily as the …
Jacob Albright
American religious leader, founder of the Evangelical Association (later the Evangelical Church), born near Pottstown, Pennsylvania. A Pennsylvania German and …
Richard Allen
The founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church was born a slave in Philadelphia. After purchasing his own freedom as …
Francis Asbury
The founding Bishop of the Methodist Church in America was born in England. Sent by John Wesley as a missionary …
Minerva G. Carcano
First Hispanic/Latina Woman to be Elected to the Episcopacy to the Western Jurisdiction. Minerva G. Carcano was born January 20, …
Colleen Kyung Seen Chun
First Korean Woman to be Received into Full Connection in the United Methodist Church. Colleen Kyung Seen Chun was born …
Sallie A. Crenshaw
Along with Nora E. Young, was the first African American woman to receive full-clergy rights Sallie Alford Crenshaw was born …
Helenor M. Davisson
Helenor Alter was born in Pennsylvania in 1823, the oldest daughter of John and Charity VanAusdall Alter. In 1834 Helenor’s …
Julia Torres Fernandez
First Hispanic/Latina Woman to be Received into Full Connection in the United Methodist Church. Julia Torres Fernandez was born in …
Lois V. Glory-Neal
First Native American Woman to be Received into Full Connection in The United Methodist Church. Lois V. Glory-Neal was born …
Alejo Hernandez
A Mexican Soldier Who Became A Methodist Missionary 1842-1875 By John G. McEllhenney In 1873, the first train on the …
Maud Jensen
The First Woman to Receive Full Clergy Rights and Conference Membership in the Methodist Church – 1956 In 1956 the …
Leontine Turpeau Current Kelly
First African American Woman to be Elected to the Episcopacy in 1984 in the Western Jurisdiction. Leontine Turpeau Current Kelly …
Mamie Ming Yan Ko
Mamie Ming Yan Ko was born November 25 in Hong Kong. “In 1975, when I had almost finished my bachelor’s …
Mochi Lam
One of the First Two Chinese Women (see also Mamie Ming Yan Ko) to be Received into Full Connection in The …
Marjorie Matthews
The First Woman Elected a Bishop in the United Methodist Church – 1980 Marjorie Matthews was born in Onawa, Michigan …
Margaret Misal
First East Indian Woman to be Received into Full Connection in the United Methodist Church. Margaret Misal was born November …
Christian Newcomer
A Bishop Who Organized His United Brethren 1749-1830 By John G. McEllenney At the close of the eighteenth century …
Ella Niswonger
The First Woman to be Ordained in The United Brethren Church – 1889 Reverend Ella Niswonger was born April 5, …
Charity Opheral
The First Woman to Receive Commendation to Preach by the White River Annual Conference in 1847 and Local License to …
William Orwig
An Evangelical Bishop Who Restricted Heaven To The Sanctified 1810-1889 By John G. McEllhenney Distinctive bulges on the bridge of …
Philip Otterbein
Bishop Otterbein was a German-American clergyman and founder of the United Brethren in Christ. After pastoral work in Germany, he …
Naomi P. F. Southard
First Japanese Woman to be Received into Full Connection in the United Methodist Church. Naomi P. F. Southard was born …
Charles Wesley
Charles Wesley was born at Epworth, the eighteenth child and youngest of the three sons of Samuel and Susanna Wesley, …
John Wesley
English evangelical preacher, founder of Methodism, born in Epworth, Lincolnshire. He was ordained a deacon in the Church of England …
Nora E. Young
First African American women, along with Sallie Crenshaw, to receive full-clergy rights. Nora E. Young, like Sallie Crenshaw, served several …
Missionaries
Individuals who shared their faith and their lives
Kanichi Miyama
A Japanese Convert To Methodism Who Evangelized Japan 1847-1936 By John G. McEllhenney Kanichi Miyama lived between two countries and …