Maria Woodworth-Etter (1844-1924)

Maria Buelah Woodworth- Etter was an American healing evangelist . Her ministry style was a model for Pentecostalism.

Her parents were not Christians until they joined the Disciple church in 1854. Her father died of sunstroke in 1857 leaving his wife Matilda with 8 children no support .This meant Matilda, and the children old enough to work,had to support the family.

Aged 13 she heard the call of God and immediately dedicated a life to the Lord.
*I heard the voice of Jesus calling me to go out in the highways and hedges and gather in the lost sheep.

This confused her because the Disciple church did not allow women . She thought if she married a Christian man they could do missions work together.

In 1863 she married Philo Horace Woodworth.They had 6 children, 5 died young.
The farm they bought failed.

She still felt called to preach to the lost. She spoke at a Friend’s meeting where she had a vision of a pit of hell and people not knowing the danger. She wanted to study but had a vision where souls were perishing and she had to get started.

She finally started in her local area and began to see many conversions. The power of God would fall and sinners would run to the front in repentance. She held 9 revival meetings and started 2 churches.

Maria and Philo decided to start a travelling ministry.
In 1885 she began to pray for the sick believing that those with sufficient faith would be healed. The Holy Ghost would ’ fall’ on the people and they would lay on the floor in a trance like state - on recovering they reported of having profound spiritual experiences. Evangelism and healing went hand in hand as 1000s were won for Christ as a result of seeing others healed. She preached throughout the USA, her reputation grew, leading to her buying an 8,000 seat tent.

1890-1900 were tough years. In Framingham she was arrested for claiming people were being healed - testimonies from those healed saw her released.
Local psychiatrists filed charges of insanity. A person called Ericson prophesied a tidal and earthquake would shortly happen -it happened in 1906. In 1891 she divorced Philo for infidelity. He remarried and died within a year of typhoid fever.

In 1902 married her second husband Samuel Etter. They worked together until he died in1914.

In 1912 she joined the young Pentecostal movement and preached widely in Pentecostal circle until her death in 1924, having founded the Assemblies of God in 1914

In 1918 Maria founded Lakeview Church (Temple) of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Maria, the Mother of Pentecost, died on September 16th, 1924. Her inscription reads Thou showest thousands lovingkindness

Definition
Pentecostal churches emphasis the need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit like the disciples were on the Day of Pentecost, 50 days after Christ’s resurrection. Those baptized are said to be ‘born again’. Acts ch 2 v 1-4 )

Sources
wikipedia
Revival Library
Healing and Revival