Read Part One HERE
In this post I will focus on a woman named Maria Woodworth Etter. She lived from 1844 - 1924. Maria was born in New Lisbon, Ohio, USA. When Maria was thirteen years old, she was born again. She immediately heard the call of God and dedicated her life to the Lord. She said, "I heard the voice of Jesus calling me to go out in the highways and byways and gather the lost sheep."
When Maria was nineteen years old, she married Philo Horace Woodworth, whom she divorced for infidelity in 1891. She had six children with Woodworth, five of whom died young. In 1902, she married Samuel Etter. He died twelve years later in 1914.
Maria had been part of a Disciples of Christ congregation, but when she chose to enter evangelistic ministry, she was prohibited from public preaching by that denomination because she was a woman. However, she found support in a local Quaker meeting, and there she received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit while praying for "an anointing for service." After this experience, she began to preach. Hundreds were saved in these early campaigns and reporters came across the country to report what was happening.
Maria was a diligent Bible student. She soon came to believe that divine healing is an integral part of the Gospel, and she began preaching this in 1885. The sick were healed, many were slain in the Spirit and thousands were won to Christ. As her meetings grew she purchased an 8,000-seat tent in which to conduct her services.
Read Part One Hundred And Seventy-Five HERE
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