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Wednesday, 6 November 2024

EVANGELICAL WOMEN IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1800; IDA GAGE P/9

          

                                                       Read Part One Here


In this post I will continue to focus on a woman named Ida Gage She lived from 1849 - 1915. As she embarks on her ministry in the Free Methodist Church she appears in mumerous local news papers from 1897 - 1906. 

From 1907 - 1908, Ida appears in the Michigan Conference Minutes as a licensed conference evangelist. This is an important distinction. The Free Methodist Discipline outlines the difference between "an evangelist" and "a conference evangelist," noting that "a conference evangelist" went through the same training as local pastors (men) and was approved by the annual conference. Evangelists were approved by the quarterly, implying that they were under more intensive supervision than those licensed and reviewed on a yearly basis.

 The fact that Ida's conference license was allowed to transfer from Ohio to Michigan shows the level of respect she held within the denomination. That is further illustrated when the Michigan Conference appoints her to the Jasper and Seneca Circuit for a year.

From the period of 1910- 1911 Ida is not listed in any Free Methodist Conference. However, this is not surprising since her ministry changed when she moved to California. Instead of preaching on a circuit she largely worked as a nurse but she did renew her conference evangelist license with the Southern California Conference in 1912 so perhaps she combined the two occupations.

Ida died in 1915.

Read Part Ten HERE

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