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Citation: Courtney, Caleb. “What Did They Say About Themselves? The Autobiographical Writings of 
Canadian Pentecostal Missionary Women.” April 26, 2022, Toronto, Ontario: MPEG-3: 34:30 min.

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It's a privilege to be here today and what a wonderful space. What what a great day it's been to hear from many presenters and we we 
still have one yet to go. In 2016, I completed a Master of Theological Studies degree in Pentecostal studies here at Tyndale, under 
the supervision of Doctor Van Johnson. As I engaged in the serious study of Canadian Pentecostalism, I realized that this was a 
field of research that was largely untapped and full of potential. There were only a handful of researchers engaged in this study. 
I mean, one of the most engaged writers is here today. Doctor Linda Ambrose. With a few exceptions, this academic academic treatment 
of the subject had generally been done within only the last decade or so. I was astounded to find that some of the basic research 
materials were not publicly available and still had to be harvested from archival sources by enterprising students. So I dug in. 
Where were the where were the written Pentecostal stories? Pentecostals, as I knew from experience and research, were people of 
story. To borrow the words of an old hymn written by a Wesleyan missionary woman, Catherine Hanky, Pentecostals love to tell the 
story of Jesus and his love. While the Pentecostalism of the past was primarily an oral tradition. Where testimonies flowed 
freely, there surely must have been a few Canadian Pentecostals who wrote their testimonies down. Well, this apparent lack of 
available primary research materials has led me to two major projects. The first, completed in 2021, was a textbook collection 
of primary source newsletters written by Canadian Pentecostals between 1907 and 1925. This book was co-authored and Co edited 
with Doctor Martin Middlestadt, who teaches a course regularly here at Tyndale, and we called it Canadian Pentecostal Reader. 
The second project when I'm currently working on is an ambitious enterprise of collecting and republishing out of print Canadian 
Pentecostal autobiographies and biographies. I have today collected 28 such works and, having secured copyright permission for 
each of them, have been working on cover design, typesetting, editing and other publishing work for these over the past two years. 
These will eventually be available on Amazon and are being published as a series I am calling Canadian Pentecostal Library Classics. 
It is from these books, this series, that I draw my material from today. Pentecostalism was historically a woman that affected both 
men and women and motivated them to mission and testimony. Women tended to write more, by my quick count, in the existing issues of 
two early Pentecostal newsletters, the promise and the Apostolic messenger. There are roughly twice as many published testimonies 
from women as there are from men. A couple of decades later, in 1931, the first year that the census of Canada distinguished 
between male and female adherents of a religion. There were slightly more women than men. In pentecostalism. Anglican, Baptist, 
Lutheran, Mennonite, Presbyterian, and United Churches all had more men than women. Pentecostals were the outliers in this respect, 
along with the Salvation Army and Adventists. Women were quick to apply their calling. In the early years of the Pentecostal 
movement, many women left Canada as missionaries, assuming leadership of mission stations, preaching and teaching duties, and 
many other roles upon their arrival in a new region. A very small subset of these women published autobiographical accounts. 
In this paper, I've selected five books authored a co-authored by the following women, Emma Chawner. Marion Keller, Ruth 
LePers, Aimee Semple McPherson, and sisters Jean Bolton and Marion Bolton. In preparing these works for republication, I've 
read these works multiple times and have noted instances where they had something interesting to say about themselves. So 
what did they say? The simple answer, spoiler alert, is not much. They were focused on the missionary tasks that God that they 
felt God had called them to. However, each of these works include brief moments of transparency where the women allow the reader 
a glimpse of their self perceptions and the nature of their calling. Emma Austin Mckendry, Chawner. Emma Chawners account occurs 
in a book co-authored in 1914 with her husband Charles after eight years of ministry in Africa. Their book is called. Is entitled 
called to Zululand a story of God's leading. The Chawners were from Toronto. Emma says that she's writing this book to try, with 
my father's guidance, to tell something to his honor and glory. The story of Charles Chawner's first missionary journey to 
Zululand, the northeastern section of present day Kwazulu Natal in South Africa, is legendary in Pentecostal circles. At the 
introduction of the book written by a Presbyterian minister in Toronto, Stephen S Craig, he categorizes it well. The story 
of his talking about Charles Chawner, the story of his wanderings and guidance, reads more like the leadings of some of the Old 
Testament prophets than any modern tale. Charles would receive directions by way of visions, or inner directions through words 
such as go to this place or go to that place, leading him to places he'd never even heard of before. Even before leaving Canada, 
he testifies, my Lord had told me that I should find a man between a column and a post at the London, England train station who 
would show me a quiet place to rest for the night. He goes on to say. Praise him. This all came to pass. And telling her own side 
of the story, Emma speaks of her husband's call and subsequent journey to Zululand, even though both of them and their three 
children would later join in the missionary endeavor. Emma had lost her first husband, Robert Mckendry, while pregnant with a 
daughter, who she named Roberta. After marrying Charles, she had two more children, Eileen and Austin. They came into Pentecostal 
experience at the Hebdon mission, speaking in tongues, interpreting tongues, and giving and receiving words of prophecy, often 
through spontaneous Bible verses taken out of context. Emma, though reticent at first to her husband's call, likely in light of 
the thought of losing her second husband, felt the Lord calling her to give up all. As her husband was scheduled to leave for 
his first journey on a Wednesday, she writes Monday morning, on waking, the word strength and glory floated into my mind. I 
thanked the Lord for his strength and he proved my strength as at the farewell meeting in the evening, he allowed me to say 
publicly that the Lord was definitely calling, that I was willing to trust in him. She goes on to preface her story, her husband's 
story, concluding her own with. And so on that Wednesday, the 12th of February 1908, my husband left all to follow Jesus to that 
dark land alone with his God. Writing in retrospect, she knows full well the testimony of how the Lord had tangibly and 
supernaturally directed her husband while in Africa and, she concludes having been left at home alone in Canada. And we, 
the children and I, were cared for by the same loving hand that guided and directed him. Her husband returned almost a year 
to the day later, and after a brief stay in Toronto, the entire family moved permanently to Zululand. Their son, Austin, 
became a renowned missionary to Mozambique. What does Emma Chawner say about herself? Her words demonstrate that in parallel 
with her husband, she too trusted the Lord. She too left all. She too was strong. And she too was loved, definitely called, 
guided, and directed by the loving Hand of God. Marion Keller, whittick Keller. Marion Keller from Parry Sound ON published 
a book entitled 20 Years in Africa, 1913 to 1933, retrospect and prospect. Keller's first husband had died in 1914, and at the 
time of publication she had been married for over a decade with her second husband. Marianne says she has written this book for 
God's glory. Marion was a school teacher after receiving the fullness of the spirit. She left her job to attend a Pentecostal 
friendly Bible College in New York. This course of action was suggested to her by the same minister who prefaced Emma Chawner's 
book. Stephen S Craig. The same Presbyterian pastor. Maria describes being questioned at the US border on her way to this New 
York school. Where are you going? I replied to Bible school. How much money do you have with you? $6, I answered. Who is going 
to support you while in school? The Lord, was my reply. With that, the officials allowed me to pass, saying if you have that 
kind of faith, we will let you go. This was my first real step of faith and in all the 20 years in Africa, he has never failed 
me praise his name forever. Marion met her first husband, Carl Whittick, who was two years younger than her, while at Bible 
College in Rochester, NY she writes that God, by many infallible proofs, showed us that he desired for us for his service in 
Africa. We both had the call of God upon us. Emphasis mine. Marion describes that her faith was strengthened when her sister 
Sarah Keller left her good job, friends home and all personal property to go to India as a missionary. The newlyweds embarked 
to German East Africa's present day Tanzania in Africa in 1913. In less than a year, her husband Karl and the young missionary 
who lived with them, Clarence, died suddenly because of bad drinking water. Marion was also suffering with the same sickness 
and despaired at the point of death in her own words. When I realized that my husband had gone. I too long to go. I prayed the 
Lord to take me to himself. Just then, a voice seemed to whisper to me, thou shall not die, but live and declare the glory of God. 
Propelled by this and other encouragements she received from the Lord, she stayed in Africa and continued to work. In 1914, war 
broke out and travel was nearly impossible. Marion recounts, captains and officers in the armies marvel to find a young girl 
in the lonely jungles of Africa. They wondered what was keeping me there. Little did they realize that mine was a high and holy 
sorry, how high and heavenly calling it is. True, there were dangers of every kind on all sides. Yet somehow it never dawned on 
me. The presence of the Lord was so great that I did not seem to have any fear whatsoever. Marion made her way to Kisumu, 
Kenya, where she met up with Otto Keller and the two became engaged. After an adventurous trip back to Canada, she returned to 
Kenya in 1918 and married him. She had a holistic view of ministry, stating teachers, evangelists, agriculturalists, Masons, 
carpenters and all kinds are needed in the work of the Lord and each one to his or her calling. Perhaps the most striking example 
of this is her own son, Philip Weldon Keller, who became an agriculturalist, missionary, teacher and author of over 20 books, 
including the well known a Shepherd, looks at Psalm 23. Marion's most fulfilling work was her work with African women. According 
to Marion, African women were treated as beasts of burden, doing most of the hard labour in the communities. They were uneducated 
and knew nothing about training or disciplining children. Although she faced a great deal of opposition on all sides and educating 
African women, she found encouragement. From the Lord, she writes. I taught them how to read, how to sing, to pray, to take care of 
their babies, to treat their husbands well, and best of all, to get acquainted with Jesus as their personal savior. According to 
Marion, when the Lord saved and cleaned up a few of these women, it was enough advertisement of God's power. As a parent, she 
believed that God gives parents a great responsibility in the care and training of their children, which is a mother's first duty. 
One of her guiding principles, borrowed from Doctor James Agri, was train a man, you train an individual, train a woman, you train 
a family. What does Marion Keller say about herself? Marion has a high degree of faith. The Lord will support her as she pursues 
his will. She knows she has the call of God upon her specifically for service in Africa. At death's door, she receives divine 
confidence that she will live and declare the glory of God. This leaves her with No Fear, a great sense of the presence of God, 
and serves to reaffirm what she terms a high and heavenly calling. She understands that her calling as a missionary into Africa 
is unique to her, but that God will likewise call other uniquely in their spheres of life. As a strong woman of Faith, Marianne 
finds it rewarding to see African women rise to a higher ideal in their culture. Marion views herself as sure and confident about 
her calling as a missionary, as a mother and as a wife. In this confidence, she trains African women to recognize their calling, too. 
As a result of this training and what she says is God's power, many of these women become literate and engage members of their 
families and communities. Ruth LePers. Ruth LePers from Winnipeg published a book in 1933 entitled Living in the Land of the 
White Man's Grave. The land she writes about is Liberia, where at the time of publication she had lived for seven years as a 
single woman. She remained unmarried for the rest of her life. Ruth was methodical and steady in her missionary work. Undaunted 
by daily challenges and she writes in a more scientific and detached manner. In her introduction, she says she aims to present 
the human interest side of Liberia native life. And that her hope is that the book serves as a humble channel for the message of 
the Holy Spirit and speaking to the hearts of those who may not realize their privileges in respect to Christians service. 
Ruth describes normal life as a missionary in Liberia. Clearly from personal experience, she describes a few of the commonest 
sorts of things. You are rudely awakened at night by the frightful growl of a leopard a few yards from your door. Compose 
yourself, get the rifle, and see if you can shoot him by moonlight. You are for the first time discovering that in the soup so 
kindly offered by your native hosts, there are the odds and ends of a rat or two. Do not be alarmed, but try to feel at home. 
She describes her role as a missionary. The missionaries watchword is undaunted. Whether man or woman we need to know a great 
many things. Many occasions arise where we must act as an architect, builder, Carpenter, mother, Nurse, Judge, doctor, teacher, 
preacher and undertaker. If you would live a life of variety, I know no better than that of a missionary. In Ruth's 
autobiographical account, she often refers to the term the missionary, as opposed to speaking in personal pronouns. However, 
one can almost certainly read of the experiences of the missionary as if they refer to Ruth herself. She was comfortable with a 
gun, occasionally shooting monkeys for meat for the villagers, though she never ate that meat herself. She also used the 
novelty of her white skin as a way to establish friendly relationships with people who had never seen white skin before. The 
presence of a missionary station near a tribal community brought a great sense of honor to that people. The chiefs of these 
tribes knew that this meant there would be a school and gradual, gradual, positive improvements in the lives of the people in 
their community. Thus Ruth writes. There is great rejoicing when the village people hear that a missionary is coming to build 
a mission station near them. Soon after she arrives, she chooses a site where she wishes to build a station. The chief man 
sends the town men to clear off the site. Ruth was theologically engaged with her mission, reasoning that if Paul had gone East 
instead of West, Canadians may be in spiritual darkness instead of Africans. If Canada were in spiritual darkness instead of 
Africa, she would hope that those in the east would bring the light of the gospel westward. Leaving the comfort of life in 
Canada was a necessary decision for Ruth. In one of her most transparent passages, she speaks about the sacrificial nature 
of her work. To carry, to carry God's message to the heathen is a privilege. I feel that I owe my Lord a great debt which I 
cannot pay. It is emphatically no sacrifice if we are only doing our duty. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger now and 
then with a forgoing of the common conveniences and charities of life may make us pause and cause the spirit to waver and the 
soul to sink. But let this be only for a moment. We are must do our part to carry the good news to those who wait in distant 
lands. What does Ruth LePers say about herself? In the same way she speaks of her book, she considers herself a humble channel 
for the Holy Spirit to use. Ruth illustrates that she is independent and comfortable with a gun. Whether to hunt monkeys or to 
chase off leopards. She is undaunted by different foods or customs. She describes herself in her missionary context. As a grand 
list of occupations. Ruth acknowledges the novelty and privilege of her white skin and how it has opened doors for her in various 
villages. Yet she acknowledges occasional difficulties and such as anxiety, sickness, suffering, danger and the lack of common 
conveniences. But with gratitude, Ruth speaks of these sacrifices as a privilege of serving the God who has extended forgiveness and 
salvation to her. Ruth views herself as a highly capable yet human vessel for the Lord's work. Aimee Semple McPherson. Aimee
Semple McPherson was from Salford, Ontario, and in 1919 first published her autobiography, this is that. Before she became a famed 
evangelist and denominational leader in the USA. She was a Canadian missionary to China. In the preface, Aimee says that she writes 
this book because the realization that Jesus is coming soon and that whatever is done must be done quickly has put a hurry up in my 
soul to get the message to the greatest number of people in the shortest possible time by every possible means. More than the other 
women so far in this paper, Aimee provides a much fuller account of her inner dialogue about the nature of her role and calling. She was 
confident and had ready answers for those who might challenge her. She dramatically rehearses her salvation as she writes of a moment of 
intense prayer. Oht God. If there be a God, reveal yourself to me. She continues. Oh, if every doubter and professed infidel would just 
breathe that one sincere prayer to God, he would reveal himself to them as he did to me, for he is no respecter of persons. Hallelujah. 
Aimee came into Pentecostal experience listening to her first husband, Pentecostal evangelist Robert Semple. After their marriage, they 
went to Chicago, where Aimee experienced a miraculous instantaneous healing of her broken ankle. At the same time, Aimee describes, my husband 
and myself were made to realize in a very definite way that the time had come for us to obey the call to China, which the spirit had been 
laying upon his heart more and more for some time. Although she makes it clear it was her husband's call to China. Aimee's language demonstrates 
2 things. First that she was included in this call, and 2nd that the Lord had made her realize it was time to obey this call as well. They 
returned to Toronto and prepared to leave by train to St. John, NB where they would leave for London, England and then on to China. Aimee's
 writing is full of hymn lyrics. These also serve to illustrate her inner dialogue. At her marriage, looking to a future of Christian 
ministry, she cites the hymn lyrics, perhaps with dual commitment to Lord and to husband. Love. So amazing. So divine demands my love, my 
life, my all. She recalls leaving Toronto by train on route to China. Two people singing God be with you till we meet again. And upon leaving 
Pentecostal people in London, England, by boat, she remembers them singing as she embarked further for China, singing the hymn God will take 
care of you. Together, these songs and lyrics reinforced her calling and her conviction that the Lord would indeed be with her and with Roberts. 
However, not long after their arrival in China, Robert contracted malaria and died. At his bedside, beside his lifeless body, she describes. Then 
at that moment when all the world seemed to be crumbling and slipping from beneath my feet. The comforter, the blessed Holy Spirit, whom Jesus had 
sent, made the will of God so sweet, showed the prepared mansion so real that I showed a glory by the deathbed of Robert Semple, from whom I had 
never dreamed of parting. Waves of joy rolled over my soul, and I was lifted from Earth to heaven, and it seemed as though I accompanied him right 
to the pearly gates. The Lord gave, and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Later on, as she prepared for her husband's funeral 
with little money remaining, she prayed for provision. And that afternoon in the mail, she received a letter from two sisters in Chicago with $60.00 
dated a month previous, stating that the Lord had awakened them in the middle of the night, saying little sister Semple is in trouble, rise immediately 
and send her $60.00. This further demonstrated her belief that, yes, the Lord was with her. Aimee returned to the USA and gave birth to her and Robert's 
child. Naming her Roberta. Not long after, she married her husband, her second husband, Harold McPherson, whose name she never once mentions in her 
book. Aimee again heard the call of God of God. Preach the word. Preach the word, will you go, go do the work. In event of an evangelist, preach the 
word. The time is short. I am coming soon. She resisted this call in part because her second husband was not of the same mind, nor was he interested 
in the Pentecostal experience of the spirit. At the same time, Aimee was hospitalized with symptoms of depression and physical conditions requiring 2 
surgeries that further climaxed with acute appendicitis. In agony, this led her to a prayer of oh God, please Take Me Home to be with you. Shortly 
thereafter, on the edge of consciousness and on the brink of death, she heard God call one more time. Now will you go? She responded. Yes, Lord. I'll 
go. Immediately the pain left and she was healed of all of her physical ailments. This experience bolstered Aimee's confidence in her calling and also 
fueled her rhetoric to defend her calling despite the inconvenient matter of her gender. She writes, ohhh, don't you ever tell me that a woman cannot 
be called to preach the gospel. If any man went through 100th part of the hell on Earth that I experienced those months when I was out of God's will 
and work, they would never say that again. What does Aimee Semple say about Semple McPherson say about herself? She had the assurance of her salvation. 
She felt that Jesus was coming. Soon, Aimee knew she was called by God first to missions and then subsequently to preach the gospel as an evangelist. 
Through her her, through her own words, and through words she expressed in song, she continually rehearsed that God would take care of her. Through 
every day or all the way. Aimee was aware of the obstacles she faced as a woman in a man's world. But was ready to admonish any who opposed her based 
on her gender. She used her life experiences and spiritual experiences to legitimize her call to others who might question it. How we doing for time, 
OK. Jean and Marion Bolton. Self effacing missionaries. Jean and Marion Bolton from Regina SK, published He sendeth forth two in 1970. These two 
biological sisters never married, and they work together as vocational missionaries for several decades. At the time of their book, the Bolton Sisters 
had worked for six years in Zimbabwe, six MORE in Thailand and 1 1/2 years in Nicaragua. They write this book to the honor and glory of our Lord and 
Savior Jesus Christ. They go on to quote Revelation one, verse 7 in full uppercase to demonstrate that they believe Jesus is coming soon. Behold, he 
cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him. Jean and Marion were self effacing despite their remarkable accomplishments. Aside from a brief 
dedication, their very first words in this book are. As we took pens to compile the work, it was fitting that we should offer an apology for a memoir 
of two non entities. Just shorten this up a little bit here. Marion was called to Africa in a vision at age 16 and over a decade later embarked as a 
vocational minister missionary to Africa with her sister Jean. In their book, they describe miracles such as a miraculous healing of Marion's eyesight. 
They describe Marion's gift of visionary premonitions of things that would happen. And they express a great deal of faith for numerous projects, both in 
finances and other provision. As missionaries abroad, the Bolton sisters worked for a department store and International College, an embassy and engineering 
firm, and the United Nations while simultaneously pursuing their missionary purpose. Marion had a vision of a large building where classes were being 
held with forty teachers, Jean writes. Launching this program would necessitate a great step of faith. Marion had no doubt regarding the supply of 
teachers and students, and the Lord gave to me faith for the finances. They were soon joined by numerous highly qualified reinforcements for teachers. 
I'll just read one more quote before I conclude this this section. At one point, Marion transparently broaches the subject of marriage. She says now, 
considering the all important theme of marriage. It was at the age of 21 that I turned this matter completely over to God's control, praying that if it 
were his will, I should not marry, he would erase from my mind the contemplation of conjugality. So what did Jean and Marion Bolton say about themselves? 
These resourceful sisters speak about themselves as non entities and downplay their role in any success they may have had, attributing it only to the 
Lord's work. Through prayer. They expressed faith in God's healing power and for finances. They write about trust in God's communication to them 
through Marion's visions, which led them to Africa in the first place. Marion speaks about turning the matter of marriage completely over to God's 
control, which is the pattern for their lives. In soliciting teachers for their school, they write or they wrote that God could use anyone, regardless 
of rank, colour or education, when that one is fully yielded to him. Thus the reader can assume. That this has been their experience, and they consider 
themselves fully yielded to God. What are we to conclude about these Canadian Pentecostal missionary women who wrote about themselves? Curiously, two of 
these women, Emma Chawner and Aimee Semple McPherson, had first husbands named Robert, who died shortly after their marriage. While the women were pregnant. 
Both subsequently named the daughter Roberta. So I wonder, should we conclude that it is best not to marry a husband named Robert? OK. I just sorry, Robert. 
Yeah, 38 years, you're you're good. Sincerely, these women believed that Jesus was coming again soon. And they wrote their accounts to give God glory and 
honour and to motivate others to Christian service. If we take these women at their word, we can conclude that God calls and empowers women for the task 
and privilege. Of Christian and vocational service. God continues to call women to all areas of ministry and leadership today. May we listen to their voices 
acknowledging and celebrating their calling. We do this for the glory of God, as Co laborers with Christ until he comes again. Thank you.


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