July 2006

Picture of the Week

Professor Loew and the Central College Biology Class

Many years ago at Central College (aka Huntington University), when funny hats and suits were in fashion for the well dressed naturalist, this happy bunch took time out from their adventures in creature catching to pose for this photo on the front steps of the College Hall (aka Becker Hall). Professor Loew is in the top row on the left hand side. Prof. Loew (the Loew part in Loew-Brenn Hall), after he took off his funny hat, became one of the most distinguished professors to serve this institution. His contributions included the botanical garden, the arboretum, the agricultural course, the alumni association and the Loew-Alumni Library. He is also credited with the introduction of the soybean as a staple crop in Indiana. Sadly most of his work on campus has now been lost or transformed but the memory of his tireless support of Huntington University still lingers.

A history of United Brethren work in Minnesota (New Acquisition)

Forever Beginning by Otto T. Nall, Commission on Archives and History, Minnesota Conference, United Methodist Church, 1973.

Subtitled "A History of the United Methodist Church and Her Antecedents in Minnesota to 1969" this work is strong on Methodist history in the state but weak on United Brethren and Evangelical contributions. Granted the United Brethren were not as active either the Evangelicals or the Methodists. Most information on the German groups is limited to a couple of chapters. Nall is critical of the United Brethren because according to him they "had difficulty following up recruits and assimilating new members". He sites the main failure of the United Brethren in Minnesota as over-expansion "of their resources of men and money".

The first circuit was organized in 1854 by Edmund Clow, a missionary from Rock River Conference. Soon after in 1855 the denomination's Home, Frontier and Foreign Missionary Society appointed J. W. Fulkerson to the state to help expand the work. The Minnesota Conference was organized in 1857 with Bishop Lewis Davis presiding.

Nall mentions an unpublished manuscript by Richard Gist on the history of the Minnesota United Brethren. This is apparently Nall's main source of information for the early work of the United Brethren. If anyone knows of the location of this document please contact me so I can obtain a copy for The Center.

Early UB Women Preachers

This week as I was indexing some obituaries from the Religious Telescope I ran across a very interesting entry. The obituary was for a woman named Hanna Yingling who resided near Dayton, Ohio. What is interesting about the entry is that this is the first recorded evidence I have seen of a woman receiving a preaching license in the United Brethren church. As it is commonly known the United Brethren did not start ordaining women until 1889. There were attempts before that time by Annual Conferences to license women but conferences were hesitant to give them full ordination without the approval of General Conference. Sister Yingling appears to have received her quarterly conference license sometime in the 1850s. Since it does not say what quarterly conference gave her a license it is difficult to track down an actual date. According to the obituary Sister Yingling was an exemplary individual filled with a zeal for preaching. Here is her obituary:

"Sister Hannah Yingling died, at the residence of brother-in-law, Jac. Flickinger, near Seven-Mile, Butler county, Ohio, Nov. 16th, 1857.
Sister Yingling embraced religion some sixteen years since, in the land of her birth, which was the State of Maryland, Frederick county, and soon after united with the church of the U. Brethren in Christ, in which she lived a very faithful and devoted member up to the day of her death. Some time after her conversion, she felt impressed that it was her duty to preach the gospel, and having but little encouragement in that direction, she concluded to emigrate to Ohio, which she did some nine years since and settled near Dayton, where she commenced her labors as a minister under quarterly conference license.
The subject of this imperfect note was unassuming in her manners, possessing a temper sanctified by grace, and had great reverence for God and his cause. The writer having been acquainted with Sister Yingling for some years, can say that she was one of those angel-like spirits that are of such great value to the church.
In her preaching she was practical and convincing. However skeptical persona might be as to female preaching, it was universally admitted that she acquitted herself with ability in the Sacred Desk; and having been impressed that it was her duty to labor as a missionary in a foreign field, she set about the work of getting an education at a prerequisite to that work, having been one year at the Hartsville school, when wasting consumption admonished her to cease her studies. She returned to Seven-Mile, where friends gladly furnished her with all the attention necessary; but all in vain. The writer visited her frequently during her sickness, and was present at her death. Not one word of murmuring was heard; but frequently she would say, that "so soon as my cup of suffering is full, thin I shall be released." She retained her mind to the last, and after giving directions as to her funeral, she folded her hands and commenced saying, All is well, all is well, until she could articulate no more, and then waved her hand in token of victory. Aged 38 years 8 months and 27 days. The occasion was improved in German by a sermon from Rev. J. Sand from 2 Tim. 1, 12; in English, by the writer, from Psalms 17, and last verse, being selected by the deceased.

G. C. Warvel.

Seven-Mile, Butler co, O. Nov. 26, '57."

Although Sister Yingling only received a quarterly conference license it was still a start on breaking down barriers for women in the church.