The early 20th century evangelist, Aimee Semple McPherson, was a pioneer of women in
ministry. Having experienced a profound religious conversion at age 17, Aimee began preaching across the United States and later, the world. In 1918, she established her base in Los Angeles, Calif., where in 1923, the 5,300 seat Angelus Temple was dedicated and became the center of her revival, healing and benevolent ministries.
She was the first woman to receive an FCC radio license and
was a pioneer religious broadcaster. Her sermons were the
first to incorporate the contemporary communications of that
day into her preaching of the Gospel. From Angelus Temple
she performed an extensive social ministry, providing hot
meals for more than 1.5 million people during the Great
Depression. She summarized her message into four major
points known as "The Foursquare Gospel," and founded a
denomination called The Foursquare Church.
Aimee Semple McPherson was born October 9, 1890 on a small farm near
Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada and was the only child of James
and Minnie Kennedy. While a student in high school, she
attended a revival service conducted by Robert Semple. By
her own account, she stated that at the time she was "cold
and far from God" and began questioning the truths of the
Bible. During this revival meeting, the message of
"repentance" and a "born again experience" pierced her heart
with conviction. When Robert began talking about the baptism
with the Holy Spirit, it disturbed her so much that she left
the meeting. But the Holy Spirit continued to grip at
Aimee's heart, and for three days she struggled with such
conviction until finally, alone in her room, she threw up
her hands and said, "Lord, God, be merciful to me, a
sinner." Immediately the burden was gone and the glory of
the Lord filled her heart. She had been born again.
As she continued to attend the revival services, she learned
that God had even more for her and so she began to seek the
baptism with the Holy Spirit. After a time of prayer and
seeking the Lord, she was gloriously filled and began
speaking in her heavenly language and praising God. Aimee
would describe that time by saying, "Each moment I could
feel myself drawing nearer, nearer into His presence," and
her heart cried out, "Take me, use me, have Thine own way. I
am only a schoolgirl. I live on a Canadian farm, but such as
I am I give myself to Thee." Aimee said that, with the
incoming of the Holy Spirit came a love and compassion for
souls that melted her heart with longing for Christian
service.
Her desire for serving the Lord seemed perfectly fitted to
Robert Semple's evangelistic work and when he asked her to
marry him, she quickly responded with a "yes." The two were
married and this longing for service was first fulfilled
when, before her 20th birthday, she and her husband of less
than two years, embarked on a missionary trip to China.
Aimee would have been content to live out her days in
obscurity. But what started out as a glorious adventure and
fulfillment of God's calling ended with the tragic death of
her husband three months after their arrival. Penniless, and
alone with a one-month-old daughter, Aimee returned to the
United States.
Shortly after returning home, Aimee met and married a
businessman, Harold McPherson, with whom she had a son,
Rolf. She tried to settle down to a "normal" home-life, but
the call to Christian service remained constant. God
continually knocked at the door of her heart and said, "Now
will you go?" Growing weaker and weaker from sickness,
Aimee, while on her deathbed after her second operation
within two years, answered "yes" to God's call. Almost
immediately thereafter, she was healed.
Knowing that she had to keep her promise to the Lord, she
began evangelizing and holding tent revivals, first by
traveling up and down the eastern part of the United States,
then expanding to other parts of the country. She eventually
held meetings in all parts of the world. People began coming
in ever-increasing numbers to hear this remarkable lady
evangelist. When not in a tent, she would need to find the
largest auditorium in town in order to hold the record
number of people that would come to her meetings.
Often times she would have to share the time with whatever
"event" was happening in the town. Like, on one occasion she
met in a boxing ring, but had to hold her meetings before
and after the boxing match. Once in San Diego, the National
Guard had to be brought in to control the crowd of over
30,000 people. People would often stand in line and wait
many hours for the next service to begin in order to be
assured a seat.
Aimee Semple McPherson's charismatic personality was a
God-given gift used to draw people to hear her message. Her
sermons were not the usual "fire and brimstone" messages
given by contemporary evangelists, but ones which showed the
face of a loving God, with continual outstretched arms. It
was a message about heaven, as a place you wanted to be, and
serving Jesus, as the only life that offered true
fulfillment.
With Aimee Semple McPherson, all were called and all were
welcomed. God was no respecter of persons and neither was
Aimee. She evangelized when segregation was rampant in the
South. Although she invited all to come to her meetings,
often times she would go to the “black” parts of town and
hold meetings after the main meeting was over. She broke
down racial barriers such that one time at Angelus Temple,
some Ku Klux Klan members were in attendance, but after the
service, many of their hoods and robes were found thrown on
the ground in nearby Echo Park. She is also credited with
helping many of the Hispanic ministries in Los Angeles get
started, and there was even a great Gypsy following, after
the wife of a Gypsy chief and the chief himself had been
healed in a Denver revival meeting. With Aimee Semple
McPherson there was no color, ethnic, or status separation
line.
While holding a revival meeting in San Francisco in April
1922, Aimee Semple McPherson became the first woman to
preach a sermon over the radio. Being intrigued with the
possibilities of this medium, Aimee purchased a radio
station herself, thus making her the first woman to possess
a radio license and operate a station. Through the wonder of
radio, Aimee Semple McPherson’s voice became the most
recognizable voice around the world. Since there were not
many stations in Los Angeles at its inception, one could
walk down the street, especially on a Sunday morning, hear
the entire message from one open window to another, get to
the destination, and not miss a single word of the sermon.
Weary of constant traveling and having no place to raise a
family, Aimee Semple McPherson rejoiced when in 1918, God
called her to Los Angeles. This was to be her base of
operation. God told her He would build her a house in Los
Angeles and He did – one for her family and one for His
people. For several years she continued to travel and raise
money for the building of Angelus Temple and on January 1,
1923, Angelus Temple was dedicated. The church held 5,300
people and was filled to capacity three times each day,
seven days a week.
In the beginning, Aimee Semple McPherson preached every
service. It became the spiritual home for thousands of her
followers and a base for her evangelistic ministry. What
grew out of a desire to have a base of operation to preach
the Gospel, quickly evolved into a church organization –
supporting and sending out missionaries, providing
commissary and community services that were more reliable
than the city’s own relief programs, as well as a full
program of church ministries.
Aimee Semple McPherson was famous inside and outside the
church. Every city where services were held usually had in
attendance civic leaders, as well as pastors representing
the local churches of every denomination. She made sure that
Angelus Temple was represented in local parades and entered
floats into the famous Rose Parade in Pasadena. Her
illustrated sermons attracted even those from the
entertainment industry, looking to see a “show” that rivaled
what Hollywood had to offer. These famous stage productions
drew people who would never have thought to enter a church,
and then presented them with the message of salvation. Aimee
believed that the Gospel was to be presented at every
opportunity and used worldly means at her disposal to
present the Gospel to as many people as possible.
She was a woman in a man’s world. But she was willing to go,
when God called, and was not limited by what she saw, but
believed in the God who called her to fulfill the greatest
call of all – the winning of souls.
Reprinted from www.FoursquareChurch.org, published and
copyrighted by the International Church of the Foursquare
Gospel. Used by permission.
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