Phoebe Palmer (1807-1874) has been described as the most influential Methodist woman in the 19th century. She has also been called "Mother of the Holiness Movement." John Wesley incorporated holiness into Methodism after he saw it in the Moravians. Wesley believed that holiness, also called "entire sanctification" or "Christian perfection," could be attained in this life. "Christian perfection" means being perfect in love. Phoebe Palmer grew up in a Methodist home. As a teenager, she questioned her faith because even though she knew she was a Christian, she had never had an emotional conversion experience like other Methodists. In 1827 she married Walter Palmer, a homeopathic physician. In 1831 the Palmers moved in with Phoebe's older sister, Sarah Lankford, and her family. Here they learned of the Doctrine of Holiness, and Phoebe herself experienced entire sanctification in a dramatic moment of conversion on July 26, 1837. After this, Phoebe began home prayer meetings for women. These grew larger and were later called "Tuesday Meetings for the Promotion of Holiness." These meetings continued throughout her life. In the 1850s Phoebe and Walter went on mission trips in the eastern United States. They spoke at camp meetings and revivals. In 1867, The National Association for the Promotion of Holiness was created and became the basis for the Palmers' evangelical ministry. In the 1840s Phoebe also became involved in charitable works. She was active in the Ladies' Home Missionary Society and the founder of the Five Points Mission in New York City. Through these organizations she ministered to the poor, orphans, widows, prisoners and freed slaves. In addition to her evangelical and charitable work, Phoebe was a writer. She was editor of the periodical called "The Guide to Holiness." In 1854 she published a book titled The Way of Holiness , the first of six books she would write during her lifetime . Using scripture and logic in her book The Promise of the Father , she advocated for the right of women to speak as ministers. We praise God for the life and ministry of Phoebe Palmer. Image credit: https://worldmethodist.org/phoebe-palmer-and-the-day-of-days/
Women of Aldersgate: meet your new best friends.
After graduating from college, Jane spent almost eight years working at Davis Library at UNC-Chapel Hill. For six of those years, she led the children's choir at her home church. But in 1990, God began to tug at her heart. "I started going on a quest...but I didn’t have the example of a Christian educator or woman minister," says Jane. Perceiving her calling, Jane's pastor encouraged her to visit Duke Divinity School, even offering to go along. She then connected with the late Margaret Ann Biddle, an accomplished Christian Education minister. That sealed the deal. In August 1991, she quit her job and began her Master of Religious Education at Duke. " It was my biggest leap of faith," she says. Thus began three fruitful decades of ministry. Jane was consecrated a Diaconal Minister in 1994 and ordained Deacon in 1997. She served churches in Goldsboro, Greensboro, Durham, Burlington and Elon. She taught, preached, led, and served. Her work ranged from teaching Vacation Bible School to helping guide a congregation through a complicated building transition & church merger. In 2024, 31 years after graduating from Duke Divinity School, Jane retired from professional ministry. "You really see the best of the church and the worst of the church," she says, "but I never once thought about leaving the UMC. It’s where I belong." Aldersgate was Jane's second-to-last appointment. She remembers us as "people who really have a heart for mission both globally and locally." She remembers a church with something going on every night of the week, a church with a hands-on commitment to service, a church with very active laity. Bustling Wednesday evenings and packed Sunday mornings feature most prominently in her memory. "It was a busy time," she says. "I found it very fun and fulfilling." During her six years here, Jane also observed that Aldersgate is a "neighborhood church." When I told her about our recent book study on The Art of Neighboring , she was not surprised that its message had resonated so well with Aldersgate's people, even today. "Aldersgate had more of a neighborhood feel than any of the other churches I was at," she said. Some things never change! Looking back on Jane's years of service reminds us what God has in store for those who follow his calling. Jane, like the first disciples (Matt. 4:18-22), "left [her] nets and followed Him." She took the leap of faith, and God brought us--and many other churches too--the fruits of her obedience. Are you feeling God tug at your heart? Do you think God is calling you to more? Perhaps Jane's mother's advice from 1991 will encourage you. " When I asked my mom what she thought, she said, 'I think you should have done it a long time ago.'”
