Mothers in Israel: Methodist Beginnings Through the Eyes of Women

Product Description

Women have played an integral part in Methodism from the beginning, but many of the stories of early English Methodist women preachers and leaders have been forgotten or distorted. The most well-regarded were known as “Mothers in Israel,” a term referring to Deborah the judge in the Old Testament. Eighteenth century women like Susanna Annesley Wesley, Sarah Ryan, Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, Frances Mortimer Pawson, Sarah Crosby and many more were pivotal in the growth of the Methodist movement as class leaders, visitors to the sick, devotional writers, teachers, and even preachers. Discover the richness of their legacy of faithful witness through this exploration of their own theological writings and reflections and their message for the Church today.

Review

“Donna Fowler-Marchant’s study of early Methodist “Mothers in Israel” will carry you beyond compensatory history. Her explorations–based on the careful research of scholars over the past several decades–provide a more fully textured portrait of two women in particular: Susanna Wesley and Mary Bosanquet Fletcher. Rather than simply unearthing facts about early Methodist women, Fowler-Marchant affords an opportunity for you to actually learn from them. This rich resource helps you live into their spiritual legacy.” –Paul Chilcote, retired professor of historical theology & Wesleyan studies and United Methodist minister. He has taught in seminaries on three continents, including Africa University in Zimbabwe and Wesley College in England.

About the Author

Donna L. Fowler-Marchant, DMin, is a popular speaker and an elder in the North Carolina Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, where she has been the pastor of several United Methodist churches across eastern NC as well as Minister of Pastoral Care at a Presbyterian (PCUSA) church. She is currently serving a circuit just outside London in the Methodist Church in Britain.