There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
No one would have expected little Jennie Fowler to grow up into the amazing woman that she did after she tumbled into a well on her family’s Illinois farm at the age of two and a half. She struck her head severely and sustained lasting nerve damage. This made it very difficult for her to study for more than a few minutes at a time.
But Jennie longed to be educated and tried to teach herself by maintaining the strict discipline of studying for fifteen minutes every day no matter what else was happening. She taught herself so well, with God’s help, that she was hired as a teacher. Her motto was “plus extra” – more beyond. She went on to write 17 books and hundreds of articles.
Jennie was converted while young. She remained a lifelong Methodist. Jennie was part of the nineteenth century “Holiness Movement”. This movement placed much importance on a person’s sanctification. Phoebe Palmer and Evangeline Booth (blog posts – June 2015) were several of the female evangelists that were also prominent during this amazing time when women were starting schools, missions, and other outreaches for the Lord Jesus.
Jennie married a Methodist minister, William Willing in 1853. They spent much of their married life 
in Illinois. While William preached Jenny taught at Illinois Wesleyan University. Though women’s ordination was frowned on, William issued Jennie a license to preach. They supported each other’s work. When a small church in William’s district needed a pastor, he sent Jennie.
Jennie also preached in camp meetings, and poor parts of cities. She shared the love of Christ in factories and tenements. She encouraged Christians to live a disciplined, sober life. Her life was an example of what a person can do who is determined to serve Christ even with physical limitations. Today many a person with her handicap would just go on welfare and expect others to care for them. Jennie puts most of us lazy Americans to shame.
Like many of her nineteenth century Christian sisters Jennie chose to work in evangelizing and missions and social work. The growing temperance movement provided a way for women to reach out to people with needs. Women wanted to apply Christian principles to every day life for the betterment of society, and tackling the enormous problem of alcoholism was one way to do it.
Alcoholism caused much poverty especially for the women and children who were abandoned when the head of their household lost everything to drink. There were no laws protecting women. A woman had no right to her husband’s paycheck. Bartenders were reluctant to deny alcohol to their customers.
Jennie preached against the sin of alcohol. Jennie was instrumental in founding the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. Readers will remember Frances Willard as the long time president of the WCTU (see blog January 23, 2013). Jennie served as the head of the Illinois chapter and vice president of the national organization. Eventually Jennie moved to New York where she organized the New York state chapter of the WCTU and was president of the New York City chapter of the WCTU when she died.
While serving with the WCTU Jennie was able to fulfill her desire to be an evangelist. Thousands of women took the opportunity to join the WCTU in order to witness for the Lord Jesus while doing temperance work. She also founded the New York Evangelistic Training School and Settlement House in 1895. This school published a magazine called “The Open Door”.
Students at the Evangelistic Training School were expected to put hands and feet with the Gospel. They spent an hour every day in neighborhood visitation, help with Bible studies, chapel services, teaching and preaching.
Jennie also had a missionary heart. She served as an officer in both the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society (WFMS) and the Woman’s Home Missionary Society (WHMS) of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Jennie believed that every woman whether single or married, is a missionary. She had no patience for lazy or self-indulgent women. Every woman should dedicate her time to working for the Lord. There was certainly plenty to do starting at home. Married women have the responsibility to raise their children to be moral Christians. It goes without saying that women married to neglectful husbands also have a duty to respectfully, but firmly lead their husbands to Christ.
Evangelism was very important to Jennie. Jennie wrote a monthly column entitled, “Women and Gospel Evangelism”. Her book, “How to Win Souls” is a collection of the lectures that she gave at her evangelistic training school. The school was closed in 1910 by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company so they could build tunnels. She was concerned about the need to train more evangelists and so she put her lectures into this book. In the introduction to the book, Willard Mallalieu, a Methodist bishop recommended it highly.
…. many books great and small, have been written in regard to revivals, evangelism and soul winning…
Thank God that now we have one more book, and that the product of a woman’s hand, and brain, and heart, that ought to attract the attention of all who covet the wisdom essential to be successful soul winners…
If the seventy thousand, more or less, Protestant clergymen in the United States, and as many more Christian men, and as many more Christian women would read this book, catch its spirit, follow its suggestions, and work out, in daily life, its soul winning methods, this whole land of ours would speedily become the prepared inheritance of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“How to Win Souls” was published in 1909 – over one hundred years ago. The sentiment expressed by Willard Mallalieu is still true today. If Christians would only spend even a little time every day witnessing for Christ in word and deed the world would be a better place.
Jennie served as an evangelist until her death. When she died in 1916 she was still serving in the WCTU. She was at the same time the president emeritus of the 18th Street Methodist Episcopal Church Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society. Truly Jennie embodied her motto – “plus extra” – more beyond. What excuse do any of us have to not serve the Lord now?
