Maria Woodworth-Etter

“Who is this woman?” my friend asked me. I had just sent her an e-mail from a devotional by Maria Woodworth-Etter.

One of our favorite Bible teachers had given us a special assignment. We were to read after some of the Saints of Old who had been mightily used of God. Maria Woodworth-Etter was one of those selected for our research.

Marvelous testimonies of healing followed her ministry. The power of the Holy Spirit was evident in her life. There were also some uncommon manifestations exhibited, such as dancing in the Spirit, along with speaking and singing in other tongues! Yes, there would be both praise and criticism of this dear saint when our class met again.

In many circles, women preachers are still often looked down upon. Our teacher suggested that God had first called a man to do the job, but the man failed to answer. So . . . God called a woman instead and equipped her with a powerful anointing.

Maria Woodworth-Etter, born in 1844 in Lisbon, Ohio, is called the grandmother of the Pentecostal Movement. She testified, "I heard the voice of Jesus calling me to go out in the highways and hedges and gather in the lost sheep." We have to remember that when sister Etter was called by God, we, as a nation, did not allow women to vote, let alone preach from a pulpit. She realized this and for several years she would not heed the call. As she searched the scriptures she discovered that God used many women in the Bible to fulfill his destiny. After receiving a vision of God’s power, she finally said yes to His call. In her latter years, she was weak and frail, but men from her church carried her to services in a special chair. As soon as the chair touched the floor, she would receive strength and rise to minister mightily.

As you study about Maria Woodward-Etter and her ministry, your heart will be touched and your spirit will be stir but I say, “Let it be so.”

I have listed some books by Maria Woodward-Etter that you might be interested in securing. Click on the books and order direct.

Signs and Wonders; by Maria Beulah Woodworth-Etter

Holy Ghost Sermons, A Living Classic Book by Maria Beulah Woodward-Etter Hardcover

For Such a Time as This: Maria Woodworth-Etter Her Healing and Evangelizing Ministry by Wayne E. Warner (paperback)