What is it about?
This encyclopedia article briefly tells the story of Barbara Johnston, a Canadian teacher and missionary who became the first Canadian Pentecostal to serve in India. It highlights her early life in Sarnia, Ontario, her education, and her spiritual journey, including her experience of the Pentecostal baptism of the Holy Spirit. The story follows her work at the Mukti Mission in translating the New Testament into Marathi and her dedication to missionary work despite the challenges she faced. It also touches on her marriage, her leadership at an orphanage, and her untimely death at age 32.
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Why is it important?
Barbara Johnston's life provides unique insight into the early days of the Pentecostal movement, the role of well-educated women (often school teachers) in missions, and cross-cultural ministry in the early 20th century. Her contributions to Bible translation and her pioneering efforts in India demonstrate the lasting impact of her faith and work. This study helps preserve the legacy of a remarkable yet overlooked figure in religious and Canadian history.
Perspectives
I first discovered the life and legacy of Barbara Johnston while writing a brief history of a Pentecostal church in Sarnia, Ontario. The living memory of Pentecostalism in Sarnia began in the 1930s. Imagine my surprise to find that this city had one of the earliest connections to Pentecostalism in Canada, and a direct connection to the Hebden Mission in Toronto. I have written about Johnston's life more completely in a chapter entitled "Women and the Missionary Nature of Canadian Pentecostalism" in The Canadian Pentecostal Experience (Brill, 2024) edited by Linda Ambrose and Michael Wilkinson.
Caleb Howard Courtney
Master's Pentecostal Seminary
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This page is a summary of: Johnston, Barbara, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/2589-3807_egpo_com_047376.
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