A.G. Ward: The Canadian Pentecostal Pioneer Who Was Converted During His Own Sermon

This Week in AG History —June 22, 1946

By Ruthie Edgerly Oberg
Originally published on AG News, 23 June 2022

A.G. (Alfred George) Ward (1881-1960), a Pentecostal pioneer in Canada, was an example of an unconverted minister. According to his own account, he began in ministry as a Methodist circuit-riding preacher — before he became a Christian. He later converted during his own sermon!

Ward shared this humorous anecdote in the June 22, 1946, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel. He became a prominent Canadian camp-meeting speaker and evangelist, but was possibly best known as the father of longtime Revivaltime speaker C.M. Ward. 

A.G. Ward took great care to preach about the importance of having a vibrant spiritual life, as he knew from experience how easy it is to possess a form of religion without substance. His sermons frequently focused on the threefold theme of his life: salvation, consecration, and divine healing, all accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit. His messages resonated with listeners across North America.

A.G. Ward’s father, an alcoholic, died when his son was only 2 months old. The strain of struggling alone to raise four children took its toll, and Ward’s mother died when he was 13. Just before his mother’s death, he attended a Methodist revival meeting. Although he felt a desire to become a Christian, the church leader who spoke with him only encouraged him to believe the Scriptures. Ward did not have an understanding of repentance or the availability of power to live a Christian life. 

Nevertheless, young Alfred wanted to be a preacher. After finishing high school, he was appointed as a Methodist circuit-rider on the western frontier of the Canadian Rockies. At the time, young preachers were expected to receive practical experience as ministers before receiving education. During these early meetings, he preached the Bible; but he did not truly know God. His preaching lacked power, conviction, and results.

In the Pentecostal Evangel article, he recalled, “On my second circuit as a Methodist preacher … during a series of special meetings while I was doing the preaching, I was converted. I was the only convert in a week’s meetings, but I have always been thankful and a few others have been saved since, as a result of the preacher getting converted.”

It was not long after this experience that Ward met a group of Methodists in northwestern Canada who taught holiness and believed that Jesus healed people in answer to the prayer of faith. Ward met Christian and Missionary Alliance founder A.B. Simpson, a teacher of divine healing. 

Simpson sent Ward to begin an Alliance work in Winnipeg, where he met and married a Mennonite evangelist, Mary Markle. In 1907, at a holiness prayer meeting in Winnipeg, they both received the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. This ended their affiliation with both the Mennonites and the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

A.G. and Mary took a step of faith and, in 1909, organized one of the first Pentecostal camp meetings held in Ontario. The young evangelists had no money to give in the offering at the camp meeting. However, they felt impressed to physically place their infant son, Charles Morse Ward, in the offering basket as their gift to God’s work. They did so, and young C. M. grew up with a calling to the ministry from a young age.

After the meeting, Ward raised funds by selling his tent to another young Canadian evangelist, future Foursquare Gospel Church founder Aimee Semple McPherson, and began holding meetings in schoolhouses, churches, and other places across Canada and later throughout the U.S. 

Ward not only preached consecration, he modeled it in his own life. C.M. Ward, in a Revivaltime booklet titled Intimate Glimpses of My Father’s Life, described his father’s deep spiritual life. The younger Ward wrote, “I would rather have been born in such a home than have the honor of sitting in the White House.”  C.M. credited the example of his father’s message of holy consecration, lived out through the power of the Holy Spirit, as his own model for ministry. 

Read the full sermon “Christ or Self — Which Shall It Be” on page 3 of the June 22, 1946, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel. 

Also featured in this issue:

• “Signs of the Times,”by Ralph M. Riggs

• “A Harvest of Souls in Jamaica,” by Harvey McAlister

• “How to Have Revival,” by George T.B. Davis

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

Do you have Pentecostal historical materials that should be preserved? Please consider depositing these materials at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The FPHC, located in the Assemblies of God national offices, is the largest Pentecostal archive in the world. We would like to preserve and make your treasures accessible to those who write the history books.

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA
Phone: 417.862.1447 ext. 4400
Toll Free: 877.840.5200
Email: archives@ag.org
Website: www.iFPHC.org

Robert E. McAlister: Canadian Pentecostal Pioneer

This Week in AG History — December 6, 1941

By Ruthie Edgerly Oberg
Originally published on AG News, 05 December 2019

Robert Edward McAlister (1880-1953) is considered by many to be the father of Canadian Pentecostalism. He was a charter member of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) and served as its General Secretary from its inception in 1919 through 1932. He oversaw the creation of The Pentecostal Testimony (now Testimony/Enrich) in 1920 and served as its editor until 1937.

Born to adherents of the Scottish Presbyterian Holiness movement in Ontario, McAlister experienced a personal conversion at the age of 21. Feeling a call to ministry, he enrolled in God’s Bible School (Cincinnati, Ohio), founded by leading Methodist Holiness minister Martin Wells Knapp. Although illness caused him to leave the school after only one year, he became an evangelist with the Holiness Movement Church, a small Canadian denomination that emphasized the importance of “entire sanctification.”

While preaching in western Canada, McAlister heard about a revival taking place in Los Angeles at the Azusa Street Mission. He arrived at the meetings on Dec. 11, 1906, and experienced his personal Pentecost. Within weeks, he was conducting meetings in Ontario and western Canada, teaching about the baptism in the Holy Spirit accompanied by tongues.

In 1913, McAlister was invited by R. J. Scott to be a speaker, along with Maria Woodworth-Etter, at the Worldwide Apostolic Faith Camp Meeting at the Arroyo Seco campground in Los Angeles in an effort to unite Pentecostal groups. At the end of his sermon, he mentioned an observation that the apostles baptized “in the name of Jesus,” rather than using the Trinitarian formula of “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” While McAlister always embraced Trinitarian doctrine, interestingly, it was this brief observation at the camp meeting that helped to the spark the Oneness Pentecostal movement, which rejected traditional Trinitarian formulations.

Although he lacked much formal theological education, McAlister was respected as a pastor, evangelist, publisher, author, administrator, and preacher over his 50 years of Pentecostal ministry. At that time, any preacher who did not make full use of the entire platform during a vigorous sermon was looked upon with some suspicion, yet McAlister rarely moved about in his presentation. His strength was not in delivery but in content. PAOC historian Gordon Atter said of him, “He never went into the pulpit but what he was completely prepared … when he was through, you would remember that sermon, and his altar calls were tremendous.”

McAlister addressed the 1941 General Council Assemblies of God, held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His sermon was printed in the Dec. 6, 1941, issue of The Pentecostal Evangel.

Robert C. Cunningham, in his Oct. 4, 1941, summary of the General Council meetings described the service: “Once again our hearts were thrilled at the music in the opening part of the service. Loren Fox placed ‘The Holy City’ on the organ and it so stirred the heart of R.E. McAlister of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who was the evening speaker, that before the message he gave a wonderful description of heaven. The message which followed on ‘The Threefold Ministry of Christ’ was much anointed and will not soon be forgotten by the large numbers attending that service.”

After his retirement in 1937, McAlister was succeeded by A.G. Ward (father of Revivaltime speaker C.M. Ward) as the new secretary-treasurer of the PAOC and editor of The Pentecostal Testimony. He remained an in-demand speaker and many pastors continued to consult his God-given wisdom in their own ministries until his death in 1953.

Read the full sermon, “The Threefold Ministry of Christ,” on page 1 of the Dec. 6, 1941, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “Praying for Worldwide Revival,” by Stanley H. Frodsham

• “Echoes of Victory,” by H.C. Ball

• “The Secret of True Success,” by E. Hodgson

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

Do you have Pentecostal historical materials that should be preserved? Please consider depositing these materials at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The FPHC, located in the Assemblies of God national offices, is the largest Pentecostal archive in the world. We would like to preserve and make your treasures accessible to those who write the history books.

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA
Phone: 417.862.1447 ext. 4400
Toll Free: 877.840.5200
Email: archives@ag.org
Website: iFPHC.org

50 Years Ago: The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada Celebrated its 50th Anniversary

R. W. Taitinger (left), General Superintendent of the PAOC, welcomes Governor General and Mrs. Roland Michener to the closing rally of the Jubilee Celebration. James Montgomery, Jubilee coordinator, is standing on the right.

This Week in AG History — August 3, 1969

By Glenn W. Gohr

Originally published on AG News, 1 August 2019

Fifty years ago the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) commemorated its 50^th anniversary with a “Jubilee Celebration,” which involved several different Jubilee rallies throughout Canada held during the spring of 1969.

The closing events included a rally at the Bethel Pentecostal Church in Ottawa on May 17, which started with a large parade representing 15 mission fields supported by the PAOC.  This was a 30-minute pageant with the theme: “Let the Earth Hear His Voice.” Rev. Carman W. Lynn, Executive Director of Overseas Missions highlighted missions work in the PAOC. Robert W. Taitinger, General Superintendent of the PAOC, gave a challenge at the end of the service.

On Sunday, May 18, all executive officials of the PAOC assisted in services in various PAOC churches in the Ottawa area. Rev. C. H. Stiller, General Secretary Treasurer, and Rev. R. M. Argue, Executive Director of Home Missions, each spoke at special Jubilee services at Bethel Pentecostal Church.

The final Jubilee Rally took place at Glebe Collegiate Auditorium in Ottawa on Monday, May 19, Victoria Day. It was attended by some 600 Pentecostals from the two Ottawa congregations as well as about 50 visitors from the Ottawa Valley and other places in Canada and the U.S. Governor General and Mrs. Roland Michener were honored guests for this service. Governor General Michener, the Queen’s vice-regal representative in Canada, gave the Scripture reading from the second chapter of Acts. Rev. Taitinger concluded the program with a dramatic Jubilee declaration with audience participation.

The declaration stated in part: “Recognizing that the year 1969 marks the Jubilee of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada and that the evident hand of God has rested these 50 years upon The Fellowship, we do acknowledge with grateful thanks the goodness and blessing of the Lord and do reaffirm our committed allegiance to the great God for the church in the world today, and our significant place in His purpose.”

Looking back on PAOC history, in 1909 an early attempt was made to create an organization among Canadian Pentecostals, but that did not materialize. About 10 years later, the PAOC was formed in Eastern Canada, receiving its charter on May 17, 1919 in Ottawa, Canada. About this same time, Pentecostals in Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada joined the U.S. Assemblies of God and became what was called the Western Canadian District. By 1925 this district had dissolved and those ministers and churches had joined the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada.

From about 20 congregations in 1919, the PAOC increased to approximately 900 congregations by 1969. Pentecostal work began in Ottawa with a church established by the late R. E. McAlister in 1908 which was one of the congregations that joined the new organization. Toronto and Winnipeg were other early centers of Pentecostalism in Canada. McAlister served as the first general secretary of the PAOC from 1919 to 1932. Because of its close connections with the U.S. Assemblies of God, the PAOC adopted the same statement of fundamental truths which had been approved by the General Council. R. E. McAlister published the Assemblies of God’s statement of fundamental truths in the February 1926 of the Canadian Pentecostal Testimony. The PAOC made changes to their statement of faith in later years.

It is significant that not only was the PAOC chartered in Ottawa, but for its first four years (1919-1922) Ottawa was the national headquarters for the PAOC. Ottawa was also the first location that published the PAOC national magazine, The Pentecostal Testimony (now Testimony magazine). The PAOC International Office is now located in Mississauga, Ontario.

David Wells, current General Superintendent of the PAOC, stated, “In 2019 we move into our centennial year as a Pentecostal Fellowship in Canada. Anniversaries such as a centennial provide an excellent opportunity to reflect on the faithfulness and passion of those who have gone before us and to move into the future with vision, committed to the values that have produced a legacy of fruitfulness.”

Read more about the 50^th anniversary of the PAOC on page 14 of the August 3, 1969 issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “Why God Raised Up the Assemblies of God,” by G. Jeffreys Williamson
• “Good News Crusade in Salisbury, Rhodesia, South Africa”
• “Three Words of Conversion,” by Oswald J. Smith

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

Do you have Pentecostal historical materials that should be preserved? Please consider depositing these materials at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The FPHC, located in the Assemblies of God national offices, is the largest Pentecostal archive in the world. We would like to preserve and make your treasures accessible to those who write the history books.

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA
Phone: 417.862.1447 ext. 4400
Toll Free: 877.840.5200
Email: archives@ag.org
Website: www.iFPHC.org

A. H. Argue: Pentecostal Pioneer in Canada and the United States

This Week in AG History — May 24, 1941

By Ruthie Edgerly Oberg
Originally published on AG News, 23 May 2019

A.H. (Andrew Harvey) Argue (1868-1959) was a pioneering figure in the Pentecostal movement in North America, serving as a pastor and evangelist in Canada and the United States. He also played a significant role in the discussions leading up to the establishment of the Assemblies of God and the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada.

Argue was born near Ottawa, Ontario, in 1868 to a Methodist family. His father moved the family to North Dakota, where Argue was converted in a Salvation Army meeting. In this meeting he also met Eva Phillips, whom he later married. The young couple spent five years farming in North Dakota before moving to Winnipeg, a city that was experiencing an economic boom with the expansion of the Canadian West. Argue and his brothers began a thriving real estate business in Winnipeg that allowed him to be a self-supporting lay evangelist in the Methodist church.

Alongside his Methodist heritage, he received a conviction that personal holiness was integral to the Christian life. Argue also embraced a belief in divine healing through the ministry of A.B. Simpson. While preaching a camp meeting in Thornbury, Ontario, he read a written account of the Pentecostal revival taking place at Azusa Street in Los Angeles, California. He shared it with a colleague at the camp meeting and they both felt that “it could be possible” that God would give the gift of tongues to His people in the last days.

Returning to Winnipeg, Argue began to learn all he could about the new Pentecostal revival. In April 1907 he traveled to Chicago to visit W.H. Durham’s mission. He later described the experience: “I waited on God for 21 days … During this time I had a wonderful vision of Jesus … I was filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gave utterance.”

Argue began to share his testimony of Spirit baptism when he arrived home in Winnipeg. Upon hearing of Argue’s experience, people began to come to him and say, “we have walked with God for years , but your testimony has made us realize there is more for us. Where can we tarry for this deeper experience?” He and Eva immediately began opening their home for “tarrying meetings” — a time devoted to waiting on God. These meetings grew into ever larger quarters until the first Pentecostal church in Winnipeg was formed.

Argue sold his real estate business and invested the proceeds in income-producing ventures which allowed him the financial freedom to travel for ministry. From this beginning he quickly launched out into the evangelistic circuit. He devoted the rest of his life to the Pentecostal ministry in all parts of Canada and much of the United States. Thousands were saved, healed, and baptized in the Holy Spirit through His powerful preaching and praying. Due to his wise investments, he was often able to return the offerings he received as an evangelist back to the local church.

Argue wrote more than 40 articles for the Pentecostal Evangel from 1914 to 1959. In one of his articles, published in the May 24, 1941, issue, he answered the question of what he would do “if I had only one hour to live.” He stated, “my parting counsel would be: walk with God.” Using the examples of Enoch, Noah, and Elijah who “walked with God,” Argue said that these three men experienced protection and guidance as to what to do during difficult times due to their walk with God. He also encouraged the Evangel readers to “walk softly” with both God and man, walking in gentle holiness before God Himself and walking with graciousness toward others.

Argue lived into his nineties, dying in 1959. He and Eva were blessed with seven children, although the eldest died at four years of age. They lived to see the others saved, baptized in the Holy Spirit, and used in ministry. His grandson, Don Argue, served as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and was president of North Central University and Northwest University.

Read more of Argue’s article on page 5 of the May 24, 1941, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “My God Shall Supply All Your Need,” by Marie Burgess Brown

• “A Light for the Blackout,” by Margaret Ann Bass

• “Liberian Christmas Convention,” by A.J. Princic

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

Do you have Pentecostal historical materials that should be preserved? Please consider depositing these materials at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC). The FPHC, located in the Assemblies of God national offices, is the largest Pentecostal archive in the world. We would like to preserve and make your treasures accessible to those who write the history books.

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA
Phone: 417.862.1447 ext. 4400
Toll Free: 877.840.5200
Email: archives@ag.org
Website: http://www.iFPHC.org

Review : Frank Bursey Biography

Morgan, Calvin E. The Skipper: Remembering Pastor Frank “FG” Bursey. Belleville, Ontario, Canada: Essence Publishing, 2013.

“Few figures in the history of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Newfoundland and Labrador loom larger than F. G. Bursey.  He was a man of unwavering commitment to the cause of evangelism and church planting.  For the first time, his life and ministry are now being told for future generations.  Cal Morgan has made a lasting contribution to the history of Pentecostalism in his home province and is to be commended for his careful and patient research into the life of a man whose legacy lives on.”
–Rev. Ewen Butler, Pastor, Church on the Hill, Cobourg, Ontario

Paperback, 260 pages. $20.99 retail. Order from: Essence Publishing.

The Apostolic Messenger (Winnipeg, Canada)

A. H. Argue

The FPHC now has The Apostolic Messenger (Winnipeg, Canada), an early and very rare Canadian periodical published by Andrew H. Argue, digitally available online: http://bit.ly/ApostolicMessenger

Please let us know if you have any copies of The Apostolic Messenger (Winnipeg, Canada) to preserve!