Who was Harry Morse ?

[Scott Pitta]

Mark Eatman pastored the Revival Center after Harry Morse retired. This would have been around 1962. Time to start figuring out who he was.

Looks like John Opperman was also a pastor there.

[Scott Pitta]

DCO Opperman was an early Pentecostal leader. One of his sons, John Mark Opperman was a student of Harry Morse. He was an assistant pastor to Harry Morse, but I am not sure when.

He pastored the Roseville Gospel Tabernacle from around 1967-1974.

The Opperman family was based in Fresno and Oakland. His brother was an AOG minister. This connection between Oakland and Fresno is significant. There was a Oneness Bible school in both towns. Toss in the one in Stockton and we have a a trio of Oneness Pentecostal ministerial training schools. All 3 missions had a history in the Peniel Mission.

I do not completely understand the connection between the 3 churches.

John Opperman was married twice but never had children. Another victim of the "social purity" doctrine ??

[Scott Pitta]

Oops. John and Alice had a son. Now to find him and see if he will do an interview.

The hunt is on

[Scott Pitta]

Playing phone tag for one Opperman interview and had a wonderful chat with Euell Watts.

Margaret Peden and Ella Andrews were 2 women ministers who immigrated from Manitoba to California around 1926. They evangelized down to Oakland and preached and sang for Harry Morse at the Big Downtown Mission in 1927. Frank Bartleman was also part of that 2 week revival.

They ended up in Pasadena, where they founded the Good News Temple. Eden pastored there until her death in 1937.

David Gray became the pastor after Peden in 1940. He renamed the church Immanuel Missionary Assembly. In 1943, Clyde Haney succeeds his cousin and renames the church Pentecostal Assembly in Christ.

Skip to 1955 and we have the Assembly in Christ pastored by Edgar Langford.
Pastors Honeycutt and Mason pastored sometime before Silvernale.

Skip to 1962 and James Silvernale begins his pastorate and remains there until at least 1973.

1973-1977 Francis Mason was pastor.


1978 Euell Watts becomes pastor.

Harry Morse knew Peden and Andrews, for they preached in his church. When Pastor Peden passed away, Morse must have learned about it and sent one of his recent students, David Gray down there to be the new pastor. Haney, another Morse student, pastored after Gray.

[Scott Pitta]

We all see through a glass darkly, especially so when looking back 100 years.

Yes, that's right. About to go insane.

Fred A. Scott pastored the Apostolic Faith Assembly in Santa Rosa in 1913. The very next year it is pastored by PM Stokely.

Scott was Oneness. Stokely was not. Wait a minute. 1913. All pastors were trinitarian. All right. Maybe I am not going crazy.

Fred A. Scott became Oneness. Stokely remained in the AOG.

Now to call that lady from Santa Rosa with all the pictures from the old days.

The son of John Mark Opperman did not have any documents or pictures from when his dad was a student in Oakland.

Fred Scott assisted Harry Morse found the mission in Oakland in 1915.

PM Stokely was ordained by DCO Opperman.

The hunt is on.

[Godsdrummer]

Originally Posted by Scott Pitta

Playing phone tag for one Opperman interview and had a wonderful chat with Euell Watts.

Margaret Peden and Ella Andrews were 2 women ministers who immigrated from Manitoba to California around 1926. They evangelized down to Oakland and preached and sang for Harry Morse at the Big Downtown Mission in 1927. Frank Bartleman was also part of that 2 week revival.

They ended up in Pasadena, where they founded the Good News Temple. Eden pastored there until her death in 1937.

David Gray became the pastor after Peden in 1940. He renamed the church Immanuel Missionary Assembly. In 1943, Clyde Haney succeeds his cousin and renames the church Pentecostal Assembly in Christ.

Skip to 1955 and we have the Assembly in Christ pastored by Edgar Langford.
Pastors Honeycutt and Mason pastored sometime before Silvernale.

Skip to 1962 and James Silvernale begins his pastorate and remains there until at least 1973.

1973-1977 Francis Mason was pastor.


1978 Euell Watts becomes pastor.

Harry Morse knew Peden and Andrews, for they preached in his church. When Pastor Peden passed away, Morse must have learned about it and sent one of his recent students, David Gray down there to be the new pastor. Haney, another Morse student, pastored after Gray.

Scott Don't know how this falls into the scope of things for you, but would Franics Mason have any back ground info that might help. I know he was in California for years before moving to Washington in the late 70's. Must have been right after he left the pastorate.

[Scott Pitta]

Is he still on this side of Heaven ? I would love to chat with him.

Thanks

[Godsdrummer]

Originally Posted by Scott Pitta

Is he still on this side of Heaven ? I would love to chat with him.

Thanks

Very much so! He pastors a church in Vancouver B.C. Just saw him last year when he came to Kennewick to speak for B.J. Hurst memorial service. Not sure his contact info. but I know Gary Blaylock in the North Seattle area would know how to contact him. They are both still in UPCI.

[Scott Pitta]

I just sent him an email.

Thanks

[Scott Pitta]

New material came in today. It was an article Harry Morse wrote when he lived in Boise, Idaho. The date is 1914.

I will reread it a few times and think it over. In it Morse give his opinion of the Azusa Street services. He distances himself from the "Holy Rollers". He describes his work at the San Pedro mission. This San Pedro part is important to me. There was a San Pedro mission not far from the other Pentecostal missions downtown. There is also the city of San Pedro near Long Beach. This article indicates his mission was in San Pedro.

Which mean, I need to see if that mission is still in business.

The other people I am writing about are not listed in the index. Too bad.

But I'll take all the Morse articles I can get my hands on.

The Book is titles "The True Believers Part 2" edited by Larry Martin.