Who was Harry Morse ?

[Scott Pitta]

1919 member of PAW

1926 member of Pentecostal Missionary Alliance

1938 resigns as foreign missions director of Pentecostal church Inc

1945 UPC began. Morse has article in the Pentecostal Herald in 1945 and in 1947

[Scott Pitta]

Oakland Tribune Sept 28, 1927

Reports that a bible college will be opened here by followers of Amee McPherson within the next few months were verified today by the Rev. W H Pope, pastor of the McPherson church here. Arrangements for dormitory accommodations have been made and ground for the college building will be next spring, it is said. Besides bible instruction teacher training and evangelistic work courses in music and public speaking are reported to be included in the plans.

The Rev. John Goeben, Aimee's local representative left yesterday for Los Angeles to complete plans for a visit here by Mrs. McPherson.

[Scott Pitta]

Oakland Tribune June 6 1926

Arvilla Atkins, Edith W Barber, Alice E Farr, Aureola L Hammond, Ruth A Jessup, and Sara Miles will be graduating tomorrow night from the Christian Training Association Teachers College in the Friends church, Berkeley. Rev. I Irvin Overholtzer will preside. Rev. C A Mott and Rev. W B Gillespie will offer the prayers.

A workers conference will be held Tuesday and Wednesday in the church by staff workers from the various cities where the association is conducting its weekly Bible classes.

[Scott Pitta]

Oakland Tribune March 24, 1924

Dr. E W Kenyon of Boston, Bible teacher and lecturer, is looking about the Eastbay district for an adequate location for his contemplated Bible college. According to Dr. Kenyon's announcement he plans a college for the Pacific coast to carry on the work already under way in the Boston Bible college he founded. Recently Dr. Kenyon has been lecturing at Grace tabernacle.

[Scott Pitta]

Oakland Tribune December 19, 1936

There will be a Christmas program next Wednesday at 8 p.m. at the Big Downtown Mission, at 9th and Broadway, according to the pastor, Harry Morse, who with Mrs. Morse has been in charge of the mission for the last 20 years.

Says the pastor: Young workers are still being trained for both the home and foreign fields. These young workers are a big asset in the regular nightly meetings. Meetings are held every night except Monday night.

[Scott Pitta]

Oakland Tribune December 28, 1929

Beginning tonight, Evangelist William Popo will open a revival campaign at the big Downtown Mission, 9th and Broadway. He will be assisted by the Clark Singers, who have made an excellent impression wherever heard.

Evangelist Popo comes recently from Pomona, where he was pastor of the Four Square Gospel tabernacle.

His first appearance in Oakland was in the late revival campaign at the East Oakland wooden tabernacle.

[Scott Pitta]

What motivated Harry Morse to start the Pentecostal Training School?

Morse did not attend college anywhere. So why was he not "anti intellectual" like so many Pentecostals were ?

There were many colleges in California and in the bay area where he pastored.

Besides the new Catholic seminary, there was the San Franscisco Bible College (1914). Amiee McPherson considered starting a college in Oakland in 1930. Other colleges mentioned in the Oakland Tribune were the Calif. Bible College (1940), Southern Cali. Bible College (1940), Pacific Bible College (1949), Western Baptist Bible College (1949) and Columbia Bible College (1941).

Other local churches in Oakland had in house night school for training of ministers. Additionally, Vacation Bible Schools were more in depth and were more common in the bay area.

Did this academic culture motivate Morse to provide ministerial training in his own church ? Or did other factors motivate him ? Who was Ruby Martin ? Why was Morse so open to women in ministry as to allow her, and not some other minister, to teach the students ?

[Steve Epley]

Originally Posted by Scott Pitta

What motivated Harry Morse to start the Pentecostal Training School?

Morse did not attend college anywhere. So why was he not "anti intellectual" like so many Pentecostals were ?

There were many colleges in California and in the bay area where he pastored.

Besides the new Catholic seminary, there was the San Franscisco Bible College (1914). Amiee McPherson considered starting a college in Oakland in 1930. Other colleges mentioned in the Oakland Tribune were the Calif. Bible College (1940), Southern Cali. Bible College (1940), Pacific Bible College (1949), Western Baptist Bible College (1949) and Columbia Bible College (1941).

Other local churches in Oakland had in house night school for training of ministers. Additionally, Vacation Bible Schools were more in depth and were more common in the bay area.

Did this academic culture motivate Morse to provide ministerial training in his own church ? Or did other factors motivate him ? Who was Ruby Martin ? Why was Morse so open to women in ministry as to allow her, and not some other minister, to teach the students ?

Both Parham and Seymour's wives were preachers. The "holiness" movement from which both came out of had many women preachers.

[Scott Pitta]

Did Harry Morse teach the "social purity" doctrine ? Is that why he and Maude had no children ? What else did he believe ? What did he not believe ?

Did he never change his beliefs ? People have a habit of changing their mind about doctrine. How do I track what he believed and how long did he believe it ? Did he always follow the social purity doctrine ?

Morse has a missions report in the 1946 edition of the Pentecostal Herald. Why did he not stay in the UPC ??

He was in the PAW, then the Pentecostal Missionary Alliance. That group became the PCI. He was the foreign missions director in 1938 (PCI) Then he was in the UPC at the merger. What was he in after that ? His obit states he was a member of the International Ministers Association. What is that ?

Morse was at Azuza Street, Arroyo Seco and was a lifelong Pentecostal. Why is there no biography of him anywhere ?

What am I missing ?

[Steve Epley]

If he joined the IMA then he was influenced by the "latter rain movement." Vanhoose, Kidson, Coots, Moore helped form the IMA all were influenced by the latter rain movement whose emphasis was on spiritual gifts and healing and minimized the importance of doctrine. They all baptized in Jesus name. All had been part of the PCI before the merger. Also Raymond Houstra the former pastor of Calvary Tabernacle in Indianapolis.