Galena, Kansas

 The Arthur Home

Sarah Parham wrote, "We came to Galena, Kansas in the fall of 1903, and immediately began holding meetings in the Arthur home at 311 Galena, Street. Though a large and commodious home, it soon proved to be too small to accomodate the crowds of hungry people who came to hear the message of the Full Gospel, which brother Parham had brought to them".

On the left is the exterior of the Arthur home, on the right is the living room where Parham preached in the fall of 1903.

As the crowds outgrew the Arthur home, more room was needed to accomodate the throngs of hungry people who came to hear the message of the apostolic faith. Therefore, a large tent was erected on a vacant lot adjacent to the Arthur home, and the revival continued until after Thanksgiving. As cold weather approached, the "Grand Leader" building, an immense double store-room was used to continue the meetings. Though the building would accomodate one thousand people, the doors were many times thrown open as the crowds overflowed into the streets.

Two meetings were held each day, and the entire city of Galena, with a population in 1903, reaching somewhere in the vicinity of 80,000 was greatly moved. Large numbers came from surrounding towns, and God stretched forth His hand to heal by the hundreds, and many "signs and wonders" were wrought. Hundreds were converted, and filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Apostolic Faith Mission, in Galena, Kansas (1907)

As we continue to view Charles F. Parham from a religious perspective, not only was he an apostolic preacher, but he was also the key figure in the development of many of the customs and doctrines that are still being taught in the 21st century Apostolic Movement. For several years, Parham was the Projector of the entire Apostolic Faith Movement. He was solely dependant on his own revelations concerning the virtues of God's Word. Parham was a genius when it came to interpreting some of the issues that remain prevelant to this day. He had an early insight concerning the virtues of water baptism. What he saw in light of the Scriptures was truly Apostolic in origin. He rejected the triune baptismal formula of dipping a person three times, once for each person of the Trinity. Instead, (as has been stated earlier) he taught that baptism should be done by immersion, one time in the name of Jesus Christ.