Читать книгу Martha Ruth, Preacher's Daughter: Her Journey Through Religion, Sex and Love - Marti Eicholz - Страница 3

World War I had ended.

This was a great time to live in Indiana and to call yourself a Hoosier.

But nothing stays the same, and all was about to change for Indiana.

The stock market crashed in 1929, leading to the Great Depression.

Unemployment and poverty became things everyone shared.

Clifford and Imogene Hertel moved with their children from Ohio to Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Children: Mildred, James, Dale, and Velma.

Clifford could get off the farm. He got a job on the railroad. Imogene found work in the big city, cooking and baking for local restaurants. It was important that their family connect with the Society of Friends for spiritual growth. Their message declared that salvation is a personal matter between the individual and God. No human mediator or outward ordinance is necessary to encounter the Living God. They championed nonviolence, social justice, and simplicity of living.

James William was the second child of Clifford and Imogene. James was an active child, selling newspapers on the street corners, showing leadership skills in school and after-school activities, and winning academic awards; and as a young man, he delved into his spiritual side, participating actively in the Friends Movement.

Leaning toward religious pursuits, he was a natural for the nearby academy started by the Society of Friends to educate young people in a Christian atmosphere. In May 1911, William M. Smith founded the Westfield Union Bible Seminary. The mission was to train men and women in the Word of God. They believed that God created every person to fulfill a unique ministry, and the academy and the seminary were to provide the knowledge and experiences to find and prepare for that ministry. James enrolled at the Westfield Union Bible Seminary to study for the ministry.

Olas and Edna “Doll” Hine lived in Lebanon, Indiana.

They had four children: Robert, Martha, Juanita, and Barbara.

Martha’s intention and desire were to become a nurse, but her father thought such a profession was not worthy of her religious, high-standard, moral upbringing. The Hine family was part of the revival of scriptural holiness that had swept across various denominations.

The Hine family was instrumental in building the Lebanon, Indiana, church.

It was decided that Martha would attend the Union Bible Seminary at Westfield, Indiana, to prepare for God’s work.

James and Martha met at Westfield.

Martha knew at first sight that James was the man she wished to marry. One day, he saved a seat for her in one of their classes, and that is all it took for them to become a couple.