41. The Beginnings of Jennie Gheer’s Bible-womenJennie Margaret Gheer is remembered as the founder of Fukuoka Jo Gakuin. But she was more than a school principal. She was an evangelist - a pioneer who blazed the Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ throughout Kiushiu (Kyushu). Her mission was to train an army of women evangelists who would take this gospel to their fellow countrywomen and children. She called them “Bible-women.” It was because of the segregated roles of men and women in the nineteenth century that women were regarded as the best choice for reaching other women and children with the Gospel. Gheer states, “... if the women are taught about the true God, that teaching must be done entirely by women.”1 There are stories of Bible-women in other mission fields, however none have been so detailed as the stories told by Gheer.2 Through the archive of annual conference reports Gheer penned the stories of Bible-women and their exploits. This paper will tell of what they accomplished together for the Lord Jesus Christ under the direction of Missionary Gheer. 2. Bible-women were converts of ChristianityThe Bible-women were converts of Christianity who made their life’s work about telling others of His great salvation. In order to raise up women evangelists for a great harvest of souls, Gheer was in charge of the establishment of a Biblical department on both campuses: Nagasaki and Fukuoka. She writes of their mission:We look upon the five or six millions of Kiushiu’s benighted ones, and find among them, those who have found Jesus, and they are telling others of the great salvation. Their numbers are small, and they are often regarded with pity, contempt and even hated by those around them, yet their faith fails not, nor do they count their lives dear unto themselves. But look more closely at them, are they all men? No; among them is a little band of devoted women, taking their places in the conflict between life and death. Simply, quietly, faithfully they do their work, and though we hear no cries of victory from them, nor shouts of approval from the multitudes around them, yet, methinks, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God” as they behold one soul, and another led to the Savior.3 On November 17, 1884, Gheer describes, “Our First Bible-Woman in Nagasaki”, O Saki San, in Heathen Woman’s Friend. 4Almost two years ago, when so many of our girls were converted, she was among the first converts. I shall never forget her experience as she told it to us. There had been during the week an unusual interest among the girls on the subject of religion; they had been holding prayer-meetings, and making inquiries as to the way. On Sunday afternoon O Saki San and one of the girls came into our Sunday class with faces showing the peace and joy they felt. When she was asked to speak, she rose with her face aglow, and told in a simple, childlike way how she had felt herself a sinner, and had asked God to pardon her, and how He had, when she asked, forgiven all her sins. There was no excitement about her, but I do not think I ever saw before such a childlike trust in God. From that time she has been a faithful Christian, studying carefully God’s word, and trying to teach others when opportunity offered.... Since September she has been employed as a Bible-woman, studying in the morning and visiting in the afternoon.... She is now my “right-hand” helper...5In June 1888 five women, including O Saki San, graduated from the Biblical Department’s 4-year Bible Training course.Pioneer class graduation(From the left, Haru Shibata, Saki Oshima, Masa Inoue, Toku Kawakubo, Hatsune Okashima (Okajima) Kwassui Gakuin Collection“Send Forth Reapers!” Gheer’s Bible-Women in Meiji JapanStella Millikan“Send Forth Reapers!” Gheer’s Bible-Women in Meiji Japan
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