John Rutherford Spence was born in 1880, in Roxburghshire, Scotland, to William and Elizabeth Spence.Rutherford was his mother's surname. His father was a gardener in domestic service.
At age 21John was serving as a lawyer's apprentice.
He travelled to Canada, obtained Canadian nationality, found faith in the Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church, and trained for ministry and missionary work in China. His name appeared in the AOG Directory of Ministers in 1918.
In 1920 at the age of 40, he was in Sainam(Xinan)in Guangdong, China, doing two years of language study prior to entering the mission field.
While he was on language study, he met Phoebe Holmes, an American from Michigan, USA.She had been in China since 1910 doing evangelistic work and sharing the gospel message in villages.Born in Michigan in 1891, she came to faith in her teens through the Salvation Army.She felt a calling to China and went out to begin operating in Waang Kong, northwest of Canton, evangelising villages in a 15 mile radius. In 1920, she too was in Sainam helping in the evangelistic meetings there. The average attendance at meetings was 600.
It seems that John Rutherford Spence and Phoebe Holmes may have married in China circa 1921.Chinese marriage and feasting at that time was an expensive matter and couples often went into a lifetime of debt after their marriages.Rutherford Spence and Phoebe resolved theirs should be a simple celebration.Afterwards they rented a house in Canton for some months while Rutherford Spence attended language school there.
In August 1922, their first child was born to them while on vacation in Macau, a daughter, Margaret Blanche.
They were then asked to go further inland and take over the work at Waitsap (Huaiji). They were also responsible for Leung Tsuen, 18 miles away. With so many stations, they couldn’t do them all justice, with all the meetings, conversions and baptisms.In 6 months they sold over 20,000 gospels.
These were times of Communist civil unrest in the years preceding the Canton Uprising (1927), and the Spences at one point had to be rescued and taken downriver to safety when Waitsap was surrounded by hostile forces.
In 1924 they left Waitsap and went to Sainam, 30 miles north-west of Canton. There Rev Rutherford Spence took over the superintending of the Assemblies of God work in South China.The work was large and exacting, including as it did the running of the Missionary Home and the work of secretary and treasurer.
Phoebe took over the running of the Missionary Home along with her little one.Little Margaret had an amah, Ah Luk, looking after her.The family got their supplies from Canton.With the large work at Sainam, at any time there were several missionaries staying in the Home, some of them studying language, others passing through.
Rev Rutherford Spence was often away from home, going round the different stations holding meetings, baptising candidates and dispensing the Lord’s supper.
In 1924Phoebe was expecting another child and went home on furlough.A second daughter, Ellen Jean, was born in Michigan, USA.Phoebe moved to Flint with the 2 girls to be with her parents.
Not one to be idle, she ministered in church services in Flint, then crossed into Canada and went from coast to coast speaking at missionary conventions.As had happened in China, scores of young people came to faith under her ministry.
After 10 months on his own in China, Rutherford Spence came home on furlough on the Empress of Australia in March 1925 to a happy reunion in Flint.The conventions continued to make huge demands on Phoebe.
In January 1927,Rev Rutherford Spence felt it necessary for him to return to China.In his absence the Communists had taken over Canton and for three days there had been carnage in the city.Fellow AOG missionary John Perdue had sent photos of the shocking scenes.Although Communism was routed, no one dreamed that in 22 years it would rule supreme in China.
Back in Canada, Phoebe’s health broke down under the punishing schedule while she was visiting friends in Chicago.From then on she had a battle with asthma, which was to take her life in the next 10 years.
Concerned for his wife, in April 1927, Rutherford Spence returned from Hong Kong to Canada on the Empress of Canada to take a pastorate at home while she recovered, and the family settled in Gilbert Plains, Manitoba, Northern Canada.Revival had broken out there and it continued under his ministry.During their two years there, 150 were saved and baptised, of which 14 were to serve in the mission field.Others became leaders in Pentecostal ministry in Canada.
In April 1928, a third daughter, Patricia Holmes was born.
In Gilbert Plains, Phoebe kept open house, and young people made it a second home.There was a weekly street service attracting hundreds, plus a programme of varied activities from walks to special meals.
Rev Rutherford Spence was often away on missionary conventions, but Phoebe carried on regardless.
Her health improved enough for the Spences to return to China in 1929.
Back in Sainam, Phoebe took charge again of the Missionary House and Rev Rutherford Spence was appointed District Evangelist.After three years they moved to Sz Wui (Sihui)and rented a house there, using the ground floor as a chapel for their meetings.Their home soon filled with new believers, but Phoebe became ill again and she contracted pneumonia.She was sent to the mountains of Yunnan.Kunming, the capital, is 7000 ft above sea level and 900 miles inland and the gateway to Tibet.Here Phoebe recovered wonderfully, only to relapse on her return.
Her main ministry changed to became one of intercession and she prayed during the long nights when she couldn’t sleep.Once more she went to Yunnan with her Bible woman.She also spent some time in Hong Kong.All this travelling was very expensive and the Spences relatively poor, but time and time again, they found their needs were met through generous individuals they encountered or supporters from home.
A third visit was made to Yunnan, this time by both the Spences.The cooler air there worked wonders again, they rented a house and they soon made contacts and friends.They held meetings and Sunday School and ministered to children, adults and students.
War was now raging. Rev Rutherford Spence left for Hong Kong to meet Margaret who had just graduated from the China Inland Mission School at Chefoo*(1938?).As he said goodbye to Phoebe, he didn’t know he was not to see her again.
At this point he was recalled to Canada by Headquarters.A convert, Ah Lau, at risk to his own life, took him through Japanese lines to Macau and Hong Kong.
Margaret went to Kunming for a special time with her mother, who was ever busy preaching and entertaining visitors.
At this point, Phoebe’s health finally gave out. She died in Kunming while Rutherford Spence was in Canada.Her last words were in Cantonese.She was in her early 40s.
Writing of her later, Rutherford Spence said she was ‘a good wife, a splendid mother, a joyous Christian, a real prayer warrior.’Hundreds had been brought to faith through her teaching in China, America and Canada.
After this Rutherford Spence returned to China to carry on the work alone in Sz Wui up to 1941.He was 61.
In December of that year when the Japanese invaded Hong Kong, he was captured and interned in Stanley Camp.
In September 1943, when there was an exchange of prisoners with the Japanese, he was repatriated to Canada, sailing on the Teia Maru and the Gripsholm.
Circa 1945 he made a second marriage to Florence Sanders.She was born in Gilbert Plains, so he may have known her from his time there in the 20s.
In 1948 he took part in a mission to Hong Kong to assist the churches there. The AOG had two small chapels. A tent was pitched in Mon Kok, Kowloon and a series of meetings held, with attendances of 1000 plus. Rev Rutherford Spence and Pastor Yeung preached and many came to faith.
In 1949 he gave the eulogy at the funeral of close friend Dr Harry Lechmere Cliftin Hong Kong.He may have been living there at the time.
In 1952Florence secured a teaching job in Hong Kong at the Ecclesia Bible Institute, which lasted to at least 1955.
Then followed retirement to Canada. In 1972, Rutherford Spence was 91 and the Spences were living in New Westminster, in British Columbia.
John Rutherford Spence died here in 1976, aged 95.
*JRS observed that one of the crosses that missionaries had to bear was that, because there were no schools inland, their children had to go away to boarding school.
I had to do a study of JRS because he delivered the eulogy at the funeral of Harry Lechmere Clift, signifying a clear friendship.It proved a challenging task as the only information on him was a timeline on Wikitree and info on Ancestry etc.There seem to be no online written accounts. Brian Edgar's links above have expired. In the end JRS's own writings in the online Pentecostal publications Pentecostal Evangel, Gospel Gleaners, and Latter Rain Evangel proved most useful, and in particular, a serialisation of In Perils Oft in China, his account of his first wife’s life work.After her death c 1940, my narrative wears a bit thin. The narrative is also lacking in respect to his early years in Canada, 1900-1920. Also why he was in Hong Kong in 1941 when the Japanese invaded, is a bit of a mystery.Another question mark is his friendship with Harry Clift, sufficient for him to speak at his funeral, as, apart from their time together in Stanley Camp in 1942, their life paths don’t seem to cross.
Comments
John Rutherford Spence was
John Rutherford Spence was born on October 10th, 1880 in Denholm, Scotland.
At some point he acquired Canadian nationality. Morris Cohen - who he lent money to in Stanley - describes him as from Winnipeg.
He was a missionary with the Pentecostal Church: judging from this article, he was based in Hong Kong with responsibility for south China:
1939_01.pdf
He was repatriated with the other Canadians in September 1943.
He died on May 12th, 1976 in new Westminster, B. C., Canada.
Source:
Spence-3160
JRS Overview
John Rutherford Spence was born in 1880, in Roxburghshire, Scotland, to William and Elizabeth Spence. Rutherford was his mother's surname. His father was a gardener in domestic service.
At age 21 John was serving as a lawyer's apprentice.
He travelled to Canada, obtained Canadian nationality, found faith in the Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church, and trained for ministry and missionary work in China. His name appeared in the AOG Directory of Ministers in 1918.
In 1920 at the age of 40, he was in Sainam (Xinan)in Guangdong, China, doing two years of language study prior to entering the mission field.
While he was on language study, he met Phoebe Holmes, an American from Michigan, USA. She had been in China since 1910 doing evangelistic work and sharing the gospel message in villages. Born in Michigan in 1891, she came to faith in her teens through the Salvation Army. She felt a calling to China and went out to begin operating in Waang Kong, northwest of Canton, evangelising villages in a 15 mile radius. In 1920, she too was in Sainam helping in the evangelistic meetings there. The average attendance at meetings was 600.
It seems that John Rutherford Spence and Phoebe Holmes may have married in China circa 1921. Chinese marriage and feasting at that time was an expensive matter and couples often went into a lifetime of debt after their marriages. Rutherford Spence and Phoebe resolved theirs should be a simple celebration. Afterwards they rented a house in Canton for some months while Rutherford Spence attended language school there.
In August 1922, their first child was born to them while on vacation in Macau, a daughter, Margaret Blanche.
They were then asked to go further inland and take over the work at Waitsap (Huaiji). They were also responsible for Leung Tsuen, 18 miles away. With so many stations, they couldn’t do them all justice, with all the meetings, conversions and baptisms. In 6 months they sold over 20,000 gospels.
These were times of Communist civil unrest in the years preceding the Canton Uprising (1927), and the Spences at one point had to be rescued and taken downriver to safety when Waitsap was surrounded by hostile forces.
In 1924 they left Waitsap and went to Sainam, 30 miles north-west of Canton. There Rev Rutherford Spence took over the superintending of the Assemblies of God work in South China. The work was large and exacting, including as it did the running of the Missionary Home and the work of secretary and treasurer.
Phoebe took over the running of the Missionary Home along with her little one. Little Margaret had an amah, Ah Luk, looking after her. The family got their supplies from Canton. With the large work at Sainam, at any time there were several missionaries staying in the Home, some of them studying language, others passing through.
Rev Rutherford Spence was often away from home, going round the different stations holding meetings, baptising candidates and dispensing the Lord’s supper.
In 1924 Phoebe was expecting another child and went home on furlough. A second daughter, Ellen Jean, was born in Michigan, USA. Phoebe moved to Flint with the 2 girls to be with her parents.
Not one to be idle, she ministered in church services in Flint, then crossed into Canada and went from coast to coast speaking at missionary conventions. As had happened in China, scores of young people came to faith under her ministry.
After 10 months on his own in China, Rutherford Spence came home on furlough on the Empress of Australia in March 1925 to a happy reunion in Flint. The conventions continued to make huge demands on Phoebe.
In January 1927, Rev Rutherford Spence felt it necessary for him to return to China. In his absence the Communists had taken over Canton and for three days there had been carnage in the city. Fellow AOG missionary John Perdue had sent photos of the shocking scenes. Although Communism was routed, no one dreamed that in 22 years it would rule supreme in China.
Back in Canada, Phoebe’s health broke down under the punishing schedule while she was visiting friends in Chicago. From then on she had a battle with asthma, which was to take her life in the next 10 years.
Concerned for his wife, in April 1927, Rutherford Spence returned from Hong Kong to Canada on the Empress of Canada to take a pastorate at home while she recovered, and the family settled in Gilbert Plains, Manitoba, Northern Canada. Revival had broken out there and it continued under his ministry. During their two years there, 150 were saved and baptised, of which 14 were to serve in the mission field. Others became leaders in Pentecostal ministry in Canada.
In April 1928, a third daughter, Patricia Holmes was born.
In Gilbert Plains, Phoebe kept open house, and young people made it a second home. There was a weekly street service attracting hundreds, plus a programme of varied activities from walks to special meals.
Rev Rutherford Spence was often away on missionary conventions, but Phoebe carried on regardless.
Her health improved enough for the Spences to return to China in 1929.
Back in Sainam, Phoebe took charge again of the Missionary House and Rev Rutherford Spence was appointed District Evangelist. After three years they moved to Sz Wui (Sihui)and rented a house there, using the ground floor as a chapel for their meetings. Their home soon filled with new believers, but Phoebe became ill again and she contracted pneumonia. She was sent to the mountains of Yunnan. Kunming, the capital, is 7000 ft above sea level and 900 miles inland and the gateway to Tibet. Here Phoebe recovered wonderfully, only to relapse on her return.
Her main ministry changed to became one of intercession and she prayed during the long nights when she couldn’t sleep. Once more she went to Yunnan with her Bible woman. She also spent some time in Hong Kong. All this travelling was very expensive and the Spences relatively poor, but time and time again, they found their needs were met through generous individuals they encountered or supporters from home.
A third visit was made to Yunnan, this time by both the Spences. The cooler air there worked wonders again, they rented a house and they soon made contacts and friends. They held meetings and Sunday School and ministered to children, adults and students.
War was now raging. Rev Rutherford Spence left for Hong Kong to meet Margaret who had just graduated from the China Inland Mission School at Chefoo* (1938?). As he said goodbye to Phoebe, he didn’t know he was not to see her again.
At this point he was recalled to Canada by Headquarters. A convert, Ah Lau, at risk to his own life, took him through Japanese lines to Macau and Hong Kong.
Margaret went to Kunming for a special time with her mother, who was ever busy preaching and entertaining visitors.
At this point, Phoebe’s health finally gave out. She died in Kunming while Rutherford Spence was in Canada. Her last words were in Cantonese. She was in her early 40s.
Writing of her later, Rutherford Spence said she was ‘a good wife, a splendid mother, a joyous Christian, a real prayer warrior.’ Hundreds had been brought to faith through her teaching in China, America and Canada.
After this Rutherford Spence returned to China to carry on the work alone in Sz Wui up to 1941. He was 61.
In December of that year when the Japanese invaded Hong Kong, he was captured and interned in Stanley Camp.
In September 1943, when there was an exchange of prisoners with the Japanese, he was repatriated to Canada, sailing on the Teia Maru and the Gripsholm.
Circa 1945 he made a second marriage to Florence Sanders. She was born in Gilbert Plains, so he may have known her from his time there in the 20s.
In 1948 he took part in a mission to Hong Kong to assist the churches there. The AOG had two small chapels. A tent was pitched in Mon Kok, Kowloon and a series of meetings held, with attendances of 1000 plus. Rev Rutherford Spence and Pastor Yeung preached and many came to faith.
In 1949 he gave the eulogy at the funeral of close friend Dr Harry Lechmere Clift in Hong Kong. He may have been living there at the time.
In 1952 Florence secured a teaching job in Hong Kong at the Ecclesia Bible Institute, which lasted to at least 1955.
Then followed retirement to Canada. In 1972, Rutherford Spence was 91 and the Spences were living in New Westminster, in British Columbia.
John Rutherford Spence died here in 1976, aged 95.
*JRS observed that one of the crosses that missionaries had to bear was that, because there were no schools inland, their children had to go away to boarding school.
Sources:
Wikitree
Consortium of Pentecostal Archives
Flower Pentecostal Heritage Centre
I had to do a study of JRS because he delivered the eulogy at the funeral of Harry Lechmere Clift, signifying a clear friendship. It proved a challenging task as the only information on him was a timeline on Wikitree and info on Ancestry etc. There seem to be no online written accounts. Brian Edgar's links above have expired. In the end JRS's own writings in the online Pentecostal publications Pentecostal Evangel, Gospel Gleaners, and Latter Rain Evangel proved most useful, and in particular, a serialisation of In Perils Oft in China, his account of his first wife’s life work. After her death c 1940, my narrative wears a bit thin. The narrative is also lacking in respect to his early years in Canada, 1900-1920. Also why he was in Hong Kong in 1941 when the Japanese invaded, is a bit of a mystery. Another question mark is his friendship with Harry Clift, sufficient for him to speak at his funeral, as, apart from their time together in Stanley Camp in 1942, their life paths don’t seem to cross.