ON THIS DAY (November 2): Mattie E. Perry dies in South Carolina

She was the preacher who prayed for F.F. Bosworth's healing

By Roscoe Barnes III, PhD
Author, F.F. Bosworth: The Man Behind "Christ the Healer"
Copyright (c) 2019

#FFBosworth
#MattieEPerry
#OnThisDay

Evangelist Mattie E. Perry
(1868 - 1957)

On Nov. 2, 1957, Evangelist Mattie Elmina Perry, the woman who prayed for F.F. Bosworth's healing, died in South Carolina. She was 89. Had it not been for her healing prayer, Bosworth might have died of Tuberculosis as a young man, and the world would not have known him as a famous healing evangelist. Thankfully, her prayer made a difference. For it was this female preacher who told Bosworth he was too young to die and that God had a plan for his life.

In 2007, I mentioned Mattie in a paper I presented on Bosworth. Dr. Kimberly Ervin Alexander gave the Response. In her remarks, she provided some interesting information about this evangelist. She stated:

The Evangelist who first was involved in both the initial healing of Bosworth and his call to a “work” for God was Mattie Perry, who later became a Pentecostal.  [Perry was the sister of Sam Perry, pioneer Church of God minister who evangelized throughout the south, especially in Florida and eventually in Cuba.  Perry would later administer an orphanage in North Carolina and was an associate of missionary Lillian Trasher].

Mattie, who went by the name, Mattie E., was born to the Rev. James A. and Jane (Holden) Perry, both pious Methodists, on May 15, 1868 in Cheohee, South Carolina. She served as a minister with the Christian & Missionary Alliance (C&MA). She attended Williamston Female College and the Missionary Training Institute in New York.

Durham Morning Herald 

(Durham, N.C.) May 13, 1921

Mattie traveled widely and became popular as a revivalist. She did missionary work in Palestine and Egypt. She also worked as a prohibitionist and reportedly succeeded in shutting down bars and keeping alcohol out of the area where she lived in North Carolina. Her prayers were said to have the power to heal, to build, and bring in money for special causes. She was, in some ways, like George Mueller, who was known for his strong faith and his work with orphans.

Mattie believed in winning souls, and she believed in the ministry of the Holy Spirit. According to Susie C. Stanley, she tried to care for the whole person. She had a social focus. In November 1934, she preached a sermon titled, "The Whole Gospel for the Whole Man for the Whole World." Stanley noted this social focus in the opening paragraph of her paper, "Women in the Wesleyan/Holiness Movement: Social Holiness as a Means of Realizing the New Creation" (2002). Stanley wrote:

Calling herself a city missionary, Mattie Perry (1868–1957) in 1891 visited door to door in Spartanburg, South Carolina, prayed with people, nursed the sick and ministered to the poor, providing food, clothing, and bathing supplies for some children who lacked care. Like John Wesley (1703–1791), Perry and other Wesleyan/Holiness women combined evangelism and social ministry.

Mattie wrote several books. The titles include Christ and Answered Prayer (M.E. Perry, 1939) and a series of books for Elhanan Correspondence Bible School.

Information on Mattie's family and burial, including photo of her headstone, can be viewed here or by following this link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43158293/mattie-elmina-perry

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For more information:
Visit the F.F. Bosworth page here. Questions about the research and commentary on F.F. Bosworth may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., via email at doctorbarnes3@gmail.com or roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com. For updates on F.F. Bosworth history, simply follow this blog or @bosworth_fred and @Roscoebarnes3 on Twitter. #ChristTheHealer #BosworthMention #BosworthMatters