On New Year’s Eve day, 1909, Robert M. and Ida…

On New Year’s Eve day, 1909, Robert M. and Ida Evans, seen here on left and right, sailed from Miami FL for Nassau, Bahamas. Accompanied by Carl Padgett, the Evans intended to join Church of God Evangelists Edmond and Rebecca Barr, who had traveled to the British Commonwealth the previous month. A retired Methodist minister, Robert had been baptized with the Holy Spirit at the Pleasant Grove Camp Meeting in Durant FL. Ida had been a housemother at Southerland College, and they often kept foster children in their home. Despite their retirement, they caught a vision of the harvest and partnered with the Barrs to take the gospel to the Bahamas. Together these five were the first members of the Church of God to take the gospel outside the United States. 107 years later, the Church of God has dedicated our resources to the FINISH Commitment. (Photo courtesy of Michael Swann.)