Celebrating Harry Hooiser
Harry Hoosier’s story began in bondage, but it became a testimony of how God can
use a life the world tries to overlook.
Born into slavery in the mid-1700s, Harry never learned to read or write. But he came to
faith in Jesus, and somehow, he learned the Scriptures by heart. People who heard him
preach said he spoke with a clarity and depth that rivaled trained ministers of his day.
As the Methodist movement spread across the early United States, Harry traveled
alongside circuit riders, preaching in towns and open gatherings throughout Maryland
and Virginia. Crowds gathered not because of his status, but because of his faith. Even
prominent church leaders would pause to listen when he spoke.
But Harry’s voice was never fully welcomed by the structures of his time. In a society
shaped by slavery and segregation, a Black man preaching the Gospel challenged
cultural norms, and church norms, too. Still, Harry kept going. He preached wherever
doors opened, trusting that God would use obedience, even when recognition didn’t
follow.
He wasn’t building a denomination. He wasn’t founding an institution. He was faithfully
carrying the message of Jesus to people who were hungry for hope.
Harry Hoosier died in 1806. He left behind no buildings with his name on them. But he
left behind changed lives and a quiet reminder that the Gospel has always moved
forward through people willing to say yes, even when the world tells them no.
He showed that faithfulness doesn’t require a platform, only obedience. And that God’s
work is often carried forward by voices that history almost forgets.
Join us this month, on-air and online, during Black History Month on BRIGHT-FM as we journey through history.
Image source: Christian Heritage Fellowship.
