Henry Flesher Bland (1818–1898) was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

minister of the

Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan– Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles W ...

tradition. Bland was born on 23 August 1818 in

Addingham Addingham (formerly Haddincham , Odingehem 1086)Mills, A.D. (2003). ', Encyclopedia.com is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated near the A65, south-east of Skipton, west of Ilkley, ...

, England, to a family long rooted in the Methodist faith. He spent his early adulthood in England and participated in church work as a

lay preacher Lay preacher is a preacher or a religious proclaimer who is not a formally ordained cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presidi ...

. He married Emma Levell in 1846. Bland and his family emigrated to

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

in 1858 and took up residence in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. A lack of church funds made his permanent employment there unlikely. However, he was appointed to the

Lachute Lachute () is a town in southwest Quebec, Canada, northwest of Montreal, on the Rivière du Nord, a tributary of the Ottawa River, and west of Mirabel International Airport. It is located on Autoroute 50, at the junctions of Quebec Provincial ...

mission and was ordained there in 1862. Bland became an important person in the Methodist Church growth during his career. His reputation as a forceful preacher earned him a place of honor in the history of Methodism in Canada. Henry Flesher Bland was the father of

Salem Bland Salem Goldworth Bland (1859–1950) was a Canadian Methodist theologian, Georgist, and one of Canada's most important Social Gospel thinkers. Biography He was born on 25 August 1859 in Lachute, Quebec, the son of Emma Bland and Henry Flesher ...

, who was also a Methodist minister and a significant figure in the Canadian

Social Gospel The Social Gospel is a social movement within Protestantism that aims to apply Christian ethics to social problems, especially issues of social justice such as economic inequality, poverty, alcoholism, crime, racial tensions, slums, unclean envir ...

movement. Bland died on 29 December 1898 in Smiths Falls,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

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* * 1818 births 1898 deaths Canadian Methodist ministers 19th-century Methodists {{Canada-reli-bio-stub