Mary Lee (Harris) Cagle (12 September 1864 – 1955), sometimes called the Mother of Holiness in West Texas, was one of the first influential women and pastors in the early

Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelicalism, evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the 19th-century Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism. It is headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas, Lenexa within Johnson Cou ...

. She was first married to the Rev. Robert Lee Harris, a revivalist. In 1894 Rev. Harris and his wife organized a fourteen-member church in

Milan, Tennessee Milan () is the second largest city after Humboldt in Gibson County, Tennessee and the largest entirely within the county. It is home to the Milan Army Ammunition Plant, the West Tennessee Agricultural Museum and several historical sites listed ...

called New Testament Church of Christ. The church placed special emphasis on

holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

. The influence of this movement that the Harris church started in Milan quickly spread into

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. Upon Harris' death from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

, his wife took over his work with the assistance of a couple of other women in the church. In November 1904 the Milan New Testament Church of Christ met in Rising Star, Texas to agree to a church union with the Independent Holiness Church. Over the following year, a joint committee adopted the merger and took on the name "Holiness Church of Christ" Manual 1952 Historical Statement page 19 Mary Lee Cagle was present at the meeting at

Pilot Point, Texas Pilot Point is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States. Its population was 3,856 at the 2010 census, increasing to 4,381 at the 2020 census. Geography Pilot Point is located at (33.396350, –96.958719). According to the United States Cens ...

where this church merged with other churches to become the Church of the Nazarene.

Early life

Mary Lee Cagle was born Mary Lee Wasson on 12 September 1864 at

Moulton, Alabama Moulton is a city in Lawrence County, Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. Although it incorporated in 1819,Buffalo Gap, Texas Buffalo Gap is an incorporated town in Taylor County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Abilene, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 464 at the 2010 census. It is the former county seat of Taylor County, having been sup ...

, south of Abilene. In 1900, she married Henry Clay Cagle, a former cowhand who had been converted under her ministry. She and her husband organized twenty-eight churches, including congregations in Texas, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

Works

*''The Life and Work of Mary Lee Cagle'', 928? Autobiography.

References

External links

*
Encyclopedia of Alabama - Mary Lee CagleFindagrave - Mary Lee Cagle

Mary Lee Cagle: a study in women's history, religionThe Leadership Style of Mary Lee Cagle
1864 births 1955 deaths People from Moulton, Alabama Women Protestant religious leaders Women Christian theologians People from Buffalo Gap, Texas People from Milan, Tennessee {{nazarene-stub