Maud K. Jensen (1909- October 12, 1998) was a missionary and the first woman to receive full clergy rights in the

Methodist Church 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 ...

in the United States.

Early life and education

Maud Keister was from

New Cumberland, Pennsylvania New Cumberland is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in easternmost Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. New Cumberland was incorporated on March 21, 1831. The population was 7,277 at the 2010 census. The ...

. Jensen graduated from

Bucknell University Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineerin ...

Lewisburg, Pennsylvania Lewisburg is a borough in Union County, Pennsylvania, United States, south by southeast of Williamsport and north of Harrisburg. In the past, it was the commercial center for a fertile grain and general farming region. The population was 5,1 ...

in 1926. She was the first and only female to attend the school. Since this was not a popular decision to allow women in to study, Maud did not receive much welcome from her peers. She, as her own recorded oral history at Drew University reveals, decided that the only way to counter this was to best her classmates in every class. She did and graduated at the top of her class. She married Rev. Anders Kris Jensen, whom she met while they were both applying for the Korean missionary job in New York City, in 1928. She got the job, and their brief meeting made an impact. They corresponded until they became engaged and married. He joined her and her missionary work in South Korea. They had two children, Clair Lee and Phillip. Maud's husband, Kris, was taken as a civilian POW at the beginning of the Korean Conflict/War north of Seoul. He was held prisoner by North Korea for nearly 4 years. Maud and Kris later returned to continue their missionary work. Maud was twice honored by the South Korean government for her humanitarian works.

Career

Jensen did missionary work in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

for forty years. Jensen taught at the Methodist Theological Seminary in Korea. She earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree from the

Drew University Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey. Drew has been nicknamed the "University in the Forest" because of its wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three sch ...

Theological School in Madison, New Jersey in 1946. She applied to be ordained clergy in the Methodist New Jersey Conference but the Bishop would not approve her. A bishop in the Central Pennsylvania Conference approve her for local clergy ordination in 1952. When the Methodist Church voted to allow women to have full clergy rights in 1956, Jensen was given temporary full clergy rights for two years, and obtained permanent clergy status in 1958.

Later life

Jensen received her doctorate from Drew Theological School at the age of 74. She died on October 12, 1998 in Madison, New Jersey.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Maud K 1909 births 1998 deaths American Methodist missionaries People from New Jersey Female Christian missionaries Bucknell University alumni 20th-century Methodists