Julia Shelhamer

Considered an interracial evangelism pioneer, Julia Shelhamer opened a Washington, D.C., mission in 1947 with the help of her sister, Helen Arnold. Here Shelhamer illuminated hopeless lives with Christ's love.

"She had a vision for evangelizing in the inner city," recalls Wayne Lawton, one of 29 people who recently met in Washington for a Shelhamer Memorial Mission reunion honoring its founder. "Testimonies were shared of receiving the gospel and being led to Christ," Lawton says. Also at the reunion, Pastor Kenny and Estelle Martin announced a new D.C. church plant — New Vision in the City, led by Oren and Joan Harris — that will continue Free Methodist work in Washington.

Shelhamer lived a life devoted to helping the lost and disenfranchised. Known for her inner-city work, she was ministering long before arriving in D.C. (plus years thereafter). As a child she had accompanied her parents as they lectured on temperance and reform. Years later she ministered around the world with her husband, Free Methodist minister E.E. Shelhamer.

Out of her concern for underprivileged groups, Shelhamer desired to bring equality to black Americans. Glen Williamson recounts in Julia - Giantess in Generosity that when Shelhamer moved to Washington following E.E.'s death, she realized that legislation and evangelism alone wouldn't bring about equality. Thus she determined to immerse herself in the city's ghettos, setting up house at 38 "I" Street NW, an area known as "hell's half acre," mere blocks from Capitol Hill.

Children were the first to respond openly to her ministry, and a young boy became the first person to accept Christ at the mission. Concerned for the future of the youths she met, Shelhamer encouraged them to finish high school and sought support to send several to college. She also built a youth camp where children could escape city life.

Adults eventually warmed to Shelhamer, thanks in part to a phone ministry she launched through a newspaper advertisement. Discouraged residents who might have been reluctant to approach Shelhamer in person received prayer and counseling via the phone. As the ministry took off, she took calls around the clock as the response became overwhelming.

Kenny Martin at New Vision in the City.

Shelhamer eventually moved to Winona Lake, IN, following the death of her sister. Wayne and Mary Lou Lawton then assumed leadership of the mission, while Shelhamer raised funds for the mission's staff and the Spring Arbor College students she supported.

She later relocated to Wilmore, KY, to be near her daughter and died in 1981 at age 101. The Shelhamer Memorial Mission closed its doors in 1965 due to a redevelopment project, but its legacy still inspires Free Methodists ministering in America's inner cities.