Day 23 – Maria Fearing

This devotional is part of the Black Missionary Heroes Past and Present Series.

Maria Fearing (1838–1937)

Missionary to Central Africa

Read Psalm 27:1–4

Maria Fearing a Presbyterian missionary born into slavery in Alabama. She financed her own education at Talladega College and worked as a domestic servant and an educator for many years after Emancipation. At the age of fifty-six, she became a missionary in the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) at a time when that country was under the brutal control of Belgium’s King Leopold II. While in the Congo, she rescued and ran a home for girls and young women who had been kidnapped or sold into slavery, often bartering goods for their freedom.

Learn more about this Bible reading plan.


Related Articles

Welcoming the Stranger

Presenter: Matthew Soerens, US Director of Church Mobilization, World Relief Description: Refugee and immigration issues have dominated headlines globally recently. While many American Christians view these…

#Iwitness: God’s Amazing Work in Our World

This past year, we solicited articles from Christian workers all over the world. We asked, “How is God touching the hearts of people where you work—and how has it impacted your faith?” We called this our #Iwitness campaign and received dozens of responses covering almost every continent of the world. Our goal was to inspire you to work faithfully and patiently for God where he has called you. We have included seven stories here. You can read the rest here

We have also created a downloadable PDF for you to save and read later, or share with others. 

Upcoming Events