Henry Evans, 1760–1810

Henry Evans, 1760–1810

Apostle of Hope

Henry Evans was a freeborn native of Virginia and preacher who laid the foundation for the first Methodist church in Fayetteville, North Carolina. When traveling to South Carolina, Henry stopped in Fayetteville and was so distressed by the spiritual state of the slave population there that he decided to move to the area and minister to the people there who at that time had not heard any preaching and were living lives completely devoid of hope.

Initially Henry was met with tremendous opposition from the white slave owners who pushed him out of the area. But Henry persisted preaching the gospel and would hold meetings in the woods. Eventually, the fruit of the gospel in the slave’s lives was such a testimony to the transformation of God’s word, that not only did the white slave owners allow Henry back into town – they began joining his meetings and encountering the Lord.

“None but Christ. Three times I have had my life in jeopardy for preaching the gospel to you. Three times I have broken the ice on the edge of the water and swum across the Cape Fear to preach the gospel to you. And now, if in my last hour I could trust to that, or at anything else but Christ crucified, for my salvation, all should be lost, and my soul perish forever.”

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