Kathryn Kuhlman – Je crois aux miracles : Du réconfort dans les moments difficiles

Kathryn Johanna Kuhlman Kathryn Johanna Kuhlman was born on May 9, 1907, in Concordia, Missouri. Her parents were of German descent, and she was one of four children. Her mother was a very strict woman who showed little love or affection toward her children. In contrast, Kathryn had an extremely close and loving relationship with her father. She often recounted how, when she was very young, her father would come home from work and she would cling tenderly to his leg. She frequently said that her relationship with God the Father was so real because she had experienced the profound love of her own father. Kathryn converted at the age of 14 during an evangelistic campaign organized by a small Methodist church. At 16, she graduated from high school, as the school in her town at the time only offered education up to the tenth grade. Her older sister, Myrtle, had married an itinerant evangelist named Everett B. Parrott. The couple traveled to different regions preaching the gospel and asked Kathryn to accompany them for the summer. Her parents agreed, and she went to Oregon to help them. She worked with them and often shared her faith. At the end of the summer, she wanted to stay with them, and they agreed. She continued to work with them for five years. The evangelistic team consisted of four people: Everett, Myrtle, Kathryn, and a pianist named Helen Gulliford. In 1928, Everett was unable to lead a meeting in Boise, Idaho. Myrtle and Kathryn preached in his place. The church pastor encouraged Kathryn to start an independent ministry. Helen agreed to go with her. Her first sermon was preached in a dilapidated old pool hall in Boise, Idaho. For the next five years, their team traveled throughout Idaho, Utah, and Colorado. In 1933, they settled in Pueblo, Colorado, where they held their meetings in an abandoned warehouse in Montgomery Ward. They stayed there for six months. The much larger city of Denver was their next stop. After several moves, they established themselves in a paper company warehouse, which they named the Kuhlman Revival Tabernacle. Then, in 1935, they moved again to an abandoned truck garage, which they called the Denver Revival Tabernacle. In Denver, Kathryn achieved considerable success. The congregation grew to about 2,000 members. She launched a radio program called "Smiling Through" and invited speakers from across the country. Among them was Phil Kerr, who taught about divine healing. In 1946, Kathryn Kuhlman was invited to preach in Franklin, Pennsylvania. She was warmly welcomed and decided to settle there. She began preaching on the radio from Oil City, Pennsylvania. Her broadcasts were so successful that they were soon broadcast in Pittsburgh, allowing her to share the Gospel throughout the region. She then began teaching about the healing power of God. In 1947, a woman was healed of a tumor while listening to Kathryn preach on the radio. A few Sundays later, a man was also healed while she was teaching about the Holy Spirit. Kathryn was then fully convinced of God's healing work. It is important to note the context of this pivotal period in Kathryn Kuhlman's life. The year 1947 marked the beginning of the Healing Revival (sometimes called the Last Rain Revival), which lasted approximately ten years. What was happening in Kathryn's meetings was also manifested through numerous gatherings across the United States. It was during this time that the Voice of Healing ministry was founded and evangelists such as William Branham, Oral Roberts, A. A. Allen, and many others were propelled onto the national stage. Kathryn Kuhlman was not officially associated with these organizations, but she became part of the movement of what the Spirit of God was then accomplishing throughout the United States and in several parts of the world. In 1948, Kathryn organized a series of meetings at Carnegie Hall in Pittsburgh. In 1950, she settled permanently in Pittsburgh and continued to hold meetings there until 1971. God used her to introduce the message of the Charismatic Renewal to many churches of various denominations, including the Catholic Church. This openness earned her much criticism, with some even accusing her of being secretly Catholic. These years were the most famous of her ministry. Her style was remarkable and expressive. She organized her famous miracle meetings, where the halls were consistently filled to capacity. She was a regular guest on radio and television.