ARP 101 By Rev. Bill Holiman L
ast time we talked about the excitement that Mary Galloway Giffen’s be easy to dismiss the words that were written at the time: “Her deci- sion lacked nothing of the heroic, and it sent a thrill of joy and admiration to had never been known among us, was speedily manifested.”
was ready to launch a new work in Mexico. Not only was this a new work inspired by Mrs. Giffen, but this would be an independent work. Rev. Neill was a newly licensed and ordained minister. He had attended the farewell meeting at Due West when Mary Galloway, as she was then, was sent to the two children. After a year of study of Spanish and Mexican customs, the mis- - tant port on the Gulf of Mexico and the gateway to central Mexico.
were Americans. Not perhaps an auspicious start. But soon Pedro Trujillo, a licentiate in the Presbyterian church, joined in the work. The work in Mexico was not easy. Rev. Pressly suffered from numerous ill- nesses. The Pressly’s oldest daughter died. The local population was committed caused concern. There was much hardship. However, after a year and a half a woman named Jesus Gonzalez was baptized, and a church was organized with
minister was ordained, Zenon Zaleta, who had come to Tampico to be a black- smith’s apprentice but became Rev. Pressly’s apprentice. Rev Zaleta opened an- other station, but his death in 1888 ended that work. In 1886, Rev. Pressly reported that there were 151 communicants among the mission stations.
The work continued to grow as the Rev. J. S. A. Hunter and his wife Emma
“Because of their ten years of experience on the home frontier, they were well prepared for the severe life in Mexico.” In 1888, the Tampico Presbytery was organized with four Mexican ministers, Pedro Trujillo, Zenon Zaleta, Inez Hernandez, and Nemesio Arabelo, and two
January/February 2026
American missionaries. The Board of Foreign Missions was able to pay for the construction of a lovely building was an amazing work of God in such a short time.
The Hunters were sent to the state of San Luis Potosí, inland from Tam- pico. The story of opposition and thrown at the windows of the house where the Hunters lived and false rumors being widespread. However, had heard of the missionaries came to them and got a Bible. He read it through and became convinced of the truth of what the Hunters were preaching. He was then baptized and immediately began to study for the ministry. He was assigned to preach to a colony of Italians who had moved to Mexico and were more open to the gospel than the local population was. important in many ways in the Mexi- - Huntersville High School with the ARP families there. He then attended ordained at Due West ARP in 1898. The work in Mexico was not easy, but despite the hardships and conten- has been mightily moving people from that farewell service for Mary Galloway ever since then.
Rev. William Holiman is a retired Chap- lain in Mississippi Valley Presbytery.
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What do you want to know about the ARP denomination? Send questions to
ARPeditor@arpsynod.org. Do you know about the start of our mission work in Mexico? Rev. William Holiman shares what he has discovered.
Our Second Mission
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