Global InformationBertha Mae Lillenas information
Betha Mae Lillenas | |
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| Born | Bertha Mae Wilson March 3, 1889 Hanson, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | April 13, 1945 (aged 56) |
| Resting place | Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
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Haldor Lillenas (m. 1910) |
Bertha Mae (Wilson) Lillenas (March 1, 1889 – April 13, 1945) was a popular American hymnist and evangelist in the Church of the Nazarene. Ordained in 1912 as a Nazarene elder, she served as a pastor for five congregations. One of these, her last congregation, Indianapolis First Church of the Nazarene, doubled in size during her pastorate (1923-1926). After leaving the pastorate, Bertha Mae served as the vice-president of Church of the Nazarene's Women's General Missionary Council and as the editor of the newsletter, Junior Light Bearers. In her last years, she led revivals (when her health permitted), edited a hymnal, Great Gospel Songs (1929), authored a collection of hymns, Fireside Hymns (1945), and assisted in the management of the Lillenas Publishing Company. As a hymnist, her work was performed on popular, gospel radio broadcasts, and her hymns were included in widely circulated hymnals. Two of her hymns, "Jesus Is Always There" and "Jesus Took My Burden" are among those that are used in contemporary worship.