“Certainly no other person has ever been the means of rescuing so many fallen women.” It was Evangelist Wilbur Chapman who said this of Emma Whittemore, the wealthy New York socialite who became a prostitute’s advocate.

Coming from wealth, Emma was protected from the horrors of the world until an invitation to an evangelistic meeting from a friend led her and her husband, Sidney, to the altar of God. There they were convicted of their empty lives and shortly after they visited Jerry McAuley’s Water Street Mission. Shocked by the horrors of the streets, they knelt alongside drunks and prostitutes, rising with a determination to live for God’s glory.

Later, when Emma felt God was nudging her toward prostitutes, she balked: “Oh, anything but that!” But she repented of her reluctance, and she obeyed. Despite the taunts she received and the crushing pain of what she saw, she drew strength from Christ.

Seeing the women needed safe places to go and leave their street lives behind, Emma used her wealth and relationships for something greater. On October 25, 1890, Emma opened the first Door of Hope. When she passed away in 1931, the ministry operated 97 homes in seven countries.

Emma’s story is a reminder that God can turn a comfortable life into a meaningful one-and use even our hesitation to bring us into His will. This was a better use for her connections and wealth than balls and sparkling dresses.

Also On This Day

1869: Missionary John Paton observed the Lord’s Supper with his first converts on Aniwa in the New Hebrides.

1894: Anna Arokium Satthianadhan died in India, known for her pioneering work in Zenana teaching (instructing women in traditional Indian households).

1992: Archbishop Michael of Toledo, instrumental in forming the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, passed away.

2005: Civil rights icon and active AME Church member Rosa Parks died in Detroit, Michigan.