Notes and Updates Notes and updates on healingandrevival.com

We are working on the biography of Cyrus B. Fockler and came across an unusual historical event. If anyone lives in the Mansfield Ohio area we would suggest that this is might be an area of repentence to re-open wells of healing. In the late Spring to Fall of 1900 there was a problem. Members of Dowie’s Christian Catholic Church had started a branch in Mansfield, led by Cyrys B. Fockler. A couple of people from the church died without medical care and this inflamed the local populace. The media, politicians, and health authorities began to come against the church and its policies. Fockler responded by verbally attacking everyon who disagreed with him (following in the style of his mentor Dowie). It became so bad that a mob of 3000 people attacked the church elders, including Fockler and beat, tarred, and feathered them. The attacks on the homes of church members and leaders continued throughout the summer and fall of 1900. Police had to surround the meeting places to protect the church members. Other leaders were beaten and painted blue and driven out of town. When Dowie attempted to send reinforcing elders the police stopped the trains and made them get off before they ever reached Mansfield. These events became notorious and were reported around the entire country. Although many people did not like Dowie or his church, the fact that mobs were allowed to run wild attacking church members were considered horrendous. Seventy years after the event it was written up in the Mansfield news as the story that gave Mansfield a “black eye” in front of the entire nation.