Her Way

By Rosalie Hall Hunt

The remarkable story of Hephzibah Jenkins Townsend, a determined and courageous woman who transcended the societal constraints  of the antebellum South to found a missionary society that would become the model for hundreds of others to follow.

Hephzibah, mistress of a large plantation on South Carolina's Edisto Island, gave birth to 15 children. Her passion was missions, and in order to fund missions and to found a church, Hephzibah and her beloved servant Bella started a baking business.

Force of character and a profound sense of justice were the hallmarks of Hephzibah's life.

This is her remarkable story, written by Rosalie Hall Hunt who is an avid historian, especially of the women who helped shape missions. She is the daughter of missionaries, and she and he husband Bob served for thirty years as missionaries in eight Asian countries.

"There is no way to overestimate the importance of Hephzibah to the history of Baptist women in missions, and there is no way to really understand Hephzibah's story without the master storyteller Rosalie Hall Hunt."  - Ruby Fulbright, Vice President, North American Baptist Women's Union