McCarthy, John (1866–1931)

John McCarthy, a missionary from England, was a pioneer in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.¹

Early Years and Beginning of His Ministry

John McCarthy was born on April 25, 1866, in London, England and educated in the Church of England.

In 1888, he traveled to South America where he got in touch with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, thanks to the canvasser Elwin W. Snyder.² He studied at Battle Creek College from 1894 to1895 and received a missionary credential, which was granted to him at the General Conference Session in 1896.³ He returned to Argentina where he joined pastor Frank H. Westphal and Jean Vuilleumier, actively working in the development of Adventism in Santa Fe and Córdoba Provinces. He led, for example, the congregation of Malbertina, the first church in Córdoba Province.⁴

In the General Meeting held in Entre Ríos, Argentina, from August 15 to 26, 1898, he was ordained to the gospel ministry.⁵

Pastoral, Evangelism, and Administrative Activities

He married Elena Welch at Malbertina in Córdoba Province, Argentina on May 31, 1902.⁶ The couple’s children were: Alicia, Alberto, Liria and Victoria. Elena died at the age of 31 while giving birth. On October 22, 1903, in Olavarría, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, he married Luisa Emmenegger, with whom he had the children: Augusta Carolina, Nelson Wellington, Milton Edward and Gladstone Arturo.

On June 12, 1903, the pastors Robert Habenicht and John McCarthy arrived in the city of Posadas, now the capital of Misiones Province, Argentina. They held meetings, which in a few weeks, led to the organization of a church with 35 or more members. Posadas had then the first church not only in the province of Misiones but in all of northeastern Argentina.⁷

In Encarnación, Paraguay, McCarthy held meetings in 1903, which led to the organization of the first Adventist church in the territory of the Republic of Paraguay, with fourteen members.⁸ Later he was the first superintendent of the Uruguay Mission, belonging to the South American Union Conference, organized on March 21, 1906, with 48 members.⁹ He served there from 1906 to 1907.¹⁰

He later moved to the United States where he joined the Baptist Church. He died on September 26, 1931, in New York. In South America he was an active speaker, lecturer, and editor of many articles.

Sources

Brouchy, Pedro M. Memorias de un misionero adventista [Memories of an Adventist missionary]. Unpublished manuscript, available in the White Research Center, River Plate Adventist University, Entre Ríos, Argentina.

Conferencia del Río de la Plata. Registro de Informes [Río de la Plata Conference. Information Record]. Lehman, Santa Fe, Argentina, October 1904

Familia McCarthy – Emmenegger. Registro Civil de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Olavarría, year 1903. The Journal of John Mc Carthy, 1866 – 1931, vol. 1, 1-59.

Greenleaf, Floyd. Tierra de esperanza: El crecimiento de la Iglesia Adventista Sudamericana [A Land of Hope: The Growth of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church in South America]. Trad. Claudia Blath. Buenos Aires: Asociación Casa Editora Sudamericana, 2011.

McCarthy, John. “A Voice from the Gran Chaco.” ARH, May 23, 1899.

McCarthy, John. “Cordoba.” ARH, April 19, 1898.

McCarthy, John. “De Uruguay.” La Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], July 1906, 3, 4.

McCarthy, John. “Echoes from South America.” The Home Missionary, vol. 8, n° 4, April 1896.

McCarthy, John. “Ecos de Misiones” [Missions Echo]. La Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], February 1905.

McCarthy, John. “La Misión Uruguaya” [The Uruguayan Mission]. La Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], August 1906.

McCarthy, John. “General Meeting in Nueva Helvecia – Uruguay Republic.” La Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], March 1907.

McCarthy, John. “Notes from the Argentine Republic.” ARH, November 5, 1903.

McCarthy, John. “The Republic of Uruguay.” ARH, May 9, 1907.

McCarthy, John. “Una voz en la República de Uruguay” [A voice in the Republic of Uruguay]. La Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], May 1906.

Partida de Defunción [Death Certificate]. Elena Welch, May 31, 1902. San Francisco, San Justo Department, Córdoba Province.

“Proceedings of the General Conference Committee.” ARH, March 31, 1896.

Snyder, Elwin W. “Argentine.” ARH, May 2, 1893.

Town, N. Z. “Argentina.” ARH, December 10, 1903.

Town, N. Z. “Argentine.” The Missionary Magazine, vol. 11, nº 1, January 1899.

Vuilleumier, Jean and John McCarthy. “Argentina.” ARH, June 15, 1897.

Wasiuk, Oscar N. Reseña histórica de la Iglesia Adventista del 7° Día en el Uruguay [Historical review of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Uruguay]. 1st ed. Buenos Aires: South American Spanish Publishing House, 1996.

Westphal, F. H. “Argentina.” ARH, August 17, 1897.

Westphal, J. W. “History of the Message in Uruguay.” ARH, July 24, 1919.

Notes

1. Familia McCarthy – Emmenegger, Registro Civil de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Olavarría, year 1903. The Journal of John McCarthy, 1866 – 1931, Volume 1, 1-59. Floyd Greenleaf, Tierra de esperanza: El crecimiento de la Iglesia Adventista Sudamericana [A Land of Hope: The Growth of The Seventh-day Adventist Church in South America], trad. Claudia Blath (Buenos Aires: South American Spanish Publishing House, 2011), 32, 42, 70, 93.↩

2. E. W. Snyder, “Argentine,” ARH, May 2, 1893, 278. McCarthy served as superintendent of “Seamen’s Mission.”↩

3. “Proceedings of the General Conference Committee,” ARH, March 31, 1896, 203.↩

4. Jean Vuilleumier and John McCarthy, “Argentina,” ARH, June 15, 1897, 379. F. H. Westphal, “Argentina,” ARH, August 17, 1897, 507. John McCarthy, “Cordoba,” ARH, April 19, 1898, 255. John McCarthy, “A Voice from the Gran Chaco,” ARH, May 23, 1899, 332. John McCarthy, “Echoes from South America,” The Home Missionary, vol. 8, n° 4, April 1896, 89, 90.↩

5. N. Z. Town, “Argentine,” The Missionary Magazine, vol. 11, nº 1, January 1899, 86.↩

6. Death Certificate, Elena Welch, May 31, 1902, in San Francisco, San Justo Department, Córdoba Province.↩

7. John McCarthy, “Notes from the Argentine Republic,” ARH, November 5, 1903, 17. N. Z. Town, “Argentina,” ARH, December 10, 1903, 16. John McCarthy, “Ecos de Misiones” [Echos of missions], La Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], February 1905, 3, 4.↩

8. Pedro M. Brouchy, Memorias de un misionero adventista [Memories of an Adventist missionary]. Unpublished manuscript, available in the White Research Center, River Plate Adventist University, Entre Ríos, Argentina. River Plate Conference, Registro de Informes [Information Record]. Lehman, Santa Fe, Argentina, October 1904), 4.↩

9. John McCarthy, “The Republic of Uruguay,” ARH, May 9, 1907, 14. J. W. Westphal, “History of the Message in Uruguay,” ARH, July 24, 1919, 14. Oscar N. Wasiuk, Reseña histórica de la Iglesia Adventista del 7° Día en el Uruguay [Historical Review of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Uruguay], 1st ed. (Buenos Aires: South American Spanish Publishing House, 1996), 22-25.↩

10. John McCarthy, “Una voz en la República de Uruguay” [A Voice in Uruguay Republic], La Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], May 1906, 7, 8. John McCarthy, “De Uruguay,” La Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], July 1906, 3, 4. John McCarthy, “La Misión Uruguaya” [Uruguay Mission], La Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], August 1906, 6, 7. John McCarthy, “La reunión general en Nueva Helvecia - República Oriental del Uruguay,” La Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], March 1907, 5, 6.↩