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Called By God
were put in charge of the work in Dennison, Carroll, Lake City, and Rinard, with each of
them preaching at two of the churches every Sabbath. In July 1915 Minnie Sype
reported an attendance of nearly 300 at the tent meeting she and her son were holding
at Rinard.
People were coming to the meetings in automobiles now. At the 1915 Iowa camp
meeting, large tents were pitched for the protection of the new vehicles. (From FIowa
Workers’ Bulletin, May 18, 1915: 4.)
In July 1915, Ellen Harmon White died in California at the age of 88. All of Minnie
Sype’s ministry up to this point had been concurrent with that of Mrs. White (chapter 7).
Mrs. Sype was not the only woman busy in the organized church work in Iowa at the
time. When the election of conference officers took place in 1915, Mrs. Flora Dorcas
was re-elected conference secretary, Meta Peterson became field missionary secretary,
and the two of them jointly held the position of Sabbath school secretary. The Iowa
Conference administrators were open to the use of women’s talents in ministry.
Minnie Sype became home missionary secretary for the Iowa Conference in June
1916. Because she wanted to enable people to work for the Lord, she thanked God for
the opportunity. In the churches of Iowa she found a willingness on the part of the
people to be of service.
Elder W. A. Howe has told me how as a child he appreciated Mrs. Sype’s visits to his
home church in Des Moines during this period. Her being a woman didn’t seem to
disturb the congregation at all. She was recognized as someone with authority. (From a
letter to the writer by W. A. Howe, Hendersonville, N.C., August 5, 1985, See appendix 2.1.)
After four successful years in the home missionary work in Iowa, Minnie Sype moved west
to do similar work in Washington State and then the Upper Columbia Conference, 1920-26.
Mr. Sype, after years of ill health, died in 1925. His widow mourned the loss of her
husband and dear friend. The two had shared many sweet experiences in ministry together,
had weathered stiff storms of trouble, and had supported one another throughout.
Mrs. Sype moved east to conduct an evangelistic effort in the East Pennsylvania
Conference, after which she traveled as circulation manager for the Watchman magazine
(Southern Publishing Association, Nashville, Tennessee) during the years 1926-27.
Then she returned to the Northwest and from 1927 until retirement in 1930 engaged
in evangelism and district work in the Upper Columbia Conference. At the time of her
retirement she was only 61 years of age and was pastoring four churches.
The minister’s retirement was occasioned by her remarrying: on November 10,
1930, she married Mr. Atteberry. Apparently church administrators immediately asked
for her to go on sustentation, because her application for sustentation is dated a month
later, December 13, 1930. Minnie was a bit piqued and had every reason for being so.
The following responses on her application form indicate that she needed her salary to
continue, and considered herself still able to earn that income.

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