The Pentecost Bands were known for their enthusiastic, loud, and public displays of faith. In Streator, before their evening services, they would perform a lively street march:

“About fifteen minutes before the time for opening the services, the Band, and the class, numbering about twenty to thirty, went out and marched through the streets singing as they went. There was a ring of holy joy and triumph in the singing that attracted the crowd and commanded their respectful attention.”

This powerful street preaching, however, soon put them at odds with local authorities. On June 7, 1888, ten Band members were arrested for blocking the sidewalks. While waiting for the city attorney, the group turned city hall into an impromptu revival, singing, praying, and testifying to the amusement of the large crowd that had gathered outside.

The initial fines were dismissed, but the group was warned not to preach in the streets again. Undeterred, the Bands returned to the streets just two days later. The “Original Ten,” as the Streator Times nicknamed them, were arrested again. The workers were separated by gender and taken to different holding areas—the men to the local jail and the women to the marshal’s office.

A Community Rally

The arrests drew even more attention to the Bands. A local business owner, D. Hennan, offered them a large, open lot right across from the post office to hold their open-air meetings legally. The Bands accepted this offer, refusing the local park (Villa Park) because they felt the lot was closer to where the working-class people who attended their services lived.

The crowds were enormous. The Streator Times described one of these meetings in the lot:

“A large crowd gathered to hear them, attracted by their clarion-like voices which ran throughout the entire neighborhood with more fury and vehemence than does the fire bell…”

Even at this new location, the police had trouble keeping the sidewalks clear—a testament to the Band’s massive popular appeal.

Rising Opposition Across Illinois

The arrests in Streator were not isolated incidents; they signaled a growing opposition to the Bands’ unconventional methods across Illinois. Between 1888 and 1889, Band members were arrested in at least five different Illinois cities, including Ottawa, Tuscola, and Mazon.

Worse than arrests, the Bands faced physical assaults. In May 1889:

• In Carmago, a Band leader was attacked with a rock and beaten.
• In Tuscola, Band workers were assaulted by masked men, and a local mob tore down their tabernacle tent.

Class Prejudice and Media Sensationalism

Regional newspapers fueled the opposition by painting the Bands as suspicious outsiders. The media accused the preachers, who traveled in same-sex groups, of being religious zealots, fanatical faith healers, and even “Mormon missionaries in disguise.”

Class prejudice was a major factor. The Dixon Sun, reporting on one attack, accused the Bands of deceiving young women and luring them away from their families. The paper noted the Bands’ strong following among “the more ignorant classes”—a clear dig at their working-class audience.

Despite the arrests, the physical attacks, and the negative media attention, the Pentecost Bands pressed on. Their persistence led to the successful establishment of new Free Methodist societies in several cities, including Champaign, Tuscola, and Hillsboro, proving that their fiery brand of faith was more resilient than the opposition they faced.

For More Information:

Nelson, Thomas. Life and Labors of Vivan Dake, (1894), pp 160-188.

‘Preachers Making Trouble,’ Chicago Tribune, (29 May 1889), 10, ‘Alleged to be Mormons,’ The New York Times (13 July 1889), 1, Drove out the Mormon Elder:  Members of the ‘Pentecost Band’ Are Convinced They are Not Wanted,’ Chicago Tribune (10 June 1889), 1. ‘Affairs in Illinois,’ The Dixon Sun (27 Nov 1889), 3. & City and Vicinity,’ The Streator Free Press (29 1889), 1.