Susan Norris Fitkin (March 31, 1870 – October 18, 1951) was a Canadian ordained minister, who served successively in the Society of Friends, the Association of Pentecostal Churches of America, and finally in the Church of the Nazarene. Fitkin was the founder and first president of the Church of the Nazarene's Women's Foreign Missionary Society (now Nazarene Missions International) from September 1915 until her retirement in June 1948. Fitkin served twenty-four years on the General Board of the Church of the Nazarene. In 1924 Fitkin and her husband Abram Fitkin funded and founded the Fitkin Memorial Hospital in Manzini, Swaziland, and also funded and founded Nazarene Bible Training Schools in China, and Beirut, Lebanon.John W. Oliver, "Emma Brown Malone: A Mother of Feminism?" , Quaker History: The Bulletin of Friends Historical Association 88 (Spring 1999):4–12.
Early life and family Susanah W. "Susie" Norris was born March 31, 1870, on a farm in Ely, Quebec, Canada,Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census. Census Place: Manchester, Hartford, Connecticut; Roll: T623_138; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 199."Veteran Missions Head, Rev. Susan Fitkin, Dies", The Sun (Baltimore, MD) (October 20, 1951):9.One source indicates she was born in 1869. See Ancestry.com. California Death Index, 1940-1997 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. Source Citation: Place: Alameda; Date: 18 Oct 1951; Social Security: 0. the fourth oldest of the nine children of John Norris (born June 25, 1835, in Russelltown, Châteauguay, Quebec, Canada East; died December 20, 1887, in East Farnham, Quebec, Canada), a farmer and the foreman of a lumber camp, and his wife, Susannah Townsend Hall (born March 16, 1834, in East Farnham, Quebec, Canada East; died March 28, 1918, in Cliftondale, Massachusetts).Source Citation: SAR Membership Number: 81449. Source Information: Ancestry.com. U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970. Louisville, Kentucky: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Microfilm, 508 rolls.Susannah Norris. John Norris and Susannah Hall were married on April 10, 1855, in Farnham East. Her siblings were George Miron Norris (born July 1, 1859, in East Farnham, Quebec), Hannah Norris (born August 8, 1861, in Sainte-Cécile-de-Milton, Quebec; died August 23, 1897, in Shefford, Quebec), Annie Louise Norris (born May 2, 1865, in Sainte-Cécile-de-Milton, Quebec),Baptism Year: 1887. Baptism Location: Ely, Québec. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin. Jane "Janie" May Norris (born March 4, 1872, in Sainte-Cécile-de-Milton, Quebec),Baptism Year: 1886. Baptism Location: East Farnham, Québec. Ancestry.com. Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin. John Milton "Johnny" Norris (born November 15, 1873, in Sainte-Cécile-de-Milton, Quebec), Emma Norris (born April 11, 1875, in Quebec, Canada), Charles Newel Norris (born January 29, 1877, in Sainte-Cécile-de-Milton, Quebec), Alice "Nellie" Norris (born June 15, 1880, in Sainte-Cécile-de-Milton, Quebec).Source Citation: Year: 1891; Census Place: Farnham East, Brome, Quebec; Roll: T-6388; Family No: 121. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1891 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.
By the time of the first Canadian census in April 1871, the Norris family had been living on a farm in Sainte-Cécile-de-Milton, Quebec for about eleven years, with John described as a Methodist farmer, while Susannah and their four children (including one-year-old "Suza") were described as Episcopalians.Source Information: Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1871 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009. Source Citation: Year: 1871; Census Place: Ste Cécile de Milton, Shefford, Quebec; Roll: C-10073; Page: 86; Family No: 307. Later Norris' parents were members of the Society of Friends, who were active in the temperance reform movement. Her mother served once as a delegate to the Woman's Christian Temperance Union convention in Ottawa.Stan Ingersol, "Mother of Missions: The Evangelistic Vision of Susan Norris Fitkin", Herald of Holiness (January, 1991).
At the time of the second Canadian census in April 1881, John and Suzanne Norris and their nine children (including 11-year-old "Suza") were still living on a farm in Ely South, in Shefford, Quebec, and were described as Episcopalians.Source Information: Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1881 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009.Source Citation: Year: 1881; Census Place: Ely South, Shefford, Quebec; Roll: C_13201; Page: 34; Family No: 158. However, later in 1881, the Norris family moved back to East Farnham, Quebec, where Susanna's parents George C. Hall and Hannah Hall held longstanding membership in a Quaker meeting house.Source Information: Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1861 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009. Source Citation: Year: 1861; Census Place: Brome, Canada East; Roll: C-1270; Page: 117. The Norris family attended Quaker worship but also attended the local Church of England. On February 23, 1886, five of John and Susanna's younger children were baptized by Revd John Merrick in the Church of England at Adamsville in East Farnham. On June 19, 1887, Anna Louise was baptized by Charles P. Abbott in the Church of England in Ely. On December 20, 1887, Norris' father John died in East Farnham, and was buried in quaker cemetery, Friends Cemetery East Farnham Monteregie Region, Quebec, CanadaAncestry.ca Canada Finda a Grave [database on-line]
Conversion At the age of seventeen Norris was diagnosed with cancer, and given a prognosis of no more than two years to live. After being bedridden for the next two years, in March 1890 Norris was converted to a saving knowledge of Christ.Melodie Sides, "Rev. Mrs. Susan Norris Fitkin 1870-1951". In her autobiography Susan Norris Fitkin wrote: Just as everything in my life, from the human standpoint, looked blackest, a new interest was suddenly awakened. A traveling Quaker preacher held some cottage meetings in our town. I attended and began to realize that even though I was a consistent church member, I was not a Bible Christian. ... I went to the altar seeking God, but was ignorant of the way of faith and did not get through to victory, but continued to pray and search the Scriptures for light and blessing. I began now with new interest to attend the Quaker meetings in the old Meeting House, which was up on a hill almost directly across the highway from my home. My grandparents had been consistent members here all their lives. Many aged saints still gathered there and gave wonderful testimonies about knowing their sins were all forgiven and their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life. The Grace of conviction deepened in my heart. I found only warnings as I read my Bible. I became very miserable and knew I was a lost soul and on my way to hell. Finally I found some comfort in the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, and began to realize a little of God's gracious provision for lost souls in the tragedy of the cross, portrayed by the prophet, and the goodness of God led me to repentance. I was not only sorry for the past, but gladly forsook all worldliness and sin, and continued earnestly to seek God. I had not yet learned the way of faith, but one day, when turning the pages of my Bible and praying for a message, these words seemed to stand out in raised letters: “I have blotted out thy sins as a thick cloud, and will remember them no more forever.” I wondered if it could really mean me, or how I could make it mine, when suddenly another verse in the New Testament seemed to be emphasized in the same manner. As I read “He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life,” I said: “Oh, if I just believe, I shall have it,” and as my faith looked up to God and I trusted His word, the burden rolled away and heavenly light flooded my soul. I was a new creature; everything seemed new, — the sun, the trees, the green fields, the birds, all seemed new. Old things had passed away. My heart was filled with joy and gladness. God in His great love and mercy had given me a sky-blue conversion, which the devil was never able to make me doubt. What a marvelous Grace that brings us into the family of God, and gives us victory over the world, the flesh and the devil!"Susan Norris Fitkin, Grace Abounding, 2.
To the displeasure of some friends and family members, after her conversion Susan Norris began attending the Union Chapel, an interdenominational church in East Farnham that was strongly evangelical in emphasis, instead of the local Church of England.!" According to Nazarene historian Stan Ingersol "Each different strain of piety nourished her spiritual development. Several encounters with life-threatening illnesses, including typhoid fever, heightened her seriousness toward religion. At times, she experienced unusual dreams and saw visions."Stan Ingersol, "Mother of Missions: The Evangelistic Vision of Susan Norris Fitkin", Herald of Holiness (January 1991).
Late in the summer of 1890 Norris was stricken with typhoid. In her autobiography, Fitkin described a dream she had at this time: "At the end of this valley was a gate with a beautiful heavenly light streaming through, and lighting up the entire scene. Oh, I was so happy! I said, 'It is not dark at all; death is only a shadow.' Then the Lord whispered to me, and asked if I wanted to go in. I replied, 'Whatever is Thy will; I would not turn my hand over to decide.'" When dawn broke, Norris awakened, as one who had been refreshed by hidden springs of life. She said to the family, "I am going to get well."Susan Norris Fitkin, Grace Abounding. Gradually Norris recovered her health during the next few months.
In December 1890 Norris had a vision of Christ's Second Coming where she was intensely happy until she realized that many people would not be going to heaven. In her autiobiography Norris described her vision of Christ: "I ran to the door to meet Him when I was startled with loud wailing cries, and looking back, I saw most of the people on their faces, crying out in fear and anguish." Norris claimed that after she woke that she became conscious of the presence of Jesus: "It was like a person standing by my bed and in an audible voice saying solemnly: 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.'"Susie C. Stanley, Holy Boldness: Women Preachers' Autobiographies (Univ. of Tennessee Press, 2004):102-103. Consequently, Norris believed God was calling her to be a missionary preacher. However, when she offered herself as a missionary to the Toronto headquarters of the China Inland Mission in 1891, Norris was refused for health reasons. Norris later indicated she came across Ezekiel 3:5 and the words jumped out at her: "For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language." Norris accepted this an indication that God did not want her to go to a foreign land as a missionary.
Consecration