Rev. Mary Alice Paslay

Mary Alice Paslay grew up in Muncie, Indiana. Her family was ravaged by the nightmare of an alcoholic father. He left the family in poverty, and she was raise in the slums under very difficult circumstances. She seemed doomed to despair and bitterness, but an Apostolic preacher brought a tent revival to her hometown. While she had no interest in God or a personal Pentecostal experience, her mother compelled her to go, and she found the wonder of the Holy Ghost at age sixteen.

She began preaching in 1935, at the age of eighteen. She was ordained September 18, 1942, in Muncie, Indiana as a member of the Pentecostal Church Incorporated (PCI). As a single woman evangelist, she was a phenomenon in the era shortly after women's suffrage. She preached revivals for iconic pioneer Apostolic pastors, including Brothers Branding and Greer. She actually won her future husband’s heart as an evangelist in Vandalia, Illinois. She married Norman Paslay on October 29, 1942, and was the mother of one son, Norman Paslay II. Mary Alice Paslay voted at the merger in 1945, with her ordination being reissued January 1, 1946. She was a charter member of the United Pentecostal Church (UPCI).

Norman Paslay grew up on a farm in Illinois, and learned hard work as a way of life. In February 1937, he attended a Pentecostal revival to help his best friend win a Bible. He experienced Pentecost and was baptized in Jesus’ name; they cut a hole in the ice of a frozen pond to facilitate this incredible event. He was the first in his family to experience the new birth, and as a teenager he won his parents and siblings to the Lord. Immediately, he acknowledged a call to ministry and started preaching in 1937, at the age of sixteen.

He was ordained July 2, 1942, in Illinois, and was a member of the PCI. He was a driver for Howard Goss, taking him to various meetings and forums on a merger-endorsing campaign to rally support from the churches in the PCI. He voted at the merger, and his ordination certificate was reissued on January 1, 1946. He and his wife were the only married couple to both vote at the merger in 1945.

Mary Alice and Norman Paslay were a unique tandem in evangelistic work 1942–1956, preaching every other night. She had a strong and unique pulpit presence, using a dramatic, dynamic style that included a clear presentation of the gospel. It was the opinion of her husband that "she was a much better preacher than I was." Her flamboyance was a definitive element of her unique style. While having an established ministry in her own right, she deferred to a role of support when they began their pastoral ministry.

Children's ministry was a defining dynamic of Mary Alice's ministry. She was among the very first to feature services for children, with songs and outreach targeting up to age ten, and pioneered the vision of having a specific evangelistic forum that became children's church. She was active in writing feature articles for the children's page which was incorporated into the Pentecostal Herald, the earliest articles dating to 1947.

Music, both singing and recording, was a part of their collective impact on the UPCI. As part of the first recording efforts of the Oneness Movement, they recorded 78s starting in the 1940s. Their theme song of "Happy People" was a significant blessing in a time when war was dominating life. The classic song "Pentecostal Music" was literally the Book of Acts set to music. It impacted thousands and saw services overwhelmed with worship as the Holy Ghost was being poured out. They traveled as full-time evangelists for fourteen years, having a full schedule while never making a call about availability.

They settled in Cincinnati in 1956, pouring themselves into pastoral ministry until 1992. They were the founders of The Calvary Church in 1968. They served as the founding bishop 1992–1999.

Brother Paslay was a pioneer in mentoring and intentionally investing in younger ministers and their formation. He founded Jonathan Ministries in 1974. This vision and ministry was a prototype of the many venues that today follow this model, the Timothy Project, Barnabas Project, and the Jonathan Project being current examples. This divine assignment was his passion and pursuit for over twenty-five years of his ministry.

They passed away in 1999 six months apart, Mary Alice in April and Norman in October, one week before their fifty-seventh anniversary. They leave a legacy of service and sacrifice, with a combined service of 126 years of Apostolic ministry.