Eva Juanita Hunt

On July 27, 1902, Charles and Martha Fair welcomed twin daughters, Eva Juanita and Eva Veleita, into their humble home near St. Elmo, Illinois. Later, two sons were also born into the Fair household. There was also an older stepbrother. The family was poor and times were not easy, especially after Martha developed tuberculosis in 1911 and grew steadily weaker.

Because of her mother’s illness, nine-year-old Eva soon learned how to cook meals, bake bread, and churn butter. Even at a young age, she took on the responsibility of numerous household chores, all while mothering her younger brothers and attending school.

It was during these difficult days of Martha’s illness that the concerned mother began cautioning her daughters against the ways of the world. These warnings instilled principles that later helped guide them in life. When Martha passed away two years later, some suggested that Charles place the children in an orphanage, but he refused. He worked long hours to provide for his young family and keep them together.

On September 22, 1918, Eva Fair married Raymond Hunt in St. Louis, Missouri. Although her twin sister, Evie, had begun to preach and hold revivals, Eva did not yet serve the Lord. In 1927, at age twenty-five, she walked into a Pentecostal church in Vandalia, Illinois, and heard the message of repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus. That night, Eva was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. She immediately felt a burden for lost souls. While attending the Vandalia church, she served as youth leader and did hospital visitation.

In 1929, Eva and her husband moved to Decatur, Illinois. There at Bethel Temple she heard Homer White preach about receiving the Holy Ghost with the sign of speaking in tongues, something she had not previously been taught. She sought God for seven nights before she received her personal infilling of the Spirit. Hunt attended Bethel Temple until 1941. While there, she taught Sunday school, served as youth leader, led song service, and gave sermonettes.

In 1933, Hunt felt God calling her to preach the gospel, but she struggled with that call. She never desired to be known as a preacher. In her heart, she considered herself unworthy of that title. She felt she was only giving “sermonettes,” not sermons. As she continued to struggle about her calling, she counseled with her pastor, Brother White. He advised her to keep her heart open to the will of God.

Brother Casey, a pastor in Bloomington, Illinois, invited Hunt to preach a youth rally at his church. This was her first public sermon. From that night forward, others began to invite her to preach. It was during a revival with Pastor Nora Baker in Sullivan, Illinois, that Hunt finally accepted her calling. For the next seven years, she remained in the Decatur church and trained under her pastor.

On June 13, 1941, Hunt traveled to Pana, Illinois. There she held her first service from the front porch of Clint and Mae Brown’s home. A table was placed on the porch for a pulpit, and chairs were arranged on the front lawn for seating. At the close of the service, eight people came to the altar to pray. This outdoor service marked the beginning of the Full Gospel Church, which was later renamed First United Pentecostal Church.

The group continued to meet at the Brown home each week until the weather grew cool. During the winter months, they moved the services inside. Eventually, this small group rented the American Legion Hall for three dollars per week. Hunt never lost her vision for the work in Pana, even though her salary for that first year was only twenty dollars.

While holding services in the American Legion Hall, the group desired to find property to build a church. Hunt found the perfect building site at the corner of Orange and Franklin Streets. In 1942, the church purchased the lot for forty dollars. A church had previously occupied the site but had been torn down. All that remained of the original structure was a dirt-filled basement. This was cleaned out and covered with a roof. They held services there while the church raised funds to construct a new building. In 1947, a beautiful church was completed and dedicated. Hunt continued to pastor in Pana until August 1967, when she resigned due to failing health. Although she no longer pastored, she continued to minister in other ways in the years that followed.

The impact of Eva Hunt’s ministry reached far beyond Pana. Seven churches were established and built through her ministry, and eleven ministers entered the harvest fields under her leadership. She also helped revive several struggling Pentecostal churches. She also served as secretary of Section 5 of the Illinois District UPCI for nineteen years.

Eva Hunt was active and well-respected within her community and beyond. Her involvement included the auxiliaries of the American Legion and Pana Community Hospital, where she also organized the hospital’s chaplain service. She served as both secretary and president of the Pana Ministerial Association. In 1963, she was named one of three Outstanding Women of the Year by the Illinois State Register newspaper in Springfield.

Eva Juanita Hunt passed away on April 19, 1995, at the age of 92.