Methodist Episcopal Church. Centenary Committee

The Centenary Celebration of American Methodist Missions was held in June and July of 1919. The twenty-four day missionary world’s fair attracted over one million visitors to the Ohio State Fairgrounds complex in Columbus. The exposition was a joint effort of the Methodist Episcopal Church and Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Other Methodist-related denominations invited to participate included the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Colored Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Church of Canada. The purpose of the fair was to bring attention to the history and progress of Methodist missions in the United States and around the world. As a result, Methodist missionaries functioned as cultural and religious experts and converted Christians from overseas were brought to the fairgrounds. The missionaries and those missionized spoke of their experiences while participating in a series of exhibits meant to recreate the conditions in their home lands.