1929-1930
The Taproot was a monthly magazine published out of Louisville, Kentucky, by the M. F. Ham Evangelistic Party in the late 1920s/early 1930s. The publication usually featured one or two sermons by Mordecai Fowler Ham; editorials, news stories, and photographs of Ham’s preaching, revivals, and evangelistic crusades; and general articles on preaching and evangelism. The purpose of the paper was for “urging the necessity for and to encourage all Christians to engage in evangelism.” Evangelist Mordecai Ham (1877-1961) was ordained in 1901 in Greenwood, Kentucky. He entered evangelistic work in Kentucky and other southern states, and continued until 1927 when he accepted the pastorate of First Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for two years. He then returned to evangelism. He numbered his converts at over 300,000 in 1950 and at 1,000,000 at the end of his ministry. Among them were evangelists Billy Graham and Grady Wilson.
