Rev. Alice Wellstood Tindall — A Pioneer of the Spiritual Science Movement in Washington, DC
Rev. Alice Wellstood Tindall, known within the Spiritual Science community as Mother Tindall, was a pioneer of the Spiritual Science movement who planted and established the First Spiritual Science Church in Washington, DC, in 1941. At the time she began her work, she was 47 years old. Working in collaboration with the Spiritual Science Mother Church, she brought organized Spiritual Science study, mediumship, and a ministerial program to the nation’s capital in the wake of World War II, when death and uncertainty shaped everyday life.
Rev. Tindall’s early work in Washington, DC was carried out in formal affiliation with the Spiritual Science Mother Church of New York, under its ecclesiastical structure and authority. For approximately seven years, the Washington church functioned as a recognized branch within the Mother Church system. As the ministry grew and local leadership stabilized, the First Spiritual Science Church of Washington, DC transitioned to full ecclesiastical independence, establishing its own administrative and ministerial identity while remaining grounded in the foundational principles of Spiritual Science.
Rev. Tindall served as an ordained minister, lecturer, teacher, healer, and mental medium within the church. Her work reflected the disciplined and organized structure of Spiritual Science education and the training of the Mother Church. Privately, she offered spiritual counseling, public demonstrations of voice mediumship without total entrancement, distant exorcism healing, recording her lessons and prayers, and maintaining regular church services grounded in spiritual care.
Mother Tindall
Within the Spiritual Science community, Rev. Alice Wellstood Tindall was widely referred to as Mother Tindall, a designation reflecting her role as a senior spiritual authority, mentor, and stabilizing presence during the formative years of Spiritual Science in Washington, DC. The title “Mother” was traditionally used for women who carried ecclesiastical responsibility, provided spiritual guidance, and helped shape the ethical and practical foundations of the movement.
Records further show that Rev. Tindall maintained a full weekly service schedule in Washington, DC, conducting multiple services throughout the week, including Sunday evening services. Advertisements show the church open on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with two services held on Tuesdays—afternoon and evening. This level of weekly activity reflects sustained public demand and confirms that her ministry remained active throughout the week.
Her work extended beyond Washington. At the national level, Rev. Tindall served as Vice President of the Ecclesiastical Council of the Spiritual Science Mother Church, Inc. of New York, as Secretary–Treasurer of the Federation of Spiritual Churches and Associations, Inc., and later as President of the Ecclesiastical Council following the death of Julia Forrest. These roles confirmed her standing within the movement and positioned Washington, DC as a recognized center of Spiritual Science education and practice.
Civic & Professional Leadership
In addition to her ecclesiastical responsibilities, Rev. Alice Wellstood Tindall held leadership roles in numerous civic, professional, and women’s organizations. She served as national agent for the Federation of Spiritual Churches and Associations and was active in the Federation of Women’s Clubs, Business and Professional Women’s Club, Women’s City Club, International Platform Association, and Democratic Club. She also served as president of the Washington Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), reflecting her engagement in civic life beyond the church.
Permanent Operational Location
With the establishment of a permanent operational headquarters at 5605 16th Street NW, Washington, DC, and the launch of her publishing operation in tandem, Rev. Tindall unified her ministry, publishing, and administration under one physical address, marking the culmination of decades of spiritual labor.
Mother Tindall was blessed with the loving support of Rev. Diane S. Nagorka, one of her most recent pastoral graduates, who made the location at 5605 16th Street NW available for church and publishing operations. This location provided a stable base from which the First Church of Spiritual Science was anchored, as both a functioning ministry, school, and a national media voice.
The Advocate
Rev. Alice Wellstood Tindall’s correspondence in The Psychic Observer revealed her role as an advocate for the integrity of the Spiritual Sciences. Her commitment extended beyond ministry into public discourse at a time when sensationalism and fraudulent mediumship increasingly distorted public understanding. Trained within the disciplined framework of the Mother Church, she emphasized responsibility, training, and accountability in spiritual practice, drawing clear distinctions between Spiritual Science and unrelated or exploitative methods.
In 1974, leadership of ESPress formally transitioned to Henry Nagorka. During this period, Rev. Diane S. Nagorka and Henry Nagorka served as pastors and oversaw the School of Spiritual Science.
The National Spiritual Science Church—later known as the National Spiritual Science Center—had been established earlier, supporting Sunday services, a structured ministerial program, and spiritual practice. Publishing continued through The Psychic Observer and later The Psychic Observer / Chimes, which expanded beyond its earlier identity as a journal centered on Spiritual Science.
Rev. Tindall was widowed in 1934 at the age of 41, with children still in her care. During World War II, she experienced the loss of her younger son, George Romine Tindall, who died in military service overseas in 1944 at the age of 22. These personal losses occurred alongside her continued public ministry and ecclesiastical service.
Memorial Reflection — Rev. Alice Helen Wellstood Tindall
Rev. Tindall passed away in July 1974 in Virginia. Records confirm that she was married and the mother of children, situating her legacy not only within institutional leadership but within family life as well.
The National Spiritual Science Center Historical Society recognizes Rev. Alice Helen Wellstood Tindall (Mother Tindall) as a pioneer of the Spiritual Science movement and the individual responsible for planting and establishing the First Spiritual Science Church of Washington, DC. Her work included traveling throughout the nation speaking, teaching, and demonstrating mediumship. We honor her contributions during a foundational era when women’s ecclesiastical leadership was documented, preserved, and acknowledged within the Spiritual Science community, even when largely ignored by broader public history.
Rev. Alice Helen Wellstood Tindall
July 17, 1893 – July 17, 1974
Pioneer — Spiritual Science Movement
Founder — First Spiritual Science Church (Washington, DC) → National Spiritual Science Center
Lecturer • Teacher • Healer • Mental Medium
Publisher — The Psychic Observer: Journal of Spiritual Science (ESPress, Inc.)
May her work be remembered and preserved..
© Rev. Starlene Joyner Burns
Author & Researcher
National Spiritual Science Center Historical Society
Photography credits: Original photographers unknown; images digitally enhanced for clarity by Starlene Moon.