Its growth was fueled by young adults and teenagers who felt a need to reconcile experiences between their churches and their own life in an increasingly industrial American society.
[3] The goal of the instruction was to make happy or “bless” every man who came into the group, and the class tried to have an engagement with its members every night.
[4] A major component in Hudson's bible classes, was a plan for the young men and women to pray (at noon) every day for the “salvation” of non-members.
The adult class movement flourished for 30 years and then was absorbed into the various Protestant denominations, so that most American communities (at least in the eastern United States) had a Baraca or Philathea Union.
The Philathea group (also called the Philathean Society) was known in the 20th century for its willingness to permit women into its roles of leadership.