1891 HT: Dan Graves Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “Prince of Preachers,” preached his last sermon at the Tabernacle in London on this day, June 7, 1891. Years before, his ministry had almost come to an early end. His congregation had grown so large they had to erect this special building to accommodate the crowds who came to hear him.…
1882 HT: Josh Weidmann In 1842 George and Jane Matheson had a child and named him George, obviously and proudly, after his father. His mother was the second cousin to his father, and they both resided in Glasgow, Scotland at the time George, their firstborn child, was birthed. He was the first of eight children, but the…
1831 HT: Dan Graves IN 1824 the London Missionary Society set up schools in Madagascar. Seven years later, in May 1831, they held their first baptismal service for new Christians. The following month, on this day 5 June 1831, the Christian converts celebrated the Lord’s Supper for the first time. Among those who participated in the…
1649 HT: christianity.com The first log cabin of New Haven went up in the fall of 1637. A few men wintered on the bay that year and in the spring more arrived. Among them was the Reverend John Davenport. Strong religious overtones marked the formation of the “colony” as the town called itself. Davenport helped…
339 HT: Dan Graves Suppose you are a survivor of an outlawed organization whose origins go back to around 1700, seventy-six years before America became an independent nation. “Tell the story of your people,” you are urged. The problem is, your people were an illegal group. In fact, the government tried to exterminate them! Their…
Of his latest article about Scottish church history, Paul James-Griffiths of Christian Heritage Edinburgh writes, “This week’s article is all about the famous World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh in 1910. May Scotland regain its passionate desire to reach both our nation and the world again with the gospel.” 1910 World Missionary Conference, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons…
1593 HT: Dan Graves John Penry wept for Wales. In Elizabeth’s England, there were far too few pastors assigned to teach the Welsh, and of those, many were absentees from their flocks or little better than rogues. Penry wrote Equity of a Humble Supplication in Behalf of the Country of Wales that Some Order May Be…
1663 HT: Dan Graves When Jospeh Alleine‘s older brother Edward died, Joseph underwent a spiritual crisis, what he would call a “thorough conversion.” Edward had been studying for the ministry and Joseph pleaded with his father to be allowed to take his place. His father agreed and Joseph headed off to school. The young man…
1700 HT: Stagger and Reel Today, we celebrate the birth of Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, born on May 26, 1700. A pivotal figure in the history of the Moravian Church, Zinzendorf’s life was marked by profound devotion to Christ and an unyielding passion for mission work. Known for his famous quote, “I have loved…
1738 HT: Dan Graves John Wesley was almost in despair. He did not have the faith to continue to preach. When death stared him in the face, he was fearful and found little comfort in his religion. To Peter Böhler, a Moravian friend, he confessed his growing misery and decision to give up the…