The Annunciation also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady or Annunciation of the Lady The Annunciation of Mary is when the Archangel Gabriel visits Mary to say that she is going to have a son, who she was to call Jesus. * (See Luke ch. 1 verses 26-38) Mary is surprised because she asks, How can this be I do nor know a man? She is still a virgin who has only recently become betrothed to Joseph. The angel replies with these words The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Gabriel goes on to explain that her cousin Elizabeth, in old age, is going to give birth to a son. (This son is John the Baptist) Mary says Behold the maidservant of the Lord!. Let it be to me according to your word. Gabriel then departed. This is how Mary learned that she was going to give birth to Jesus, the Son of God. Brief information about Mary and the Archangel Gabriel included. Sources The Bible Wikipedia

Henry Townsend (1815-1886) was an Anglican missionary in Nigeria. He was ordained in 1842 and he then set off for Sierra Leone. After working there for only a few months he was transferred to the Yoruba Mission. He celebrated Christmas Day, 1843, in Badagry sharing the Gospel with Thomas Birch Freeman in who was the first European to enter Abeokuta. From 1846-67 -twenty- one years - he based his mission in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Working with Samuel Crowther, a Yoruba Anglican priest, He wrote several hymns in Yoruba and helped in the compilation of Crowther’s Yoruba primer. In 1858 he published a Yoruba newspaper - it was the first bilingual paper in Nigeria. Paper finished in 1866 but is said to have stated off the print media in Nigeria. From 1971-2 Henry and his wife were co-principals of CMS Female Institution Lagos, Nigeria. Henry retired in 1876. He died 10 years later in 1886.

Saint Francis was an Italian Catholic Friar, deacon and preacher. He founded the men’s order of Friar Minor, the women’s Order of saint Clare, the Third Order of Saint Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land. He is one of the most venerated religious figures in Christianity. He was born in 1181 in Assisi Italy. He enjoyed life until 1202 when he had a serious illness which changed his behaviour. He turned to God and spent his time and money on helping the poor and sick people especially those with leprosy. In 1209 he started to live like a hermit- he lived in a hovel near the church he was rebuilding. In 1210, with eleven friends, he went to see Pope Innocent 111. They were officially recognised - it was the beginning of the Franciscan Order - now world wide. 1217 saw him involved with the Crusades He preached in the Saracens camp and spoke with Sultan. He attempted to make a truce with the Christians and Muslims. He decided in 1220 to give up the leadership of the Order. His health began to fail but his joyful spirit never failed. He had frequent visions and received the Stigmata - marks on his hands, feet and side in his own flesh. Before he died in 1226 he composed the Canticle of the Sun. Saint Francis was known for his love of nature and animals. He was canonized in 1228, just two years after his death. There is a great deal of information to found about him. Wikipedia gives him 22 pages. I have put together a mixture of different types of data. Ducksters gives children an outline of his life. !2 interesting questions are asked and answered. I have included a translation of the* Canticle of the Sun.* Sources used wikipedia * The Church’s Year* Charles Alexander Encyclopedia.com Canticle of the Sun Biographies for Kids Catholic Encyclopedia

Augustine of Hippo is one of the 4 Doctors of the church. He was one of the most intelligent men who ever lived He was born in Numidi (now Algeria) in 354. His parents were Saint Monica and Patricius, a pagan. His father, on his death bed became a Christian and died in 373 when Augustine was just 19. Augustine was rebellious and his mother prayed for 17 years before he became converted. He was educated in Cathage, then went to Rome, followed by moving to Milan where he taught rhetoric. For 10 years he was interested in Manichaeism (see notes). In Milan he listened to the sermons of Saint Ambrose. To his mother’s joy he was converted and baptised. He was 33. He and Saint Ambrose probably composed the * Te Deum.* The year was 387 when Saint Monica died. She had spent many years praying for her son before he was converted. In her last two years she saw her prayers wonderfully answered. Saint Monica died in Ostia as she and her son gazed at the sea and discoursed about the joys of the blessed. He returned to Africa. H e spent several years in communal living, teaching, meditating, fasting and praying. He ended up becoming a priest and went to Hippo as an assistant to bishop Valerius and established a monastic community. On the bishop’s death he became bishop - Augustine of Hippo. He began to write. Many of his books, all in Latin, are still available to read. Confessions and City of God are his most famous books. Confessions looks at his childhood and conversion. (See list of books) He died in 430 ,aged 76, when his city was being besieged by Vandals who had invaded the Roman Empire. Saint Augustine is considered by many to be the greatest teacher of Christian Truth after Saint Paul - writer of the epistles in the New Testament. I have included a list of his books his ideas, plus definitions for Manichaeism and Filique Gold from Dark Mines by Irene Howart ch1 pages 7-44 Sources Wikipedia and The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander Encyclopedia of Saints by Howard Loxton

Amy Carmichael was a girl from Belfast. She , with her two brothers, helped an elderly lady carry a heavy bundle. Aged 18 she, not her brothers, had a revelation, similar to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. ‘That day she talked to God, and settled once and for all the pattern of her future life.’ *They found the Secret *by V. Raymond Edman. She was the first missionary appointed under the Keswick .convention. She went initially to Japan, then Ceylon and then spent 55 consecutive years in Southern India. In Japan she learnt the importance of simple dress sense and appearance. In India she always dressed in saris never in western clothing. She felt the calling to save both girls and boys being used in the temples.The children were being sold to ‘marry’ the Brahmin temple priest. She first took girls then boys. The refuge was called DOHNAVUR. With other Indian women she created a hostel and hospital for children. Through her tireless effort laws were put in place to protect the children After an accident, when she broke her leg and ankle, she was confined to bed as an invalid for 20 years. She then began to write - 37 books in total Thing as they are, Meal in a barrel, Gold Cord, Though the Mountains Shake - to name just four. Amy also wrote a great deal of Christian poetry. In 2017 , 150 years after her birth, Roger Carswell, a member of the Association of Evangelists, wrote the article I have photocopied.

Robert E. Nicholas was a twentieth century Saint Nicholas. He was a successful businessman who used his wealth to help others .Combining wealth and consecration he generously donated funds, usually anonymously to churches, philanthropic activities and mission agencies. He contributed money towards the building of Wheaton College. In 1967 the library was named after him. In V. Raymond Edman’s book They found the Secret, chapter fourteen entitled ‘The Satisfying Life’ we find that God had an appointment with Him. (See and read pages 122-125 ). R.E., as he was called, found his Model ‘T’ would only go in one direction! He missed a train and ended up going back to a church he had tried to avoid! He had to hear the wonderful sermon by Dr, W. B. Riley about the Second Coming of Christ. He began to learn that ’ our disappointments are God’s appointments.’ When he returned home his wife immediately noticed a change. In a few words he gave his testimony. Together they knelt in prayer and she also realised the fullness of the Holy Spirit. For 10 years he was president of the building and loan association. He helped to such a degree, during the depression, that they pulled though without a single default.

Saint Catherine of Alexandria is one of the most popular Christian martyrs. Her feast day is November the 25th. She is also remembered on November 5th, Firework Night, because one of the fireworks - the Catherine Wheel - has been named after her. Very little is actually known about her. She is not mentioned in writing, until the 9th century, so it is only through memory and traditional stories, that we know anything about her. It is believed she was born of noble birth, probably a princess. She became a Christian aged 14 years old following amoving vision of Mary and the infant Jesus. She spoke to emperor Maxentius about his cruelty to Christians. Initially, rather than her executed, he summoned 50 orators and philosophers to debate with her. She was so eloquent in her defence of her faith that several pagans were converted. Unable to intimidate her to give up her faith he ordered her to be tortured and imprisoned. He decided to have a killed. She was tied to a water wheel fitted with spikes. Somehow she survived this form of torture. Eventually he had her beheaded. I have included pictures of Saint Catherine and listed meaning of her name. Sources used The Church’s Year, britannica, catholic org/saints and nameberry.

Alfred Howard Carter, better known as Howard Carter, was a pioneer in the Pentecostal Christian faith. Howard was born in Birmingham, England. He took over England’s first Pentecostal Bible School. In 1913 an organization known as the Crown Mission began in the city. He became the leader of the group. 1916 he became involved in a a second Pentecostal work and had to quit his regular work to maintain leadership of the two churches. WW1. In 1916 as a minister he should have been exempt from military service but he was not a minister of a recognized denomination. Refusing to enter the military he spent 2 years in Wormwood Scrubbs prison. While there he focused on the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. His book Questions and Answers on Spiritual Gifts came later. Released from prison he returned to Birmingham to pioneer a church called the People’s Hall Later, in London with 5 other Pentecostals, the young Howard interpreted a message in tongues. *Gather my people from the North, South , East and West and build for me. That night he received £2,500 from a business man - who had not paid his tithe- this launched him into a worldwide apostolic ministry. In 1921 he temporarily took over the leadership of Hampstead Bible School - he stayed for 27 years. Under his leadership they purchased a nearby house and 2 more Bible schools were opened. )) On 1st February 1924 he was 1 of 13 who signed the founding documents of the Assemblies of God. He served on the General Council as vice-chairman 1929-34 and as chairman 1934-45. On 18th December 1831 Howard prayed for a companion. On the same day Lester Sumrall had a vision of multitudes going to hell if he did not help them. In 1934 Howard was invited to minister at 2 camp meetings in the USA. This developed into a world tour of 60,000 miles. In the USA he met 17 year old Lester Sumrall. They caught up with each other in Australia several years later Together they did the world tour, which included China, visiting many of Howard’s former Bible school students. The tour ended with Howard suffering with malaria on a bed in Amsterdam. Chronicled in ‘When Time Flew By’ by Lester Sumrall. In 1948 Howard handed the Hampstead Bible School over to George Newsholme. In 1952 at the 3rd World Pentecostal Conference in London, Wesley Steelberg, the Superintendent, died unexpectedly. In 1955 Howard married Ruth, the widow of Steelberg. They embarked on a 2 year world tour. From 1965-7 They helped Howard’s John at the Bible School in Kenley, South London. Ruth’s health began to wane and they moved to Springfield, Missouri. They ministered together until Howard, aged 80, died on 22nd January, 1971 The memorial service was held in London. Lester, unable to attend due due to a snowstorm, said *Howard had faith in me and launched me out on God. *a man of great personality, genius, faith and the Spirit * Sources HC Mentors L S wikipedia

Elim Pentecostal Church have just celebrated 100 years. Their founder, George Jeffreys, a Welshman, was an evangelist with a Welsh Congregational background. At the age of 15 he gave his life to Christ. George, along with his brother Stephen and others, started a Christian revival movement. It started in a small way but soon 1000s of people came to their conventions and camp meetings and many were saved. In 1962 George spoke to Reinhard Bonnke. just before he left for south Africa.He invited him in for tea and prayed for the 22 year old, passing on his 'mantle'. Elim Pentecostal Church have brought out a book, a DVD and a Music CD to celebrate. They also have a very good web site simply called Elim - Our History.

George Muller is remembered for the tremendous work he did with orphans in the nineteenth century in Bristol. He, with his first wife Mary, were responsible for looking after over 10,000 orphans. If he needed anything he took it to the Lord in prayer. He never solicited for donations but money or food or drink, or what ever was needed ‘happened’ following prayer. He was also responsible for 117 Christian schools and the educating of 120,00 children. Aged 70 he began a 17 year period of missionary travel with his new wife, Susannah, which took him across the five continents. This was in pre-aviation times and he covered some 200,000 miles. Incredible He returned to England in 1892. He died on 10th March 1898 in New Orphan House no.3. George Muller had originally came over to England in 1825 to work for the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews but due to ill health early on they went their separate ways. Their loss was Bristol orphans gain.

Saint Joseph of Arimathea feast day falls on the same day as Saint Patrick in some countries. Joseph was the one who went to Pontious Pilate, the Roman governor, to ask for the body of Jesus after his crucifixion. He with Nicodmus placed His body in a new tomb. I have typed out in full all the passages where Joseph is mentioned in each of the four Gospels He is mentioned in the Apocryphal (hidden) Gospels saying he went on a preaching mission to Gaul which lasted nearly thirt years. Legends about Joseph and Glastonbury were written in the Middle Ages…

A Christmas and New Year Vocabulary plus a clip art picture for the diary.

Catherine of Siena is one of the outstanding figures of Medieval Catholicism She was the youngest of 25 children. She was a nun and a mystic. She was both clever and good so even popes sought her advice. She is remembered for her role in encouraging the Pope Urban V to return to Rome and for her letters. She never actually learnt how to write- dictated letters to secretaries. She died at the young age of 33 through exhaustion. She remains a greatly respected figure for her spiritual writings and political boldness to ’ speak truth to power ’ - it being exceptional for a women in her time period (Middle Ages) to have such an influence in politics and on world history. There were two tasks she set herself to accomplish. She wanted the Popes to move from Avignon, in France back to Rome so that ancient tradition was restored. Secondly she wanted peace between the pope and the people of Florence. She accomplished both of those aims/tasks. Her ’ Dialogue ’ , 100s’ of letters and dozens of prayers also gives her a prominent place in the history of Italian literacy. Pope Urban V1 celebrated her funeral in the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. She was the first woman to be declared ’ doctor of the church ’ by Pope Paul V1 in 1970. Sources used wikepedia, The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander, Historicas Women and Encyclopedia of Saints by Howard Loxton

Saint Columbo was an Irish priest, who following a dispute in Ireland , moved with 12 friends to the small Isle of Iona off the west coast of Scotland. Iona’s place in history was secured in 563 AD when Saint Colombo arrived with his 12 followers, built a church and established a monastic community. The monks spent their day in pray, teaching, writing - transcribing and illustrating beautiful books, and cultivating the land or fishing. Saint Columbo became the Abbot of Iona and surrounding isles. His wish was that Iona would become a centre of Learning. Hundreds of years later it is still a centre of Christianity. It has an influence far out of all proportion for its size in Scotland, England and mainland Europe. It is a place of pilgrimage, 130,00 come each year. Kings of Scotland, Ireland and Norway are buried there. The original building has gone but by the side of the Abbey entrance a small roof chamber is claimed to be the site of the saint’s tomb. The Lochness monster even gets a mention. Sources -wikipedia and * The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander

Sister Annie was a Norwegian missionary nurse who served in China and Hong Kong. In China she stood out because she was 190cms tall. She became a national hero when she appeared on the Norwegian version of *This is Your Life * in 1985. The Miracle at Midnight heading is the story of when Sister Annie and a friend almost lost their lives. This happened one day in June 1941 in northwest China. They were watching a procession and were asked to take off their hats to show respect to idols. Sister Annie refused and said her God would bring rain before midnight. Half an hour before midnight it rained. Sister Annie’s prayer was answered. By the age of 27 she had joined the Norwegian Missionary Association. In 1938 she arrived in Shaanxi, a province in Northern China where she stayed until the conclusion of the Chinese Civil War in 1950. In 1951 the defeat of the Kuomintang meant all foreign missionaries had to leave and she moved to Hong Kong. Between 1953-5 Sister Annie worked at the Rennie Mill refugee camp. In 1955 Sister Annie worked with Helen Wilson and Hanny Gronlund to found the Haven of Hope Hospital - it is a rehabilitation centre for Chinese refugees.She worked there until her retirement in 1978. In 2015 it celebrated 60 years. In 1963 she was appointed as a First Class Knight of St. Olav. In the 1975 December Time * cover story named her as one of the world’s * living saints* along side Mother Teresa. In 1979 she was rewarded and MBE (Member of the British Empire) for her tireless labours in Hong Kong. I have included a list of the books she wrote. Sources wikipedia and * Ambassadors for Christ* edited by J.D. Woodbridge contributors Avid and Gudveig Meller

Mary was an American educator , stateswoman, philanthropist, humanitarian, womanist and civil rights activist. Whilst she was studying at the Moody Bible Institute she felt clear call to mission service in Africa. She was rejected - no openings for a black missionary in Africa - her major disappointment. She taught for a while in Georgia and then returned to South Carolina. She met and married Albertus Bethune. In 1899 they opened a mission school. In 1904 Mary met a traveling Methodist minister who told her about the terrible conditions in Daytona working on the railways. She was up to the challenge and the same year, on October 4th, she opened a new school. She then, for a few dollars down, bought an abandoned garbage dump and turned it into a school. It became the permanent site for the Daytona Beach Literacy and Industrial School for Negro girls. Within 2 years she had 250 female students. Mary developed extraordinary fund raising skills. John D. Rockefeller, the oil magnate was a major benefactor. As the school grew Mary’s greatest challenge was the Ku Klux Klan In 1920 Mary led a spirited vote registration drive that promoted Klan harassment. The stage was set for showdown between Mary and the Klan on the night before the mayoral election. Mary and her female pupils were ready. (Read ’ Quit running ') The election the next day the black voters waited patiently until all the white voters had cast their votes -the Klan endorsed candidate lost. By 1929 the school had been renamed Bethune-Cookman College. After this she turned her attention to black womens civil groups. (read ’ Civic Groups’ ) Resources used wikipedia Britannica online Encyclopedia Ambassadors for Christ contribution from Harold ivan Smith.

Martin Luther King was a gifted African- American Preacher and civil rights leader. His sermonic appeals for justice and personal activism helped change the course of American life. His most famous appeal was* I have a dream* speech - a dream for freedom and equality for black people. ( Read I had a dream speech). I have included a brief bibliography of his life written by History . It highlights all the important events of his public life - from his birth to his assassination ( page 1, of 4, lists the highlights). As a preacher his sermons became more Christ centred with a growing emphasis on the cross. He was one of the most compelling speakers of the twentieth century. Michael Duduit in his list of top 10 twentieth preachers in the world ranked Martin 4th. ( Read 4. Martin Luther King, Jr) Martin considered himself a preacher of the gospel rather than a civil rights leader. Fundamentally he was clergyman, a Baptist preacher. He was tragically assassinated in 1968. May his dream one day be fulfilled. I have also included 2 large print pages I used when teaching. Sources History The 10 greatest preachers of the 20th century

George was born and raised in Fenny Drayton, Leicestershire. At the age of 11 he remembered experiencing the ‘pureness’ of Divine presence. At the age of 12 he was apprenticed to a local tradesman - a cobbler, then as a partner with a wool and cattle dealer. His integrity brought him commercial success but there was a spiritual rage furiously within. In 1643 he left home to seek the truth. By 1647 he was already a discerning critic of his culture. He turned to Bible reading and prayer. he began to talk to everyone about his ideas. In 1649 he was imprisoned for the first time. At his second trial in Derby (1650/1) a judge used the word ‘quaker’ in a sarcastic manner- according to George that’s whenit was first used. 1652 he climbed Pendle Hill in Lancashire where he had a vision of a’ great people to be gathered together’ waiting for him The beginning of the Society of Friends (Quakers) is dated soon afterwards. George preached on Firbank Fell,near Sedbergh, in Cumbria. Some days later he was at Swarthmoor Hall, home of Judge Fell, Margaret Fell and family. Swarthmoor was to become a vital hub for the Society in Margaret’s capable hands. Many of the new Friends were seekers from various denominations who were disillusioned with state religion. They responded eagerly to his prophetic proclamation of a new Day of the Lord. George and other Friends travelled all over the country. George went to Cornwall, Wales and Scotland. Judge Fell did a lot to protect them until he died in 1658. Charles11 came to throne in 1660. George was imprisoned for 2 years in 1664/6. He began a journal which he continued to write until his death. On October 27th 1669 he married Margaret. There were now had Friends in the Caribbean. In 1671 they set sail for Barbados arriving in October. The Barbadian economy was slave based; some Friends were slave owners. George suggested freedom after 30 years service 1677 they went to to Holland and Germany. In the 1680s he spent a great deal of time lobbying Parliament against the persecution of Quakers. George lived to see the fruits of his labour when the Declaration of Indulgence followed by The Toleration Act of 1689 granted limited freedom to Quakers. The movement gradually took shape as a denomination. Several meeting houses were built before he died in London, on 23rd January 1691. George believed faithful witness to the Kingdom by word and deed would speed the gathering of the world’s peoples to Christ. Sources used Quakers in the World Great Leaders of the Christian Faith Woodbridge contribution by Arthur O. Roberts wikipedia

John Knox was an ordained minister successively for 3 Christian churches - Roman Catholic, Church of England and Church of Scotland. And for 19 months he was a galley slave. John in turn became a tutor, preacher at St. Andrews, galley-slave in French bondage and chaplain to the young English king- Edward VI. In the 1540s John came under the influence of converted reformers… He became the bodyguard for fiery Protestant preacher George Wishart. In 1546 Cardinal David Beaton had Wishart arrested, tried ,strangled and burned. 3 months later Beaton was murdered by Protestant conspirators. John was not ‘privy’ to the murder but did approve of it. In 1547 the occupants of St. Andrew Castle, including John, were put under siege. Some occupants were imprisoned; John was sent to the galleys as a slave. Released after 19 months he spent 5 years in England where his reputation for preaching quickly blossomed. During the reign of Mary Tudor (1553-8),when England reverted back to being Roman Catholic, John was exiled in Europe. Whilst there he helped originate the Puritan tradition and worked on an English version of the Bible. In 1559 he returned to Scotland to be proclaimed an outlaw by the Roman Catholic queen regent. The English ambassador, Randolph said, The voice of one man is able in one hour to put more life in us than 500 trumpets continually blustering our ears. Queen Mary arrived in Scotland in 1561. . When Mary was contemplating Don Car;os of Spain John sounded the Protestant alarm bell. John was charged with treason but the privy Council refused to convict him. Aged 50 John married 17 year old Margaret Stewart a distant relative of the queen - that completed the queen’s ‘cup of bitterness’. The Reformation finally came to Scotland. John laid down the right foundations. He aimed at support for the poor, equality of men before God and the advancement of education by having a school in every parish. He and his fellow ministers went to great pains to establish sound doctrine. Parliament ordered John and 5 colleagues to write a Confession of faith, the First Book of Discipline and *The Book of Common Order * . He ended up as preacher in Edinburgh church where he wrote History of the Reformation of Religion in Scotland His power as a preacher lay in his capacity to fuse reason with emotion and to be a passionate logican in the pulpit. He was considered one of the most powerful preachers of his day. John was a minister of the Christian gospel who advocated a violent but bloodless revolution.He was a key figure in the formation of modern Scotland. Sources used *Great Leaders of the Christian Church editor Woodbridge content by J.D. Douglas Britannica Online Encyclopedia Christianity Today

Saint Hugh of Lincoln was born in Avalon in France - that’s why he also known as Hugh of Avalon. His mother died when he was only 8. His father, Guillaume, a soldier, decided to retire and together they went to the monastery of Villard-Benoit, near Grenoble Aged 15 Saint Hugh became a religious novice. Aged 19 he was ordained a deacon. On his father’s death in about 1165 he joined the monks at the Carthusian motherhouse of La Grande Chartreuse near Grenoble. He was ordained a priest and later became procurator of the housse ( c.1170). In 1179/80 he came to England where he was appointed by Henry11 to be the first prior of the Carthusian house of Witham in Essex. He became bishop of Lincoln in 1186. He was consecrated at Westminster. As both prior and bishop he defended the church’s liberties and gained respect from the monarchy. In 1185 Lincoln cathedral had been was badly damaged because of an earthquake. Saint Hugh set about rebuilding and greatly enlarging it in the new Gothic style. He was now one of the premier bishops in the UK and acted as a diplomat… Following visit to La Grande Chartreusein in 1200, to promote peace between King John of England and King Philip Augustus of France, he fell ill. He died in London and was buried in Lincoln Cathedral on November 24th , 1200. Two kings, 17 bishops, nobles and crowds of the common people came to the funeral of this much loved man. Saint Hugh is often shown with a swan by his side. This is because at his palace at Stow Park he had a pet wild swan. It would follow him everywhere, looking for food in his clothes, ’ walking ’ upstairs in the house and even guarding him while he slept. At the time of the Reformation he was the best known saint after Thomas Becket. Sources used wikipedia Britannica Online Encyclopedia The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander