Hero image

Antonybatchelor's Shop

Average Rating4.20
(based on 34 reviews)

I am a retired teacher who wrote 7 photocopiable books for Teachers and one book for children Union Jack Colouring Book. The 7books covered Geography, History (Medieval/ Tudor/ Stuart), Travel and Transport, Myself and Events (this included diaries), Race Against Time Stories (SATS based), Church Dates for Children plus Nature and Seasons (including Sport). These 7 books have been mainly broken into a number of segments. Challenging the Physical Elements, my Geography book, is complete.

976Uploads

110k+Views

304k+Downloads

I am a retired teacher who wrote 7 photocopiable books for Teachers and one book for children Union Jack Colouring Book. The 7books covered Geography, History (Medieval/ Tudor/ Stuart), Travel and Transport, Myself and Events (this included diaries), Race Against Time Stories (SATS based), Church Dates for Children plus Nature and Seasons (including Sport). These 7 books have been mainly broken into a number of segments. Challenging the Physical Elements, my Geography book, is complete.
Henry Gratton Guinness (1835-1910)  evangelist, author and missionary trainer
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

Henry Gratton Guinness (1835-1910) evangelist, author and missionary trainer

(0)
Henry, on his 21st birthday, wrote in his diary to live preaching and to die preaching; to live and die in the pulpit;to preach to perishing sinners till i drop down dead The combination of the entrepreneurial Guinness spirit on his father’s side and the Cramers creative, magnetic qualities on his mother’s side was an irresistible combination. 1856 Henry entered New College in London under a tutor called Dr. Harris. In 1857, whilst still a student he began to preach. He became an independent evangelist of the second Evangelical awakening. He spent 15 years travelling and preaching in Britain, Europe and North America. In 1870 he married Fanny Fitzgerald. To be the wife of an itinerant evangelist’s wife was not an easy one. She travelled with him also became a well known speaker. In 1872 because of their age, they were turned down for chance of being missionaries in China by their friend James Hudson Taylor. Undeterred they moved deliberately to East London, a poor and unsavory area. In 1873 they moved to Harley House in Bow. where they established the East London Institute for Home and Foreign Missions. ( closed in 1918) In 1878 they founded the Livingstone Inland Mission. In 1889 they founded the Congo and Balolo Mission which became the Regions Beyond Missionary Union. Also in 1878 Henry started to write the first of many Christian books. Which resulted in him speaking about biblical prophecy. Fanny, ‘Mother of Harley’, and mother of their 6 children died in 1898. He married Grace Hurditch in 1903. Together they travelled widely for 5 years before settling in Bath. In 1910, following a visit to the Congo, Henry died. He was an Irish Protestant Christian preacher, evangelist and author. He was responsible for training and sending 100s of faith missionaries all over the globe. He was the great evangelist of the Evangelical awakening Four of his surviving children from his first marriage worked as missionaries overseas, For further reading read The Guinness Family in Ambassadors for Christ. Sources wikipedia History of Missiology Ambassadors for Christ ( publ. 1994)
George Whitefield (1714-1770)    Sensational Evangelist of Britain and America
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

George Whitefield (1714-1770) Sensational Evangelist of Britain and America

(0)
The title of ’ * Sensational Evangellst of Britain and America* ’ is given to George Whitefield by *Christianity Today. * The magazine goes on to say that he is probably the most famous religious figure of the 18th century. He was an English Anglican cleric and evangelist who was one of the founders of the Methodist and evangelical movement. As a boy he enjoyed reading plays and skipped school to practice for his performances. Later in life he may have repudiated the theatre but in his sermons he portrayed biblical characters with a realism by crying, dancing and screaming - he took the theatre to the pulpit. It brought the crowds ‘out’- most of his sermons were preached outside. He went to Pembroke college, Oxford as a servitor, the lowest rank of undergraduate - his tuition was free but he acted as a servant to his fellow students. He was part of the ’ Holy Club ’ with John and Charles Wesley. An illness plus Henry Scougal’s book The life of God in the soul of Man influenced him, He had a religious conversion and became a passionate preacher. The week after his ordination he preached in his home town of Gloucester. In 1738 he went with the Wesleys to Georgia in the USA as a priest. He decided he wanted to build an orphanage for black children - this became central to his preaching. He came back to the UK to raise money. In 1940 the construction began. He had a theological disagreement. The building bought by the Moravians is today called The Whitefield House. He preached nearly every day for months to crowds in their thousands with his big booming voice. Benjamin Franklin attended a meeting in Philadephia and estimated George could be heard 500 feet away. On horseback he travelled from New York to Charleston, South Carolina - at the time the longest distance by a white man in North America, Back in the UK he was met by similar size crowds. The Church of England did not assign him a pulpit so preached in parks and fields. This itinerant preacher’s career was divided between the American colonies and the whole of the UK. In 170, aged 55,he made this comment I would rather wear out than rust out. He preached his last sermon from the top of a large barrel in a field in the colonies. The next morning he died. Thomas S. Kidd summarized George’s life in the title of his book *George Whitefield America’s Founding Father * 2014 (For full summary read Veneration and legacy.) Sources wikipedia Britannic Online Encyclopedia Christianity Today
Steve Green
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

Steve Green

(0)
Steve Green is an American Christian singer noted for his tenor vocal range and flexible solo style. He is also noted fo rhis evangelistic mission to bring others to Jesus through his songs. I have put the wikipedia information first because this is what the general public would want to known. His continued success as a singer and a list of the songs he has recorded. I have put the information about his upbring second. This information can be found in Ambassadors for Christ. Here Don Wyrtzen tells us about Steve being brought up in a Christian household and him accepting Christ into his life when he was only 8 years of age. He goes on later to tell us that many years later, after he was married, he had to recommit himself to Christ after he had a heated disagreement with his brother. The disagreement resulting in him throwing himself upon the mercy, love and grace of Jesus. It resulted in him facing up to his hypocritical life and there is now a revival in his heart that burns brightly and consistently to this day. Sources used Ambassadors for Christ wikipedia
Saint  Martin of Tours (316-397)   Feast Day 11th or 12th November
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

Saint Martin of Tours (316-397) Feast Day 11th or 12th November

(0)
Saint Martin was born in Hungary to heathen parents. He became a Christian catechumen - person ready for baptism - when he was 10. Aged 15 he joined the Roman army and was stationed at Amiens in Gaul (France) According to his biographer -Sulpicius Severeus he petitioned the emperor, Julian the Apostate, to be released form the army.’ I am Christ’s soldier: I am not allowed to fight.’ Charged with cowardic he offered to stand in front of the battle line only with the sign of the cross. He was imprisoned but was soon discharged. Legend has it that on a freezing night he cut his cloak in half to share it with a beggar. He dreamt that Jesus wore the other half. When he woke up his cloak was restored. Following the vision and apparent miracle he finished his religious studies and was baptised aged 18. ( After he died his cloak was carried into battle and Mass said in the tent where it was placed. Later replaced by a ‘forked’ blue banner) Aged 20 Saint Martin left the army and joined Saint Hilary of Poitiers, together they founded the first monastery in France. He became a missionary in the provinces of Pannonia and Illyricum -now Balkan Peninsula. He went to Italy and to the island of Gallinaria. In 360 he returned to Poitiers. He then founded a community of hermits at Liguge - the monastery in Gaul. Saint Martin became bishop of Tours in 371. He founded the Marmoutier monastery from which apostles spread Christianity throughout Gaul. He was an active missionary in Touraine and the country districts. Saint Martin in 384/5 became involved in a conflict at the imperial court in Trier, France. It resulted eventually in bishop Priscillian of Spain being executed by the Roman authorities… His involvement caused him to fall into disfavour with Spanish bishops. He died in 397 at Candes. During his lifetime Saint Martin gained a reputation as a miracle worker and became one of the first non-martyrs to be publicly venerated as a saint. He was the patron saint of France, father of monasticism in Gaul and the first great leader of Western monasticism. In England there are over 150 churches dedicated to him. Sources used Britannica Online Encyclopedia * The Church’s Year* by Charles Alexander
Peter  Deyneka (1898-1987) and Peter Deyneka (1931-2000)
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

Peter Deyneka (1898-1987) and Peter Deyneka (1931-2000)

(0)
The two Peters were father (Sr) and son (Jr). Peter Sr. was born in in Belarus. With his parents he immigrated to Chicago USA in 1913/4 where he worked in a machine shop. He was brought up in the Russian Orthodox Church. He was born again in 1920 at a Moody Memorial Church. He graduated as valedictorian from the Moody Bible Institute in 1925. God ignited a fire in him to witness to anyone who would listen, especially Russians. He found many Russians across USA and Canada. His animated style and intensity earned him the nickname ’ Peter Dynamite ’ Peter Sr returns home to Russia to evangelize his own people and works in Latvia and Estonia as field secretary for the All Russian Evangelical Union. Peter Sr married Vera Demidovich in 1926. and Peter Jr was born in 1931. January 1934, with 3 other men a committee is created to support his work. The Russian Gospel Association is founded in 1936 ( since 1949 called Slavic Gospel Association (SGA)). SGA over the years has help provide missionary radio for the Russian people. Russian pastors said that missionary radio was instrumental in the conversion of many Russian families. The story of the 2 Peters begin to overlap. Peter Jr . accepts Christ at home during grade school years. He graduates from Wheaton College in 1953and a M.Div at Northern Baptist Seminary in 1957. The SGA send him to numerous countries between 1955 and 1965. He becomes Assistant director (1966-3) and then president of SGA from 1975-1991. Between 1976-1989 the Soviet Government rejects 10 visa requests from Peter Jr and his wife Anita. For 13 years they were denounced frequently in publications. While they waited Peter Jr and his colleagues translated about 100 book titles. They were printed in the West and imported in limited quantities . He engaged in radio ministry. Russians received his pastoral training materials with enthusiasm. Finally when glsnost (openness) and peresroika (restructuring) developed they received a visa February 1989. They moved to Moscow in January 1991. By this time Peter Sr had died. He died in 1987 having dedicated his life to the ministry of evangelism despite the dangers and persecution under the Soviet regime. His biography is called ’ Twice Born Russian ’ In 1991 Peter Jr became president of the Peter Deyneka Russian Ministries 1991-2000). Peter Jr. died on 23rd December 2000. He had been diagnosed with lymphoma cancer earlier in the summer. The sources I have used includes Peter Jr. Deyneka’s writing in *Ambassadors for Christ * (published in 1994) The Christian faith, hidden, but vibrant for many years was allowed to flourish All of my past was preparation for these past seventeen months Peter Deyneka Jr. Sources used Ambassadors for Christ East-West Church Ministry report
William Edwin Sangster (1900-1960)
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

William Edwin Sangster (1900-1960)

(0)
William was born at the very beginning of the 20th century. He was never taken to a place of worship until he was 8 years old. Aged 12 a sensitive Sunday school teacher asked him if he wanted to become a disciple of Jesus.* I spluttered out my little prayer. I had one merit . I meant it.* In his autobiography he wrote * I believe I was born to be a minister I felt the pressure of a directing hand upon me from my tenderest years. * He fought in the WW1. Army life tested him and deepened him. He did a 4 year course at college. After he was ordained he ministered in Bognor, Colwyn Bay Liverpool and Scarborough attracting large congregations in each place. In 1936 he became the minister at Brunswick Church, Leeds. The out break of WW11 found him senior minster at Westminster Hall, the cathedral of Methodism. The hall held 3,000 and was full, mornings and evenings for the next 16 years to listen to him preach his 30-45 minute sermons. The basement became an air raid shelter. His family for 5 years lived on the hazardous ground floor - they slept nightly in the smelly men’s washroom. 450,00 found refuge in the basement. In 1949 William was elected president of the Methodist Conference of Great Britain. His two fold agenda was evangelism and spiritual deepening. In 1955 he was appointed head of the Home Mission Department of the Methodist Church. He wrote and published 3 invaluable books on preaching The Craft of the Sermon, The Approach to preaching, Power in Preaching Numerous engagements on behalf of International Methodism took him around the world and several times to the USA. While lecturing In Texas he had difficulty swallowing and walking. He was diagnosed with progressive muscular atrophy. Towards the end it was even difficult to lift the finger of his right hand. After a two year struggle he died on May 24th 1960. His life had been to serve one passion *O let me commend my savior to you * William was one of the top 10 preachers of the 20th century. Sources used The 10 Greatest preachers of the 20th century Michael Duduit Preaching.com oChristian .com WikiTree EThos e-theses online sevices
Saint Faith        Feast  Day     6th October
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

Saint Faith Feast Day 6th October

(0)
Saint Faith or Saint faith of Conques was said to be a girl or young woman of Agen in Aquitaine. She was the daughter of Christian parents. She was arrested during the persecutions of Christians by the roman Empire. She was told she must sacrifice to the pagan goddess Diana or be executed. She replied she was a Christian and so could not sacrifice to a pagan god. She refused even under torture. Saint Faith was tortured to death with a red hot brazier. Date of death c.300 AD. Her behaviour was so brave that it is said several of the onlookers were converted thinking Christianity must be a religion worth dying for if a young girl like Saint Faith could face death with so much courage. Saint Faith’s life and martyrdom has been recounted in several verse narratives and martyrdoms.
John Stott   (1921-2011) and the Lausanne Covenant
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

John Stott (1921-2011) and the Lausanne Covenant

(0)
John Robert Walmsley Stott was an English Anglican priest and theologian. He founded the Langham Partnership International (1974) and the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (1982). John was ordained a deacon in 1945. he went from being a school boy at All Souls Langham Place C.of E. school to becoming first a curate (1945-1950), then rector (1950-1975) at All Souls Langham Place. John remained at the church and was appointed rector emeritus. He was one of the authors of the Lausanne Covenant in 1974 which had a major influence on how to bring the Gospels to 20th century men. (see notes) He wrote 50 books - some in Chinese, Korean and Spanish -he had studied modern languages at trinity College, Cambridge. In 2005 the Time magazine ranked John as being among the top 100 most influential people in the world. He has also been ranked in the top 10 preachers of the 20th century. When he died tributes came from across the world. His close friend Billy Graham said The evangelical world has lost one of its greatest spokesmen, and I have lost one of my close personal friends and advisors . I look forward to seeing him again in heaven. They had known each other for over 50 years. John and Billy’s joint work on the Lausanne Covenant established a movement that became a watershed for evangelicals. I have included the titles for the 15 Lausanne Covenants. Sources used - wikipedia and lausanne.org
Saint Ignatius of Antioch ( c.35- c.108)    Feast Day  - see list
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

Saint Ignatius of Antioch ( c.35- c.108) Feast Day - see list

(0)
Saint Ignatius was bishop of Antioch when he was sentenced to death in the arena of Trajan. For some reason instead of being executed in his home town of Antioch he was escorted to Rome, in chains, by a company of 10 Roman soldiers. The ship taking him to Rome hugged the coast and Saint Ignatius, in chains, was received with honour by Christians at each port of call. He wrote 7 letters on his route to Rome to various committees containing instructions on marriage and theology. It is from these letters, which still exist, that we know what happened to him. Saint Polycarp befriended Saint Ignatius and collected the letters together and sent them to the church of Philippi. At some point a single Latin version , based on the original text, was made in England in the 13th century. Saint Ignatius fate was that he was eaten, by lions, in the Colosseum in Rome. He was probably alive during Jesus’ life time. There was a tradition in the early church that when he was a boy sat at the feet of Jesus. Whoso shall receive one such a little child in my name receiveth me Saint Ignatius is considered to be one of the three most important Apostolic Fathers. Sources used The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander wikipedia Britannica Online Encyclopedia The Encyclopedia of Saints Howard Loxton*
Saint Lucy (d 304)     Feast Day      13th December
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

Saint Lucy (d 304) Feast Day 13th December

(0)
According to apocryphal texts Saint Lucy was a virgin who came from a wealthy Sicilian Family. A suitor who she refused to marry told the Roman authorities she was a Christian. The authorities first of all sentenced her to be placed in a brothel and forced into prostitution. This order, according to legend, was thwarted by divine intervention She was next condemned to death by fire - but she proved impervious to flames. Finally her neck was pierced by a sword and she died. Lots of images show her with a sword in her neck. Other images focus on her eyes. There are two legends. The first she was tortured by having her eyes torn out. Secondly she removed her own eyes and sent them to her suitor. There are many images showing her eyes on a dish.When she was buried her sight is restored. Saint Lucy is the patron saint of Syracuse (Sicily), for virgins and sight. She was one of the earliest Christian saints to achieve popularity. In Sweden St. Lucy’s day marks the beginning of the Christmas celebrations. The eldest daughter wears a white gown and a crown wreath studded with candles. Source Britannica Online Encyclopedia
Saint Perpetua and Felicity   (died 203AD)    Feast Day  7th March
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

Saint Perpetua and Felicity (died 203AD) Feast Day 7th March

(0)
Saint Vibia Perpetua was a married noblewoman, 22 years of age with an infant. Felicity was a slave and pregnant . Together with three men they were imprisoned. Perpetua, in prison, is said to have had a dream. She saw a ladder which led from her cell up to heaven. A dragon guarded the foot of it. She spoke to the dragon and he moved his head so she could climb. On reaching the top she found a shepherd with his flock and 1000s of people dressed in white. When she woke up she realized the day of her martyrdom was close, but unafraid, because she would soon be with the shepherd, Jesus in heaven. They were taken to the amphitheatre in Carthage. Perpetua was tossed and gored by a wild cow and afterwards beheaded. The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity tells of their deaths. Perpetua was a catechumen - a Christian instructed in the faith but not yet baptised. The group were executed at the military games in celebration of Emperor Septimius Severus’s birthday. Sources wikipedia The Church’s Year Charles Alexander
Clarence E. Macartney (1879-1957)
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

Clarence E. Macartney (1879-1957)

(0)
Clarence Edward Noble Macartney was born in Pennsylvania, USA in 1879. His father, John, was a pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. Clarence went to the university of Denver (1897-1901) and majored in English Literature. He spent a year in Europe visiting England, Scotland and France. He enrolled at Yale Divinity School but after a term moved on to Princeton Theological Seminary. he graduated in 1905 and opted to seek ordination in the Presbyterian Church USA. He became the pastor at Paterson, New Jersey (1905-1914). In this struggling downtown congregation he breathed new life. He next became the pastor at Arch Street Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia (1914-1927). He soon began to broadcast his sermons on the radio and eventually became Philadelphia’s foremost preacher. He also began to give a weekly lecture on homiletics ( creating and delivering sermons) at his former college. In 1919 Clarence crossed swords with Harry Emerson Fosdick over how the soldiers, when they returned from war, would not be able to accept traditional doctrine Clarence argued that Christian truth was unchanging. A more famous exchange happened in 1922 between Clarence and Fosdick. Fosdick preached and published * Shall the Fundamentalists Win?* Clarence responded with Shall Unbelief Win? ( Read relevant paragraph (1914-17)) He next became pastor at the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh (1927-1953). Here here the congregation was regularly 1200-1600 in the morning, 900 in the evening on the Sunday, plus a Wednesday evening service. Clarence regularly preached five times weekly. His sermons were turned into books - Things Most Surley Believed -1930 and *What Jesus Really Taught - 1958. He wrote a vast number of books -see bibliography. Clarence was a frequent preacher on college campuses and delivered a number of important lectures. His sermons were painstakingly prepared and delivered with directness and evangelical fervor. He was noted for his imaginative illustrations and his keen insights into the human heart. He was committed to preaching without notes. Clarence died on 19th February, 1957 at Geneva College. Michael Duduit refers to Clarence as being a * true homiletical giant . It is little wonder he puts Clarence in his top 10 of the greatest preachers of the 20th century. Sources used wikipedia The 10 Greatest Preachers of the 20th century. Michael Duduit - The Preacher
R. G. Lee  (1886-1978)  Baptist Preacher
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

R. G. Lee (1886-1978) Baptist Preacher

(0)
Robert Green Lee was born in a South Carolina sharecropper’s cabin. he grew up working on a farm. His school, a primitive one room, was a 3 mile walk away. Brought up in a Christian home and through regular Sunday school and church he came to know the Lord. He briefly worked on the Panama canal. he entered Furman University and graduated with honours in 1913. He married Bula Gentry. He was offered a teaching post but selected the pastorate instead. *That’s good! God never meant you to dig around Latin roots. He meant you to be a preacher * - Bula His first ministry was in Lima S.C… As he became widely known larger opportunities arose. After 3 more ministries he end up in 1927 at Believue Baptist Church of Memphis, Tennessee and stayed for the next 33 years. In 1960 he became pastor emeritus. In his ‘retirement’ he travelled the world - 100,000 miles a year, Robert’s sermons/messages were written in longhand on legal pads. He special attention to his opening statement to make it as effective as possible. His secretary would type out these pages. He would then read the manuscript frequently to master the content. He preached extemporaneously for up to 90 minutes in a white suit. His most famous sermon PayDay, some Day he preached 1,275 times (See included extract) He was offered a number of ’ jobs’- presidency of a seminary and a university-he stayed at Believue. He did do 4 terms as President of the Tennessee Baptist convention and 3 as head of the South Baptist convention. On his last day, 20 th July 1978 his friends sang hymns as he died. ( read R,G, Lee’s ascent to Glory). During his memorial service outstanding leaders paid tribute to the* peerless pulpiteer / Mr Southern Baptist*.
Peter Abelard  (1079-1142)
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

Peter Abelard (1079-1142)

(0)
Peter was the preeminent philosopher of the 12th century and perhaps the greatest logician of the middle ages. In his life time he was equally famous as a poet and a composer, and might have ranked as the preeminent theologian had his ideas earned more converts and less condemnation. In all areas He was brilliant, innovative and controversial. He was a genius and he knew it and made no apologies. His vast knowledge , wit, charm, and even arrogance, drew a generation of Europe’s finest minds to Paris to learn from him. Peter was originally called ‘Pierre le Pallet’ . He belonged to a minor noble family. He decided to give up a career in the military and his inheritance to become an academic. He wandered throughout France to learn and seek knowledge.He studied under Roscellinus Compiegne, a famous French theologian and philosopher. Peter was determined to bring a fresh approach to theology. His teaching career began in Melun and Corbeil to the south of Paris. He return to Paris to teach at Notre-Dame and at Mont-Sainte-Genevieve. It was about this time he met Heloise, the niece of Fulbert, a canon of Notre-Dame. Peter was 37, Helloise 17. He became her tutor, friend, lover and finally husband.Much of their early relationship - the love affair, the elopement to Brittany, the birth of their son Astrolable, a secret marriage followed by the punitive castration of Peter ordered by Fulbert -is recorded in *The Story of My Misfortunes . He lost his prestige as a teacher and left Paris. Heloise entered the convent of Argentuil (1119). The baby, Astrolable, went to his sister’s.He went to the Saint- Denis monastery for 4 years. There he wrote ‘Sic et non’ -Yes or No - 158 questions - arranging conflicting patristic opinions around key doctrinal issues- students were eager to resolve. His second theological work ’ Theologia’Summi Boni’ condemned and burnt following a public trial (1121). Peter briefly confined to Abbey of Saint-Medard. Returned to Saint-Denis and in 1212 released from residency. Humiliated he sought solitude. Given land he built an oratory at Quincy. Students joined him at his retreat. He modified his teaching and wrote ‘Christian Theology’. He accepted election as abbot of Saint-Guildas but unsuccessful at monastic reform. He gave his oratory to the convent where Heloise lived .Together they setup a foundation, confirmed by Innocent 11, with Heloise as its first prioress. Peter as co-founder became involved. He wrote down a number of recommendations - *On the Origin of Nuns and the Rule of Life, Problemata Heloissae, and Expostio in hexaemeron. He prepared a collection of sermons, prayers, a breviary-a book of psalms and 143 hymns. Peter’s approach to theology was part of a new mode of thought that brought questions, debate and order to the fore as the science of scared doctrine. Peter and Heloise are buried together in Paris Sources Facts for Kids Encyclopedia.com Britannica Online Encyclopedia .
Peter and Catherine Marshall
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

Peter and Catherine Marshall

(0)
Peter was a Scots-American preacher who was elected to be the 57th Chaplain of the United States Senate in 1947. He died young (46) in 1949. He is remember because his widow Catherine wrote a moving, biography of his life A Man Called Peter (1951), it rose to the top of the best selling list and turned into a film Peter’s father died when he was 4. His step-father was an alcoholic so he tried to run away to sea at the age of 14. He was inspired by David Livingstone. When his step-father kicked him out he offered himself for mission work in China. He had already made a definite commitment to work full time in the Lord’s service. He started night classes but he sometimes failed courses. A cousin suggested going to the USA and he would pay the fare. He prayed for 3 weeks- God meant him to go. Peter Marshall left Scotland, with a ticket but no money, to emigrate to the USA in 1927. In the beginning he had to dig ditches, no friends and no church. God sent him an offer to work in Alabama. In a matter of weeks he had a church - the First Presbyterian, recommended as ministry candidate, spoken at a prayer meeting, elected president of the young peoples league, involved with Boy Scouts and the teacher of the men’s Bible class.etc. He graduated from Columbia Theological seminary in 1931 and became pastor at a church in Covington, Georgia. In 1933 accepted a call to Atlanta’s Westminster Presbyterian Church. Married Catherine Wood ,aged 23 when he was 35, on 4th November 1936. 1937 became pastor at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church ( also known as Abraham Lincoln’s church) in Washington DC. He launched a new ministry at the historic congregation, a ministry that would reach around the world. He demonstrated to young and old alike that Christianity can be fun. His sermons, many written with anonymous research by his wife, revealed a rock-ribbed faith, clarity of conviction and a poet’s pen. During WW11 he drew 1000s each week to the church to listen to his prophetic voice with the soft Scottish burr. Despite 3 services the sanctuary overflowed leaving 100s waiting in long lines hoping for a seat He painted word pictures to convey the gospel message stories. He spoke of his personnel experiences His goal in preaching was always to make Jesus real to people. Peter never thought his sermons were good enough to publish. Catherine was persuaded by parishioners and publishers to publish them. In 1949 * Mr. Jones, Meets the Master came out with 12 sermons and became a best seller. To Live again tells of her life after Peter’s and more details about the church. Catherine married Leodard LeSound, then editor of the 'Guideposts Magazine ’ in 1959. In total she wrote 21 inspirational books. She died in 1983 but her books, carrying Peter and Catherine’s outreach, have sold over 20 million copies. Sunday, May 29th, 2016 their church celebrated that 80 years earlier Dr. Peter Marshall and Catherine Marshall had joined them.
E. Stanley Jones  (1884-1973)  - Brother Stanley
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

E. Stanley Jones (1884-1973) - Brother Stanley

(0)
Dr. Eli Stanley Jones was an American 20th century Methodist missionary and theologian. For more than 50 years he proclaimed the Gospel of Christ. He was probably the world’s best known and longest tested Christian missionary and evangelist. In 1959 he was named Missionary Extraordinary by World Outlook. Eli was educated in Baltimore schools and studied law at City College before graduating from Asbury College, Wilmore, Kentucky. in 1907. He was on the Asbury faculty when he was called to the missionary service in India in 1907. He was ordained in 1908 as both a deacon and elder. He worked as district missionary superintendent and revival preacher In India he worked with the lowest castes , including Dalits. He also made friends with many of the leaders and became known for his inter faith work. He spent time with Mohandas K. Gandhi and the Nehru family.He is remembered for his 1000s of inter-religious lectures to the educated classes. In 1925, while home on furlough, he wrote a report of his years of service - what he had taught and learned in India. The published result was The Christ of the Indian Road - sales reached over one million copies world wide.He wrote other books which became ‘required’ reading at theological colleges.( See long list) He helped to reconstruct the Indian 'Ashram ’ - forest retreat using the Christian principle of indigenization. He founded a Christian Ashram at Sat Tal in the Himalayas (1930). He went on to preach and hold them in almost every country in the world. 1n 1941 he was a confidant of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Japanese leaders trying to avert war. After WW11 he launched in the USA the Crusade for a Federal Union of Churches. He held mass meetings from coast to coast and spoke in nearly 500 cities, towns and churches In 1950 he provided funds for India’s first Christian psychiatric centre and clinic. He pre-dated the United Nations by 30 years, by his Round Table of Nations. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Peace Prize. for his reconciliation work in Asia, Africa and between Japan and the USA. In 1963 he received the Gandhi Peace award. He travelled among the people’s of the earth, speaking 3 times a day. The years did not weary him, for he was blessed with physical stamina, mental vigor, and God’s grace to sustain him for the rugged schedule he imposed on himself. December 1971, aged 88, and leading the Oklahoma Christian Ashram he suffered a stroke which seriously impaired him physically but not mentally. He dictated onto tape his last book The Divine Yes. June,1972 he gave from his wheel chair, in Jerusalem, a moving message to the First Christian Ashram World Congress. He died in India on 25th January 1973. He was truly a* Missionary Extraordinary* I hope reading about Eli Stanley Jones -,’ Brother Stanley’ to his friends, will inspire and encourage you to go the extra mile for our Lord. Sources used History of Missiology United Christian Ashrams wikipedia
Norman Vincent Peale    (1898-1993)
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993)

(0)
Norman graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University and became one of the most influential ministers of the 20th century. In 1922 Norman was ordained into the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). He was pastor in 3 churches over the next 10 years… He then left MEC in 1932 and joined the Dutch Reform Church (DFC). He became the minister at Marble Collegiate Church, a Reformed Church of America, in New York City (1932-1984). In those 52 years the congregation increased from 600 to 5,000. He became known for his dynamic and energetic sermons. he preached an optimist message that many Americans accepted during such trying events as the Great Depression, WW11, the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movment. At the height of his popularity 750, 000 received his sermons through the post once a month. In 1935 he started a radio programme The Art of Living which lasted for 54 years and was one of the most popular broadcasts in the USA for nearly 50 years. Under sponsorship of the National Council of Churches he moved into television. Both were broadcast across the USA. In 1945 he began to publish a weekly magazine Guideposts. It was founded by Norman. his wife Ruth and Raymond Thornburg. The magazine printed positive stories of people achieving their dreams. In 2005, 4 million subscribed to the magazine. It was ranked 13th most popular journal in the USA He published 46 books. His most popular book was The Power of Positive Thinking (1952) was bought by 2+million, stayed on the best seller list for 186 consecutive weeks, but It also brought controversy. ( Read American Foundation of Religion and Psychiatry and Theological critique) Norman founded a number of organizations.- The Horatio Alger Association --with Kenneth Beebe, the Peale Center, The Positive Thinking foundation and the Guidepost Publications. In 1968 he married Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower. In 1984 President Reagan awarded Norman the Presidential Medal for Freedom for his contribution to Theology. Growing up Donald Trump attended his church. Donald married his first wife Ivana there. Norman died of a stroke on 24th December 1993, aged 95, in Pawling , New York. Through the media of radio and television broadcasts Norman preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ across the USA for 50 years. He also put pen to paper - 46 books - to explain his ideas. Through Guideposts he encouraged others to think positively about themselves. Sources used Ohio History Central wikipedia
John Smyth       (1554-1612)
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

John Smyth (1554-1612)

(0)
John was born in Sturton- le Steeple, Nottinghamshire. He was educated at Gainsborough grammar schol and at Christ’s College, Cambridge where he became a fellow in 1594. In 1594 he was also ordained as an Anglican priest. Between 1600-1602 he preached in Lincoln. In 1606 he broke with the Church of England and became minister at Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, to a group of who also had abandoned the C. of E… He then spent 2 years with John Robinson where they helped organize the Separatists in Nottinghamshire. In 1608 the two Johns, with their followers,fled to Amsterdam in Holland. which was known for its religious tolerance. There they all began to study the Bible ardently. John Smyth then took it upon himself to baptize himself. He recited a confession of faith then baptized himself and then baptized all his followers.This brazen act scandalized even those who despised England’s state church. Amsterdam Separatist, Richard Bernard, nicknamed him ‘So-Baptist’ - self baptizer. His followers preferred ’ Christians Baptized on Profession of their Faith’. The derogatory ‘so-baptist’ later shortened to ‘Baptist’, stuck. John insisted that true worship was from the heart and so the liturgy was abandoned - no readings from the Bible John wanted prayer, singing and preaching to be completely spontaneous. This idea stemmed from the belief that worship should be ordered by the Holy Spirit. Church leadership would be just 2 fold- pastor and deacon. In 1609 they came to believe in believer’s baptism- rejecting infant baptism- and they came together to form one of the earliest Baptist churches. He was convinced that believer’s baptism and a free church, gathered by covenant, was foundational for the church. Before his death, in 1612, he wrote a letter of apology, regretting that he had baptized himself. By then Thomas Helwys had returned to England to form the first permanent Baptist church in 1611, I have included, from Amazon, details about *The True story of John Smyth. the Se-baptist, as Told by himself and his Contemporaries (1881) * Sources used Britannica Online Encyclopedia Christian History
Francis Asbury  (1745-1816)
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

Francis Asbury (1745-1816)

(0)
Francis was born in Hamstead Bridge, Staffordshire, England. He became the the first bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the USA. After limited schooling - aged 12 he worked as a blacksmith’s apprentice. By the age of 14 he had been ‘awakened’ in he Christian faith. He attended Methodist meetings where he soon began to preach and soon became a licensed as a preacher. Aged just 21 he was admitted to the Wesleyan Conference.He served 4 years in England as an itinerant preacher. In 1771 John Wesley asked,* Our brethren in America call aloud for help. Who is willing to go over and help them?* Francis stepped forward. October 1771 John landed in Philadelphia. On landing he hit the road so hard he became ill. For the NEXT 45 years he suffered illnesses - colds, coughs ,fevers ,headaches , ulcers and eventually chronic rheumatism.Yet he continued to preach. He covered something like 8,000 km, each year, for 45 years on horseback - in later years he used a carriage. He crossed the Alleghenies mountain range - part of the Appalachian system 60 times. Ezra Tipple, his biographer summed up Francis’ style of sermons with these words Under the rush of his utterances, people sprang to their feet as if summoned to the judgment bar of God. During the Revolutionary war -the War of American Independence (1775-83) he stayed silent. After the war Wesley ordained Thomas Coke as his American Superintendent. The famous Baltimore 'Christmas Conference of 1784 gave birth to the American Methodist Episcopal Church. Coke ordained Francis as deacon, then elder. On December 27th, elected by his peers, he was consecrated as superintendent. Francis in 1785 used the term ‘bishop’. Coke 6 months later returned to England. Francis now held the reins of American Methodism. Francis was very good at organizing. He created districts which would be served by circuit riders- preachers who travelled from church to church to preach and minister. In the late 1700s 95% of Americans lived in places with less than 2,500 inhabitants. Besides preaching and administration he was also against slavery. He petitioned George Washington to enact antislavery legislation. He launched 5 schools and promoted Sunday schools. On his arrival there were 3 meeting places and 300 communicants The growth of the church was largely the result of his strenuous efforts. By the time of his death there were 412 Methodist churches with a membership of 214,235. His efforts did much to assure the continuance of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the USA. For his lasting Legacy and Honours read enclosed sheet. In 1958 his Journal and Letters were published in 3 volumes Sources Christianity Today Britannica Online Encyclopedia SMU Bridwell Library Perkins School of Theology
Thomas and Alexander  Campbell   -     Christians or Disciples of Christ?
antonybatchelorantonybatchelor

Thomas and Alexander Campbell - Christians or Disciples of Christ?

(0)
Thomas and Alexander Campbell were a father and son team. Thomas (1763-1854) Alexander (1788-1866) As a family they were going to immigrate to the USA. Thomas was going first Alexander, the son, and the rest of the family were delayed further because their ship was shipwrecked. They had to spend an extra year in Scotland. The 19 year old started to preach and study at the University of Glasgow. He was disgusted by the theological pettiness in Presbyterianism. He refused communion. His father was coming to the same conclusion. When the family finally met up in Pennsylvania they agreed there was a lack of scriptural support for infant baptism. Thomas Campbell published in 1809 the Declaration and Address off the Christian Association of Washington. He was stripped of his ministerial credentials by the Presbyterian Synod. In the declaration he set forth some of the convictions about the church as he organized the Christian Association of Washington not as a church but an association. Thomas’ son Alexander, having immigrated to the USA, joined his father in 1809 and before long assumed the leading role in the movement. 4th May 1811 saw the Christian association constituted as a congregational governed church. They be the practice baptism of adults by immersion. They constructed building at Brush Run- it became the Brush Run Church. They worked with the Redstone Baptist Association (RBA) from 1815-1824. Alexander began publishing a journal -The Christian Baptist which promoted reform which caused conflict with RBA. Those following the Campbells were called* Reforming Baptists* Alexander preferred ‘disciples’ Opponents were nicknamed ‘Campbellites.’ Merger with the Christians (Stone Movement) - read paragraph. The Stone and Campbell movements merged on 1st January, 1832. Christians or Disciples of Christ . The confusion over names still exist. Sources Christianity Today wikipedia