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

Saint Alban was the first British Christian martyr. He lived in Verulamium, today that is Saint Albans In Hertford shire. He took a Christian priest into his home. The priest converted him to Christianity in the short time he stayed with him. St. Alban, a Roman soldier, then disguised himself as the priest, so the priest could escape. St. Alban was beheaded for his new beliefs. The stories of St. Alban are a mixture of fact and legend. St. Alban is a saint of the undivided church, a saint for all Christians. His welcome to a persecuted stranger was a powerful example of courage, compassion and hospitality. During my research I found that Henritta Elizabeth Marshall wrote story about St. Alban this I have included.

Brownlow North was an English evangelist. Brownlow was born in Winchester House, Chelsea the only son of Rev, Augustus North. He was the grandson of the former bishop of Winchester, Brownlow North. Brornlow was educated at Eton College, Windsor. For a while he lived with his great uncle Frederick on the island of Corfu. \he fought with Dom Pedro’s army in Portugal before eventually settling in Scotland. He lived a life of pleasure enjoying hunting and gambling. He went to Magdalen Hall, Oxford . In November 1854 he experienced a religious conversion and began to attend Elgin Free Church where he proceeded to engage in public preaching. 1859 he was appointed an evangelist by the Free Church of Scotland. In the same year he became a significant figure in the Ulster revival where he preached to 12,000 at Newtonlimavady. Rabbi Duncan once remarked, on seeing a photograph of Brownlow There is intellect in the brow, genius in the eye, and eloquence in the mouth. Brownlow died on 9th November 1875 and is buried in Dean Cemetery in western Edinburgh. I have included information about his grandfather, Brownlow, the bishop of Winchester Source used wikipedia

Edward is probably best remembered for his hymn All hail the power of Jesus’ name. Edward was born in Sundridge, Kent, England. He was descendant of a French Huguenot family which fled first to Switzerland and then to England to escape religious persecution. Edward was the son of Vincent Perronet, an Anglican priest, who worked closely with John and Charles Wesley for many years during the 18th century revival. Vincent in 1728 became vicar at Shoreham church in Kent. At the time persecution of the new Methodist movement was common and John Wesley noted in his diary that Edward* was thrown down and rolled in the mud and mire* at Bolton. Edward was considered a capable preacher but the did not like preaching in front of John Wesley. On one occasion John announced that Edward would speak. He got up and read Christ’s Sermon on the mount and sat down ! In 1756 in* The Mitre* - the first prominent event in his life, he published a ferocious attack on the Church of England. This created a schism. He became one of the Countess of Huntingdon’s ministers in a chapel in Watling Street, Canterbury. Throughout he was passionate, impulsive strong willed but always lived near his his divine master.* He bursts in full of fire and enthusiasm, yet ebullient and volatile.* Edward eventually became a minister of an independent congregation. In his life time he wrote a number of hymns and published 3 volumes of Christian poems. His hymns were published anonymously in successive volumes .Select passages of the Old and New Testament. A small collection of Hymns. Occasional Verses, moral and sacred. ( The Rev A. B. Grosart gives a critic of Edward’s work on the second page of the Hymnary Sheet) Shortly before he died, on 2nd January 1792, he uttered these words- Glory to God in the height of His divinity! Glory to God in the depth of humanity! Glory to God in His all sufficiency! Into His hands I commend my spirit. Edward was buried in Canterbury Cathedral. At his death he is said to have left a large sum of money to Shrubsole, who was the organist at Spatfield’s Chapel, London, and who had composed the tune ‘Miles Lane’ for All hail the power of Jesus’’ name! I have included one version of* All Hail the power of Jesus’ name.* Sources used Hymnary.org wikipedia

John Cannick was an early Methodist and Moravian evangelist and hymn writer. He was born in Reading, Berkshire, England to an Anglican family, originally from Bohemia, and raised in the Church of England. Aged 9 he heard his dying aunt proclaim Last night the Lord stood by me and invited me to drink of the fountain of life freely and I shall stand before the Lord as bold as a lion . These words stayed with him for many years. He dreaded going to bed in case he would end up in hell. He prayed each night that he would be good the next day - he never succeeded. Aged 13 and from humble means he left school to find an apprenticeship. 8 times he made the trip to London but failed to get a job. From 17-19 he suffered from depression. His conversion He entered St. Lawrence church, Reading on the 6th September, in 1937. Heard these words from Psalm 34 v19-22b Great are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord delivered him out of them all. And he putteth his trust in God shall not be desolate. His heart danced. He heard Jesus say* I am they salvation*. ( Read The conversion of John Cennick) John worked as a surveyor in Reading. He read the writings of George W.hitfield he met the Wesleys. John joined the growing Methodist movement .He began to write hymns. Charles Wesley wrote in his Diary* I corrected Mr, Cennick’s hymns for the press* (July 1739). In 1740, on John Wesley’s recommendation, he taught at Kingswood, England. On Kingswood Hill a crowd of colliers had assembled for a service. The expected preacher did not show up, John stepped into the breach. When Whitfield returned from America John was asked to join him on his preaching tours. In 1745 John went over to the Morovians and went to Germany to study their doctrines. In 1747 Baptists heard him preach and invited him to Dublin. After differences with his hosts he concentrated on Ulster. Between 1747-52 he founded 220 Moravian Societies and helped to establish Evangelicalism in Ireland. John spent time in England and Ireland as an itinerant evangelist. Enduring aat times violent opposition. By the time of his death in 1755 he had established 40 churches. Throughout the rest of his short career and life he published several collections of hymns. His conversion came during a normal church service and not even through preaching but through the reading of a Psalm. We see how God uses ‘normal’ worhship to bring people to himself. Too often we underestimate the importance of the normal church service. Sources used Evangelical Times wikipedia

Saint Matthew or Levi was one of the twelve original disciples of Jesus. According to the Gospels Matthew was a 1st century Galilean. He is referred to as being a publican or tax collector in Capernaum before becoming one of the twelve apostles. He would have witnessed first hand Jesus carrying out his miracles and speaking parables. He would have witnessed much of Jesus’ last three years of his ministry including the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. His ministry after Christ’s resurrection is vague. Christian fathers such as Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria claim that Matthew preached th gospel to the Jewish community in Judea before going to other countries. The Catholic and Orthodox Churches each hold the tradition that he died a marytr. Did Matthew write the Saint Matthew’s gospel ? The author is not named within the text. Papias of Hierapolis (c60-163 AD) is cited by church historian Eusebius (260-340 AD as saying *Matthew collected the oracles, in the Hebrew language and each interpreted them as best he could. Sources used wlkipedia and The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander.

It is difficult to separate Valentine’s Day from Saint Valentine. Valentine means -worthy, strong, powerful. 14th of February is celebrated with balloons, cards, flowers, with romantic meals and proposals of marriage. There are many legends about Saint Valentine. He restored the sight of a judge’s daughter. He is supposed to have helped Christian couples to get married so the husbands could avoid being conscripted into the army. Valentine is said to have cut hearts from parchment-first valentine cards? Helping Christians was a crime. Emperor Gothicus Claudius is supposed to have quite liked the prisoner until he attempted to convert him - he then had him condemned him to death Saint Valentine, from prison, is said to have completed a letter to the jailer’s daughter he had healed, with the words ’ from your Valentine Saint Valentine having been imprisoned and tortured was a short time later to be martyred, by being behead, for his Christian faith. Sources used wikipedia and awareness days.

Saint Matthias was the person chosen, by the disciples to replace Judas Iscariot. In the Acts of the Apostles we read that Peter stood up in the company - there were 120 of them in the room at the time and spoke about the need to replace Judas Iscariot who had betrayed Jesus. Two followers were nominated Matthias and Barnabas. The company prayed and the ‘lot’ fell upon Matthias. Five traditions are mentioned in wikipedia. The tradition of the Greeks say he planted the faith about Cappadocia and the coasts of the Caspian Sea, living near the port of Issus. According to Nicephorus he preached first in Judaea and then Aethiopia (modern Georgia) - and stoned to death. The Synopsis of Dorotheus suggests he went to Ethiopia and was buried near the temple of the Sun. Another suggests he was stoned in Jerusalem by the local populace and then beheaded. According to Hippolytus he died of old age in Jerusalem. His Feast day, in the Roman calendar, was 24th February (25th on a leap year) . In 1969 it was transfered to 24th of May. I have included the prayer for Saint Matthias . Sources wikipedia and the Church’s year by Charles Alexander.

He is probably best remembered as J.B. Phillips the translator/ author ofThe New Testament in Modern English which was published in 1958. During World War II (1939-45), while down in the bomb shelters, he began to translate The New Testament, from the original Greek, into modern English. He started with the epistle to the Colossians. The results appealed to the young people. The positive feedback after the war resulted in him translating the rest of the New Testament into colloquial English.Initially he had problems to find a publisher but with the help of C.S. Lewis, author of The Narnia Chronicles, Geoffrey Bles agreed to help. ** Letters to Young Churches came first in1947. Eleven years later in 1958 the complete New Testament was published. From someone who suffered from clinical depression throughout his life this was an incredible achievement. He described the revelation he received, as he translated the New Testament, as ’ extraordinarily alive’. Main source - Wikipedia

Wang Mung -Dao was born in Beijing, China. As a child he experienced extreme poverty and repeated illness but lived to be 90 years of age. As a child he attended the London Missionary Society School. He dream was to be a great political instead he became a Christian pastor. Aged 14 he converted to Christianity. He became a very successful independent Chinese Protestant pastor. From February 1925 until 1955 he began holding religious meetings. He founded the Christian tabernacle which by 1937 had its own building seating a congregation of several hundred. he had an itinerant ministry throughout China visiting 24 out of 28 provinces taking the pupit in churches of 30 different denominations. In 1955 the Chinese government imprisoned him for his faith. For 25 years he was kept in jail - finally released in 1980. It was after his imprisonment that he wrote the 6 books mentioned. On his release he had many foreign visitors which worried the authorities. Betwee 1987 -1989 he became frail and his mental abilities noticeably declined. I 1991 he was diagnose with blood clots and he died on July 28th 1992. One authority noted 'he remained an unrivaled symbol of uncompromising faith until his death.’ Source used wikipedia.

Charles Haddon Sturgeon was strong figure in the Reformed Baptist Tradition. Although he died over a 100 years ago his work is still read/quoted/used by preachers today -such is his influence still. He has been called the Prince of Preachers. His oratory skills are said to have held his listeners spell bound in the Metropolitan Tabernacle where he preached for 38 years. Converted at aged 15 he gave his first sermon aged 16 . The quality of his sermons were very quickly recognised and aged only 19, following three months on probation, he was called to the pastorate at London’s New Park Street Chapel which had the largest baptist congregation in London. His ability as a preacher soon made him famous His sermons, which lasted up to two hours were carefully prepared. He wrote it out in full but only took notes up into the pulpit.in 1855 the first of his sermons were published in the* New Park Street Pulpit* Stenographers would write his sermon down. Charles would check it and it would then be immediately published and sold for 1 penny a copy. In 1861 the church moved to the new purpose built Metropolitan Tabernacle which held 5,000 seated and 1, 000 standing. He published a vast amount of religious material - see works list. He was anti slavery . His ministry was not without controversy. He opposed the liberal and pragmatic theological tendencies in the church of his day - see information about Downgrade Source- wikipedia and have included a short crossword and word search.

Ravi Zacharias is an Indian born Canadian- American evangelist. Billy Graham in 1986 introduced Ravi as one of the most articulate young evangelists of our time. That was 34 years ago;. he is now in his early 70’s . In 1984 the Ravi Zacharis International Ministries (RZIM) was founded in Toronto, Canada to pursue his calling as a classical evangelist in the arena of the intellectual resistance. RZIM looks at evangelism, apologetics, training, spiritual discipline and wellbeing. Today it is based in Atlanta , Georgia with offices in 11 countries. He is renown for his sermons and lectures across the world. he routinely speaks on the coherence of the Christian worldview. saying that Christianity is capable of withstanding the toughest attacks. He is the author of 32 Christian books. He has spent the last 56 years commending the Christian faith and addressing life’s existential questions - origin, meaning, morality and destiny with elequence and grace. There is a great of information on Goggle. He can be both seen and heard. Sources wikipedia and* Ambassadors for Christ * John .D. Woodbridge -general editor

Saint Chad was a prominent Anglo Saxon Churchmen who became abbot of several monasteries. Bishop of Northumbrians and subsequently Bishop of Mercia and the Lindsey people. He was the brother of Cedd who also became a saint. Theodore, the new archbishop of Canterbury, was impressed by Saint Chad’s humility. The Venerable Bede said that the two years Chad worked as bishop in Mercia were decisive in christianising Mercia. Apparently he walked nearly everywhere but was eventually persuaded by Theodore to travel on horseback. Read about how seven days before he died a guest visited him to fore warn him. Saint Chad died during a plague. I have included information about the Metropolitan Cathedral and Basilica of St. Chad in Birmingham. Saint Chad is the patron saint of the Catholic archdiocese of Birmingham. Sources used The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander & catholicireland. Note wikipedia has a great deal of information about him.

.Richard Wych or Wich lost his parents, who were of a gentry family, when he was very young. He and his brother were left as orphans and cheated of their inheritance. Richard was clever and became a student at Oxford University. In 1223 he became chancellor of the university. In 1233 he was whisked away by Saint Edmund Rich, the Archbishop of Canterbury to be his chancellor (1233-1240). Edmund quarreled with King Henry III and went into exile in France where he died in 1240. Richard studied to be a priest at Orleans and came back to the UK to become a parish priest. The new archbishop, Boniface of Savoy, asked him to become his chancellor and wanted him to become the archbishop of Chichester. The king was unhappy and declared no one should shelter him! With the intervention of Pope Innocent IV he became the archbishop. He was a reforming archbishop, of simple habits, generous in his charities and held the post form 1245 until his death in 1253. He provided vicarages for his clergy but insisted they remained celibate - unmarried, said the Mass reverently and instructed their congregations in the meaning of the sacraments. He was aa kindly, good man who was much loved by all the people. Included Richard’s prayer, and a black/white outline of Saint Richard. Sources The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander and catholicireland website.

Saint Ambrose was fast tracked from being an unbabtized layman to a bishop in 8 days. The bishop of Milan suddenly died and there was an argument who should succeed him. Ambrose made a speech in church to calm the excitement caused by the election. The crowd cheered him and a child shouted Ambrose is bishop. The people took up the cry, he was baptized, ordained priest and consecrated bishop of Milan. This had not been his intention. He had studied law and had been appointed governor of a district in northern Italy. He gave all his possessions to the church, studied religion and became a very learned writer. As bishop of Milan he was able to dominate the culture and political life of Italy. He challenged the authority of the Roman emperor, through his ability as a diplomat, on more than one occasion and provided a model for medieval concepts relating to church-state relations. His writings have been acclaimed as masterpieces of Latin eloquence and his musical accomplishments are remembered through his hymns. He is one of the original 4 doctors of the church. He is also remembered as the teacher who converted and baptized Saint Augusto of Hippo. Sources used Britannica, wikipedia and The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander.

His name can be spelled Anskar, Ansgar or Anchar. He was born in France. Of noble birth he entered the Benedictine abbey of Corbie in Picardy to be educated. He became a monk and after 823 he taught in the local monastic school at Corvey. In 826 he was dispatched Denmark by the Carolingian emperor, Louis 1 the Pious, to assist Harald, the exiled Danish king, in evangelising his savage Danes. Anskar laid the foundations of the church in Denmark and started a school to train Danish youths as priests. But in 827/8 Harald was driven out by the heathen. Anskar , with his friend Witmar, made the dangerous journey to Sweden. They were robbed on their way to Brika, an island off the coast. They stayed there for 2 years. In 831 Anskar became abbot of Corvey and the first bishop of Hamburg. For 15 years he founded monasteries, opened schools and teaching his congregations. In 834 Louis endowed him Turholt Abbey Later he became archbishop of Iceland, Greenland and Scandinavia. Things changed after the death of Louis1 in 1840. In 1845 Northmen destroyed Hamburg. Sweden and Denmark rejected Christianity and returned to paganism. In 847, with Louis the German, king of the East Franks, on the throne Anskar became bishop of Bremen. He revived evangelism in both Sweden and Denmark - both kings were converted to Christianity. He even thwarted a pagan rebellion. In 854 he returned to Hamburg - there he devoted himself to his diocese and reducing the horrors of slavery. He had wanted to die a martyr. His followers said his whole life had been a martyrdom of hardship, danger and self=sacrifice. Rimbert, his successor, wrote his biography. he proclaimed Anskar a saint. Pope Nicholas 1 agreed. Ansker was cannonized in 865, the year he died. (Rimbert or Rembert - different sources) Sources used Britannica and The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander.

Leo 1 was the first Pope to be called great. He was Bishop of Rome from 440-461. He was a Roman aristocrat of the fifth century when the Roman Empire was being invaded from all directions. He is probably best remembered for persuading Attila the Hun not to invade Italy. With 2 unarmed men he persuaded Attila not to advance on Rome. He is also one of the four doctors of the church and is remembered for his* Tome* which was a major foundation to the dabates of the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon which dealt primarily with Christology. He galvanized charitable works in Rome which had many famines, an influx of refugees and poverty. He is also associated with the practice of charity and alms giving - especially quarterly Ember days Former Pope Benedict XV1 (2005-2013) said that Leo’s papacy was undoubtedly one of the most important in the Church’s history. Sources - britannica, wikipedia and* TheChurch’s Year* by Charles Alexander

Helen Roseveare was an English Christian missionary, doctor and author who went to the Congo in 1953 with the Worldwide Evangelization Mission. She built a hospital/training centre in Ibambi in the early 1950’s. She then relocated to Nebobongo to build another hospital whilst living in an old leprosy camp. She returned to the UK in 1958 after disagreements with staff members. Helen returned to the Congo i 1960. She survived in 1964, over five months, beatings and rapes in the Congo and returned home. The villagers, who she had previously helped, intervened on her behalf. She then, unbelievably, went back to the Congo in 1966 and stayed until 1973 to help rebuild the hospitals destroyed in the conflict Her life then took on a different dimension. On her return from Africa she became widely sought after as a speaker on both sides of the Atlantic. On her 1975-6 tour of North America she addressed 400 meetings in 9 months. She spoke with passion of her love for Christ. Helen has also published 11 books (see list of publications below.) Helen died on December 7th 2016, aged 91, in Northern Ireland. Helen is widely recognised as one of the most courageous and influential women of the 20th century. Sources used Evangelicals Now, wikipedia and Ambassadors for Christ -John Woodbridge general editor

Josh McDowell is an Evangelical Protestant Christian apologist and evangelist. He is a living power house for Jesus Christ. Josh has probably spoken to more high school and college students than anyone else in history. Over the years he has talked to more than 7,000,000 young people in 84+ countries including 700 universities and college campuses. He is also author, or co-author, of over 150 books. His book * Evidence That Demands a Verdict* was listed 13th in Christianity Today in list of most influential evangelical books published after World War 11 Not bad for someone brought up by an alcoholic father and someone who as a child/teenager was abused. He went to college to study law. He went to college an agnostic and decided to write a paper examining the historical evidence of the Christian faith in order to disprove it. He found evidence for it and it changed his life. Instead of studying law he studied theology. In 1964 he became a travelling representative of Campus Crusade for Christ International. He continues to have close affiliation with the organization. In 1983 the Josh McDowell Ministry headquarters moved to Richardson and moved to Plano, Texas in 2009. He is also the founder of Josh.org and Operation Carelift. Sources used Wikipedia and Ambassadors for Christ - John D. Woodbridge -general editor

Alphage was born in the village of Weston near Bath. He became a hermit, then a monk, then an abbot. Saint Dunstan appointed him abbot of Bath. He later became Bishop of Winchester (984) and then Archbishop of Canterbury (1005-12. He lived when England was invaded by the Vikings/Danes. He was sent by King Ethelred in 994 to seek peace with Anlaf and Swein. Anlaf became a Christian and kept his promise not to invade England again. In 1011 the Danes overran much of southern England although the tribute had been paid . Canterbury was captured and prominent persons were held for ransom. Alphage refused to pay the £3,000 - fortune in those days, for his own release. ( Following a drunken feast the Danes threw bones etc, at Alphage and an axeman delivered the death blow. Thorkell the Tall, the Danish leader had tried to save his life.On his death Alphage became a national hero. He was originally buried in St. Pauls London . King Canute, in 1023 , had his body transfered to Canterbury. His martyrdom took place in Greenwich, London, where there is now a church dedicated to him. Alphage was declared a saint in 1078. but there were doubts whether he had died for exercising his Christian virtue of of justice rather than professing his Christian faith Sources used Canterbury history, justus. anglican and The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander