Dwight Lyman Ryther Moody's father died when he was four years old. He became a shoe salesman in Boston and moved to Chicago after his conversion in 1856 where he participated in a Sunday School and a Methodist Church mission group. He founded his own Sunday school there, in 1863 he opened a new Sunday school in the market hall with 1500 pupils and over 60 teachers. Since 1860 he was full-time chairman of the local Christian Association of Young Men and head of his spiritual work. From 1861 he founded a group of 150 clergy and laity, who performed pastoral work among soldiers and prisoners of war. In 1867 he set off for England, where 20,000 people attended the farewell event of the evangelization. His preaching trips in the US were increasingly popular, from 1870 it also involved the singer Ira David Sankey. In a renewed evangelism in England from 1873 to 1875 gathered in the end in London about 50,000 people. These successes in turn strengthened his evangelism work in the United States.
Moody's biggest plan was to use the World's Fair in Chicago for evangelism. Since 1876 he lived in his hometown Northfield , where he founded in 1879 a first seminar for schoolgirls; 1881 followed the Mount Hermon School for young men, 1889 also a Bible Institute in Chicago. Through further evangelism in England between 1881 and 1884 and 1891/92 he exercised great influence there, with his writings he worked to the European mainland.
Moody preached in the course of forty years in front of 20 to 50 million people to his central themes of penance, faith, justification, and rebirth. His organizational skills enabled all local pastors to be encouraged to work together in an alliance when preparing and conducting his crusades.
Dwight L. Moody - 22 December - Evangelist
O God, who hast brought us near to an innumerable company of angels and to the spirits of just people made perfect: Grant us during our earthly pilgrimage to abide in their fellowship, and in our heavenly country to become partakers of their joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Epistle - Philippians 4:4-9
The Holy Gospel - St. Luke 6:17-23
+
No comments:
Post a Comment