Nov. 19 in Christian History

Nov 19, 2008 05:08 AM EST

1742 - English revivalist George Whitefield wrote in a letter: 'Plead His promises, be much in secret prayer, and never give God rest, till your soul is filled with all His fulness.'


1862 - Birth of William (Billy) Sunday, American revivalist. Orphaned during the Civil War, Sunday became a major league baseball player 1883-91, then turned to evangelism in 1893, speaking to an estimated total audience of 100 million before his death in 1935.


1885 - Birth of Haldor Lillenas, American hymnwriter. He penned nearly 4,000 Gospel texts and hymn tunes during his lifetime, including "It Is Glory Just to Walk With Him," Wonderful Grace of Jesus" and "Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace."


1910 - Swedish Pentecostal missionaries Daniel Berg, 26, and Adolf Vingren, 31, arrived in Brazil. In 1918 they established the first Pentecostal church, from which grew Brazil's largest Protestant body, the Assemblies of God.


1961 - The Third Assembly of the World Council of Churches convened at New Delhi, India, during which the International Missionary Council and its work was integrated into the larger ecumenical group.


© 1987-2008, William D. Blake. Used by permission of the author, from

Almanac of the Christian Church