"Billy" Sunday, the Man and His Message: With his own words which have won thousands for ChristEllis, William T. (William Thomas)
Religion
"Billy" Sunday, the Man and His Message: With his own words which have won thousands for Christ
Ellis, William T. (William Thomas)
Baseball players -- United States -- Biography; Evangelists -- United States -- Biography; Sunday, Billy, 1862-1935
The preacher of a generation ago would have counted it indecorous
to make use of the public press. Sunday depends largely upon the
newspapers for spreading his message and promoting interest in the
meetings. He does not employ a press agent; he simply extends to the
local press all the facilities and co-operation in his power. He is
always accessible to the reporters and ever ready to assist in their
work in any proper fashion. He makes public announcements frequently
in his meetings of the cordial assistance he has received from the
newspapers.
Without any expense to anybody and without any scientific experience in
this particular field, Sunday has demonstrated the power of Christian
publicity. The newspapers carry his messages all over the world. The
Pittsburgh dailies published special "Sunday Editions." They had
thousands of subscribers for the issues containing the evangelist's
sermons and many persons have been converted by reading the newspaper
accounts of the Sunday meetings. One cherished story tells of a young
man in China who had been converted thirteen thousand miles away from
the spot where the evangelist was speaking. Sunday makes religion "live
news." Editors are glad to have copy about him and his work, and about
anything that pertains to the campaigns. The uniform experience of the
communities he has visited is that the Church has had more publicity
through his visit than on any other occasion.
After Sunday has accepted a city's invitation and a date has been fixed
for the meetings, and the time has drawn near, he gets the Church
people to organize. Before ever a hammer has struck a blow in the
building of the Sunday Tabernacle, the people have been meeting daily
in the homes of the city for concerted prayer for the Divine favor upon
the campaign.
By the Sunday system of work, every few blocks in the city is made
a center for cottage prayer-meetings. No politician ever divided a
community more carefully than do the Sunday workers in arranging for
these prayer-meetings. Every section of the city is covered and every
block and street. By preference, the meetings are held in the homes of
the unconverted, and it is a normal experience for conversions to be
reported before ever the evangelist arrives. In Scranton the city was
divided into nine districts besides the suburbs and these districts
were again sub-divided so that one had as many as eighty-four prayer
groups. The total proportions of this kind of work are illustrated
by the Pittsburgh figures: Between December 2 and December 26, 4,137
prayer meetings in private houses were held, having a combined
attendance of 68,360 persons. The following table covers eight
meetings, as follows:
No. of Attendance Prayers Men Women
Meetings
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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