14 Oct The Passion of Christian Newcomer
Several weeks ago I came into possession of some old books about the history of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. One was the translated journal of Christian Newcomer. He:
- was born 1749
- answered the call to preach in 1777
- became a bishop in 1813
- died in 1830.
Between 1810 and 1828, Newcomer made 24 round trips across the Allegheny Mountains on horseback, starting churches wherever he went. Newcomer tried making one trip in a horse and buggy, but it didn’t work, so he reverted to horseback. He left his family for months at a time. One time, he got lost in a forest in Ohio. He stopped, knelt down, prayed, and he and the horse quickly found the path.
Our church spread into western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana because Newcomer’s soul burned with a fire to reach the lost. In reading Newcomer’s journal, I was moved by his passion and determination to plant churches wherever he went.
As he moved into the west, he began organizing some annual conferences–Scioto, Muskingum, a few others. It wasn’t organization for organization’s sake, but organization to support the mission. In some ways, it seems like those early leaders purposely tried not to organize themselves. Yet the providence off God led them to develop their organization and structures.
Newcomer’s passion to reach lost people drove him. I don’t want to go back to our history to stay there, but I would like to drag some of that passion forward.
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