CHARLES H. SPURGEON THE PRINCE OF PREACHERS
In January 1892, the city of London, England, was plunged into mourning: Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a preacher not yet 60 years old, had died, months after giving his last sermon.
When Spurgeon’s body lay in repose at his Metropolitan Tabernacle church—a 5,600-seat edifice that would be called a “megachurch” today—for three days, 60,000 mourners streamed in to pay their respects. As his two- mile-long funeral procession wound its way through the streets, 100,000 stood in solemn respect. Even the pubs were closed that day.
All this for a Christian preacher. Imagine that!
But Spurgeon was no mere sermonizer. Friends and critics alike knew him as the “Prince of Preachers” for his flamboyant style, his exhortations to the lost, and his uncompromising stand for biblical orthodoxy as he knew it.
It all started with a snowstorm. Then 15 years old, Spurgeon was prevented from reaching his usual church by the brutal weather. He ended up in a Primitive Methodist chapel, where a shoemaker or tailor—the young man wasn’t sure which—spoke on Isaiah 45:22 in a rough-hewn manner.
“My dear friends, this is a very simple text indeed,” the speaker declared. He added, “It says, ‘Look.’ Now that does not take a deal of effort. It ain’t lifting your foot or your finger; it is just ‘look.’”
Going on in a similar vein, this layman’s words were used by God to reach Spurgeon’s heart. The speaker looked straight at the visitor and declared, “Young man, you look very miserable. And you will always be miserable— miserable in life and miserable in death—if you do not obey my text. But if you obey now, this moment, you will be saved.”
Spurgeon heeded the man’s call to “look to Jesus Christ” and his life was forever changed. Within a year, he was preaching in his part of the country. Not yet 20, he was invited to do six months of preaching at a 232-member congregation in London. He went to the capital, and never left.
A preacher to thousands—newspapers in Britain and America reprinted his sermons—Spurgeon’s impact on ministry is still felt today, with wide distribution of his commentaries. Although chronic illness led to his death before the age of 60, Charles Spurgeon’s reach extended far beyond his base in London, and beyond his lifetime.
Reflect: Is there a single verse—or sermon—that made a difference in the direction of your life? Share it with someone. It could help them more than you know.
“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”
Isaiah 45:22
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 30 – May 6
April 30 – Adventurer Meeting
May 1 – First Day of Asian Pacific American History Month
May 3 – Prayer Meeting (Great Controversy) from 10 am – 11:15 am
May 3 – Prayer Meeting (The Sanctuary) from 7 pm – 8 pm
May 4 – Pathfinder Agape Feast from 6 pm – 8 pm at Greeneville SDA Church
May 5 – Cinco de Mayo
May 6 – Adventurer/Pathfinder Investiture from 6 pm – 8:30 pm at Greeneville SDA Church
May 6 – Sabbath Morning Message Pastor Nate (Its a Gift Part 2)
May 7 – May 13
May 7 – Men’s Ministry Meeting from 8:30 am – 12 pm
May 7 – Evangelism Committee Meeting from 7 pm – 8 pm on Zoom
May 8 – Church Finance Meeting from 6 pm – 7 pm
May 8 – Church Board Meeting from 7 pm – 8 pm
May 10 – Prayer Meeting (Great Controversy) from 10 am – 11:15 am
May 10 – Prayer Meeting (The Sanctuary) from 7 pm – 8 pm
May 11 – GAA Spring Concert/Strawberry Festival from 6 pm – 8 pm
May 13 – Sabbath Morning Message Pastor Kent
May 14 – May 20
May 14 – Mother’s Day
May 17 – Prayer Meeting (Great Controversy) from 10 am – 11:15 am
May 17 – Prayer Meeting (The Sanctuary) from 7 pm – 8 pm
May 17 – GAA 8th Grade Graduation from 6 pm – 8pm
May 18 – GAA Commencement from 6 pm – 8 pm
May 19 – GAA Award Ceremony from 10:30 am – 11:45 am
May 20 – GAA Baccalaureate
May 20 – Baby Dedication Arlet Peret
May 20 – Sabbath Morning Message Randy Nomura
May 21 – May 27
May 21 – Church Work Bee ALL DAY
May 22 – GAA School Board Meeting at 6 pm
May 24 – Prayer Meeting (Great Controversy) from 10 am – 11:15 am
May 24 – Prayer Meeting (The Sanctuary) from 7 pm – 8 pm
May 28 – June 3
May 28 – Investment Craft Fair at Greeneville SDA Church ALL DAY
May 29 – Investment Craft Fair at Greeneville SDA Church ALL DAY
May 29 – Memorial Day
May 30 through June 3 – GCC Collegedale Camp Meeting
Greeneville SDA Church Looking Forward
JUNE 2023
- Collegedale Camp Meeting
- Prayer Meetings
- Men’s Ministry
- Dinner with a Doctor Dr. Diane Coffey
- International Sabbath
- Communion
- Father’s Day
- Baby Shower – Dixon
JULY 2023
- Church Camp Out at Cades Cove
- GAA Work Bee
AUGUST 2023
- Faculty Pre-Session Week
- NAD Teachers Convention “Something Better”
- Men’s Ministry
- GAA Registration/Back to School Night
- GAA First Day of School
Georgia Cumberland Conference Months Ahead
- May 7—Braves Family Game Day—Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
- May 10-11—Master Guides Leadership Convention
- May 28-August 6—Magabook Canvassing Program—Atlanta
- May 31-June 3—Collegedale Camp Meeting—Southern Adventist University
- June 8-10—Olde Time Camp Meeting—Meister Memorial Church, Deer Lodge, TN
- June 11-18—Junior I Summer Camp—Cohutta Springs Conference Center
- June 18-25—Junior II Summer Camp—Cohutta Springs Conference Center
- June 25-30—Adventurer Camp—Cohutta Springs Conference Center
- July 2-9—Tween Camp—Cohutta Springs Conference Center
- July 9-16—Teen Camp—Cohutta Springs Conference Center
- July 18-23—Family Camp—Cohutta Springs Conference Center. Sold out
- For more events and latest information, please visit www.gccsda.com/calendar.
How are youth involved in your church? Share your story by emailing it to nzinner@gccsda.com. Your story could inspire other youth, encourage other churches or inspire others. Email your stories to us by May 31.
Over 2000 Pathfinders and staff representing over 70 clubs, will be at the Pathfinder Camporee this weekend at Cohutta Springs. Please pray for their safety and for lives to be changed during this special weekend
Church/School Events
Free Counseling—Southern Center for Counseling and Emotional Wellness at Southern Adventist University offers free confidential counseling from master’s-level counselors-in-training. Trainees are supervised by licensed, experienced counselors. Both in-person and virtual appointments available from January to May. For more information or to make an appointment, call 423-236-2492.
Creation Celebration, April 21-23—Southern Adventist University. Sponsored in part by the High Point Chinese Church. Learn more at www.highpointsda.org/creation.
Southern Adventist University Alumni: Join fellow alumni for a special dessert reception and private viewing of our new archeological museum exhibit on Sabbath afternoon, June 3, between 1-2:30 p.m. in the Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum located in Hackman Hall on Southern’s campus.
WELLkids, May 30 to June 2, June 12-16 and 26-30, July 10-14—Southern Adventist University. Keep your kids moving and exploring the great outdoors this summer with “WELLkids in the Wild,” a day-camp program at Southern Adventist University. For more information or to register, visit www.southern.edu/wellkids.
Academic Summer Camps, June 12-14—Southern Adventist University. Camps for high school students in automotive repair, computing, filmmaking, journalism, media production, outdoor leadership, photography, pre-med, and vegetarian culinary arts. Overnight accommodation available. For more information or to register, visit www.southern.edu/camps or call 423-236-2807.
If your church or school is having an event you would like to share with the conference, please email the date, location, event title and a website with additional information to nzinner@gccsda.com. Only events sponsored by constituent churches or schools will be accepted.
The Greeneville Chronicles 