HWGA 14

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Section 14 – Period from 1900 to 1905

This period is marked in the States and Canada by the following:

The Chicago revival in 1900 and 1901 in which Alfred Mace, Joseph Pellat, and Herbert Gill were instrumental, and were financially helped by J.S. Oliphant, a wealthy retired brother from London. This was begun by use of tents near the Moody Institute but later moved to the West Side where the bulk of the work was carried on. Noon hour meetings were held in Farrell Hall. Among those gathered out who later were well known were Dr. W.C. Reid, Dr. E.G. McAbery, G.W. Hunter, etc.

At the height of the interest Victor Kost advertised Mr. Mace’s preaching, son of the pugilist Jem Mace, as preaching on West Jackson (old church building) which brought out immense crowds which could not be seated. The small meeting of about 16 was within the course of a couple of years increased to three halls numbering around 200.

Mr. Newell of the Moody Institute was a help to Dr. Reid before he left, but he himself went with Open Brethren. Difficulties set in over the Minneapolis trouble, mentioned in the previous section, in which both Mace and Oliphant were lost, so that by the year 1906 the number was reduced to 77. Dr. Reid moved to Detroit, which in 1906 had only 5 in fellowship, and became a help to many until the meeting has now over a hundred in fellowship meeting in two places with another hall in Windsor. Dr. Reid died in 1931.

Mr. Raven’s second trip to America was due to a general desire having been expressed that another visit should be paid to the continent similar to that which took place four years previously. The same brethren sailed from Liverpool on Sept. 18, 1902 and returned again on Nov. 15th.

A second visit necessarily differed in many respects from the first. The novelty had passed off and the actual state of things was more apparent. The places visited were Quebec, Rochester, Chicago, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Baltimore, Plainfield, and New York. The addition of many at Chicago were among those showing a keen interest in the ministry.

The coming of James Taylor of New York into prominence during this period was noteworthy. He had been at many of Mr. Raven’s meetings on both trips. Meetings at Woodstock in Oct. 1904 and Chicago in Dec. 1904 were the first published ministry. The ministry at Chicago in which Mr. Taylor took a lead over Mr. Pellatt was opposed by many in the North of England where the Glanton difficulty was brewing, in regard to looseness in preaching, etc. When Pellatt was challenged in regard of Taylor taking a lead over him, he wrote back that Taylor knew Christ better than he did, or words to that effect.

Yearly meetings at Indianapolis, where Robert S. Sinclair lived, became the central gathering point in this country. About this time Edward Dennett and James Boyd ministered at these special meetings. Many felt that Boyd was the “coming man” as they expressed it.

About 1905 Boyd visited Taylor in New York and thereafter wrote against his ministry as mentioned in the previous section, regarding being saved by what Christ has established down here, viz, the Church of the House of God. Boyd termed this as being semi-Romanism. Boyd was called upon to withdraw his tract or retire from fellowship. He would do neither. He supported Glanton and later their union with Grant, among whom he labored, divided them, and died.

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