Far from being a ‘dead’ month in Elim’s ministry, January has proved to be highly significant over the years, as Elim’s official historian Maldwyn Jones discovered.
Historically, January has been an important month in Elim’s calendar in the early years of the movement’s history.
Although the month is the beginning of a new year, it is not normally a time when churches would hold evangelistic campaigns, the main reasons being the cold weather and a reaction to the busy Christmas period.
This was not the case in Elim’s early years. There were a number of evangelistic campaigns conducted by George and Stephen Jeffreys that commenced in the month of January.
It was in January 1916 that George Jeffreys planned to open a second centre for evangelism in Ulster. The town of Ballymena saw the first of George’s major evangelistic campaigns that resulted in the establishment of a strong congregation. During the five-week campaign, a total of 120 conversions were recorded.
Six years later, in January 1922, Stephen Jeffreys held a meeting with Mr and Mrs Douglas of Wellholme Road in Grimsby. Alec Douglas was a member of the Holiness Mission there, but it had been determined that no one who claimed to have spoken in tongues as advocated by the fledgling Pentecostal church would be permitted to minister to the congregation.
According to George Canty, a former Elim president and a noted Pentecostal historian from nearby Hull, Mr Douglas was suffering at the time ‘from a nine-inch intestinal protrusion’ and was unable to stand because of the pain. Stephen laid hands on him and he was instantly healed.
This was the commencement of Elim’s first major evangelistic campaign outside the province of Ulster. The final weekend of the Grimsby campaign was held in the Gaiety Skating rink that held 5,000 people and it was filled to capacity. George joined his brother and they both preached
Three years later, Stephen commenced a January evangelistic campaign in Barking. This was the beginning of a remarkable East London revival that was to see the establishment of six Elim churches: Barking, Ilford, East Ham, Canning Town, Forest Hill and Leytonstone.
The campaign was held in the Barking Baths. On the first meeting held on a Sunday afternoon, just 60 were present, scattered about in the cavernous hall. About 100 turned up to the evening service, where a remarkable miracle occurred. Tom English, a cripple who was about to go into hospital for the amputation of his legs, received a remarkable healing. He leaped onto the platform and literally danced with joy.
The news spread like wildfire and soon the hall was packed.
CAMPAIGN
January 1926 saw George Jeffreys in Plymouth. A strong church had been established in Britain’s Ocean City in November 1924 through a campaign held in Stonehouse Town Hall by Stephen Jeffreys.
George went to conduct a four-night series of Bible studies and stayed six weeks. There were remarkable healings.
The Birmingham Sunday Mercury carried news of this great evangelistic campaign: “Even sceptical policemen, whose duty it is to regulate the throng, have been swept off their feet by what they have seen and heard. One night, two girls, one blind and the other dumb, inquired their way to the service, of the officer nearby. An hour or so later he was amazed when the couple returned to him, literally dancing for joy, the dumb girl speaking and the blind girl seeing.”
Two years later, in January 1928, George conducted a campaign at the Caledonian Road Baths in Kings Cross, London. More than 1,200 people testified to salvation in this short, two-week campaign.
Later that same month, George campaigned in Croydon, South London, where a strong Elim church was founded. And it was in January 1929 that George Jeffreys laid the foundation stone of the Elim church in Eastbourne.
These are just a few of the remarkable events that occurred in January recorded in the first volume of Maldwyn Jones’ book, And they came to Elim. Historically, January was certainly not a ‘dead’ month in the Elim calendar. It was a month that was alive with remarkable outpourings of the blessings of the Foursquare Gospel.
Why should it be different in January 2024? “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
