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Articles
A Successful Gospel Meeting
The year was 1900. The place was a little southern town. The event was a gospel meeting. In July 1900, a gospel meeting was held at a little church that built their new building that year. J. J. Castleberry, of Savannah, Tennessee, who had just graduated from the College of the Bible in Lexington, Kentucky, under the tutelage of the great J. W. McGarvey, held the gospel meeting. The meeting lasted for one month. The church soon realized that their new building would not accommodate the crowds and secured a shelter at an old lumber mill located near by. The church secured permission for a large shed, obtained seats somewhere, hauled sawdust in and whitewashed the various posts in preparation for the meeting. Brother William Freeman led the singing, and Castleberry proved to be a very fervent young preacher and much interest was stirred in the community.
During this meeting two hundred and nine persons were baptized (Gospel Advocate, September 6, 1900). “Almost every night from six hundred to one thousand persons attended” (Gospel Advocate, August 30, 1900, p. 556). The denominations fought Castleberry and his meeting, being displeased with his success. Castleberry was challenged for a debate and even threats were issued to run him out of the city. His opponents filled the question box with not only questions but insults and insinuations and engaged in every ugly thing they could do to destroy his influence and stop the gospel from being preached.
“Up to the very last discourse the attendance was very large, and, from the very polite attention and the two hundred and nine additions during the meeting, I would say that the people were very much interested, so much so that the general talk on the street and street corners was about the meeting and the different subjects under consideration. Searching the Scriptures daily to see if these things be so, quite a number of questions were handed in and politely answered during the meeting, the preacher always giving a ‘thus saith the Lord.’ Brother Castleberry is a young man, but did his work well, contending earnestly for the old apostolic doctrine, without addition or subtraction. He is indeed an earnest, forcible, and logical speaker, and gives promise of much usefulness in the Master's cause, in which he delights to labor.” (Gospel Advocate, September 6, 1900, p. 8).
One young man baptized during this meeting was fifteen year old Grover Cleveland Brewer (1884-1956), who would become one of the most famous 20th century leaders in the churches of Christ.
Over the years, all those who could remember the gospel meeting passed away, and little knowledge of the meeting was passed down to the younger generations. Where did this month long successful gospel meeting take place? It took place in Florence, Alabama, at the East Florence church of Christ.
