Why Northfield
The Unconventional
Dwight Lyman Moody*
The most outstanding evangelist of the 19th century, he revitalized first Britain and then America and Canada
Without formal education, he established three schools, moved thousands of students of Ivy league schools
Without Internet, T.V. and radio, he reached 100 million souls.
Without theological training, he inspired thousands of preachers to win souls, to hold revivals.**
With power from on high D.L. Moody was used by God in an extraordinary way
Moody’s influence continues today through his legacy in World Evangelization.
* Christian History Issue 25
**"Life of DL Moody" /William R Moody (son)
the Life of D.L. Moody
1837 Born Feb. 5, Northfield, MA
1855 Led to Christ in shoe store, Boston
Joins Boston YMCA
1856 Begins YMCA Sunday School, Chicago resulting in 1,500 young urban kids
1861 Civilian chaplain at Civil War thru Christian Commission of YMCA
1866 Becomes Chicago YMCA President
1867 First visit to Great Britain
1870 Meets and recruits Ira D Sankey
1871 Chicago Fire & Moody experiences a fire of baptism with Holy Spirit
1872 First British Campaign
1875 Settles down at Northfield and extensive campaigns nationwide
1879 Founded Northfield School (Girls)
1880 First Northfield Bible Conference
1881 Founded Mt. Hermon School (Boys)
1882 Second British Campaign
1883 Visits Cambridge and Oxford University resulting in the Cambridge Seven
1885 Enacts "An Appeal to Disciples Everywhere" to evangelize the world by 1900
durin the 3rd Northfield Conference
1886 Hosts College Bible Conference at his school resulting in Mt. Hermon One
Hundred - A birth of the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions
Begins Moody Bible Institute, Chicao
1891 Further Missions in Britain, visits Jerusalem and Paris
1898 Chairs Christian Comm. of YMCA durin America-Spain War
1899 Died at his homestead at Northfield
* Moody Bible Institute Newspaper Founder’s Week , 1999
Northfield meant to his everything.......
  
The Birthplace (1837) The Homestead (1875) Graveyard (1899)
Genealogy of Great American Evangelists
 
Dwight's Conversion at his uncle's D.L. Moody preaching at "P.T. Barnum's Hippodrome in NYC,
shoe store in Boston (at 18 y.o) site of a major Moody evangelistic campaign, which became
1855* Madison Square Garden (MSG), a major Billy Graham's site.
   
J W Chapman Billy Sunday Mordecai Ham Billy Graham
1876* 1886* 1924* 1934*
"You Know The Rest of Stories When Billy Graham Emerged,
But God Only Knows Who Will Be The Next......"
* converted or significantly influenced by each predecessor.
Why Northfield & Moody?
Moody Influenced College Student Volunteers:
His impact on YMCA Movement, the Cambridge Seven and the Student Volunteer Movement(SVM) for Foreign Mission through his evangelical campaigns and the Northfield Conference
The Cambridge Seven
C.T. Studd, M. Beauchamp, S.P. Smith,
A.T. Polhill-Turner, D.E. Hoste, C.H. Polhill-Turner, W.W. Cassels
They became mission forces under Hudson Taylor’s China Inland Mission
D.E. Hoste bacame a successor of Taylor, C.T. Studd, founder of WEC International, said
"If Jesus be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him"
Mt. Hermon One Hundred (1886)
With Scripture of Mark 16:15 (Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature) those hundred youn college students moving forward as Student Volunteers to be missionary overseas, among 100 Volunteers, 24 of them were Mt Hermon students.
Four leaders seating at front (from left) William Ashmore (Misna), A.T. Pierson (Guest Speaker), Luther Wishard(Princeton Univ. International YMCA , Charles Ober (Williams College, YMCA)
"Give me a hundred men who fear nothing but God, hate nothing but sin and are determined to know nothing among men but Jesus Christ and Him crucified,and I will set the world on fire with them.'' – John Wesley
Northfield Conference becomes a ground zero for World Mission through the birth of the SVM along with many other conferences such as college summer bible study, missionaries, YMCA and YWCA, World Student Christian Federation and so on.
About 20,500 of Students Volunteers become long-term missionaries overseas. The SVM became the greatest contributor to the sudden burst of American interest in foreign missions and USA became a biggest country in World Missions.
Students Deleates at Northfield College Conference (1926) and its brochure.
A Quadrennial SVM International Convention (1913 Kansas City),
InterVarisity succeeded the convention at University of Toronto (1946) becoming the URBANA Student Mission Convention.
Foundation of Northfield School
1. Purchase of the Homestead and land (1875)
Moody came back from a successful Revival Campaign in Britain, settleed dwon at his hometown, Northfield, MA in 1875. Edward Studd, a convert from Moody’s campaign in England (1873) and father of CT & JEK Studd, contributed £500 ($2,500) for D.L. Moody to purchase his homestead and first part of Northfield campus (12 acres) in 1875.(Total paid about $3,500)
2. Dedication of the Northfield Schools (1880)
East Hall: First dormitory for gilrs was ‘sung up’ by royalties of $36,000 from the Moody & Sankey Gospel Hymns.
In the dedication of East Hall, Moody hoped and prayed the school would become a blessing to the world, and that missionaries may go out from here and preach the gospel to the heathen, and that it may be recognized as a power in bringing souls to Christ.
He also prayed: “O, Lord we pray that no teachers may ever come within its walls except as they have been taught by the Holy Spirit; that no scholars may ever come here except as the Spirit of God shall touch their hearts. O God, we are Thine, this building is Thine! We give it over to Thee. Take it and keep it and bless it, with Thy keeping power!”
“School Motto”: With prayers and Scripture of the dedication for the continual service and never-failing care of God. “I, the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment; lest any hurt it, I will keep in night and day.” - Isaiah 27:3 since 1880
“School Song”: ‘Jerusalem’ – “Bring me my bow of burning gold! Bring me my arrows of desire! Bring me my spear! O clouds unfold! Bring me my chariot of fire! I will not cease from mental fight; Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand. Till we have built Jerusalem in every green and pleasant land” is still sung.
3. Northfield Schools: D.L. Moody's whole system
“In each of the cornerstones of the school buildings proper a copy of the Scriptures has been placed. This is symbolic of the place that God’s Word holds in the life of the schools. It is, indeed, foundation, cornerstone, and capstone of Mr. Moody’s whole system.” – “Life of DL Moody” by William R. Moody (son)
“History is not a random flow of events.
For God is working out in time a plan
which He conceived in a past eternity
and will consummate in a future eternity” - John Stott
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