Torch, Spring/Summer 2009

28 TORCH | Spring–Summer 2009 T he fact that the letter demanding the young pastor’s departure had been submitted by the entire church was upsetting enough. But it had been written in blood … and posted on the church door. Needless to say, it was the end of a ministry. But on the other hand, it opened one of the greatest chapters in American church life. His Story The pastor’s name was James McGready. In 1796, just eight years after being ordained in the Presbyterian Church, he discovered that his North Carolina congregation did not share his passion for the Gospel. It was a time of national spiritual lethargy. The First Great Awakening was a distant memory, and churches everywhere reported precipitous declines. McGready’s sharp preaching rubbed his hearers raw, prompting their threatening, blood-stained letter. So he resigned and moved to Logan County, Kentucky, where in January 1797 he assumed the pastorate of three small Make the Most of the Opportunity Praying for Revival by Dr. Craig Miller History teaches that difficult times are the perfect occasion to seize the day and trust the power of prayer. DARRYL JACOBSON / CORBIS - SUPERSTOCK