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Written by Administrator Saturday, 04 March 2006 19:00

Though the name Charles Simeon is revered among pastors with some knowledge of church history, the path to honor did not come easily. First, he had to overcome his own weaknesses and the impressions that others had of him. John Stott writes:

“When [Simeon] began his ministry, he was a very angular gentleman by nature and disposition – hot tempered, proud, and impetuous. One of his biographers writes that on his first visit to Henry Ven, Ven’s oldest daughter Nellie wrote, ‘It is impossible to conceive anything more ridiculous than Mr. Simeon’s look and manner. His grimaces, the faces he pulls, were beyond anything you could imagine. So, as soon as he left, we all got together in the study and set up an amazing laugh.’

“But their father summoned his daughters into the garden. And although it was early summer, he asked them to pick one of the green peaches. When they showed surprise, he said, ‘Well my dears, it is green now, and we must wait. But a little more sun and a few more showers, and the peach will be ripe and sweet. And so it is with Mr. Simeon.’ As the Holy Spirit got to work within him, his character and conduct were beautifully refined and changed” (emphasis added).

Some of those showers were like downpours. Simeon’s first pastorate was with Holy Trinity Church in Cambridge, England. But the church did not readily welcome this blustering young minister. That was due in part to his zeal for the Lord and his insistence that the members be truly saved by grace and living in conformity to the example of Christ. Tensions mounted.

Opponents harassed Simeon by locking the family-owned pews, forcing those who wished to hear the new minister to find standing room as best they could. When Simeon brought in benches, church council members tossed them out into the churchyard, but the pastor was undeterred. In fact, this first pastorate became Simeon’s only pastorate as he served that one congregation for 54 years! And with the passing of years, he began to feel the sunshine of God’s blessing.

Charles Simeon was determined to provide the Cambridge undergraduates with decent training in theology and pastoral ministry. In 1790 Simeon began holding informal seminars for ministerial students on Sunday evenings. In 1812, he instituted weekly “conversation parties” in his rooms, essentially theological and pastoral Q&A sessions. By 1823, some 40 students were attending. By 1827 the number was closer to 60, straining the room’s capacity and keeping two servants busy distributing tea.

Of the undergraduates Simeon trained during his 54 years at Holy Trinity, some 1,100 became effective preachers, chaplains, and missionaries for the Lord.

Though we know there will be showers in our service to Christ … we are confident that the sunshine always follows the rain. Remain faithful and God will bless.

-- Sparky