Birth: 1759
Home Calling: 1836
Native Place : Berkshire
Country: England
Place of Vision: United Kingdom
While many Christian heroes made a difference to the world by traveling from one end to the other, Charles Simeon made a difference by staying in the same place ministering for fifty-four years.
Although born in a Christian family, growing up, Simeon had no interest in religion. However, while he was a student at King’s College, he became interested in one of the Christian groups called the ‘Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.’ Through this society, Simeon found an opportunity to read several spiritual books, which eventually led to his conversion in 1779. He graduated in Arts and later was ordained a priest of the Church of England. At a time when there was not much of a gospel or evangelical witness at Cambridge, Simeon began to preach. He preached at St. Edward’s Church and later assumed a full-time pastorate at the Holy Trinity Church in Cambridge. Under his pastoral care and gospel-centered preaching, the church emerged to be the center of evangelical witness and spiritual life.
Simeon’s ministry had three key emphases. First, his ministry concentrated on encouraging the youth, especially the students, to preach and minister for God. His second emphasis was missions. He trained several missionaries through his ‘conversation parties,’ which are evening services held at his home on Sundays and Fridays. Through these parties, dozens of young men were encouraged to take the gospel to the far corners of the world. He was also one of the founders of the Church Missionary Society. The last emphasis was on the reformation of the church. He worked hard to make churchgoers become committed disciples of Christ.
Simeon was a man of prayer who woke up at 4’o clock in the morning and spent 4 hours in Bible reading and prayer. Preaching and praying remained his two main priorities in life. Amidst the struggles and troubles from some of his own, Simeon finished his race with utmost perseverance.
