Faith Today in History - Edition 3

 

FAITH TODAY IN HISTORY September 24 Mercy opens a door. The gospel crosses a shore. A witness outlives a lifetime.

Some days in history seem to carry a single theme across generations. On September 24, we remember three moments in which Christian faith moved outward—toward women and girls in need, toward a West African community asking for a teacher of the gospel, and through a Japanese evangelist who believed his own people could carry Christ’s message to their nation. These are not legends. Each event is tied to this exact calendar date and checked against institutional or scholarly historical sources.

SEPTEMBER 24, 1827 · DUBLIN, IRELAND A House of Mercy Opens Its Doors Catherine McAuley used her inheritance to open the House of Mercy on Lower Baggot Street. It sheltered and educated women and girls facing poverty and homelessness, while also providing religious and social care. What began with a few laywomen became the seed of the Sisters of Mercy and a far-reaching ministry of education, health care, and service. Faith connection: Grace does not leave compassion as a feeling. McAuley turned what she possessed into an open door for neighbors whom society could easily overlook. The gospel becomes visible when mercy takes a name, an address, and a practical form. Verification: The historical event occurred September 24, 1827. Sources: Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, “Our History”, and the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea. Both are undated institutional history pages; accessed September 24, 2026.

SEPTEMBER 24, 1842 · BADAGRY, PRESENT-DAY NIGERIA A Mission Answers an Invitation Methodist missionary Thomas Birch Freeman reached Badagry after Yoruba Christians who had returned from Sierra Leone asked for a missionary-teacher. Freeman’s arrival helped establish a lasting Methodist presence in the region. The story is especially striking because the request came from African Christians already seeking to nurture and share their faith. Faith connection: Mission is not merely a story of one person carrying truth to another. It is also the story of believers asking, sending, receiving, teaching, and then carrying the good news onward. God often prepares both the messenger and the welcome before they meet. Verification: The arrival occurred September 24, 1842. Source: Ben O. Onu, “Timeline Events in Christian Mission in Africa”, KIU Journal of Humanities 5(2), published 2020, pp. 361–372; the September 24 entry appears on p. 365.

SEPTEMBER 24, 1939 · JAPAN Juji Nakada’s Gospel Witness Lives On Japanese evangelist Juji Nakada died on this date. Decades earlier, he had joined Charles and Lettie Cowman and Ernest Kilbourne in the work that became the Oriental Missionary Society, now One Mission Society. Their aim was evangelistic and multiplying: train Japanese believers and leaders to share the good news among their own people. That vision later reached beyond Japan. Faith connection: Nakada’s story reminds us that the gospel is not the possession of one nation or culture. In Christ, those who receive the message become its messengers. A faithful witness may finish his earthly course, but disciples who make disciples can carry the work into generations he will never see. Verification: Nakada’s death occurred September 24, 1939. Date source: Christian History Institute’s September 24 calendar, an undated reference page accessed September 24, 2026. Ministry context: One Mission Society, “Our Story”, an undated institutional history page accessed September 24, 2026; and Boston University School of Theology’s History of Missiology, reprinting a 1998 scholarly biographical-dictionary entry.

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:15b, KJV The open house, the arriving ship, and the evangelist’s lifelong witness all point in one direction: Christ’s grace received, then carried to someone else. If you have never trusted Jesus Christ, His mercy is not only a chapter in history—it is offered to you today. Turn to Him, receive His forgiveness, and begin a new life in His grace. And if you already know Him, ask: Whose door can I open, and to whom can I carry the good news? Grace and peace, Pastor Rick Carder

Faith Today in History · A weekly witness to the gospel through verified history Please feel free to forward this edition to someone who needs encouragement.