evangelism

Biography

Full Name: Herman Reynolds
Birth: – (Date not recorded)
Home Calling (Death): – (Date not recorded)
Native Place: West Virginia
Country: United States of America
Place of Vision: India

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Early Life and Calling

Herman Reynolds was an American missionary who dedicated his life to serving God among the people of Central India. He was born in West Virginia, USA, and from a young age felt a deep desire to serve God in ministry.

He completed his education at Lynchburg Christian College, and later pursued ministerial training at Vanderbilt University. During his time of preparation, Herman’s heart was burdened for missions and reaching those who had not yet heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

He married Mildred Pritchett, a woman who shared the same spiritual vision and passion for missionary service. Together, they joined the College of Missions, where they not only received practical training for missionary work but also served as pastors in Yale, ministering to local congregations while preparing for their overseas calling.

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Missionary Journey to India

Led by the Holy Spirit, Herman and Mildred answered God’s call to India. In 1927, they joined the Indian Mission and arrived in Jabalpur, located in Central India. After spending some time learning the local language and culture, they were appointed to serve in a new mission station at Kotmi, in the present-day Chhattisgarh region.

The people of Kotmi were simple, tribal, and largely uneducated, making it challenging to communicate the Gospel effectively. However, Herman approached them as a friend, living among them and sharing the message of Christ through love and service rather than through words alone.

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Ministry and Service in Kotmi

Herman and Mildred settled near the village in a small tent, choosing to live close to the people they served. Herman ministered among the men, preaching the Scriptures, teaching practical skills, and helping them improve their daily lives. Mildred, with a compassionate heart, reached out to the women and children, teaching them domestic skills, hygiene, and literacy.

Together, they established a school and a small dispensary, which helped improve education and healthcare in the area. Their ministry soon bore fruit — many villagers experienced God’s love and came to faith in Christ.

For a brief period, Herman moved to Mungeli, where he carried out intensive evangelistic work among the Satnami people, a large community group in that region. Later, he returned to Kotmi to continue his missionary activities, strengthening the local believers and training new disciples.

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A Life Compelled by Christ’s Love

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:14, “For the love of Christ compels us.”
Herman Reynolds truly lived by this verse. His deep love for God and for people drove him to serve tirelessly, both in India and in America.

Even during his short furloughs back in the United States, Herman continued to serve the Lord. He worked as a chaplain in Minnesota, sharing God’s Word and inspiring believers at the Church of America with his faith-filled sermons and humble spirit.

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Legacy

Herman Reynolds’ life stands as a testimony of faith, courage, and obedience. Together with his wife Mildred, he helped transform lives in remote parts of India through education, medical care, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Their work among the tribal communities of Central India laid a strong foundation for future Christian missions in that region. The seeds they planted in love continue to bear fruit even today, reminding us that when God calls, He also equips and sustains His servants.

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🕊️ “The greatest call in life is to serve others in the name of Christ.” — The life of Herman Reynolds beautifully reflected this truth.

Life Story

Full Name: George Williams
Parents: Amos Williams and his wife
Birthplace: Somerset, England
Born: September 11, 1821
Salvation Experience: Accepted Christ at the age of 16
Died: October 6, 1905

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Service and Ministry:

While working in the clothing business, George Williams was deeply concerned about the moral and spiritual life of young men around him. Out of this burden, he founded the “Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA)”, which became one of the largest youth organizations in the world. Through this, he worked to improve the spiritual and moral lives of young people, giving them a place for prayer, fellowship, and godly guidance.

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Personal Testimony:

George Williams was born into a well-to-do farming family in Somerset, England. He received his early education for a few years and then began working on his family’s farm. Though hardworking, he lived without a personal relationship with God in his early years.

Later, he went to work as an assistant in a clothing business. His employer encouraged him to attend morning church gatherings, and through these meetings, his heart began to change. One Sunday evening in 1837, George was deeply moved by the Gospel message. He realized that Jesus Christ had died for his sins and surrendered his life fully to the Lord.

Speaking about that experience, George later wrote:

“When I first saw that Jesus Christ had died for my sins, I cannot describe the joy and peace that filled my heart.”

From that day onward, his entire life became a testimony for Christ.

As he continued working in the clothing trade, George moved to London to grow in his profession. There, he was saddened by the ungodly lifestyle of the young men working with him. Feeling a heavy burden for their souls, he and one of his Christian friends began to pray earnestly for them and made plans to reach them with the message of salvation.

Soon, God answered their prayers — several young men joined them for prayer meetings. Their workplace slowly turned into a place of spiritual fellowship and transformation.

Determined to expand this spiritual impact to other businesses as well, George started a small fellowship group in his own bedroom, with just 12 members. This small beginning led to the birth of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) — a movement that soon spread across the world, helping millions of young men grow in faith, character, and purpose.

The YMCA began organizing Bible studies, prayer gatherings, and moral training programs, focusing on the complete development of body, mind, and spirit.

George Williams always believed that,

“No work is small — what matters is how much we do for others in love.”

He lived as a humble, compassionate Christian and remained a faithful witness to Christ until his last breath in 1905.

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🌿 George Williams’ life is a shining example of how one person’s faith and compassion can touch the entire world. Through prayer and dedication, he became the instrument God used to transform countless young lives.

Life Story

Full Name: Munganda Shantharao
Birthplace: Tummalapalli village, Amalapuram Taluka, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh
Parents: Munganda Narasayya and Manikyamma
Year of Birth: Around 1956
Salvation Experience: Accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour at the age of 7
Divine Vision: At a young age, he saw angels in the sky writing the Word of God.

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Personal Testimony

Munganda Shantharao was born in Tummalapalli village, East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, to Narasayya and Manikyamma, who were members of the C.S.I. Church. He was the fifth child among seven children. From his childhood, he attended Sunday School and learned about Jesus. At the age of seven, he accepted Christ as his personal Saviour.

One day, young Shantharao saw a heavenly vision — angels were writing the Word of God in the sky. Later, while studying in 10th standard (around 1972), he saw a bright divine light inside his classroom.

In 1975, while studying at the Manna Bible Institute, he was inspired by the life story of Purushotham Choudary, a man of God. This deeply touched his heart, and he decided to dedicate his life completely to serving God. Remembering his childhood vision, he made a special vow: to write the Word of God on walls and pillars everywhere, so that all people could read and come to know Christ.

He began by writing verses in his own village and nearby areas using paint and brushes. After completing his Bible training in 1978, he joined the Full Gospel Church of India at Machilipatnam and was sent as a pastor to Nagayalanka, in the Diviseema region (covering Avanigadda, Nagayalanka, and Koduru).

As he preached the Gospel in surrounding villages, he also continued writing Bible verses on walls. He decided to travel across the entire state of Andhra Pradesh by bicycle, trusting only in God’s provision.

Many times, he had no food or place to sleep. Once, when a pastor refused to give him shelter, he slept on a school veranda, hungry. Yet, he woke up the next morning and continued his work joyfully, painting Bible verses again.

When he was extremely hungry one day in Prakasam district, he prayed, “Lord, please give me something to eat.” While he was still writing a verse on the wall, a woman saw him, spoke kindly, took him home, and served him a meal.

Every day before beginning his work, he would pray for food, shelter, and paint. Miraculously, God always provided through unknown people. He experienced God’s care in every small detail of his ministry.

Later, he continued his Gospel mission in Kadapa, where a believer working in a government job gave him money to support his ministry. With that help, Shantharao travelled through many towns, writing God’s Word on walls and pillars.

He travelled throughout Andhra Pradesh, covering all major towns and villages by bicycle. Then, with a strong desire to continue his mission, he moved on to Maharashtra.

There, he faced many oppositions. A newspaper once published a warning saying that anyone writing Bible verses on walls would be arrested. Because of that threat, he moved to Madhya Pradesh and then continued his journey to Bhopal, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa, Dadar-Haveli, Karnataka, Odisha, West Bengal, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh.

In every state, he would first learn how to write the local language by copying verses letter by letter onto paper, and then he would paint those same verses on walls. He wrote verses in Telugu, Hindi, English, and many other Indian languages — on bridges, pipelines, government buildings, and electric poles.

Because he wrote on government property, he faced legal issues and public opposition. To continue safely, he made a shirt printed with Bible verses on both front and back, and wore it while travelling.

In Haryana, some young men attacked him with bicycles, injuring him badly. Yet, with God’s healing and strength, he recovered and continued his journey.

He faced hunger, sickness, and rejection but never gave up. When he reached Madras (Chennai), he fell ill due to lack of food. A Christian nurse who noticed the verses he had written came to meet him, cared for him, gave him food and medicine, and regularly helped him.

Even when he had nothing but two boiled potatoes to eat, he kept writing God’s Word on walls across the city. His only goal was to make sure everyone could read the Word of God wherever they went.

After travelling across all of India, writing thousands of verses on walls, pillars, and bridges, Munganda Shantharao continued this divine calling until his last breath. He remained faithful to the end and finally entered into the presence of the Lord, completing a life fully dedicated to the service of God.

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🕊️ Munganda Shantharao’s life stands as a shining example of faith, sacrifice, and tireless devotion — a man who literally covered India with the Word of God.

Life Story

Full Name: Saint Boniface
Birthplace: Crediton, England
Born: AD 675
Died: June 5, 754

Saint Boniface, originally named Winfrith, was born into a noble family in England. From a young age, he was deeply inspired by the lives of Christian monks and missionaries. Wanting to serve God, he joined a Christian monastery to study theology and Scripture. At the age of 30, he was ordained as a priest. During his years in the monastery, Boniface spent much of his time reading, meditating, teaching, and praying.

Even though he could have lived a peaceful life in the monastery, his heart longed to serve as a missionary. When he was offered the position of abbot (leader of the monastery), he humbly refused, choosing instead to take the Gospel of Christ to the Germanic tribes who had not yet heard about Jesus.

Boniface’s missionary work was not easy. He faced many challenges from idol worshippers and people who followed false teachings. Still, he remained faithful to God’s calling. He believed that true life is found in Christ alone, as written in Luke 9:24 — “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will save it.”

Boniface traveled through Frisia and Germania, preaching the Gospel and leading thousands to faith in Christ. Through his ministry, many pagans turned from idol worship, received baptism, and became Christians. His mission was not only to bring new believers to Christ but also to strengthen and organize the Christian Church in those regions. He helped restore churches that had fallen into false beliefs and disorder. He organized church councils, set clear rules for priests and leaders, and corrected wrong teachings.

In AD 754, Boniface went on his final missionary journey to Frisia with a group of fellow monks. While preparing to conduct a service near a river, he was attacked by a group of hostile pagans. They killed him and his 53 companions, making them martyrs for the faith.

Saint Boniface is remembered as the “Apostle of Germany.” His life is an inspiring example of courage, obedience, and unwavering faith in God’s call. Even in death, he showed complete devotion to Christ.

A Life Fully Devoted to God

Full Name: Watchman Nee
Birth: November 4, 1903
Birthplace: China
Parents: Lin He Ping and Nee Weng Su
Wife: Charity Chang
Salvation: Age 18
Death: May 30, 1972

Early Life and Salvation

Watchman Nee was born on November 4, 1903, in China. His mother, Lin He Ping, was raised in a Christian home, though she was adopted into a poor family due to financial hardships. At 18 years old, Nee accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior, dedicating his life to God’s service. His mother, inspired by her prayers, also committed herself to support her son in ministry.

Ministry and Evangelism

From a young age, Nee proclaimed the Gospel alongside his mother in the streets. He traveled across many parts of China, preaching the Word and guiding people to Christ. Nee was known as a powerful teacher and author, writing deeply spiritual works that became influential worldwide. He also led students and young believers into Christian faith, encouraging them to live united and serve wholeheartedly.

Challenges and Faithfulness

Once, during a fire in a city, Nee and five other families were rescued, strengthening his faith in God’s protection. He spent many hours daily in prayer, relying on God for guidance and provision. Even when he suffered from severe illness while preaching in Shanghai, he trusted God and recovered through prayer, faith, and proper care.

Watchman Nee emphasized serving without pay, trusting God for provision, and giving full commitment to every ministry opportunity. He also trained other believers to continue spreading the Gospel to unreached areas of China. Despite persecution, opposition, and being imprisoned for 20 years, he remained faithful to Christ.

Legacy

Nee endured hardships, imprisonment, and poor health with unwavering faith. He passed away on May 30, 1972, at the age of 69, leaving a legacy of dedication, prayer, and discipleship. He taught that using opportunities for God’s work wisely is essential, and neglecting them results in lost blessings.

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Famous Saying:
“Use every opportunity God gives you, for delaying His work leads to loss.”