Birthdays on November 19

William "Billy" Sunday (1862 to 1935)

Protestant

Baseball evangelist.

William (Billy) Sunday was born in Iowa. After a career as a popular baseball player, he became a successful evangelist in the fire and brimstone tent-meeting tradition and put on several hundred "revivals," in which he claimed that a million came forward to receive Christ.

James A. Garfield (1831 to 1881)

Disciples of Christ

Birth, rebirth, presidency, assasination.

Birth of James A. Garfield who became the 20th President of the United States. The record of his political accomplishments are available from many secular sources. The point often omitted is that at age 18, James A. Garfield received the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour, and that he openly confessed his faith throughout the remainder of his life. He died September after being shot two and a half months earlier by an assassin.

Haldor Lillenas (1885 to 1959)

Protestant

Wonderful grace of Jesus.

Haldor Lillenas was born on the island Stord, near Bergen, Norway. Emigrating to the U.S. as a child, Lillenas grew up in the Lutheran church, and was confirmed at age 15. However, he was converted to personal faith in Jesus Christ at age 21, through the ministry of the Penial Mission in Portland, Oregon, and felt called to preach almost immediately. He attended Deets Pacific Bible College in Los Angeles (later known as Pasadena College), married Bertha Mae Wilson, a song writer in her own right, and together they furnished words and music for over 4,000 of our much-loved hymns and Gospel songs. He was a pastor and they traveled as evangelists for many years. Among his compositions are "Wonderful Grace of Jesus," "It is Glory Just to Walk with Him" and "Jesus Has Lifted Me" and "Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace."