A beauty shop prophecy changed a college failure into someone who we’d call successful! Wisdom from his faith and life. Thanks, brother Washington! ” Put God First! Don’t confuse movement with progress! You’ll never see a U-haul behind a hearse! Get on your knees in the morning and Give God thanks!
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We are here to unveil this picture of Hattie May Wiatt, a little girl who died in 1886. Years have gone rapidly by, but she still speaks. We intend to put this picture in the pastor’s study, in the most prominent place, and keep it there through the years to come, that people, as they pass through, may ask: “What meaneth that picture?” And the story, simple and wonderful, may be told.
Little Hattie May Wiatt lived in a house near the church in which we then worshipped, at Berks and Mervine, which is now occupied by the Christian Church It was a small church and was crowded, tickets of admission were obtained sometimes weeks in advance for every service. The Sunday school was as crowded as the rest of the congregation, and one day when I came down to the church, to attend Sabbath school, I found a number of children outside. They were greatly disturbed because they could not get in, on account of the crowd of children already in the Sunday school rooms of the church, and little Hattie May Wiatt, who lived nearby, had brought her books and a contribution, and was standing by the gate, hesitating whether to go back home or wait and try to get in later. I took her up in my arms, lifted her to my shoulder, and then as she held on to my head – an embrace I never can forget – I carried her through the crowd in the hall, into the Sunday school room, and seated her in a chair away back in a dark corner. The next morning as I came down to the church from my home I came by their house and she was going up the street to school. As we met, I said: “Hattie, we are going to have a larger Sunday school room soon”, and she said: “I hope you will. It is so crowded that I am afraid to go there alone”. “Well”, I replied, “When we get the money with which to erect a school building we are going to construct one large enough to get all the little children in, and we are going to begin very soon to raise the money for it”. It was only in my mind as a kind of imaginary vision, but I wished to make conversation with the child. The next that I heard about it was that Hattie was very sick, and they asked me to come in and see the child, which I did and prayed with her. I walked up the street, praying for the little girl’s recovery, and yet all the time with the conviction that it was not to be.
Hattie May Wiatt died. She had gathered 57 cents – some have written 54 – which was left as her contribution towards securing another building for the children. After the funeral, the mother handed me the little bag with the gathered 57 cents. I took it to the church and stated that we had the first gift toward the new Sunday school building; that little Hattie May Wiatt, who had gone on into the Shining World, had left behind her this gift towards it. I then changed all the money into pennies and offered them for sale. I received about $250 for the 57 pennies, and 54 of those cents were returned to me by the people who bought them. I then had them put in a frame where they could be seen and exhibited them, and we received by a sale of the $250 changed into pennies money enough to buy the next house north of the church at Berks and Mervine. That house was bought by the Wiatt Mite Society, which was organized for the purpose of taking the 57 cents and enlarging on them sufficiently to buy the property for the Primary Department of the Sunday school. In the Wiatt Mite Society was Mr. Edward O. Elliott ( now one of our trustees) who has charge of this picture, and was then a member.
Then when the crowd became so great we could no longer get in there, the thought impressed itself upon our congregation, “We ought to have a larger church and a larger Sunday school room”. Faith in God was the characteristic of this people, and they said, “We can do it”, notwithstanding the fact that the church had a mortgage on it then, I think, of $30,000, and that we had no money in advance. Yet the conviction was strong that we ought to build a larger church, and some ventured so far, though then it seemed absurd, to say that we might “build on Broad Street somewhere”. But the Wiatt Mite Society, using the influence of Hattie May Wiatt’s first deposit, raised the money to pay, as I said, for the house, and then the undertaking was before us, whether we would go out and try to build a large church. I walked over to see Mr. Baird, who lived on the corner where the German Athletic Association now has its meetings and asked him what he wanted for this lot on which the Temple now stands.
He said that he wanted $30,000. I told him that we had only 54 cents toward the $30,000, but that we were foolish enough to think that sometimes we would yet own that lot. Encouraged by what he said, and with no opposition on the part of the Board of Deacons, I went around again to talk with him and asked him if he would not hold the lot for five years. Mr. Baird said: “I have been thinking this matter over and have made up my mind I will sell you that lot for $25,000, taking $5,000 less than I think it is worth, and I will take the 54 cents as the first payment and you may give me a mortgage for the rest at 5%. I went back and so reported to the church, and they said: “Well, we can raise more money than 54 cents”, but I went over and left the 54 cents with Mr. Baird and took a receipt for it as a part payment on the lot. Mr. Baird afterward returned the 54 cents as another gift. Thus we bought the lot, and thus encouraged of God step by step, we went on constructing this building. We owed $109,000 when it was done, but we had courage and faith in God then. We could hardly have dreamed then that in the number of years that followed this people, without wealth, each giving only as he could afford from his earnings, could have paid off so great a debt without any outside help. The only outside help that we really received was from Mr. Bucknell. Although our church was then called the Grace Baptist Church, he was not willing that we should call the new building a church until the mortgage was paid. He gave us $10,000 on the condition that we call this building by some other name than the Grace Baptist Church, and that accounts for its being called The Temple instead of the Grace Church. Afterwards, when we did pay off the mortgage accounts, we dedicated the building and have a right now to call it whatever we choose, but after 21 years of being named as it is, there is no reason why we should change it, and there is no hope of doing so if we should undertake it. It will always be known as The Temple. I must state here also that in the house purchased by the sale of the 57 cents was organized The Temple University.
Pastor Chris’ Thoughts: I shared this story because it is so powerful and demonstrates the power of even the smallest action. Some have questioned the veracity of this story. Check Out Temple University’s Page where I first discovered this story here. Again, I did not write this post only shared the story and link back to others who shared it first. There are many versions but I believe TU’s to be accurate and worth sharing. May it encourage you to Ask God to accomplish great things for him.
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Going through a trial can feel overwhelming at times. Yet we’ve got to remember that God will always be with us, in the fiery furnace or through the valley of Shadow you’re never alone. Lean on Him. Cry out to Him, we have a God who knows exactly what we feel, the sorrow, pain, confusion, and yet He is always for us. Always with us. Standing on His promises are never easy. Our Sunday School Bible stories made it look so simple to trust Him through the circumstances, opposition, and enemy but it FAITH isn’t for quitters. Faith endures. His with you, the author and finisher of your faith is with you. Don’t give in, don’t give up. Lean on Him, cling to Him, You’ll make it! – Pastor Chris
“Our response to the LORD when bad things happen is EVERYTHING!” IF your hope is based upon the outcome, there is nothing supernatural about that. But when you can HOPE in the face of the most terrible things that have every happened to you- that is not NATURAL. There’s something greater at work there or rather I should say, SOMEONE GREATER at work there.
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“In life my friends it is very seldom that what we see coming is what burns us.” – John O’Leary. Great mentoring, great leadership, great love is always, not sometimes, always about coming down. It’s about meeting people where they are in their struggles, in their challenges, in their adversity.”
What Jack Buck does, “He takes it home, he cries, he prays, he reflects on just one question. “What more can I do?” He kept on visiting.
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By Andrew Peterson and appears on the EP Resurrection Letters: Prologue
Why has my God, my soul forsook, nor will a smile afford
Thus David once in anguish spoke and thus our dying Lord
Oh, it’s your chief delight to dwell among your praising saints
And yet your hear us groan as well and pity our complaints
Our fathers trusted in your name and great deliverance found
But he’s a worm despised of men who trot him to the ground
Men shake their heads and pass him by and laugh his soul to scorn
“In vain he trusts in God,” they cry, neglected and forlorn
But you are he who formed his flesh by your own mighty word
And since he hung upon the breast his hope was in the Lord
Why would his father hide his face when foes stand threatening ’round
In his dark hour of deep distress and not a helper found
Why, oh why, my God?
Why, oh why, my God?
For the joy set before him he endured
And is seated at the right hand of the throne
Well done, good and faithful, well done
Well done, good and faithful one
Behold your dear one left alone with the cruel and the proud
As mighty bulls so fierce and strong, as lions roaring loud
For mirth and hell and sorrows meet to multiply the pain
They nail his hands, they pierce his feet and mock him yet again
Yet if your sovereign hand let loose a rage in earth and hell
Why would my Heavenly father bruise the son he loved so well?
He prayed in dark Gethsemane, “Withhold this bitter cup”
But he resigned his will to thee and drank the sorrows up
Our savior cried with David’s grief, “In groans I waste my breath
Thy hand has brought me down beneath the bitter dust of death”
And then he gave his spirit up to trust it in your hand
His dying flesh reposed in hope, to rise at your command
Why, oh why, my God?
Why, oh why, my God?
For the joy set before him he endured
And is seated at the right hand of the throne
Well done, good and faithful, well done
Well done, good and faithful, well done
Well done good and faithful one
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Andrew Peterson
“Always Good”
Do You remember how Mary was grieving?
How You wept and she fell at Your feet?
If it’s true that You know what I’m feeling
Could it be that You’re weeping with me?
Arise, o Lord, and save me
There’s nowhere else to go
You’re always good, always good
Somehow this sorrow is shaping my heart like it should
And You’re always good, always good
Well it’s so hard to know what You’re doing
Why won’t You tell it all plain?
But You said You’d come back on the third day
And Peter missed it again and again
So maybe the answer surrounds us
But we don’t have eyes to see
That You’re always good, always good
This heartache is moving me closer than joy ever could
And You’re always good
My God, my God, be near me
There’s nowhere else to go
And Lord, if You can hear me
Please help Your child to know
That You’re always good, always good
As we try to believe what is not meant to be understood
Will You help us to trust Your intentions for us are still good
‘Cause You laid down Your life
And You suffered like I never could
You’re always good, always good
You’re always good, always good
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When I look at you, boy
I can see the road that lies ahead
I can see the love and the sorrow
Bright fields of joy
Dark nights awake in a stormy bed
I want to go with you, but I can’t follow
So keep to the old roads
Keep to the old roads
And you’ll find your way
Your first kiss, your first crush
The first time you know you’re not enough
The first time there’s no one there to hold you
The first time you pack it all up
And drive alone across America
Please remember the words that I told you
Keep to the old roads
Keep to the old roads
And you’ll find your way
You’ll find your way
If love is what you’re looking for
The old roads lead to an open door
And you’ll find your way
You’ll find your way
Back home
And I know you’ll be scared when you take up that cross
And I know it’ll hurt, ’cause I know what it costs
And I love you so much and it’s so hard to watch
But you’re gonna grow up and you’re gonna get lost
Just go back, go back
Go back, go back to the ancient paths
Lash your heart to the ancient mast
And hold on, boy, whatever you do
To the hope that’s taken hold of you
And you’ll find your way
You’ll find your way
If love is what you’re looking for
The old roads lead to an open door
And you’ll find your way
You’ll find your way
Back home
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