July 29 in Christian History

Jul 29, 2009 10:51 AM EDT

1775 - The U.S. Army Chaplaincy was founded, making it the second oldest branch of that service, after the Infantry.


1776 - Pioneer Methodist bishop Francis Asbury remarked in his journal: 'My present modeof conduct is...to read about 100 pages a day; usually to pray in public five times aday.... If it were in my power, I would do a thousand times as much for such a gracious andblessed Master.'


1866 - Birth of Thomas O. Chisholm, American Methodist pastor, teacher, editor and poet.Of the 1,200 sacred verses he penned, one later became the popular hymn: 'Great Is ThyFaithfulness.'


1905 - Birth of Dag Hammarskj”ld, Swedish diplomat and Secretary-General of the U.N.(1953-61). His spiritual journal 'Markings' was published in 1964, three years after hisuntimely death in a plane crash.


1974 - The first eleven women priests in the Episcopal Church were ordained inPhiladelphia's Church of the Advocate.


© 1987-2009, William D. Blake. Used by permission of the author, from

Almanac of the Christian Church