Charles M. Sheldon Encourages Childlike Faith
Church in Topeka, Kansas, is proud of historical ties to Rev. Dr. Charles M. Sheldon.
September/October 2009
Caleb D. Regan
 |
The Central Congregational Church in Topeka, Kansas, is proud of its historical ties to ev. Dr. Charles M. Sheldon.
Janet Nyfeler
|
I remember the term, “What Would Jesus Do?” and the bracelets that popularized the saying in the mid-1990s. I was in middle school and high school at the time, and they seemed more of a fashion symbol than any real evangelistic tool.
RELATED CONTENT
But never did I realize where the saying came from; right in the middle of the United States, in Topeka, Kansas, where world-famous Rev. Dr. Charles M. Sheldon gave sermons.
What called this to my attention was the June release of a collection of Sheldon’s poems in the book Communion Hymn Poems, by the Central Congregational Church of Topeka. The poems were brought to light through the work of two people: Heidi Hunt, a congregation member who found the poems while organizing Sheldon memorabilia, and Janet Nyfeler, the church’s administrator who typed them up and grouped each with appropriate scripture before taking it to the publisher.
“We have lots of calls and lots of people who want to visit, who are interested in Charles Sheldon, or who have been affected by his books, especially In His Steps, so, historically, this is the place people come,” Central Congregational Church’s Rev. Sherry Triggs says. “So this (the book of poetry) is just another great offering, kind of a little different look at Sheldon.”
In His Steps, Sheldon’s most popular work (published worldwide in more than 30 languages and regarded as one of the most popular Christian books other than the Bible), was penned in 1896 and told the story of a dying beggar who gives a lesson to townsfolk and challenges them to ask the question, “What would Jesus do?” before taking action in any facet of life. Like some of Sheldon’s other books, In His Steps grew out of a series of his sermons in which he would tell passionate, gripping stories to keep the people coming back to Sunday evening services.
And speaking with Sheldon’s great-grandson, Rev. Dr. Garrett W. Sheldon, a professor at the University of Virginia who wrote a preface for the recently published Communion Hymn Poems, reveals a different side of the renowned author.