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Throughout the extensive history of the Church, numerous events of lasting significance have occurred.
Each week marks anniversaries of milestones, tragedies, triumphs, notable births and deaths.
Some events, spanning more than 2,000 years of history, might be familiar, while others may be unknown to many.
The following pages highlight anniversaries of memorable events from this week in Christian history, including the death of Christmas Evans, the birth of Oswald Chambers, and a Methodist bishop testifying before Congress.
Christmas Evans dies – July 19, 1838
This week marks the anniversary of when Christmas Evans, a prominent Welsh preacher known for having only one eye, died at the age of 71 following a sudden illness.
Fittingly born on Christmas Day 1766 in Ysgaerwen, Wales, Evans had reportedly lost sight in one eye in his youth during an intense brawl that was started by another party.
After having a born-again experience, Evans was ordained in 1789 and soon became known for preaching to gatherings all over Wales, as well as building multiple chapels in Great Britain.
“Crowds flocked to hear his sermons,” noted Wholesome Words. “His humor sometimes threw a congregation into roars of laughter, often changed in a moment by his pathos into tears, and his startling power of declamation exercised extraordinary influence on all who heard him, whom his brethren called the ‘Bunyan of Wales.’”
In an op-ed republished by The Christian Post in 2022, the Rev. Mark H. Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, Inc, labeled Evans “one of Great Britain’s most renowned Baptist ministers.”
Garfield Bromley Oxnam testifies before HUAC – July 21, 1953
This week marks the anniversary of when Garfield Bromley Oxnam, a prominent Methodist bishop, voluntarily testified before Congress to deny claims that he was a communist.
Oxnam testified before the House Committee on Un-American Activities during the Cold War, when concerns over communist infiltration in the United States was a major public concern.
The bishop was accused of being a communist in part because of his progressive advocacy on certain issues and purported social ties to confirmed Communist Party members.
After several hours of testimony, HUAC members unanimously concluded that there was “no record of any Communist Party affiliation or membership by Bishop Oxnam.”
“With calm firmness, he expressed outrage that his loyalty and ministry had been questioned,” explained Bible Hub.
“He insisted that guilt by association is not truth, and that Christians must be free to serve neighbors in complex settings without forfeiting moral clarity.”
“His witness encourages believers to pursue truth, refuse slander, and endure examination with a clean conscience—confident that faithful love and truthful speech are never wasted before God.”
Oswald Chambers born – July 24, 1874
This week marks the anniversary of when Oswald Chambers, a British military chaplain best known for his posthumously published book My Utmost for His Highest, was born in Scotland.
The son of devout Baptists, Chambers founded the Bible Training College in 1911 and in 1915, became a chaplain assigned to minister to British forces during World War I. He died while in Egypt in 1917, being buried with military honors.
“Afterward, [his wife] Biddy published books based on the notes she had taken from her late husband’s talks. The best known of these was the devotional classic: My Utmost for His Highest,” explained The Christian History Institute.
“It has captured generations of readers its insightful counsels such as ‘The desire that comes into a disciple is not one of doing anything for Jesus, but of being a perfect delight to him.’ Thus it came about that in death, Oswald Chambers reached even more with the Gospel message than he had in life.”
