404: Paula’s Homegoing in Bethlehem
On January 26, 404, Paula of Rome—Jerome’s devoted patron and pupil—died in Bethlehem, where she had spent her fortune and strength for Christ. Once a wealthy widow, she left comfort behind to seek the holy places, embrace disciplined prayer, and serve the poor and pilgrims. With her daughter Eustochium she helped establish monasteries and a convent near the place of the Savior’s birth, and her generosity sustained Jerome’s tireless labors in the Scriptures. Her life reminds believers that true riches are found in humble sacrifice and steadfast faith.

1109: Alberic of Cîteaux Chooses the Narrow Way
On January 26, 1109, Alberic of Cîteaux died after helping guide a fragile new community that refused the comforts and show of its age. In a poor, isolated place, he pressed the monks back to the plain Rule of Benedict—simplicity, repentance, manual labor, and prayer that sought God rather than applause. He also secured papal protection so the work could continue without being swallowed by politics or ease. Alberic’s quiet perseverance reminds believers that the narrow way is often hidden and costly, yet God sustains those who seek Him with an undivided heart.

1557: Purging False Teaching at Cambridge
On January 26, 1557, Cardinal Reginald Pole oversaw a solemn visitation at Cambridge University to cleanse its pulpits and schools from lingering error. In a formal sentence, the late Martin Bucer and Paulus Phagius—long dead yet still shaping minds through their writings—were excommunicated and anathematized, and it was ordered that their remains be taken from consecrated ground and publicly burned, with an interdict laid on those who kept heretical books. The action testified that Christian shepherds must guard Christ’s flock with courage, calling the learned as well as the simple to repentance and to the purity of faith.

1564: Guarding the Faith After Trent
On January 26, 1564, Pope Pius IV confirmed the decrees of the Council of Trent by the bull Benedictus Deus, giving binding force to reforms meant to strengthen the church’s teaching and life after years of turmoil. Among these measures was the establishment of an Index of Prohibited Books, intended to protect ordinary believers from writings judged to undermine the gospel and corrupt morals. Whatever later controversies surrounded it, the moment reflects a resolve to preserve doctrinal clarity, promote faithful shepherding, and call Christians to humility, repentance, and steadfast devotion to Christ in an age of confusion.

1681: Faithful unto Death
On January 26, 1681, Isabel Alison and Marion Harvie were hanged in Edinburgh for their Covenanter convictions, refusing to deny Christ’s crown rights and to submit the church to the state. Climbing the scaffold, they sang Psalm 84, blessing the God whose house is better than a thousand elsewhere. Marion testified that the government could charge her with no crime like murder—only her religious views and allegiance to God’s truth. When her words cut too close, the major in charge ordered the hangman to "cast her over", choking off further witness. Their steadfastness still calls believers to courage and purity of conscience.

1779: Work Earnestly, Rest Fully
Francis Asbury, the tireless frontier preacher who chose to remain in America through the upheaval of the Revolutionary War, recorded a searching counsel in his journal on January 26, 1779: “We should so work as if we were to be saved by our works; and so rely on Jesus Christ, as if we did no works.” Riding long circuits, facing suspicion and hardship, he pressed believers toward practical holiness without surrendering the gospel of grace. His words still steady the soul: labor in obedience with all your strength, yet stake your hope entirely on Christ’s finished work.

1788: The Gospel Takes Root at Sydney Cove
On January 26, 1788, as the First Fleet entered Sydney Cove and Governor Arthur Phillip began the fragile settlement of New South Wales, prayer and worship came ashore with the people. The fleet’s chaplain, Richard Johnson, had kept public prayers through the long voyage, and in these first uncertain hours he stood ready to serve a suffering community of soldiers, convicts, and families. With little shelter, scant supplies, and an unknown future, the earliest days were marked by dependence on God, setting a quiet foundation for the first sermon soon to be preached beneath open sky and for generations of gospel witness in Australia.

1906: Gathered for One Lord and One Mission
On January 26, 1906, believers from the mountain churches of the Southeast convened the first General Assembly of the Church of God, meeting with Bibles open and hearts set on obeying Christ. With roots reaching back to 1886, they came not for recognition, but for holiness, unity, and Spirit-empowered witness. In an era of hardship and little worldly influence, they chose accountability, shared counsel, and cooperative evangelism, trusting God to build His church. Their humble assembly helped shape a movement marked by prayer, courage, and a readiness to follow wherever the Lord led.

1936: “Zukuka”—Awaken
Blasio Kigozi, an African revival leader in Uganda, died at Kampala on January 26, 1936, from tick fever, yet his voice still speaks. In days when the gospel was stirring hearts across the region, Kigozi was known for urging believers to wake from spiritual sleep—turning from sin, walking in honest confession, and trusting Christ for new life. Though his ministry was cut short, the word chosen for his tombstone, “zukuka” (“awaken”), became a final sermon: God calls His people to rise, repent, and live boldly in the power of the risen Lord.

1949: A Chaplain’s Race Finished Well
Peter Marshall, a Scottish-born Presbyterian minister whose earnest prayers had steadied hearts in the United States Senate, died in Washington, DC, in the early hours of January 26, 1949, from heart trouble, only forty-six years old. As Senate chaplain he spoke of Christ with uncommon warmth and courage, reminding leaders that national strength cannot replace personal repentance and living faith. His passing cut short a vibrant ministry, yet it also testified to a life poured out without reserve. In time his widow, Catherine, would preserve his witness in A Man Called Peter, encouraging many to trust God and serve boldly.

1951: A Door Opened for Women’s Spiritual Leadership
On January 26, 1951, Temple Beth Israel in Meridian, Mississippi, became the first Jewish congregation known to authorize women to carry out the functions of a rabbi, a notable step taken in a small Southern community where tradition and public pressure could weigh heavily. Their decision reflected moral courage and a serious regard for spiritual gifts, reminding us that God’s image and calling are not matters of social rank but of faithful service. This moment also highlights the value of religious liberty and conscience, urging believers to treat neighbors with dignity, truthfulness, and prayerful goodwill.

1962: Homegoing of George Jeffreys
George Jeffreys, the Welsh evangelist who founded the Elim Pentecostal Churches, died at his home in Clapham, England, on January 26, 1962. In the decades before, he had preached Christ with unusual courage and clarity, calling thousands to repentance and faith and urging believers to pray expectantly for God’s healing and power. Though later years brought public strain and quieter labor, his life still testified to steadfast conviction and a heart for revival. His passing reminds the church that God uses willing servants, and that faithful preaching leaves fruit beyond a lifetime.

1967: What God Has Done Is Well Done
On January 26, 1967, the Swiss theologian Karl Barth, writing from retirement in Basel near the end of his earthly course, summed up a lifetime of wrestling with Scripture and prayerful thought in a simple confession: “What God has done is well done.” In a century marked by upheaval, his words point beyond human strength to the steady mercy and wise rule of the Lord, who never wastes suffering and never fails His promises. The quiet courage of that sentence calls believers to gratitude, humility, and trust—resting in God’s finished work and His faithful providence.

1992: Strength Under Threat
On January 26, 1992, Mr. Boushra Khaliel, a Coptic Christian in Dairut in Upper Egypt, withdrew legal charges against militant Muslims who had beaten him with iron pipes, leaving his right arm paralyzed. The decision was made under a chilling warning: if he persisted, his family would face the same violence. His suffering exposes the cost many believers quietly bear, yet his restraint also reflects a father’s resolve to shield those entrusted to him. In a place where justice could be purchased with fear, his endurance calls Christians to steadfast prayer, courage, and a forgiving spirit that entrusts final vindication to God.

1996: Faithful Witness Under Accusation
On January 26, 1996, in the Ambikapur district of central India (then within Madhya Pradesh), Father L. Bridget and Sister Vridhi Ekka were sentenced to six months of rigorous imprisonment after being accused of forcibly converting ninety-four Indians to Christianity. Yet those who knew their work testified that no one was lured, coerced, or threatened—only invited to hear the gospel and to follow Christ freely. Their sentencing became a sobering reminder that faithful service can be misunderstood and punished. In their suffering, they modeled steadfast courage, patient endurance, and a quiet trust that God honors truthful, voluntary faith.