286: Faithful unto Death at Agaunum
Tradition remembers that on September 22, 286, Emperor Maximian ordered the execution of soldiers of the Theban Legion at Agaunum (in modern Switzerland) after they refused to renounce Christ or take part in actions they believed were unjust. Led in the story by Maurice, these men are said to have endured repeated “decimations” and still chose obedience to God over obedience to man. While details are debated and the account is preserved chiefly in later testimony, their witness has long stirred the church to courage: loyalty, purity of conscience, and steadfast faith even when the cost is life itself.

287: Maurice and the Theban Legion
September 22, 287: Tradition places the martyrdom of Maurice and the Theban Legion at Agaunum in the Alps (later Saint-Maurice, Switzerland), when Emperor Maximian ordered soldiers to offer pagan sacrifice and join actions they believed were unjust. Maurice and many under his command refused, declaring loyalty to Christ above any earthly ruler. Accounts tell of repeated decimation and, at last, execution for their steadfast confession. Whatever details remain partly veiled by time, their remembered witness shines clearly: a clean conscience before God matters more than safety, and obedience to Christ is worth any cost, for He crowns those who endure.

652: Emmeram of Regensburg Bears the Cost
On September 22, 652, Emmeram, a traveling bishop and missionary from Gaul serving in Bavaria, chose costly mercy. When a young noblewoman faced ruin from a scandalous accusation, Emmeram accepted blame to shield her and urged repentance rather than panic. For that act of protection, he was seized by the duke’s son and brutally tortured and killed on the road toward Regensburg. His body was later honored at Regensburg, where his witness strengthened the church for generations. Emmeram’s martyrdom reminds us that true shepherds guard the vulnerable, speak truth, and entrust reputation and life to God.

1566: A Life that Sharpened Law and Gospel
On September 22, 1566, Johann Agricola died in Berlin after years as a preacher and reforming voice in Germany. Born in Eisleben and once a colleague of Luther, he boldly insisted that sinners are saved by Christ alone, yet his sharp disputes over the place of God’s law in the Christian life helped the church clarify that the same grace that justifies also calls believers to repentance and holy living. Though often contentious, Agricola’s career reminds us that the Lord can use imperfect servants, even through conflict, to preserve the comfort of the gospel.

1601: Shepherds Raised Up in Nagasaki
On September 22, 1601, in Nagasaki, Sebastian Chimura and Aloysius Niabara were ordained as the first priests of Japan’s newly established church, a milestone showing the gospel taking deep root in Japanese soil. Only a few years after the martyrs of Nagasaki bore witness with their blood, these men stepped forward to serve Christ’s flock in their own language and among their own people. Their ordination strengthened congregations facing growing hostility, reminding believers that God does not abandon His church, but raises faithful workers—called, trained, and sent—to preach, pray, and shepherd with courage.

1692: When Fear Overruled Justice
On September 22, 1692, the Salem witch trials reached their grim end as eight condemned—among them Martha Corey, Mary Easty, and Samuel Wardwell—were hanged in Massachusetts, following the recent death of Giles Corey under pressing. In all, 20 souls (13 women and 7 men) were executed, and more than 150 others languished in jail into the next summer as “spectral evidence” and public panic eclipsed truth. This tragedy warns God’s people to resist rumor, test claims, and seek justice with mercy, remembering that repentance, humility, and the fear of the Lord must govern our judgments.

1734: Thanksgiving After the Voyage
On September 22, 1734, about 180 Schwenkfelders—long harried for their Christian convictions in Silesia and forced into years of exile—arrived in Philadelphia aboard the St. Andrew, seeking the freedom to worship without fear. The journey across the Atlantic demanded endurance, unity, and steady trust in God’s providence. Two days later they gathered for a thanksgiving service, openly praising the Lord for safe passage and renewed hope in a new land. Their first public act was not building or bargaining, but worship—an encouraging witness that gratitude and faith can outlast hardship.

1827: Testing Every Revelation
On this day in 1827, Joseph Smith said the angel Moroni allowed him to take buried plates from a hillside near his family farm outside Palmyra, New York, after annual visits beginning in 1823. He reported translating the engraved “reformed Egyptian” characters by divine aid, work that would soon appear as the Book of Mormon and help launch a new religious movement. The episode shows how powerfully people long for God’s voice—and it calls believers to the same earnest seeking, joined with sober discernment: testing spirits, holding fast to the apostolic gospel, and letting Scripture judge every new message.

1853: A Tongue Quickly Given for the Gospel
Charles Carter arrived in Ceylon on September 22, 1853, sent by the Baptist Missionary Society with a clear calling to make Christ known among the Sinhalese. Instead of shrinking from the barriers of distance, climate, and culture, he gave himself to patient, disciplined language study, trusting that the Lord who sends also equips. In a matter of months he was able to preach in Sinhalese, a striking testimony to humble perseverance and love for the people he had come to serve. His early progress encouraged fellow workers and opened doors for faithful witness.

1861: Seventy-Two Witnesses in the Ziros River
On September 22, 1861, Adams Gertner stepped into the Ziros river and, with steady conviction, performed his first baptism upon confession of faith in Latvia, immersing seventy-two new believers. In a land shaped by inherited religion, these converts chose a deliberate, public obedience—declaring that Christ Himself had saved them and that they now belonged to Him. Gertner’s simple act of courage helped kindle a lasting renewal, reminding the church that the gospel calls for repentance, new life, and open allegiance to Jesus, whatever the cost.

1862: A Door Opens Toward Freedom
On September 22, 1862, after the hard-fought Union victory at Antietam, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that if the rebellious states did not return by January 1, their enslaved people would be “then, thenceforward, and forever free.” Though limited in immediate reach, it turned the war toward a clearer moral purpose and strengthened the witness many believers had long pressed: that to enslave those made in God’s image is grievous sin. This step called for costly resolve—soldiers to fight, citizens to repent, churches to pray—and reminds us to labor patiently for righteousness when justice comes slowly.

1871: “Just As I Am” and the Quiet Triumph of Faith
On September 22, 1871, Charlotte Elliott died at 82, leaving the church a hymn that has welcomed countless sinners to Christ: “Just As I Am.” Struck by serious illness at 33, she lived as an invalid for about fifty years, yet refused to let weakness silence worship. Her best-known hymn, written in 1835 when she could not attend a charity bazaar for a school her brother supported, bears the mark of a soul resting wholly on grace—no merit, no bargaining, only the blood of Jesus and His open invitation.

1924: Fixing His Eyes on Christ at the End
On September 22, 1924, Huang Naishang—pastor, Bible translator, YMCA director, newspaper editor, reformer, educator, and counselor to governments—finished his race. After decades spent strengthening the church and pressing Christian truth into public life, he met death not with despair but with devotion. As his strength failed, he asked his wife to lift a picture of Christ where he could see it, then to place it upon his chest, a quiet confession that his only hope was the Crucified and Risen Lord. His last request preached what his life had proclaimed for the good of many: look to Jesus, trust Him, and endure in hope.

1942: Stone and Spirit
On September 22, 1942, architect Ralph Adams Cram died in Boston after a lifetime spent urging the church to build with reverence. A fervent Anglo‑Catholic, he helped revive English Gothic forms in the United States, believing soaring arches, ordered proportions, and crafted detail could train the soul toward God. Through works such as the Cadet Chapel at West Point and Princeton University Chapel, he sought to make worship spaces that preached without words—calling believers to repentance, hope, and holy awe. His legacy reminds us to offer the Lord our finest labor and imagination, even in a restless modern age.

1950: Mercy With a Message
Basil and Esther Miller took a faith-filled step on September 22, 1950, incorporating World-Wide Missions in California to strengthen and sustain gospel outreach through practical compassion. In a world still bearing the wounds of war and poverty, they chose organized service over safe distance, trusting God to multiply loaves and fishes through committed believers. From its headquarters today in Pasadena, this evangelical missions agency has carried Christ’s love in tangible ways—especially relief and medical aid—reaching more than 30 countries. Their decision reminds the Church that faithful obedience can build channels of mercy that endure for generations.

2000: A City Honors a Gospel Herald
On September 22, 2000, Hyderabad, India, witnessed a rare testimony as an estimated quarter of a million believers filled the streets to bury evangelist Bakht Singh. The slow-moving procession became a public act of worship—Bibles lifted high, Scripture banners raised, and hymns and praise flowing from hearts that had been fed by decades of clear Bible preaching and tireless evangelism. Singh, converted as a young man and later used mightily across India, urged believers to live simply, gather faithfully, and boldly share Christ. Even in death, his life drew many to confess Jesus openly.