Today is Saturday, September 19, 2009.

Today is Saturday, September 19, 2009.

On this day in history:

1853 - Baptist pioneer missionary J. Hudson Taylor, 21, set sail from
England to China. In 1865, Taylor founded the China Inland
Mission, now known as Overseas Missionary Fellowship. Its U.S.
branch is HQ'd today in Robesonia, PA.

1938 - The Carpatho-Russian Diocese of the Eastern Rite of the U.S.A.
was canonized as a diocese of the Greek Orthodox Church.
Father Orestes Chornock, Orthodox bishop of Agathonikia, was
made Metropolitan of the new diocese.

1943 - The first Baptist church was organized in Anchorage. (Prior to
this date, there had been no Baptist church in Anchorage, and
only one Baptist church in all the rest of the state of
Alaska.)

1948 - American missionary and martyr Jim Elliot wrote in his journal:
'Father, make of me a "crisis man." Make of me a fork, so that
men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.'

1971 - Death of William F. Albright, 80, American Methodist
archaeologist. Professor of Semitic languages at Johns Hopkins
for nearly 30 years, he penned over 1,000 articles and books,
and led several Near Eastern expeditions which excavated the
biblical sites of Gibeah, Bethel and Petra.