This article is from Issue 6, Called to Praise
The Lord had wonderfully brought the famous England cricketer and the Irish missionary Priscilla together in marriage and service, and after almost ten years of fruitful service in the heart of China, they returned back to England with their four young daughters.
Charlie’s struggles with asthma and Priscilla’s weak heart condition had not stopped them from giving their all on the mission field, but their health deteriorated under the poor living conditions. It reached a climax when Charles almost died, but the prayer of faith and the anointing of oil revived him. After much earnest prayer they left China and began a new chapter of their lives.
After the long journey back to England, Charlie’s mother welcomed the family of six to live and stay with her at her large Hyde Park home where every need of the family were met. It was a stark contrast from the China slums, and the four young girls were introduced to a new world of petticoats and silk ribbons (which they loved!) and the weary missionary couple were able to rest and recover.
CHARLIE
Charles soon bounced back and was keen to be about his Father’s business, and was accepting invites and attending speaking engagements up and down the country, sharing tales from China and promoting the need for missionaries.
Through England, Scotland and Wales, the universities and church halls packed in the crowds to hear Charlie’s stirring presentations. He was a gifted speaker, and with The Lord’s Spirit many hearts were convicted of lukewarmness and sentimentality, and were reminded of the millions overseas who had yet to hear the name of Jesus.
Charles spoke with conviction and passion to the crowds, but had the same fervour when speaking to individuals about their own salvation. After large meetings, there were often people seeking time with Charles for council or prayer, and he gladly spent hours with one soul to bring them through to the place of surrender.
Whole hearted consecration of the believer to Christ was the aim of Charlie’s new itinerant ministry. When he ministered, he sought to bring the hearer to ASSURANCE of sins forgiven by the death and resurrection of Jesus, then to SURRENDER since the believer has been bought by Christ’s own blood and so belongs to Him, then to BAPTISM of the Holy Spirit for power to serve. This three step approach was to be used throughout Charlie’s life to bring many into useful service and dedication for the Kingdom of God.
PRISCILLA
For eight years Priscilla had been by his side as a fellow worker for the Gospel in China, but this new chapter in their lives took a whole new shape for her. Her general health had improved thanks to the comfort and good food available, but her heart remained weak. This condition left her at London living with her mother in law while Charles travelled and ministered.
Feeling much on the side lines with four young daughters to raise in another woman’s house soon caused resentment and bitterness to spring up in her heart. Daily life seemed full of trivialities; she deeply missed Charlie’s company and the joy of serving Christ in the mission field.
Living in an affluent area with no finances of her own didn’t help, and the trials and temptations took on a different form to those in China. It seemed much easier to die to self over there on the mission field, where sacrifices made sense and were gladly made to reach and win the lost.
Overwhelmed with discontentment, Priscilla struggled to see the hand of The Lord that was preparing her for a ministry of a new kind that she would excel in at the appointed time.
But for now, all seemed black and she often wrote to Charles in the hope of joining him. His replies were always filled with love and encouragement for her to be as on fire for Jesus in the home with the children as she was in China; to be the same ambassador for Christ in raising Godly children as she had been with serving the Chinese opium addicts. He prayed earnestly for her as she faced battles and challenges much different to his.
AMERICA
They had been in England for two years when testing was to intensify for Priscilla. Charles received an invitation to carry his itinerate ministry over to America and he accepted with the decision that he would go alone.
When Charles had set off to China twelve years previously as part of the “Cambridge Seven,” his brother had been invited by the travelling evangelist D. L. Moody to tour the universities in America with the story of the conversion and missionary calling of these young English sportsmen. This had a powerful effect in the States, resulting in the birth of the Student Christian Movement, and it was to students that Charles was to visit and minister to.
A hectic eighteen month itinerary was made, the funding was provided, and he was soon off speaking at as many engagements he could pack into a day. The schedule was gruelling, and despite the constant struggle with asthma, Charles went on to labour in the power of The Holy Spirit bringing many students to faith and surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ.
He travelled from State to State, but always found time to write home to his dear wife. His letters were always filled with love and tenderness as he shared his experiences with her. She was desperate to join him, but she didn’t want to be a hinderance to The Lord’s work either. They both knew that Charles wouldn’t be able to minister to the intensity that he was if she was accompanying him.
In answer to Priscilla’s earnest prayer for a place of their own and a chance to minister together again, The Lord was about to do exceedingly above what she hoped and dreamed.
INDIA
Charlie’s father had gained his wealth as the owner of an Indigo plantation in North India. Just two years after his own conversion, his dying wish was that the name Studd would be known in India no longer as “Studd the successful and wealthy, but Studd the ambassador for Jesus Christ.”
It had always been a desire and a burden for Charles to visit the estate in India to reach the labourers, business associates and his own family members who were living there. So when an invitation came from an old friend of his late father’s to visit the Estate to preach the Gospel, all expenses paid, he didn’t say “no.”
He was to travel without his wife again for a trip lasting six months, arrangements and meetings organised by his late father’s friend. Priscilla saw a note she had made in her Bible when she committed herself to serving The Lord, ‘China, India, Africa.’ Was India next for her too?
Indeed it was, as during Charlie’s visit he was offered the position of Pastor at the Union Church in OOtacamund in the south; a beautiful summer resort that enjoyed a gentle climate, with a large population of British expatriates. The role of Pastor was offered by the Anglo-Indian Evangelisation Society, whose aim was to bring the gospel to the British residents, and with it came a salary and a lovely house.
Seeing the hand of The Lord, he joyfully accepted and Priscilla was utterly delighted and much relieved to join him with their daughters to a new life back on a mission field, serving with her husband again. They had a place of their own again, and a beautiful place at that. Priscilla blossomed in a ministry of hospitality as they welcomed people from all walks of life to hear the good news of Jesus.
They also had a chance to raise their daughters away from the influence and opinions of family members; a new freedom was suddenly upon them and they revelled in it.
The resort drew successful business men, retired government officials and army officers, all of which had families that stayed with them. The name C. T. Studd was known far before he arrived there as Pastor of the church, so his presence immediately attracted attention. Curiosity and intrigue drew many to the church who would not normally attend, and very quickly people were visiting his house or inviting him to theirs to further discuss their need for salvation.
Charlie never considered himself a Pastor, and had no interest in entertaining a congregation with comfortable messages to keep them coming each Sunday. He didn’t see the point in giving Bible studies when the people attending were not obeying what they had already been taught.
Ever the evangelist, he was as forthright and challenging to the soldiers, officers and Generals stationed there as he had been to the students in England and the States. He wanted to see people come to saving faith, the place of surrender, and then given Holy Spirit power to go forth and bear fruit. Priscilla wrote in a letter home “I don’t think a week passes here that Charlie does not have one to three conversions.”
For six years the whole family enjoyed a special time of being together both living and serving as a unit of believers. Though every luxury was available to them at a cheap price, they resisted the temptation to indulge; maintaining a good witness.
Though they had a regular income from this pastoral work, Charlie had this to say to his dear Priscilla from the start;
“Only now let us remember once more that God is to be our portion, and that knowingly and willingly we trust our lives and those of our children to Him; if He fails, we are done for; but how can He fail? It must be trust in Him and Him only, not one little bit in any Society. If they pay our expenses, well and good, but I am not going to trust in God AND them. I shall trust only in God, and you shall too.”
To be continued
Taken from Life on the Altar Publication
Issue 6 Autumn 2022
Called to Praise
LIFE ON THE ALTAR 