25 March 1740 A.D. George Whitefield’s Bethesda Orphanage: 10 Miles North of Savannah, GA
25 March 1740 A.D. George Whitefield’s Bethesda Orphanage: 10
Miles North of Savannah, GA
Severance, Diane.
“Whitefield’s Bethesda Orphanage.” Christianity.com.
Jun 2007. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1701-1800/whitefields-bethesda-orphanage-11630233.html. Accessed 24 Mar 2015
Jesus told his followers that true disciples would be known by their fruits.
The life of a genuine Christian's life will produce an abundance of good works.
Such works were clearly evident following the spiritual revivals of the
eighteenth century. All of society was improved by the activity and work of
those who had been transformed by God's grace. Children fared better
afterwards, too, for the evangelicals showed an increased concern for child welfare.
When evangelist George Whitefield was only 25, he led the way with the
establishment of an orphanage in the newly-founded colony of Georgia.
Whitefield called the orphanage Bethesda, which means "House of
Mercy," for he hoped many acts of mercy would be shown there. Set on 500
acres of land, the orphanage was built about 10 miles north of Savannah. On
this day, March 25, 1740, construction began on the orphanage buildings. The
main house was to be two stories high with twenty rooms. Two smaller buildings
behind the orphanage were designed to be an infirmary and a workhouse.
Whitefield wanted the orphanage to be a place of strong Gospel
influence, with a wholesome atmosphere and strong discipline. The youngsters
were to be taught trades so that on becoming adults they could earn their own
living. Younger children learned spinning and carding and all of the boys were
taught mechanics and agriculture. Whitefield hoped that the orphanage would
eventually become the foundation of a university.
Although the children grew most of their own food, the orphanage proved
to be more expensive than anticipated. It became a burden to Whitefield,
wearing him down with debt. Benjamin Franklin said that because of the scarcity
of workmen and materials in Georgia, it would have been better to have built
the orphanage in Philadelphia and moved the children there! However, Whitefield
remained faithful to his contributors, who had given money specifically for the
Georgia project.
At his death, Whitefield bequeathed the orphanage to Lady Huntingdon, a
charitable sponsor in England. He asked that she continue the orphanage's
principles and establish a college. However, from 3,000 miles away without
modern communications, she was not able to provide the oversight the work needed
and it almost folded.
In 1773, fire destroyed the home. Three years later, the American
Revolution stymied plans to add a college. After several administrative
changes, a new building and society, the Bethesda Home for Boys, was
established on the same site. It continues to this day.
Bibliography:
Dallimore, Arnold A. George Whitefield; the life and times of the great
evangelist of the eighteenth-century revival. Banner of Truth
Trust, 1970.
Demaray, Donald E. Pulpit Giants; what made them great.
Chicago: Moody Press, 1973.
Macartney, Clarence Edward Noble. Six Kings of the American pulpit.
Philadelphia, The Westminster press, 1942.
McGraw, James. Great Evangelical Preachers of Yesterday.
Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1961.
Whitefield, George. George Whitefield's Journals. Banner of
Truth Trust, 1960.
Last updated June, 2007
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