Crowds gathered in breathless expectation to hear the “Singing Evangelist.” In mostly small towns and congregations he would mixt sermons, delivered with great fervor, and hymn, led with great skill. His name was Knowles Shaw (1834-1878), and he was one of the most effective evangelists of his day.

He was born in Ross Township, Ohio. His father, who died when he was 12, left him a violin, which he learned to play. Soon he was playing at parities and dances around the region. Oddly It was at a dance while he was playing that  he was struck by a thought from Amos 4:12: “Prepare to meet thy God.” This was the turning point of his life. He left the dance immediately and spent the rest of the night in anguish and prayer. He began attending the Flat Rock Church of Christ and was baptized on September 13, 1852.

His most notable hymns were, “We Saw Thee Not,” “Tarry With Me,” “I Am the Vine” and “Bringing in the Sheaves.” He is a part of the rich heritage in song in our fellowship.

He was asked to preach one Sunday and his earnestness impressed his hearers. He became known as the “Singing Evangelist,” mixing passionate preaching while using hymns during his sermons. As a preacher he exhibited an unwavering faith and unusual empathy. He was known for the passion with which eh preached. He baptized 20,000 in his lifetime. Interestingly, in a day when many preachers made regular reports of their deeds and conversions in brotherhood periodicals, one will not find a word from Shaw about his own exploits.

In 1878, following a Gospel Meeting in Paris, Kentucky, where he saw 65 baptisms, he travelled to McKinney Texas to hold a subsequent meeting. The train upon which he was travelling derailed and Shaw was killed. His last words were said to have been, “Oh it is a grand thing to rally people to the cross of Christ.”

I don[t know if you have thought about it, but when you consider hymn writers in Churches of Christ such as Knowles Shaw, Will Thompson, A.W, Dycus, Tillett S. Teddlie and many others, we can say with justifiable pride that ours is a rich heritage of worship in song.