Category: Helen “Ma” Sunday

MA SUNDAY’S POWER SEEN IN CAMPAIGN

Her Judgment Determines Many Policies and Helps Evangelist in Work to Save Souls.

TAKES ACTIVE INTEREST

The balance wheel of the Sunday party, they call her.

Born of sturdy Scotch stock, Mrs. William A. Sunday uses all of the solidity and far-seeing qualities of her ancestry in matching the impetuous, quick action of Billy Sunday, and keeping the whole Sunday organization running in perfect trim.

As devoted to her husband as he is to her, she has been with him on most of his travels, and within between revivals and conferences the care of a family of four, and a home at Winona Lake.

‘Nell’s not much on looks,’ Sunday has told his Richmond audience, ‘but she has more horse sense than any other woman that I have ever seen, and every time I go against her judgment I get in bad.’

Energetic Personality

But Sunday’s own picture of her lacks one of her most forceful characteristics, her physical energy.

To follow a man of Sunday’s vitality on a revival campaign, and at the same time to rear four children, and care for a home requires more than ordinary physical endurance. But on top of it all Mrs. Sunday has continued to keep pace that has been set, and now not only takes care of the home at Winona Lake but is a general as the landscape gardener for their home town.

At the present time she is devoting her time to beautifying Winona Lake and keeping the home there in readiness for the week or two that Sunday pays there.

Knows How to Work

When Mrs. Sunday starts out on anything, she usually accomplished it. She has been known to work in the garden, and then go on a long trip herself. She has even been known to work in the garden when no one else could be found to do it.

Work in the garden is one of the diversions of Mrs. Sunday, and she often have found her hard at it, working among the flowers and shrubs that have fallen to her lot, but in the days when Mr. Sunday was a struggling evangelist barely making enough from town to town to pay the expenses of reaching the next place, Mrs. Sunday did all the work at home, cared for the children, and part of the time traveled with him, keeping the children in school at what ever place they were for the time.

The story of the courtship of Billy Sunday and Helen A. Thompson has been told many times, but it never loses its interest.

The two met just after Sunday’s conversion at the prayer meeting of the Jefferson Park Presbyterian church. ‘Nell is a Presbyterian, that is why I am one,’ Sunday said one night at the tabernacle.

Father Objected

Objections to a professional ball player on the part of the elder Thompson for a time made meetings between them difficult, but Mr. Thompson has said that since Sunday’s route to the ball park lay past his house, that Helen wore all the paint off the front porch by sweeping it while he passed.

While Sunday was with the Philadelphia team, Helen married him, and the honeymoon traveling was with the team.

Mrs. Sunday’s father was William Thompson, one of the pioneer manufacturers of Chicago, and was a soldier in the Civil war like Sunday’s father also.

Both of her parents were full Scotch, and she herself was born at Dundee, Illinois.

Cited in: Palladium-Item. Tue, May 09, 1922 ·Page 1

2,500 HEAR MRS. SUNDAY

Wife of Evangelist Addresses Women at Two Churches on Sunday

More than 2,500 women heard the gospel message delivered Sunday afternoon at East Main street Friends and the First Methodist Episcopal churches by Mrs. W. A. Sunday. She appealed for an awakening of the church people to their responsibilities and especially for the conviction of Richmond church officials who have turned a deaf ear to the effort now being put forth by Mr. Sunday for the saving of men and women for the Christian life.

“There are not enough preachers in the world to tell God’s messages. The church must have an anxiety for people or sons and daughters will not be born into the Kingdom. The most important thing in the world is to win souls for Jesus Christ.

Sermon and Mrs. Clark.

“It has been said that Harry Monroe was responsible for winning Mr. Sunday to Jesus Christ. He was and he wasn’t. It was the wife of Colonel Clark who put her hand on Mr. Sunday’s shoulder and asked him to be a Christian. It was Harry Monroe’s sermon, Mrs. Clark and God who won my husband to Him.

“I can’t understand why the elders and officers of the churches shouldn’t come to the tabernacle and help raise the standard of the church of God. If some of us would make a confession in our own homes maybe we could lead some of our children to Christ. Don’t you think your boys and girls aren’t watching you. Regardless of whether they say anything or not they know what you are doing and if you need to make a public confession of your sins, you should do it. If you do a definite thing at a definite time for Jesus Christ, He will bless you.

“If your religion amounts to the time you spend in church or at prayer meeting, it isn’t the Christianity God intended you should have.”

One of 57 Children.

Mrs. Sunday said she was one of 57 children who decided to live the Christian life, her decision taking place when she was 12 years of age. She stated that, at the age of 15 years, she was asked to teach a Sunday school class in the Third Presbyterian church at Chicago. This she did for three years. At the age of 18 years, while attending a revival service at the church, she was convicted of the necessity for leading someone to live the better life. Her success in leading her Sunday school class to Christ was successful, she stated, however, saying there was one girl she did not reach. After 30 years she met that person in Detroit and was instrumental in directing her on the right pathway. Mrs. Sunday now wears a handsome wrist watch given her by that woman, as an expression of her friend’s gratitude.

The singing at the East Main street service was in charge of Mrs. Virginia Asher with Mrs. A. H. Backus at the piano. Miss Florence Kinney held the crowd at the First Methodist church by the gospel message which she delivered. The singing was conducted by Mrs. Lloyd E. Harter.

Cited in: The Richmond Item. Tue, May 09, 1922 ·Page 6