Charles Studd was born into a very wealthy family in England. He received the best upbringing that money could possibly buy and was educated at Eton College in Cambridge. This college was noted for educating the most brilliant and important young people in the nation. His father, Edward, was devoted to card playing, hunting, and horse racing, with one of his horses winning the Grand National in 1866.
But in 1876 Edward attended an evangelistic meeting in a theatre in London, where an uneducated American, called D.L. Moody, preached the gospel with power. Edward was struck to the heart and converted that night. Everything changed. He returned home, sold his horses, removed most of his beautiful furniture in his sitting rooms replacing it with benches and chairs to hold prayer meetings and preaching meetings. He dedicated his home and wealth to the winning of souls. At one of these meetings in 1878 Edward’s three sons were converted to Christ all on the same day. He continued to seek for souls for the next two years until his early death in 1881.
The three Studd sons were the best and most famous cricketers in the country. C.T. was 18 years old when he was converted but for the next 6 years fame and fortune as England’s greatest cricketer choked to death the power and influence of God’s Word in his life. He was backslidden in heart and unsatisfied in these worldly pursuits. In 1883 he heard evangelist D.L. Moody preach and was stirred in heart to turn to God in repentance, to devote himself entirely to Christ, and to forsake all for the Gospel.
In 1885 he left England for China as a missionary to serve with Hudson Taylor’s mission society. Later that year when he turned 25 he inherited £29,000 from his father’s will (£3 ½ million in today’s money). As he wrestled in prayer he became convinced that he must give it all away. So he divided it four ways, between, D.L. Moody’s Bible College in America, George Müller's mission work and orphans in Bristol, the poor and homeless in Whitechapel in London, and the Salvation Army in India. He only retained £3,400 which he gave to his bride, Priscilla, for a wedding gift, but she challenged him to give all of his money to the Lord which he then did. They started married life and missionary life with no money or possessions, but they were rich in faith toward God.
They stayed in China for ten years, often persecuted by the locals, frequently lacking the basic needs of life, but rescuing 800 souls from drug addiction during that time. He travelled preaching in America, then they went to pastor a church in India for 6 years, and then finally he felt the call of God to go to Africa after seeing a sign in Liverpool advertising a meeting on the subject of 'Cannibals Want Missionaries'. At the age of 50 he moved to this new mission-field in 1910 leaving his family in England. He did not see his wife again until 1916 when he briefly returned home to gain more missionary recruits. He suffered several heart attacks, many hardships, but he personally witnessed thousands of souls turning to Christ and he established a mission society, later called Worldwide Evangelisation Crusade (WEC), which placed 40 full time workers on the field by 1923.
Just before his death in 1930, at the age of 70, he wrote: “As I believe I am now nearing my departure from this world, I have but a few things to rejoice in; they are these: 1) That God called me to China and I went in spite of utmost opposition from all my loved ones. 2) That I joyfully acted as Christ told that rich young man to act. 3) That I deliberately at the call of God, when alone on the Bibby liner in 1910, gave up my life for this work, which was to be henceforth not for the Sudan only, but for the whole unevangelized World. My only joys therefore are that when God has given me a work to do, I have not refused it.”
But in 1876 Edward attended an evangelistic meeting in a theatre in London, where an uneducated American, called D.L. Moody, preached the gospel with power. Edward was struck to the heart and converted that night. Everything changed. He returned home, sold his horses, removed most of his beautiful furniture in his sitting rooms replacing it with benches and chairs to hold prayer meetings and preaching meetings. He dedicated his home and wealth to the winning of souls. At one of these meetings in 1878 Edward’s three sons were converted to Christ all on the same day. He continued to seek for souls for the next two years until his early death in 1881.
The three Studd sons were the best and most famous cricketers in the country. C.T. was 18 years old when he was converted but for the next 6 years fame and fortune as England’s greatest cricketer choked to death the power and influence of God’s Word in his life. He was backslidden in heart and unsatisfied in these worldly pursuits. In 1883 he heard evangelist D.L. Moody preach and was stirred in heart to turn to God in repentance, to devote himself entirely to Christ, and to forsake all for the Gospel.
In 1885 he left England for China as a missionary to serve with Hudson Taylor’s mission society. Later that year when he turned 25 he inherited £29,000 from his father’s will (£3 ½ million in today’s money). As he wrestled in prayer he became convinced that he must give it all away. So he divided it four ways, between, D.L. Moody’s Bible College in America, George Müller's mission work and orphans in Bristol, the poor and homeless in Whitechapel in London, and the Salvation Army in India. He only retained £3,400 which he gave to his bride, Priscilla, for a wedding gift, but she challenged him to give all of his money to the Lord which he then did. They started married life and missionary life with no money or possessions, but they were rich in faith toward God.
They stayed in China for ten years, often persecuted by the locals, frequently lacking the basic needs of life, but rescuing 800 souls from drug addiction during that time. He travelled preaching in America, then they went to pastor a church in India for 6 years, and then finally he felt the call of God to go to Africa after seeing a sign in Liverpool advertising a meeting on the subject of 'Cannibals Want Missionaries'. At the age of 50 he moved to this new mission-field in 1910 leaving his family in England. He did not see his wife again until 1916 when he briefly returned home to gain more missionary recruits. He suffered several heart attacks, many hardships, but he personally witnessed thousands of souls turning to Christ and he established a mission society, later called Worldwide Evangelisation Crusade (WEC), which placed 40 full time workers on the field by 1923.
Just before his death in 1930, at the age of 70, he wrote: “As I believe I am now nearing my departure from this world, I have but a few things to rejoice in; they are these: 1) That God called me to China and I went in spite of utmost opposition from all my loved ones. 2) That I joyfully acted as Christ told that rich young man to act. 3) That I deliberately at the call of God, when alone on the Bibby liner in 1910, gave up my life for this work, which was to be henceforth not for the Sudan only, but for the whole unevangelized World. My only joys therefore are that when God has given me a work to do, I have not refused it.”
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