The Birth of YMCA -Anniversary Review Part 1
The world-wide YMCA movement began in a small bare room above a shop in St Paul’s Churchyard, in the heart of present day London. London at that time was a dirty, chaotic city.
Mingled among its population were about 150,000 young, male shop workers. They were supporting more “respectable” than the manual workers of the metropolis, but they worked very long hours- from 7am to 8 or 9pm, six days a week. With such little time for themselves, and usually living cramped in their employers’ homes, usually living cramped in their spare time to blot out their boredom at a local tavern or gambling house.
According to a shop assistant at the time, who went on to become a clergyman: “No class was more degraded and dissolute, none were sunk deeper in ungodliness and dissipation, than the shop-men of London.”
One of these 150,000 was Georges Williams, a farmer’s son from Somerset. George had taken up a post at Hitchcock and Rogers, a draper’s shop with 140 young assistants in St Paul’s Churchyard, in 1841. Though there were other people involved in the setting up of the YMCA, George is accepted as the main driving force behind it.
Mingled among its population were about 150,000 young, male shop workers. They were supporting more “respectable” than the manual workers of the metropolis, but they worked very long hours- from 7am to 8 or 9pm, six days a week. With such little time for themselves, and usually living cramped in their employers’ homes, usually living cramped in their spare time to blot out their boredom at a local tavern or gambling house.
According to a shop assistant at the time, who went on to become a clergyman: “No class was more degraded and dissolute, none were sunk deeper in ungodliness and dissipation, than the shop-men of London.”
One of these 150,000 was Georges Williams, a farmer’s son from Somerset. George had taken up a post at Hitchcock and Rogers, a draper’s shop with 140 young assistants in St Paul’s Churchyard, in 1841. Though there were other people involved in the setting up of the YMCA, George is accepted as the main driving force behind it.
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Soon after he moved to London, he decided he wanted to change the lives of his work mates by sharing with them his Christian faith. He began holding prayer meetings with a few of his colleagues at Hitchcock and Rogers, and started to pray for others who did not seem interested in Christianity.
He had been converted suddenly himself to a few years before and had strong desire to bring the lives of those around him.
By June 1843 the meetings had turned into a regular gathering. Shop assistants from other companies were beginning to be involved. Rumor has it that George mentioned the idea of forming a larger association to his friend Edward Beaumon while they were walking across Blackfriars Bridge, London. In any case, on Thursday June 6, 1844, the first meeting of a new society took place.
There, in the small upper room at St Paul’s with 12 young men from four Christian denominations present, the association was born. It was named YMCA five weeks later.
He had been converted suddenly himself to a few years before and had strong desire to bring the lives of those around him.
By June 1843 the meetings had turned into a regular gathering. Shop assistants from other companies were beginning to be involved. Rumor has it that George mentioned the idea of forming a larger association to his friend Edward Beaumon while they were walking across Blackfriars Bridge, London. In any case, on Thursday June 6, 1844, the first meeting of a new society took place.
There, in the small upper room at St Paul’s with 12 young men from four Christian denominations present, the association was born. It was named YMCA five weeks later.
Taken from YMCA England's 150th Anniversary Review
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