At the recent annual meeting of the Children's Special Service Mission, the Rev. W. H. Jellie gave an account of a remarkable awakening which had taken place amongst the youths and lads in his Sunday school, in connection with the special services held by Mr Spierg in September last. Mr Jellie now writes: -
"Let me tell you how gladly the work of the Lord is advancing among us. Of course, there has been some abatement of the first excitement, but a gradual deepening of religious feeling has rendered the results more satisfactory and evident. The Sunday afternoon prayer meeting is still attended by from fifty to eighty young people. We have been compelled recently to arrange that my chapel vestry should be opened on Sunday afternoon for the girls and young women, where some twenty-five or thirty meet after school is over. Every Thursday evening, from eight till a quarter past nine, between twenty-five to thirty-five of our young men hold their own prayer meeting, from which several instances of conversion have arisen. I am constantly having new cases come to me, and Mr Spiers's name is often mentioned as the originating cause of their spiritual earnestness towards Christ. It is with deep joy that I also add the fact that, at our last church meeting, eleven young people were proposed for church membership, and these will begin the new year at the Lord's table. There are others who are truly Christ's, but hesitate to openly claim to be his. The Good Shepherd is nurturing grace in their souls.
"I have had several dear little girls to see me who are undoubtedly holding the hand of Jesus, and some of our young women are now among the seekers.
"Our Sunday evening service for children progresses well, and our dear friends who sustain the services speak very happily of them. My week-evening classes of a secular tone are still a means of grace to many, for every month there is one meeting for Bible study and one for prayer.
"Thus our appliances are varied and important, and an earnest life is in our midst.
God is giving us joy."
"The Christian", January 2nd, 1873.