The Billy Sunday Pulpit

Do you know who Billy Sunday was?  Billy Sunday was a Civil War orphan from Iowa, born in Story County, who played professional baseball for eight seasons from 1883-1890.  Sunday’s first five seasons were with the Chicago White Stockings, which, ironically, would later become the Chicago Cubs, (The new American League team in Chicago would later adopt the same name.) So, Billy Sunday was a Cub, just another reason to like him!  Best known for his base running, Sunday had 243 career stolen bases.

Billy Sunday became a Christian while still playing for Chicago and would later be traded to Pittsburgh and eventually to Philadelphia.  In 1891, he turned down the renewal of his contract with Philadelphia to enter full-time ministry with the YMCA back in Chicago. Billy Sunday would go on to become one of the most popular evangelists and revival preachers of his time, the Billy Graham of his day, holding meetings all over the country.  Billy was an old-fashioned, fire-and-brimstone, pulpit-pounding preacher. (And, speaking of Billy Graham, Billy Graham was converted in a revival meeting when Mordecai Ham was preaching. Mordecai Ham was converted under the preaching of none other than Billy Sunday.)

But what does that have to do with our church?  I’m glad you asked. In 1907 and 1908, and again in 1910 and 1911, Billy Sunday preached revivals in downtown Muscatine at the old lumberyard.  A total of 74 meetings were held with over 180,000 total people in attendance.

In our church we have a pulpit that was used by Billy Sunday for at least one of those revivals.  To think that we have in our church a pulpit that one of the greatest preachers in American history stood behind, and perhaps even stood on, as he was often know to do, gives me, and I hope you as well, a great deal of pride.  The Billy Sunday pulpit can be seen in the old entrance hall just north of the tower doors. (Thanks to Jim Van Winkle for taking to photograph.)