FB Meyer (1847-1929) was a Baptist pastor turned evangelist. He arrived in the city of Leicester in 1874. Already influenced by the evangelist DL Moody, Meyer put evangelism right at the front of his ministry. In 1878 he built Melbourne Hall; this was to be an independent mission and the building itself was seen as contemporary and very different to regular church buildings of its day. The building remains in Leicester and has retained a significant place within the story of this city.
Melbourne Hall was one of the first megachurches, with over
1,500 people attending on any given Sunday. But it is FB Meyer’s ministry within
the city of Leicester that was to be his lasting legacy.
In those days, when prisoners left Leicester Prison, they
were given some ‘pocket money’ to tide them over. The local gangs knew this and
would entice prisoners as they stepped out of the prison gates with offers of women
and drink. FB Meyer would also stand there, inviting the men for breakfast and
offering them lodgings, encouraging them not to go with the local gangs.
Meyer found that the newly released prisoners were unable to
find work - industry declined to employ former prisoners. So Meyer set up his
own companies, some of the first Christian enterprises of their day. One
company employed men to gather firewood, to then sell on to the local
population. There was a reaction against this by more established companies, but
clients chose to stay with Meyer’s company, as his men were the only honest
ones in terms of weighing the correct amount of firewood. The irony is not lost.
Here were prisoners, recently released, and more honest than the regular
workers of Leicester.
FB Meyer’s influence across the nation and nations was
significant. He was involved in the early Keswick Bible conventions, and it was
here that he directly influenced Evan Roberts, later to be the pioneer of the
Welsh revival.
In addition to his ministry, Meyer wrote many Bible
commentaries - his books on the Psalms and on King David are especially worth
reading.
Meyer died just before his 82nd birthday. His last
words were written to a friend:
‘I have just heard, to my great surprise, that I have but a
few days to live. It may be that before this reaches you, I shall have entered
the palace. Don't trouble to write. We shall meet in the morning.’
Further Reading:
FB Meyer: If I Had a Hundred Lives by Bob Holman
