James T. Houston was born in Olivesburg, Ohio, in 1847 to parents Robert and Rebecca Houston. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts from Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, in 1871. He then attended Western Theological Seminary, Pennsylvania, graduating in 1874. He was ordained that same year by the Presbytery of Wooster, Ohio. Sent by the Foreign Mission Board, he and his wife Nancy left New York on November 23, 1874, arriving in Salvador on December 16 and Cachoeira on December 31, to collaborate with the Rev. Francis JC Schneider. He had arrived in Salvador in 1871, having organized the local Presbyterian church the following year. Schneider and Houston organized Waterfall Church on September 12, 1875.
In July 1877, the Presbytery appointed Houston to pastor the River Church alongside Dillwin M. Hazlett. Houston assumed the post in November and worked with Hazlett until January 1879. He remained alone until October 1880, when Antônio Bandeira Trajano came to help him. The two workers worked together until August 1885. During his residency in Rio de Janeiro, Houston made pastoral visits to Ubatuba, Cruzeiro, and other locations. He was the first Presbyterian minister to preach in Ubatuba, where he stayed for five days at the beginning of 1880. On March 4, he celebrated Holy Communion and received nine people by profession of faith and baptism (the church was formally organized by Rev. Trajano on the 28th of November). Houston was also one of the editors of the Evangelical Press.
During his pastorate, in September 1879, there was a famous split in the Church of Rio, with the departure of the priest Dr. Miguel Vieira Ferreira and a group of sympathizers, who formed the Brazilian Evangelical Church. Another well-known episode occurred in 1883, during the 19th meeting of the Presbytery. At dawn on the 31st of August, Rev. Antônio Pedro de Cerqueira Leite, who was staying at the Rev. Houston, died suddenly of a heart attack. The first wife of Rev. Houston, Nancy, died in 1881. On April 25, 1883, he married secondly, in São Paulo, to the missionary Sophie Amanda Dale, aged 24, who had come to Brazil in 1881 and held the position teacher in Rio Claro. The ceremony was held in the hall of the American School, with the officiant Rev. Robert Lenington and serving as witnesses Manoel da Paixão and teacher Elmira Kuhl. Sophie was the sister of Martha Dale, the wife of the Rev. Robert Lenington.
On August 14, 1884, at a time when the abolitionist struggle was intensifying, Houston preached a sermon in the Church of Rio de Janeiro that demonstrated the incompatibility of slavery with biblical teaching and Christian practice, exhorting the faithful to commit to the liberation of slaves and prophesying the near end of slavery. The sermon was published the same year. In August 1885, Rev. Houston returned to the United States after eleven years of service in Brazil. He pastored churches in Laclede and Kirksville, Missouri. It was only in 1892 that the Presbytery of Rio gave him a letter of transfer to the Presbytery of Palmyra, in the United States. In 1896, Adielah (Ada), his daughter from his first marriage, married the Rev. Roberto Frederico Lenington.
In 1900, Houston came to Brazil again, going to work in Florianópolis, alongside his son-in-law, the Rev. Roberto F. Lenington. He did itinerant work on the coast of Santa Catarina and built the São Francisco do Sul temple. In the company of Rev. Lenington, he organized the Church of Florianópolis on January 6, 1901. In November 1902, he returned to his homeland permanently, having worked in two churches in California and served as a missionary among the Portuguese in that region. He died in Oakland, California on June 21, 1929, aged 82. His wife died less than a year later, on May 13, 1930.
James Houston collaborated with Brazilian evangelical hymnology. He was the organizer of the New Collection of Sacred Hymns for Use by the Evangelical Church , published in Rio de Janeiro in 1881, containing 29 hymns. In the Hymns Evangelicals and Sacred Songs , published by John Boyle in Rio de Janeiro in 1888, there were twenty-four hymns from Houston. As he was preparing the hymnal, Boyle sent the manuscript to Houston, who examined it carefully and provided many suggestions on different aspects of the work (disposition of subjects, choice of hymns, versification failures, and doctrinal misunderstandings). In addition to the hymnal of Rev. Boyle, James Houston's hymn lyrics also appear in well-known current hymnals such as Psalms and Hymns (12 hymns),Evangelical Hymnal (8 hymns) and New Song Presbyterian Hymnal (6 hymns). Some of his best-known hymns* are "We praise you, O God, for the gift of Jesus", "I address you, Jesus, my prayer", "O come faithful, triumphant and rejoicing", "Great God, in peace now ", "Come, Lord, from the well to the source" and "Oh, come all! Celebrate".
by Dr. Alderi Matos. © Alderi Souza de Matos – Mackenzie Presbyterian Institute
In July 1877, the Presbytery appointed Houston to pastor the River Church alongside Dillwin M. Hazlett. Houston assumed the post in November and worked with Hazlett until January 1879. He remained alone until October 1880, when Antônio Bandeira Trajano came to help him. The two workers worked together until August 1885. During his residency in Rio de Janeiro, Houston made pastoral visits to Ubatuba, Cruzeiro, and other locations. He was the first Presbyterian minister to preach in Ubatuba, where he stayed for five days at the beginning of 1880. On March 4, he celebrated Holy Communion and received nine people by profession of faith and baptism (the church was formally organized by Rev. Trajano on the 28th of November). Houston was also one of the editors of the Evangelical Press.
During his pastorate, in September 1879, there was a famous split in the Church of Rio, with the departure of the priest Dr. Miguel Vieira Ferreira and a group of sympathizers, who formed the Brazilian Evangelical Church. Another well-known episode occurred in 1883, during the 19th meeting of the Presbytery. At dawn on the 31st of August, Rev. Antônio Pedro de Cerqueira Leite, who was staying at the Rev. Houston, died suddenly of a heart attack. The first wife of Rev. Houston, Nancy, died in 1881. On April 25, 1883, he married secondly, in São Paulo, to the missionary Sophie Amanda Dale, aged 24, who had come to Brazil in 1881 and held the position teacher in Rio Claro. The ceremony was held in the hall of the American School, with the officiant Rev. Robert Lenington and serving as witnesses Manoel da Paixão and teacher Elmira Kuhl. Sophie was the sister of Martha Dale, the wife of the Rev. Robert Lenington.
On August 14, 1884, at a time when the abolitionist struggle was intensifying, Houston preached a sermon in the Church of Rio de Janeiro that demonstrated the incompatibility of slavery with biblical teaching and Christian practice, exhorting the faithful to commit to the liberation of slaves and prophesying the near end of slavery. The sermon was published the same year. In August 1885, Rev. Houston returned to the United States after eleven years of service in Brazil. He pastored churches in Laclede and Kirksville, Missouri. It was only in 1892 that the Presbytery of Rio gave him a letter of transfer to the Presbytery of Palmyra, in the United States. In 1896, Adielah (Ada), his daughter from his first marriage, married the Rev. Roberto Frederico Lenington.
In 1900, Houston came to Brazil again, going to work in Florianópolis, alongside his son-in-law, the Rev. Roberto F. Lenington. He did itinerant work on the coast of Santa Catarina and built the São Francisco do Sul temple. In the company of Rev. Lenington, he organized the Church of Florianópolis on January 6, 1901. In November 1902, he returned to his homeland permanently, having worked in two churches in California and served as a missionary among the Portuguese in that region. He died in Oakland, California on June 21, 1929, aged 82. His wife died less than a year later, on May 13, 1930.
James Houston collaborated with Brazilian evangelical hymnology. He was the organizer of the New Collection of Sacred Hymns for Use by the Evangelical Church , published in Rio de Janeiro in 1881, containing 29 hymns. In the Hymns Evangelicals and Sacred Songs , published by John Boyle in Rio de Janeiro in 1888, there were twenty-four hymns from Houston. As he was preparing the hymnal, Boyle sent the manuscript to Houston, who examined it carefully and provided many suggestions on different aspects of the work (disposition of subjects, choice of hymns, versification failures, and doctrinal misunderstandings). In addition to the hymnal of Rev. Boyle, James Houston's hymn lyrics also appear in well-known current hymnals such as Psalms and Hymns (12 hymns),Evangelical Hymnal (8 hymns) and New Song Presbyterian Hymnal (6 hymns). Some of his best-known hymns* are "We praise you, O God, for the gift of Jesus", "I address you, Jesus, my prayer", "O come faithful, triumphant and rejoicing", "Great God, in peace now ", "Come, Lord, from the well to the source" and "Oh, come all! Celebrate".
by Dr. Alderi Matos. © Alderi Souza de Matos – Mackenzie Presbyterian Institute
James T. Houston was born in Olivesburg, Ohio, in 1847 to parents Robert and Rebecca Houston. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts from Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, in 1871. He then attended Western Theological Seminary, Pennsylvania, graduating in 1874. He was ordained that same year by the Presbytery of Wooster, Ohio. Sent by the Foreign Mission Board, he and his wife Nancy left New York on November 23, 1874, arriving in Salvador on December 16 and Cachoeira on December 31, to collaborate with the Rev. Francis JC Schneider. He had arrived in Salvador in 1871, having organized the local Presbyterian church the following year. Schneider and Houston organized Waterfall Church on September 12, 1875.
In July 1877, the Presbytery appointed Houston to pastor the River Church alongside Dillwin M. Hazlett. Houston assumed the post in November and worked with Hazlett until January 1879. He remained alone until October 1880, when Antônio Bandeira Trajano came to help him. The two workers worked together until August 1885. During his residency in Rio de Janeiro, Houston made pastoral visits to Ubatuba, Cruzeiro, and other locations. He was the first Presbyterian minister to preach in Ubatuba, where he stayed for five days at the beginning of 1880. On March 4, he celebrated Holy Communion and received nine people by profession of faith and baptism (the church was formally organized by Rev. Trajano on the 28th of November). Houston was also one of the editors of the Evangelical Press.
During his pastorate, in September 1879, there was a famous split in the Church of Rio, with the departure of the priest Dr. Miguel Vieira Ferreira and a group of sympathizers, who formed the Brazilian Evangelical Church. Another well-known episode occurred in 1883, during the 19th meeting of the Presbytery. At dawn on the 31st of August, Rev. Antônio Pedro de Cerqueira Leite, who was staying at the Rev. Houston, died suddenly of a heart attack. The first wife of Rev. Houston, Nancy, died in 1881. On April 25, 1883, he married secondly, in São Paulo, to the missionary Sophie Amanda Dale, aged 24, who had come to Brazil in 1881 and held the position teacher in Rio Claro. The ceremony was held in the hall of the American School, with the officiant Rev. Robert Lenington and serving as witnesses Manoel da Paixão and teacher Elmira Kuhl. Sophie was the sister of Martha Dale, the wife of the Rev. Robert Lenington.
On August 14, 1884, at a time when the abolitionist struggle was intensifying, Houston preached a sermon in the Church of Rio de Janeiro that demonstrated the incompatibility of slavery with biblical teaching and Christian practice, exhorting the faithful to commit to the liberation of slaves and prophesying the near end of slavery. The sermon was published the same year. In August 1885, Rev. Houston returned to the United States after eleven years of service in Brazil. He pastored churches in Laclede and Kirksville, Missouri. It was only in 1892 that the Presbytery of Rio gave him a letter of transfer to the Presbytery of Palmyra, in the United States. In 1896, Adielah (Ada), his daughter from his first marriage, married the Rev. Roberto Frederico Lenington.
In 1900, Houston came to Brazil again, going to work in Florianópolis, alongside his son-in-law, the Rev. Roberto F. Lenington. He did itinerant work on the coast of Santa Catarina and built the São Francisco do Sul temple. In the company of Rev. Lenington, he organized the Church of Florianópolis on January 6, 1901. In November 1902, he returned to his homeland permanently, having worked in two churches in California and served as a missionary among the Portuguese in that region. He died in Oakland, California on June 21, 1929, aged 82. His wife died less than a year later, on May 13, 1930.
James Houston collaborated with Brazilian evangelical hymnology. He was the organizer of the New Collection of Sacred Hymns for Use by the Evangelical Church , published in Rio de Janeiro in 1881, containing 29 hymns. In the Hymns Evangelicals and Sacred Songs , published by John Boyle in Rio de Janeiro in 1888, there were twenty-four hymns from Houston. As he was preparing the hymnal, Boyle sent the manuscript to Houston, who examined it carefully and provided many suggestions on different aspects of the work (disposition of subjects, choice of hymns, versification failures, and doctrinal misunderstandings). In addition to the hymnal of Rev. Boyle, James Houston's hymn lyrics also appear in well-known current hymnals such as Psalms and Hymns (12 hymns),Evangelical Hymnal (8 hymns) and New Song Presbyterian Hymnal (6 hymns). Some of his best-known hymns* are "We praise you, O God, for the gift of Jesus", "I address you, Jesus, my prayer", "O come faithful, triumphant and rejoicing", "Great God, in peace now ", "Come, Lord, from the well to the source" and "Oh, come all! Celebrate".
by Dr. Alderi Matos. © Alderi Souza de Matos – Mackenzie Presbyterian Institute
In July 1877, the Presbytery appointed Houston to pastor the River Church alongside Dillwin M. Hazlett. Houston assumed the post in November and worked with Hazlett until January 1879. He remained alone until October 1880, when Antônio Bandeira Trajano came to help him. The two workers worked together until August 1885. During his residency in Rio de Janeiro, Houston made pastoral visits to Ubatuba, Cruzeiro, and other locations. He was the first Presbyterian minister to preach in Ubatuba, where he stayed for five days at the beginning of 1880. On March 4, he celebrated Holy Communion and received nine people by profession of faith and baptism (the church was formally organized by Rev. Trajano on the 28th of November). Houston was also one of the editors of the Evangelical Press.
During his pastorate, in September 1879, there was a famous split in the Church of Rio, with the departure of the priest Dr. Miguel Vieira Ferreira and a group of sympathizers, who formed the Brazilian Evangelical Church. Another well-known episode occurred in 1883, during the 19th meeting of the Presbytery. At dawn on the 31st of August, Rev. Antônio Pedro de Cerqueira Leite, who was staying at the Rev. Houston, died suddenly of a heart attack. The first wife of Rev. Houston, Nancy, died in 1881. On April 25, 1883, he married secondly, in São Paulo, to the missionary Sophie Amanda Dale, aged 24, who had come to Brazil in 1881 and held the position teacher in Rio Claro. The ceremony was held in the hall of the American School, with the officiant Rev. Robert Lenington and serving as witnesses Manoel da Paixão and teacher Elmira Kuhl. Sophie was the sister of Martha Dale, the wife of the Rev. Robert Lenington.
On August 14, 1884, at a time when the abolitionist struggle was intensifying, Houston preached a sermon in the Church of Rio de Janeiro that demonstrated the incompatibility of slavery with biblical teaching and Christian practice, exhorting the faithful to commit to the liberation of slaves and prophesying the near end of slavery. The sermon was published the same year. In August 1885, Rev. Houston returned to the United States after eleven years of service in Brazil. He pastored churches in Laclede and Kirksville, Missouri. It was only in 1892 that the Presbytery of Rio gave him a letter of transfer to the Presbytery of Palmyra, in the United States. In 1896, Adielah (Ada), his daughter from his first marriage, married the Rev. Roberto Frederico Lenington.
In 1900, Houston came to Brazil again, going to work in Florianópolis, alongside his son-in-law, the Rev. Roberto F. Lenington. He did itinerant work on the coast of Santa Catarina and built the São Francisco do Sul temple. In the company of Rev. Lenington, he organized the Church of Florianópolis on January 6, 1901. In November 1902, he returned to his homeland permanently, having worked in two churches in California and served as a missionary among the Portuguese in that region. He died in Oakland, California on June 21, 1929, aged 82. His wife died less than a year later, on May 13, 1930.
James Houston collaborated with Brazilian evangelical hymnology. He was the organizer of the New Collection of Sacred Hymns for Use by the Evangelical Church , published in Rio de Janeiro in 1881, containing 29 hymns. In the Hymns Evangelicals and Sacred Songs , published by John Boyle in Rio de Janeiro in 1888, there were twenty-four hymns from Houston. As he was preparing the hymnal, Boyle sent the manuscript to Houston, who examined it carefully and provided many suggestions on different aspects of the work (disposition of subjects, choice of hymns, versification failures, and doctrinal misunderstandings). In addition to the hymnal of Rev. Boyle, James Houston's hymn lyrics also appear in well-known current hymnals such as Psalms and Hymns (12 hymns),Evangelical Hymnal (8 hymns) and New Song Presbyterian Hymnal (6 hymns). Some of his best-known hymns* are "We praise you, O God, for the gift of Jesus", "I address you, Jesus, my prayer", "O come faithful, triumphant and rejoicing", "Great God, in peace now ", "Come, Lord, from the well to the source" and "Oh, come all! Celebrate".
by Dr. Alderi Matos. © Alderi Souza de Matos – Mackenzie Presbyterian Institute
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