When J. Wilbur Chapman was called as pastor of the Bethany Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia in January of 1890, a layman approached him and said, "You are not a very strong preacher, but a few of us have decided to gather and pray every Sunday morning for you." That prayer meeting grew to over 1,000 before it was all over. Chapman conducted his own revival soon after taking the pastorate, and 400 new members were added to the church, most of them by profession of faith. The Sunday School attendance eventually reached 12,000. At the time, Bethany was the largest Presbyterian church in America.
- source Gerald Harris, The Christian Index, Volume 185, Number 23
