John Harper - Titanic Hero and Man of God

I found this article when I was looking for a picture of John Harper.

(click each page to read the article)

When my husband, Robert was born his parents attended Harper Memorial Baptist Church, Glasgow, his father was a deacon there.

John Harper was the first Pastor of that church. He eventually left to take up a charge in London but after he died the church decided to remember this man of God.

Such was the affection and esteem in which he was held by the church members, that, when the present stone building was opened in 1922, the church was named

“Harper Memorial Baptist Church”.

I was going to write some excerpts from a book by Moody Adams called 'The Titanic's Last Hero' before I found this article. It is an account of John Harper's life from comments of acquaintances and converts that his brother, Pastor George Harper requested be written. I would recommend the book as it covers more of his life than the last few tragic hours. I will finish with a quote from it.

"When the flames of other ambitions flickered and died,

John Harper's burned even brighter

as he sank to a watery grave.

When death forced others to face

the folly of their life's pursuits,

John Harper's goal of winning men to

Jesus Christ became more vital as he

breathed his final breaths"

Titanic Heroes

Good Morning everyone,

Here is a story that was reported on the BBC news today. There were many heroes that fateful night, tomorrow I will put up a post about John Harper who was a Pastor from Scotland and also a passenger on the Titanic.

Have a good Wednesday.

Titanic City - Belfast

I couldn't let the month about Ireland go by without mentioning its most famous creation...or is it 'infamous'? We are approaching the 100th anniversary of the beginning of its construction.

The Titanic.

No other ship in the history of ocean travel has demanded as much interest as the Titanic. Volumes of books and reels of film have been produced regarding the most infamous ship in history.

The idea of the luxury liner was first conceived of in 1907, but the Titanic construction did not actually begin until March 31, 1909 in Belfast (Ireland). The construction of the Titanic was handled by Harland and Wolff, who are still there today.

It took 3 years for building of the Titanic to be completed and in the end it cost $7.5 million dollars for the ship to be finished. More than 3000 men were employed in building the Titanic during that time span. In the months, and even years, leading up to the maiden voyage of the Titanic; the White Star Line published numerous marketing materials claiming that the ship was 'designed to be unsinkable'.

Sadly, this seemed to be shaking a fist in the face of God, with claims that even He could not sink it!

On the night of 14 April 1912, during her maiden voyage, Titanic hit an iceberg and sank two hours and forty minutes later, early on 15 April 1912. The sinking resulted in the deaths of 1,517 people, making it one of the most deadly peacetime maritime disasters in history. The high casualty rate was due in part to the fact that, although complying with the regulations of the time, the ship did not carry enough lifeboats for everyone aboard. The ship had a total lifeboat capacity of 1,178 persons even though her maximum capacity was 3,547 people. A disproportionate number of men died also, due to the women-and-children-first protocol that was followed.

Belfast is proud of the work her men did in building this great ship. Sadly, however, those in charge were only thinking of their own selfish ambition and had no thought for God or the souls of the passengers they carried to their death.

Never think your sin doesn't have consequences....