The Best of Times

    It was a good year for Jack. He arrived in Belfast, Ireland in mid-June, 1955, held a month-long revival there, and returned to California in mid-July. He turned 37 that month. The Belfast revival would be the most successful one of Shuler’s career.

From a Belfast, Ireland newspaper courtesy of Jeanette MacArthur DeAngelis

      The revival drew continual attention in the news. Los Angeles Times covered the story from beginning to end. The June 4, 1955 issue reported that “Dr. Jack MacArthur of Glendale and Jack Shuler, Southland evangelist, will team up for a Belfast revival crusade this month.” Eight days later the Times reported that “Evangelist Jack Shuler of Arcadia left with a team of nine last week for Belfast, Ireland, where they will open a month-long crusade backed by 300 churches.”[1]

       Jack Shuler had his most successful crusade team with him at this time. It included song leader Don DeVos, keyboard player (piano and organ) Bob Anderson, and soloist Sam Allred. In four weeks, the Belfast Crusade attracted 400,000. The final climaxing service saw 50,000 in attendance. The largest choir in world history brought together 6,000 singers, and the Crusade reported 4,200 conversions.[2]

The Shuler evangelistic team in Ireland shown here
included (standing, left to right) Don DeVos and
Jack; and (seated, left to right) Sammy Allred and
Bob Anderson. Picture courtesy of Jack Edward Shuler.

      The Belfast revival was such a success that Shuler showed a documentary of it in his future revivals throughout the U.S. For example, in his September 1956 revival at Spokane, Washington, he advertised the same day before the evening event that “The city-wide interdenominational Crusade for Christ, in its third week at the Coliseum, announces a ‘triple attraction’ for tonight at 7:30 p.m. ‘The Belfast Story,’ a 30-minute documentary film of the Shuler Crusade in Ireland, will show 50,000 in attendance, and a choir of 6,000 – the largest assembled choir in history!’” The second attraction was that his wife would be attending. And the third was his sermon on “Heaven.”[3]

      The following day’s paper gave some background on the evangelist’s family. “They have four children,” it said. “Jack Jr., 17; Susan, 13; Richard, 12; and Greg, 8.”[4]

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[1] Los Angeles Times, June 12, 1955.

[2] Spokane Daily Chronicle, September 28, 1956.

[3] Spokane Daily Chronicle, September 27, 1956.

[4] Spokane Daily Chronicle, September 28, 1956.