December 20
1326 Passing away of Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia, who had moved his see from Vladimir to Moscow. He was later proclaimed a patron saint of Moscow.
1552 Demise of Katherine von Bora, the widow of German reformer Martin Luther at the age of 53. A former nun, she bore six children.
1560 The First General Assembly of the Church of Scotland meets in Edinburgh.
1787 A revival breaks out among the Shakers of New Lebanon, Indiana, causing a religious spirit among other denominations.
1803 Repose of theologian Samuel Hopkins at Newport, Rhode Island; he had modified Calvinism and was one among the first clergymen in America to free his slaves and denounce the system of slavery.
1845 Chartering of Baldwin Institute in Berea, Ohio, under the auspices of Methodists; later it changed its name to Baldwin University and merged with German Wallace College in 1914. Now it is known as Baldwin Wallace University.
1856 Chartering of Newberry College in Newberry, SC, by the Lutherans.
1877 As Ahmed Fahmi, a recent convert from Islam to Christianity, is kidnapped by his family in Cairo, Egypt. He later studied in Scotland and became a missionary to China.
1908 Demise of Father John of Kronstadt (John Sergiev), a Russian Orthodox priest, who was beloved for his charity and wisdom. He said, “The enemy of our salvation especially strives to draw our heart and mind away from God when we are about to serve Him, and endeavours to adulterously attach our heart to something irrelevant.”
1909 Ordination of William Temple as the deacon of Canterbury Cathedral. He later became the Archbishop of Canterbury and was an advocate of the common man and active in social issues; unfortunately  he was unsure of the doctrine of the resurrection.
1961 Karl Barth, a Swiss Reformed theologian, stated in a letter: “What God chooses for us children of men is always the best.”
Edited by: T. Chempilayil MCBS
Courtesy:Â https://studylight.org