George Müller facts for kids

Quick facts for kids George Ferdinand Müller
Born	Johann Georg Ferdinand Müller (1805-09-27)27 September 1805 Kroppenstedt, Kingdom of Prussia (now Saxony-Anhalt, Germany)
Died	10 March 1898(1898-03-10) (aged 92) Bristol, England
Nationality	Prussian
Education	Cathedral Classical School, Halberstadt
Occupation	Evangelist and missionary, Director of Orphan Houses
Spouse(s)	Mary Groves (7 Oct 1830 – 6 Feb 1870, her death) Susannah Grace Sanger (30 Nov 1871 – 13 Jan 1894, her death)
Children	Lydia (17 Sep 1832 – 10 Jan 1890); Elijah (19 Mar 1834 – 26 Jun 1835).
Theological work
Tradition or movement	founding member of Plymouth Brethren, Open Brethren

George Müller (born Johann Georg Ferdinand Müller, 27 September 1805 – 10 March 1898) was a Christian evangelist and the director of the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England. He was one of the people who helped start the Plymouth Brethren movement. Later, his group was known as the Open Brethren.

During his life, George Müller looked after 10,024 orphans. He made sure they all had a chance to go to school. Some people even thought he was helping poor children too much! He also started 117 schools, which taught Christian lessons to over 120,000 children.

George Müller's Early Life and Work

In 1829, Müller wanted to work with Jewish people in England. He arrived in London on March 19, but soon became very sick. He went to Teignmouth to get better and met Henry Craik, who became his good friend.

Müller returned to London but felt unwell again. He thought it was because he was stuck inside studying. He asked to go out and preach, but the group he was with didn't reply. By December, he decided to leave them.

Starting a New Path

Müller went to Exmouth for a short holiday. He preached at different meetings there. He wrote to the group, asking if he could stay if they let him work "as the Lord might direct me." They said no, and so his time with them ended in January 1830.

He then moved to Teignmouth and preached for Henry Craik. Many people in the church asked him to stay and be their minister. On October 7, 1830, he married Mary Groves. Soon after, he decided not to take a regular salary. He believed that people should give money because they wanted to, not because they had to. He also stopped charging rent for church seats, because he thought it gave rich people too much importance.

Moving to Bristol

Müller moved to Bristol, England, on May 25, 1832. He started working at Bethesda Chapel with Henry Craik. They preached there until Müller's death, even while he was busy with his other important work.

In 1834, he started the Scriptural Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad. This group helped Christian schools and missionaries. It also gave out Bibles and Christian books. It supported Day-schools, Sunday-schools, and Adult-schools, all based on the Bible.

By early 1835, there were five Day-schools. This organization did not take money from the government. It only accepted gifts that people offered freely. By the time Müller died, it had received and given out a huge amount of money – about £113 million in today's money! This money was mostly used for the orphanages and to give out many Bibles and other religious books. It also helped missionaries around the world, like Hudson Taylor. This important work continues even today.

How George Müller Cared for Orphans

George Müller and his wife started caring for orphans in 1836. They got their own rented home ready for thirty girls. Soon, they set up three more houses on Wilson Street. These houses were for girls, boys, and younger children. Eventually, they could care for 130 children.

Building New Homes

By 1845, more and more children needed help. The neighbors started to complain about the noise. So, Müller decided they needed a special building just for the children. This new building could hold three hundred children. It opened in 1849 at Ashley Down, Bristol. The architect who designed the building offered to do it for free.

By 1870, there were 1,722 children living in five homes. There was even room for 2,050 children in total.

Trusting in God's Help

Müller never asked for money directly. He also never went into debt. Even though the five homes cost over £100,000 to build, he trusted that God would provide. Many times, he received food donations just hours before the children needed to eat. This made his faith in God even stronger.

Müller prayed constantly that God would encourage people to give. For example, one morning, the children were sitting at the table, but there was no food. They finished praying, and then the baker knocked on the door with fresh bread. The milkman also gave them plenty of fresh milk because his cart had broken down right in front of the orphanage!

A receipt form from George Müller

Müller always asked people who gave money to write their name and address. This was so he could send them a receipt. The receipts asked donors to keep them until the yearly report came out. This way, they could check that their donation was listed correctly. Every single gift was recorded, no matter how small or large. All the money records were kept very carefully and could be checked by anyone.

Education and Future for the Children

Every morning after breakfast, the children had time to read the Bible and pray. When a child left the orphanage, they were given a Bible and a tin trunk with two sets of clothes. The children were dressed nicely and received a good education. Müller even hired an inspector to make sure the schools were excellent.

In fact, many people said that nearby factories and mines couldn't find enough workers. This was because Müller helped the children get apprenticeships, professional training, and jobs in homes once they were old enough to leave the orphanage.

George Müller's Travels and Preaching

On March 26, 1875, when he was 71 years old, George Müller began a 17-year period of traveling and preaching. His first wife had passed away in 1870, and he had married Susannah Grace Sanger in 1871.

Müller always paid for his and his wife's travel and places to stay using gifts given for his own use. If someone offered to pay his hotel bill, he would write it down in his records.

He traveled over 200,000 miles! He could preach in English, French, and German. If he couldn't speak the local language, his sermons were translated. In 1892, he returned to England. He passed away on March 10, 1898, in New Orphan House No 3.

George Müller's Beliefs and Faith

George Müller's work was guided by his strong belief in the Bible. He decided in his twenties that the Bible alone would be his guide.

He also believed that God would bless those who did not rely on earthly riches. He felt that sharing his own experiences would show how true this was. His personal income came from gifts people gave him (he never took a salary). This income grew from £151 in 1831 to over £2,000 in 1870. However, he only kept about £300 a year for himself and his family. He gave the rest away to help others.

A Life of Prayer

Müller prayed about everything and expected God to answer every prayer. For example, once, a boiler in one of the orphan houses stopped working. It was bricked up, and the weather was getting worse. He prayed for two things: first, that the workers would want to work all night, and second, that the weather would get better.

The day before the work was to start, a cold north wind was blowing. But in the morning, before the workers arrived, a warm south wind began to blow. It was so mild that no fires were needed to heat the buildings. That evening, the foreman of the company came to see how to speed things up. The workers said they would prefer to work through the night! The job was finished in just thirty hours.

In 1862, a drain was blocked 11 feet underground. Workers couldn't find the blockage. Müller prayed, and the workers immediately found the problem spot.

On January 14, 1865, strong winds in Bristol caused a lot of damage. Over twenty holes opened in the orphanage roofs, and many windows broke. The usual repairmen were busy. If the winds and rain had continued, the damage would have been much worse. After much prayer, the wind stopped that afternoon, and no rain fell until Wednesday. By then, most of the damage was fixed.

Once, in 1877, Müller was on a ship crossing the Atlantic. The ship ran into thick fog. He told the captain he needed to be in Quebec by the next afternoon. The captain said he had to slow down for safety, and Müller would miss his appointment. Müller asked to use the chart-room to pray for the fog to lift. The captain followed him, thinking it was a waste of time. After Müller prayed a simple prayer, the captain started to pray too. But Müller stopped him. He believed the prayer had already been answered. Müller said, "Captain, I have known my Lord for more than fifty years and there is not one instance that I have failed to have an audience with the King. Get up, Captain, for you will find that the fog has gone." When they went back to the bridge, the fog had lifted! Müller made his appointment. The captain became a Christian soon after.

Müller's faith in God grew stronger every day. He spent hours each day praying and reading the Bible. In his later years, he would read the entire Bible four times a year.

The George Müller Charitable Trust

After George Müller's death, his work was continued by The George Müller Foundation. It was renamed The George Müller Charitable Trust on March 1, 2009. This Trust still follows Müller's main rule: they only seek money through prayer. They do not do any fundraising activities.

The charity works with churches in Bristol to help them care for their communities. They especially help children, young people, and families who need support. They also encourage people to give money to help with mission work, social care, and relief efforts around the world.

A small museum about George Müller is kept by the Trust in Bristol. You can visit it by making an appointment. Records of all the children who lived in the orphanage are kept there. Relatives can look at these records for a small fee.

Images for kids

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  George Müller's tombstone

See also

• The Open Brethren
• Arthur Tappan Pierson, Müller's biographer and friend