James Needham's baptisms and spiritual manifestation in Kent
Published October 5, 2026 at 1:45 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
James Needham held a series of meetings in Kent, culminating in the baptism of eight individuals (six on one night, two shortly before). He reports that during these baptisms, the Holy Spirit was present and he and the converts felt the power of God.
Fuller account of this event (in the witness’s own words):
I baptized six persons last Saturday night, and two a few days before. It was a happy time, and all felt the power of God, for His holy Spirit was there. It was to me and all a beautiful sight to see so many willing beings, all drest in white, standing by the stream, whose banks are covered with beautiful green. So you see, by the help of the Lord, we are gathering one of a family and two of a city.
In Their Own Words
“I baptized six persons last Saturday night, and two a few days before. It was a happy time, and all felt the power of God, for His holy Spirit was there. It was to me and all a beautiful sight to see so many willing beings, all drest in white, standing by the stream, whose banks are covered with beautiful green. So you see, by the help of the Lord, we are gathering one of a family and two of a city. — Millennial Star 31:34”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 21 August 1869 (Vol. 31, No. 34). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1869-08-21_31_34 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Fuller account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 31, No. 34 (21 August 1869), p. 542 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1869-08-21_31_34
Filed under
Related Miracles
Similar miracle types and stories from the 1860s.
Miracle of the Week
One remarkable, documented account in your inbox every Monday, drawn from the full archive.