This Week in AG History -- Dec. 23, 1962

Christmas stories in the Pentecostal Evangel have often reminded readers that the gospel is most powerfully proclaimed through acts of Christlike love. One such story, published in the Dec. 23, 1962, issue, recounted a childhood Christmas experience that left an indelible mark on a young Jewish girl — and eventually shaped a lifetime of Christian ministry.

The story centered on Ruth Cone, who as a small child lived in Germany in the home of her grandfather, Rabbi Moses Nathan. Her father had already traveled to the United States to prepare a home for the family, locating work and housing in New York City. But tragedy struck before the family could reunite. The factory he had established — uninsured — was destroyed by fire. Forced to make a living as a traveling salesman, he was often away, leaving the family in precarious circumstances.

During those early years, young Ruth occasionally attended Sunday School at nearby Olivet Chapel. There she eagerly memorized Scripture, and the seed of God’s Word was planted in her heart. At the age of 12, while working as a newsgirl, she overheard the preaching of famed evangelist D.L. Moody at Madison Square Garden. The message of Jesus as “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” gripped her deeply.

Not long afterward, a new baby joined the family and Ruth’s mother was hospitalized for several months. As the oldest child, Ruth assumed responsibility for caring for her younger siblings, while her father continued to travel. Because the infant required special medical attention, Ruth’s concerned Sunday School teacher arranged for the baby to stay temporarily in a Christian home until the mother recovered.

That Christmas season, Ruth listened as her playmates excitedly talked about stockings filled with gifts. Hoping to share in the joy, she hung up her two clean stockings on Christmas Eve. Early the next morning, she discovered something hard inside them — a piece of coal and a potato, placed there by her younger brother. Heartbroken and mocked by her brother, Ruth burst into tears.

Later that day, everything changed.

While Ruth was caring for the children, she heard singing outside and a knock at the door. When she opened it, she found her Sunday School teacher and classmates standing there with baskets overflowing with fruit, jellies, cookies, and cake. They also brought toys and clothing for the children. Even more remarkably, they had paid the family’s rent for the month, sparing them from eviction at a time when Ruth’s father had been unable to send money.

The visitors gathered in the home and sang Christmas carols together. When Ruth’s mother was later able to return from the hospital, she granted permission for all the children to attend Sunday School, deeply moved by the kindness shown to her family.

Through these acts of compassion, Ruth began to understand what true Christianity looked like. She had often heard fellow Jews ask, “Why do Christians hate the Jews?” But her experience told a different story. She came to see that genuine, born-again Christians loved the Jewish people.

That love bore lasting fruit. As the 1962 article reported, Ruth went on to serve as a Christian missionary for 57 years — first in the southern United States among the “other sheep” [Gentiles], and later for two decades in Chicago, ministering primarily among her beloved Jewish people. She rejoiced that both her parents eventually accepted Christ and that two of her nieces entered Christian ministry.

By the time the Evangel published her story, Ruth was 91 years old and still preaching. She was also the aunt of Assemblies of God home missionary Louise Kaufmann, who served among the Jewish people from 1952 until her death in 1972. Together, they ministered at the Shalom Center, the Assemblies of God Hebrew mission in Chicago.

Looking back from today’s perspective, this Christmas testimony from 1962 reminds us that the gospel is often carried most convincingly not through argument, but through generosity, hospitality, and the genuine love of Christ.

Read the article, “Awakening: A True Christmas Story,” by Ruth Cone on page 13 of the Dec. 23, 1962, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue

• “God in a Stable,” by John C. Jackson

• “Where Shepherds Watched Their Flocks,” by Vera Swarztrauber

• “Gifts for the King,” by Stanley M. Horton

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.