Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-11-26
IHOW HOUSE OF HOPE
SECURED ITS START
Rev. Charles W. Savidge Prays
One Day and Gets Answer
on the Next Day.
RESULT IS HOUSE OF HOPE
By A. R. GROH.


financial campaign is now being car
ried on in Omaha, is the brick-and-
stone proof of the power of prayer
and faith.
Rev. Charles w. Savidge belives
that God speaks directly to him, d.
rects every move he makes and has
inspired the many contributions that
have resulted in the $4,000 property
as it stands today.
One day in 1906 Rev. Mr. Savidge
stood in front of a dilapidated cottage
at l715 California street and, being
impressed with the need of home for
old people, he said: Lord, if You will
send me $3.50 without my asking any,
one for it, | will take it as a sign that
You mean for me to buy this cottage
and begin a home for old folks"
The next day some friends sent him
$500 to be used in his work.
How Name Came.
He called it the House If Hope"
The work grew marvelously. The
funds came in miraculousIy in re-
Spouse to faith anG prayer. Another
cottage adjoining was added.
One June day in 1908 Mr.. Savidge
and his wife were out driving. They
passed the Dexter L. Thomas man
sion, $50 North Twenty-seventh ave-
nue., Mr.. Savidge got out and walked
around the vacant house.
There and then God spoke to me"
he said. HE spoke plainly. ! heard
His voice. Buy this place and I'll
help you! l went back to the buggy
and said to my wife, I'm going to
buy this house She looked at me and
said I was crazy. That's all right,
ma, but you'll see,' | told her.
Not Very Crazy.
Il went to thirty men and asked
each of them for $50 Every one of
them gave it to me. With that 81 500
made the first payment. l organ
lied board of trustees. Then went
home and spent three solid days in
prayer. | didl-'t go outside of the
house. | wrote paper about Gods
sure promise to help those who be-
lieve in Him and seek to help human
ity. l took that paper with me and
went down to see George Hoagland.
He heard me through and then ex-
<aimed, Why you're crazy!
Later he told me to get my trustees
down to his office. When they were
there he said, I'll give my check for
$1,000, payable when you have raised
the rest of the $500 that Brother
Savidge needs Well, Tom Hamilton
of Sarpy county gave $1,000, Dave
Cole $3.50, Gould Dietz $3.50, DR.. Mer-
Ger $500 In ninety days the building
was paid for and we had $1,000 over.
God had lived up to His promise
again. ~" ,a
Winning a Farm. A~, ntl
when we were wondering where
funds would come from for the big
building of the House of Hope at
Florence, Maria Williams of Bell
wood, Butler county, dined at my
house. She owned thirty farms. After
dinner, having prayed much for funds,
| asked her to come up to my study.
said to her, Mrs. Williams, I want
you to give me farm for my new
House Of Hope I will do it, she
said, without hesitation. The deed
was put in trust of Luther Kountze.
We sold the farm for SCI, 500 Mrs.
Williams was 70 years of age then.
She died two months later and left
us an additional 81 1000 in her will"
The splendid plant of the House
of Hope in Florence will accommo-
date, when all the cottages are COM
pleted, about l35 old people.
No, cheap, pinchbeck institution is
this, either The building is beauti-
full and substantial. The furniture
alone cost upward of $4,000.
/ Partner With God.
' And this has been accomplished by
man who took God at His word,
who sees nothing strange in an actual
working partnership with the Diety
He has had the assistance of some
of our leading citizens as his board
of trustees-G. H. Payne. ]. DeForest
Richards, N. B. Updike, Gould Dietz
T. F. Stroud, R. ]. Dining, N. P.
Dodge, DR.. J. P. Lord, Thomas
Hamilton, Thomas Herd, Francis T.
Parker. These men give freely of
their time, abilities and means.
All but $4,000 of the new $4,000
building has been paid. The town
house. $50 North Twenty seventh
avenue, will continue to be operated
as heretofore.
Six new cottages" of twelve rooms
each, costing $1,000 each, are to be
built surrounding the main building
Money for these is also being raised
in the campaign.