Sermon Notes – Henry T. Beyer Jr.

sermon notesScanning these documents gave us a lot of insight into how Henry “H.T.” Beyer, Jr. spent most of his adult life in the service of God. There are over a thousand sermon notes, representing years of speaking in churches located mainly in the south.  I believe you’ll find Henry’s Sermon Notes, his attention to detail very interesting!

PDF LINKS BELOW – PLEASE BE PATIENCE WHILE UPLOADING!

Specific Things to Notice while viewing Henry’s Sermon Notes:

Spelling: Yes, you will find many spelling errors, as Henry didn’t have the luxury of a computer with a spellchecker.  Although Henry had only a fourth-grade education, he was not deterred, but was self-taught by much reading and study. As a result, the Salvation Army accepted him into their Seminary. Henry went on to be a regular contributor to the Nazarene Publishing House that published many of his sermons.

Location, Time & Date of Sermon’s delivery: On the front and back of these sermon notes, Henry would write the date and location of his delivery; sometimes noting whether it was Sunday morning, Sunday night, or Wednesday night service.

Souls Saved: Henry also had a habit of writing down how many people accepted Jesus as their Savior [e.g.”Souls Saved 5”].  Additionally, he would note if some people came down to the altar to pray, to rededicate their lives to the service of God. Sometimes, he noted how many people raised their hands asking for prayer.

Number of Times Delivered: He noted each time the sermon was delivered and where.

As a traveling evangelist, Henry had a few favorite sermons he could deliver more that once, due to the varying audiences. As a local pastor, he disciplined himself to deliver fresh weekly sermons to his local congregation. This meant spending many hours in study time.

People in Audience: Sometimes he noted the various people attending a service, or those missing. When someone in the congregation was not in attendance, you can rest assured, Henry paid them a visit that same week to see how they were doing. Many times, he took one of his children with him as he visited parishioner’s homes and those in hospitals, always praying with them before leaving.

Types of Paper:  Henry used an old manual typewriter and typed out his sermon notes on various kinds of paper. Being notorious for his frugality, and one who did not like to waste anything, Henry therefore used old, out-of-date letterhead stationary or other used paper that was available. He would type his sermon on the blank part of the paper, fold it, and then cut it with scissors to fit inside his Bible. As a result, the typed letters many times goes right to the edge of the sheet; even partly cut-off at the edge.

Sizes of Paper: You will notice, the size of the notes changed from time to time. Henry used a small Bible while delivering his sermons.  Then in his later years, believe it or not, he preferred an even smaller pocket Bible, like the ones the Gideon’s used to give away in schools.

Henry would fold the Sermon Note he had cut to the exact size of his Bible, and insert the note in the middle of the Bible, so he could walk around while delivering his sermon.

You see, Henry T. Beyer could quote most Bible scripture, without looking at the Bible itself—just a glance at his sermon note, tucked carefully into his small Bible.

This was quite a challenge for scanning, due to each note varying in size.  Each needed unfolding and sometimes to be taped back together before scanning.

Poems and Stories: You will see, we have scanned some of his collected poems and stories by other authors that Henry used and often memorized to add color to his sermons.

Searchable PDF Files:  We have scanned and saved Henry T. Beyer’s sermon notes, using a SEARCHABLE PDF file.

H.T. Beyer Sermon Notes