Henry W. Coray

HENRY W. CORAY was born and reared in West Pittston, PA, in the heart of the anthracite region. He attended Wheaton College, and Princeton and Westminster Theological Seminaries. Following his three years in the pastorate in West Pittston, he spent one term as a missionary in Manchuria. The First Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Long Beach, CA, has also been one of Coray’s places of service.

William Evans

WILLIAM EVANS, (1870-1950) a noted American Bible teacher, was born in Liverpool, England, in 1870. Following several years in various pastorates, he was appointed director of the Department of Bible at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. Evans devoted his life to directing Bible conferences throughout the United States and Canada, and was the author of more than forty volumes on biblical interpretation including Great Doctrines of the Bible and How to Prepare Sermons.

L. E. Maxwell

L.E. MAXWELL founded Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada, in 1922. In his fifty-seven years of service with the school, he held many titles, including professor, principal, and president. A prolific author, he wrote many including Women in Ministry, Born Crucified, and Crowded to Christ. He is now at home with his Lord.

Jeanette Lockerbie

JEANETTE LOCKERBIE (1916-1998) homemaker, writing consultant, lecturer, and author of nearly forty books, was born in Scotland and spent her adult years in Canada and the United States. Jeanette was author of numerous books including Morning Glories and Salt in my Kitchen. In addition to her responsibilities as a pastor’s and missionary’s wife, she also served as staff editor for Psychology for Living. She was the mother of two children.

Jeff Goins

JEFF GOINS was born and raised outside of Chicago. After graduating from Illinois College, he spent a year on the road with a band and was once recognized on the streets of Taipei. An author, speaker, and writing coach, Jeff's work has been featured on some of the largest blogs in the world. He lives in Franklin, TN with his family. You can find him online at goinswriter.com.

Matt Bronleewe

MATT BRONLEEWE is a Grammy-nominated, award-winning producer and songwriter. He is the author of the August Adams thrillers, and is currently producing his first feature film. Born in Dallas, TX, Bronleewe was raised on the family farm in Kansas. He attended Greenville University, where he helped form the band Jars of Clay. After leaving the band, he began producing and songwriting full-time. Bronleewe currently resides in Nashville, TN, with his wife and three children.

Arthur Percy Fitt

ARTHUR PERCY FITT was born in Limerick, Ireland on October 5, 1869. Although a European native, he spent much of his life in the United States. It was in Northfield, Massachusetts that he came in contact with D.L. Moody because of Moody’s educational involvement in the city. He eventually traveled with Moody serving as his personal secretary. Later he fell in love with Moody’s only daughter, Emma. The two were married in 1894. Their only child, Emma Moody Fitt, was born a year later. Later in life he was the managing editor of the Record of Christian Work Company based out of East Northfield, Massachusetts. He is well-known as the author of several books about D.L. Moody including Moody Still Lives and The Shorter Life of D.L. Moody. He died in East Northfield on May 5, 1947 at the age of 78.

James Ingles

Eva Stuart Watt

EVA STUART WATT was born in Australia in 1891. Her father was a successful businessman in the tea trade in Great Britain. He was an agnostic, but converted to Christ during D.L. Moody’s tour in Great Britain from 1873-1875. Ten years later, her father and mother left the Isles to be missionaries in Africa, but because of health concerns they moved to Australia. It was on this respite that Eva Watt was born. At the age of ten she went to Ireland for the first time so she could get an education. In 1914, she returned to Africa to serve alongside her parents. In 1928, after fourteen hard years in the field in which she lost her father and brother to fever, she returned to Ireland where she founded the Young Ireland for Christ mission in Dublin. She continued ministry in her home country until her death. During her lifetime she wrote many books about her missionary efforts both in Ireland and in Africa.

T. DeWitt Talmage

Hannah Whitall Smith

HANNAH WHITALL SMITH (1832-1911) was born in Philadelphia to a Quaker family. Her life expressed the joy that is found in complete surrender to the Lord. The secret to a happy life, according to Whitall Smith, is to trust implicitly in the promises of the Bible. Her goal was not to impress the scholar, but to elevate the simple man or woman who longed for a more consecrated way of living. Deeply practical, her writings deal directly with the day-to-day struggles of ordinary people. She is author of The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life and The God of All Comfort.

Irvine Robertson

IRVINE ROBERTSON was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He graduated from Moody Bible Institute in 1938 and served as a missionary in India for eighteen years. He is a former faculty member of the Moody Bible Institute and former professor at MBI's evening school program in Boynton Beach, Florida. He is author of several books including What the Cults Believe and Transcendental Meditation and co-author of Comparing Christianity with the Cults and The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error. He is now at home with his Lord.

Carolyn Nystrom

CAROLYN NYSTROM received her BA and MA from Wheaton College and is the author of more than 80 books, about half of which are written for children. She co-authored Guard Us, Guide Us: Divine Leading in Life's Decisions and Praying: Finding Our Way through Duty to Delight with theologian J.I. Packer, and Before I Was Born (God’s Design for Sex) with Sandra Speidel. Carolyn lives in the Chicago area with her husband and they have four grown children.

Colin S. Smith

COLIN SMITH serves as senior pastor of The Orchard with six campuses across Chicagoland. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Colin received his Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Master of Philosophy from the London School of Theology. Colin is the author of several books including The Ten Greatest Struggles of Your Life. He can be heard daily on the Open the Bible radio broadcast and at openthebible.org and openthebible.org.uk. Colin and his wife, Karen, have two sons and five granddaughters.

Ruth Paxson

RUTH PAXSON (1889-1949) was Bible teacher, missionary, and author. Born in Manchester, Iowa, she graduated from the State University of Iowa and then attended Chicago’s Moody Bible Institute. She served as YWCA secretary for Iowa and eventually traveled as secretary for the Student Volunteer Movement. In 1911, Ruth sailed for the mission field in China, sponsored by the YWCA. Health concerns forced her to leave China soon thereafter and she then taught Bible in Europe and the United States until her death. She is author of several books, including Life on the Highest Plane and Caleb the Overcomer.

W. Phillip Keller

W. PHILLIP KELLER (1920-1997) was born in East Africa and always loved the wildlife and the outdoors. Having spent many years in agriculture research, land management and ranch development in British Columbia, he later pursued careers in conservation, wildlife photography, and journalism. His experiences as a shepherd equipped him with the insights that are the basis for A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. His other titles include A Layman Looks at the Lord’s Prayer, Splendor from the Sea, Lessons from a Sheepdog, and A Gardener Looks at the Fruits of the Spirit.