By Michael Gryboski, Editor Sunday, August 17, 2025

Throughout the extensive history of the Church, numerous events of lasting significance have occurred.

Each week marks anniversaries of impressive milestones, unforgettable tragedies, amazing triumphs, memorable births and notable deaths.

Some events, spanning over 2,000 years of history, might be familiar, while others might be unknown to many.

The following pages highlight anniversaries of memorable events that occurred this week in Christian history, including the first Moravian missionaries being sent out, the death of Gotthold Heinrich Loeber, and The Great Ejection.

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By Michael Gryboski, Editor Sunday, August 17, 2025

The Great Ejection – Aug. 17, 1662

This week marks the anniversary of when as many as 2,000 pastors within the Church of England were removed from their pulpits due to adhering to nonconformist views.

Known as “The Great Ejection,” the mass removal of pastors came as a direct result of the Act of Uniformity of 1662, which was meant to standardize practices within the established church.

The ejection affected approximately 20% of all ordained clergy in England, according to the Center for Reformation Anglicanism, and took place on St. Bartholomew’s Day.

“St. Bartholomew’s was significant because it was the appointed day when clergy were to be paid all the salaries and rents owed them. To leave then meant leaving behind their pay and vicarages for a completely unknown future,” noted the center.

“For some, [The Great Ejection] was a happy dismissal of the pesky Puritans who anchored themselves in the authority of Holy Scripture and the Anglican’s formularies. For others, it was a great tragedy that the church they loved didn’t have a place for them.”