The Mel Trotter Story

Mel Trotter (1870-1940), grew up in the closing days of the 19th century. His mother was a godly woman, but his father ran a saloon and it was said he drank as much as he served! By the time Mel Trotter reached young manhood the influence of his father, the saloon and the lifestyle of liquor had led him down the trail of a drunkard’s life. Even after Trotter was married and had a son his drinking remained a problem. After an extended drinking binge, he came home to find his two-year-old son dead in his mother’s arms. He vowed to never drink again, but within two hours he was staggering drunk. He tried to make a living as a barber but gambling and drink took the razor from his hand and the shoes (literally) off his feet.

In January 1897, Trotter penniless, drunk and shoeless trudged through the snow in Chicago, headed for Lake Michigan and a cold, watery suicide. Passing a mission he was urged inside and after hearing a testimony of salvation, was soundly converted to Christ himself. Later Trotter was asked how he knew he was saved, “I was there when it happened, January 19, 1897, ten minutes past 9:00, Central time, Pacific Garden Mission, Chicago, Illinois, USA!”

In 1900, he began his rescue mission work that lasted until his death. Thousands responded to his winsome personality and message of God’s grace to the downtrodden. During WWI he ministered to soldiers training in YMCA camps and over 15,000 “came out for the Lord.” In the 1920’s he was diagnosed with cancer and his wife left him. He remained faithful to God and was a popular speaker at Northfield and Winona Lake Bible Conferences, as well as others in the United States and abroad. His great work and love was the Grand Rapids Mission he supervised for forty years and sixty-seven others he helped to found across the nation. He preached his last sermon at the 40th anniversary of the Grand Rapids Mission in Janurary of 1940. He went home to be with the Lord September 11, 1940.

MELVIN E. TROTTER, D.D.
180 Pages – Paperback
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