Constantine Cachiaras was born near Athens Greece in 1891. As a boy he dreamed of coming to America, the land of opportunity – a land where “money grows on trees.” The family sold a portion of their farm so their son could journey to the USA as a teenager.
“Gus” Cachiaras landed at Ellis Island full of anticipation but he got off to a rough start. A cabdriver swindled him out of money and someone stole part of his laundry off the line the first day. But he persevered and in a few months he wound up in Omaha, Nebraska polishing shoes. Not exactly the American dream but that was his beginning and he managed to get by.
One day Gus was polishing the shoes of a doctor who was also of Armenian descent. His Americanized name was oddly, Dr. John Baptist. Dr. Baptist had become a fairly wealthy man and he sat casually reading the newspaper as Constantine Cacharias polished his shoes.
As it became clear to Dr. Baptist that this young immigrant was from Greece, he lowered his newspaper and spoke to him in his native language. He asked, “Young man, what do you plan to do with your life”? He said, “You don’t want to spend your days polishing shoes. You could teach Greek in some college. But you need to get an education. Have you thought about going to school?”
“Sir, I can’t afford it” the shoeshine boy politely responded.
“Son, I went to undergraduate school at Johnson Bible College in Knoxville, Tennessee. I believe I can help get you in there. They take students in a work program.”
That physician took the trouble to arrange for Constantine Cacharias to enroll in Johnson Bible College in 1909. Gus began to seriously study the Greek New Testament and discuss Christianity with other students. In a few months he put his trust in Christ and was baptized in the French Broad River. Eight years later upon graduation he accepted the call to pastor a small church in the upper Midwest and eventually became a fixture at Minnesota Bible College where he served as a beloved professor for 44 years.
Gus Cacharias continued to preach on the weekends at a local church and helped establish a Christian camp in the area. Over the years he influenced thousands of young men and women for ministry. His four children all became active in ministry and numerous grandchildren are now involved in churches as elders, teachers, college professors, church administrators, pastors and writers.
One of his grandsons, Ben Cacharias, is currently the minister of a dynamic mega church, Mountain Christian, in Baltimore, Maryland where over 4000 have been baptized into Christ in the last decade.
There are thousands who have been influenced for Christ by the Cacharias family, all because a hundred years ago a wealthy doctor lowered his newspaper and reached out to just one.
May I challenge you today to be aware of those in your circle of influence who don’t know Christ. It doesn’t usually take a lot of effort. It may be as simple as putting down the newspaper, setting aside the smartphone, ipad or laptop, turning off the TV or moving away from your clique of friends for a few minutes and striking up a casual conversation. You may discover that stranger is responsive to spiritual truth if you just strike up a conversation with him/her.
Jesus struck up a conversation with a Samaritan woman at the town well and an entire village was introduced to the Messiah. Phillip asked a question of a traveling Ethiopian official and within a few minutes the treasurer of Ethiopia came to faith in Christ. The Apostle Paul took time to discuss spiritual matters with a Philippian jailer and the guard’s entire family was baptized.
“Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.” (2 Corinthians 5:11).