On February 2, 1881 in Portland, Maine, Francis E. Clark and a group of young people at the Williston Congregational Church founded the first group devoted to youth ministry. It was known as the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor. The movement spread rapidly until by 1908 there were 3.5 million members in over 70,000 societies across the globe. In 1887, The Golden Rule was adopted as the organization's first official publication. From 1891, Amos Wells became the editor. In October of 1897 its name was changed to Christian Endeavor World. The journals republished here represent some of the earliest, most complete resources for people researching this important movement.