Introduction

Biography

Son of Penn­syl­van­ia Dutch and Hug­ue­not par­ents, Geist­weit was edu­cat­ed at Shurt­leff College (DD cir­ca 1902).

At age 14, Geist­weit be­gan work in a news­pa­per of­fice to learn the print­ing bu­si­ness. For five of the ten years in this bu­si­ness, he man­aged the me­chan­i­cal work on the Sun­day School Times.

He spent two years as ge­ne­ral sec­re­ta­ry of the Cam­den As­so­cia­tion of the Young Men’s Christ­ian As­so­cia­tion. He was ac­tive in the or­gan­i­za­tion and pub­li­ca­tions of the Bap­tist Young People’s Un­ion of Am­er­ica, found­ed in Chi­ca­go in 1891, and served on its Board of Man­ag­ers.

He was a mem­ber of the Ex­ec­u­tive Com­mit­tee of the North­ern Bap­tist Con­ven­tion (1912–19), and pre­sident of the Am­er­ican Bap­tist Pub­li­ca­tion So­cie­ty (1923–24).

He held pas­tor­ates at Cam­den, New Jer­sey (1885–90); Min­ne­ap­olis, Min­ne­so­ta (1891–96); Gales­burg, Il­li­nois (1897–99); Chi­ca­go, Il­li­nois (1900–06); Pe­or­ia, Il­li­nois (1907–10); San Di­e­go, Ca­li­for­nia (1911–16); St. Lou­is, Mis­sou­ri (1917–22); Day­ton, Ohio (1923–29); and Al­ham­bra, Ca­li­for­nia (1932).

Works

He wrote a few hymns pub­lished in two collect­ions, Me­lo­di­ous Son­nets (Phi­la­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: 1885) and Joy­ful Wing.

His oth­er works in­clude:

• The Min­is­try of Song, with Mrs. L. J. P. Bi­shop (Chi­ca­go, Il­li­nois: Bap­tist Young People’s Un­ion of Am­er­ica, 1900)
• The Young Chris­tian and His Bi­ble, 1906
• Mary’s Sto­ry, 1904
• Heart Talks on Ev­ery Day Themes for Ev­ery Day Peo­ple, 1904
• Present Needs in Young Peo­ple’s Work, 1909