Welcome to Call to Decision 

 August 5

 The first book printed in America was the Bay Psalm Book by John
 Eliot, who was baptized in England as an infant on AUGUST 5, 1604.

 Called "Apostle to the Indians," he sailed to America and preached
 his first sermon in the Algonquian language in 1646.

 He translated the Ten Commandments, Lord's Prayer and the Bible-the
 first to be printed in America, in 1663.

 In a 1674 census, 4,000 "Praying Indians" were in 14 self-ruling
 villages with houses, streets, bridges, and their own ministers.

 John Eliot wrote:

 "The Word of God is the perfect System of Laws to guide all moral
 actions of man."

 In A Brief Narrative, July 20, 1670, Eliot wrote:

 "These Indians being of kin to our Massachusett Indians...received
 amongst them the light and love of the Truth...

 On a day of Fasting and Prayer, Elders were ordained...

 The Teacher of the Praying Indians of Nantucket, with a Brother...who
 made good Confessions of Jesus Christ...did make report that there be
 about ninety families who pray unto God in that island, so effectual
 is the Light of the Gospel."

 Sadly, after the death of Pilgrim leader William Bradford and Indian
 chief Massasoit, tensions led to King Phillip's War in 1675 and
 hundreds of these Indians died.