Decatur Democrat, Volume 41, Number 6, Decatur, Adams County, 22 April 1897 — Page 2

church and truthfully shows that the cntiHO es Christianity is on the side of right: si.ooo Ladies' Mite Society. SSOO Judge David Studabaer.' sS in John Niblick, 'J W Vail. L. D. Ada ms. J. D Hale. Epworth League, V - &&iLv A® MF ■ ' 'W 1 ■ Li- % HENRY KRICK, TRUSTEE. ■ A. R. Bell, Fred Schafer. S2OO J. H. Lenhart, Henry Krick, A. J. Smith. SIOO Mrs. Jeff Bryson, S. Spangler, J. T. Merryman, Mrs. I>. Studabaker. D. W. Meyers, Mrs. D. D. Heller. Mrs. J. Q. Neptune, Mrs R. K. Allison, Dell Locke. SSO W. J. Meyers, J. K. Mann, J. E. Thomas, F. W. Dibble, D. W, Beery, E. T. Gregg $25 L. C. Holmes, Mrs. L. G. Ellingham. Mrs. C. E. Neptune, John Rice, ,• Mrs. J W. Vail. . H. P. Niblick, J. F. Snow. O. L. Moon. Sol Billman, Mrs. Jesse Brandyberry. Jesse Brandyberry. Mrs. A. J. Hill. Mrs. L. I. Brock. James Ball. P. J. Rice, Mrs. Sarah C'ochrfrn. . Woman's Home .Missionary. .Mrs. J. IL Lenhart. Mr.-. E. T. Gregg. George McKean, Charles H. Faker. . .. . Mrs. N. Blacsburn. J. R. Graber, A. Tripplett, D. J Harkless. T. H. Bloss-r, S2O Horace _ A friend, s2l Donation. sls Dr. A. G. Holloway, Mary Fonner. ('. K. Bell. B. T. Pillars. $lO U. S. Dn rrimond. Ethel Hale, Cora Schack ley. W, H. Gilpeii, Mrs. William Pillars. A. T. Lynch, J. L. Edge, Mrs. J. T. Archbold. W. S. Porter, Andrew Welfiey, J. F Railing, Elijah Mann, C. E. Doty, Herman Franklin, James Hurst, John T. Meyers, Peter Holthouse, C. Rademacher, W. B Coil, F. B. Mann, George G. Flanders, P." 1 g . FT' ’ -Sb 4' > - <W ■ ' F 1 i ! V • i JOHN-W."AAI 1,, BITTjIINc, c om'. .Mrs I, D: Adams. Mrs.. J. S. Bowers, Mrs. (VE. I>oty, $7 Joseph 1 tarris, LIL Williams,.-* • Mrs. E. William , . .Mrs. E. I'. Menefee, _ Mafic Albers,

»| Menu Meyers, Mrs. J. D Hale, ‘ Mrs. J A Barnhart, Mrs. F. V. Mills, Mrs. S. Spangler, Allie Steele. Mrs Sarah Elzey, Sadie I lale, Jane Hendricks, Mrs (I W. Woodward, Marx Baughman, LpU Baujiman. R..D Myers. Don Quinn. J I). Edwards, Hattie Blackburn. Ernie I less, J W. Burk. Mrs J E Ellsworth. H D Rice. Theodore* <lerkey, Isaac Brown, W. R Dor win. jun , W A Keubler, Nellie Blackburn, Mrs. M Case, Mrs D. N. Erwin, Mrs J. W. Merryman, M. M. Blossom, Mrs. Noah*Locke, —Mary Parrish ,— Mrs. Robert Case, Frank Peterson, Mrs. John Rice, Cash. •$3 Dora Merryman, $2 D. Chapman. $6,618. EVENING SERVICES. In the evening the seating capacity of the entire building, including auditorium, lecture room and gallery, was again tested to its utmost. Presiding Elder Simpson again presided. In the choir were I). W. Beery, J. Q. and C E. Neptune, P. B. Thomas, F. M. Falk, D. J. Harkless, A. R. Bell and B. T. Pillars. Every divine present made a few remarks, proceeding the dedication cremonies. Supernuates Spellman and McCarty both told of experiences when they were connected with this charge. The former was here duringithe years 1873-4, and as a mat- ' ter of fact knew many incidents that was interesting now. Rev. McCarty was here some time about 1881 and even since then many marked changes are noticeable. Rev. J. W. Vitz of the German Reformed Church, elo quently spoke of the concentration of the Christian work and the fittingness of dedicating such an elegant, temple on Easter'day. Pastor Gregg spoke with much feeling of his appreciation of the people of this city and of their devo ion- to the cause in whieb~he was socloselv allied. The Dr Payne followed t his channel of < remarks, assuring his firm belief in Methodism. Then came tlm dedication- < remonies proper.- In tlm absence of Judge David Studabaker. Mr. Spangler on behalf of-the board of trustees pre? sented the church, and the.beautiful dedicatin' ceremonies followed:

I)EDK’ATION SERVICES. Dearly Beloved, the Scriptures teach us that God is well pleased with those who build temples to his name. We have heard hoxv he filled the temple of Solomon with his glory, and how in the second temple he manifested himself still more gloriously. And the Gospel approves and commends I Bi 1 DANIEL SPRANG, FINANCE COM. the centurion who built a synagogue for the people. Los us not doubt that he will f ivorably approve our purpose o‘ dedicating this place in solemn mjjjnur, for the performance of the , several offices of. religious worship; and let us now devoiitedlv join in praise, to his'naim tfi:it thisgodly undertaking Hi'l.!'-i, <0 f1 r compl< 1e I. and in pixi.-yer furtuer blessing noon all wh >.‘ been engaged. I herein. 11. 1 p|| « p,, s j| ;i) | hereafter worship ‘iimc in this plars-. Till’ll said S I ~n' The Lord haj n .said that he ,f W et| in the t ie|< -darkuess. Bii I i ia \e built a house of habitation ,e ~. . in( | ~ f () j. thy dxvellinu 10,.. ,1, —_ But xvill God I, every deed dwell with men-oi. •p. earth? Behold, heaven and'il. Iv ,. n ()| heavens cannot eontpm ■ h ow much less this house whi 1 1,,,ip 1 Have respect- Umn-l. l(|J .. prater’ of thx si-ixanl. uni ■■ >pi s siq plieat ion, 0 »LV Un,l ’Hearken unto finery and Ihe-fH rwhi.-p f] lV sort put prayeth beim*~ :Tf -pp n ,,. ~ - ?H ma) be open up-, a this house day and night, upon tin pj. ll( . whereof thou hast said that toutdest put' thy [name there;. to p ( , H .j< ( . n unto t(H .

prater which thy servant prayeth to ward this place. Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy peopl ■ Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling-place, even from heaven; ami when thou hearest forgive. Now, m\ God, let. I beseech thee, thine eyes be open, and let tby ears be at tent unto the prayer that is made in this place. Now therefore arise, () Lord God. into t hy rest ilm place, t (mu. and the ark of thy strength: let tin priests, (> laird God. be clothed with salvation, and let tin saints rejoice in goodness. <> Lord

God, tu r n not away the face of thine anhointed: reine mb e r the mercies of David thy servant. Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, t he tire came down from heaven, and c o n s u m e <1 the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lo r d tilled the house. And the priests could not ent e r into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had tilled the Lord s house. And when all the children of

Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth forever. Then the king and all tha’people offered sacrifices before the Lord. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest hy the blood pf Jesus, by a new and living

- ■ ' ' I r~ ’ t ‘ 1 “I •j • .1 ■-'< - ■? ■ - -tT: 1 1

way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having a high priest over the house of God; let usdraw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for i e is faithful that promised; and let us consider one another to provoke. unto love and to good works; not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as 'he manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as'ye see the day approaching. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. I was glad when they said unto me, ‘ Let us go into the house of the LortLj Our feet shall stand within thy gates, . O Jerusalem. is builded as a city that is compact together: Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, - ■Unto the’testimony of Israel, to-give thanks unto the name of the. Lord. For there an- sei thrones of judgement, the thrones of the house of Jiavid. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem-: They shall prosper that love thee. Pcaee lie wjt.liin thy walls, And prosperity within thy palaces, For my brolhcrii and _ co'mpanions’ sakes, I-will now say, peace be within time.— - ■ — Becausc of the house of the Lord our God I will seek th;, good. We present unto you this Building, to be dedicated as a Church for the service and worship -of Almighty God. ( b I <<' J.AK ATI ON. Itearlv Beloved, oil is meet and ~ right,- as >v learn from the Holy Scriptures' that, houses erected’ for the public worship of God should be specially- set a part and dedicated to religious uses For sub h a dedication we are now assembled. With gratG Tude; therefore, 'to Almighty- God. who has Signally blessed his servants

V '"X w > '"‘A jy*’-" •JOHN NIBLICK, BUILDING COM.

us; yet we beseech thee, in thy great goodness, graciously to accept the dedication of this place to thy service, and to prosper this our Undertaking; receive the prayers and intercessions of all those thy servants who shall call upon thee in this house; and give them grace to prepare their hearts to serve thee with reverence and godly fear; affect them with an awful apprehension of thy divine majesty, and a deep sense of their own unworthi-

ness; that so approaching thy sanctuary with lowliness and devotion, and coming before thee with clean thoughts and pure hearts, with bodies undefiled, and minds sanctified, they may always per'orm a service acceptable to thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Regard, O Lord, the supplication of thy servants, and grant that whosoever shall be dedicated to thee in this house by Baptism may ever remain in the number of thy faithful children. Amen. Grant, <1 Lord, that whosoever shall receive in this place the blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ may come to that hojy Ordinance with faith, charity, and true repentencd; and, being filled with thy grace and heavenly benediction, may, to their great and endless comfort, obtain forgiveness of their sins, and all other benefits of his death. Amen. Grant, () Lord, that by thy holyword which shall be read and preached in this place, and by thy Holy Spirit grafting it inwardly in the heart, the hearers thereof may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and may have power and strength t o perform tbe same. Amen. Now, t hereforc, arise. O Lord, and come unto t his place cjf thy rest, thou and the ark of thy strength. Let tliinc eye be open toyvard this house day and night ; and letpthine ears be ready; toward the prayei.’s of. thy children which they shall make unto Wie.e in this place: and whensoever the servants shall make to thee their petitions 'here, do thou hear them from heaven, thy dwelling place, the throne of the glory of thy k 1 hgdomf and when thou nearest, forgive. And grant. O Lord, we beseech thee, that here and elsewhere thy' ministers maybe .clothed with righteousness, •and t.hy satflts rejoice in thy salva•t.ion. And.may way all, with thy ]»co'plGevcry where, grow tip into a holy temple ill the Lord, and he at last re eci ved ini o t he glorious tempi • above; -sh e ?hdu se not”: made ~ with hands, eternal in the heavens. And.to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,- be glory and pi-aise, world without (Hid. Amen, —pkri.,

in their holy enterprise of erecting this church, we dedicate it to his ser viei*. for the reading of the Holy Scriptures, the preaching of tin* word of God, tin* administration Ms the Holy S icr.iments, and for all ot her exercises of religious worship and service, according to the Discipline andTsages of the Methodist Episeo pal church And. as the dedicatin' of. the temple is vain with >ut tin* solemn co sc,‘ration of. ihe worship pers also. I now call upon you all to dedicate \ ourselves anew to thesmx iee of < iod. To him let our souls lie dedicated t hat the) max bi* renew ed after the image of

('hrist. To him let our bodies be dedicated. that .hex’ may'be fit temples for the indwelling of t In* 11 oly (< host. To him may our labors and business be dedicated, that their fruit may tend to t he glory of his great name,and and to the advancement of his kingdom. And that he may graciously accept this solemnaet, let us pray. G Most Glorious Lord, we acknowledge that we are not worthy to offer unto thee anything belonging unto

THE BUILDINIL While the church building is not new in the entirety, yet no comparison between the two can be made, and but little or nothing remains to remind one of the old structure. Al ter the exterior has been penciled and otherwise brushed up, the last vision of I he old church will disappear. Tlm principal addition was to the north wing where the lecture room xyas enlarged ami eight committee afid class rooms added, above w hich isthe gallery, w hich will seal in ilsell about 200 people. I'he leetiire orSunday School room is finished in line fresco work, the same as the auditorium and is seated-w it h chairs which can be moved. An ingrain carpet, [similar id design to the Brussels in i the auditorium, cox em the floor. This room will seat about 100 people. Ihe sliding doyrs are frescoed in imitation of th<*xvalls proper. I'ho other additions to tin* building are to the west, where a study room for tin* pastor, which xvill be used lor th,e transaction of all official business, and choir loft has been built. The auditorium is a> palace sure enough. Tin* pulpit stands in the northwest corner on an elevation of some eighteen inches, j enclosed in a railing about a foot in | height. This is furnished with three very handsome pulpit chairs ami a stand. Just to the right of the pulpit stands the choir loft which is also elevated to the same height of the pulpit. The leather seated chairs adds a finish of elegance and completeness. The 1 cost of the improvement will be [ something near $12,000. As an at tempt to completely describe the elegance of this finely finished building i would only prove futile, we will but give you a general idea of its magnitude and beautx. It is but little to say that it is a model of everything costly and fine. A shouting Methodist only, could tell you of its grand and modern simplicity. But happilly enough, this city abounds in shouting Methodists. PARAGRAPH NOTES. Mr. Kover has certainly displayed his rare artististic genius in the decorations. Everybody is delighted with the; chairs and the chandeliers are much ; admired. - T" d Extra copies of this paper can be i had at the office. < 'ome early and avoid the rush. • ♦ • Mrs. J. I) Hale has led with marked . success the Junior Li ague. It has prospered u nder seriotb d isad vantage . 4... -The carpets were selected by Mr. Dell Loeice, Mrs. John W. \'ail ami Mrs. J. T. Merrx man. They are beau tiful. ■ ♦ • Revs. R. D- Spellitian and W. E McCarty, two of the old pastors, gladdened the hearts of all. Their presence was much appreciated. The press were given a seat on the pulpit where they helped out the

JSr. <'■ • ’ ' t<* 1 A. R. BELL, BUILDING (lOM. ministers when they struck a scrip tural interrogation tlpit.they couldn’t handle.

Their is not a better Official Board in,Methodism t han t hat of the Deca-J, tiir' M. E church. They are thorough busines. men and all their work is done on strictl) business principles. • ■ ■ ■»... « "v : rL • 4'l'he licautiful ca Ila - lillies t hat wore prominent among the flor-al decora lions, were furnished by Mrs, J. I.'rank .Maun. Thex came frmn.Sai-i Francis co, <'alifornia. ami were rich in beaufy and stvle. ■ " *• 'l'he Senior Long,lie is preparing <0 entertain I lie Fort Wayne District Epworth League ('on volition, June I 7fiid 2,'“.11 is expected t hat 250 youiig ; people xvill be present The League subscribed •’<3oo to the church fund. •♦ • ' ■* The Building ('oinmitte, composed < Os A. R. Bell, John W. Vail, John Nib- •’ Uek; A. L. DeVilbh-s, S. Spangler I have performed their xvoi’k thorough- I ly and well. 3’he beauty, convenience t and excellency of the work tell the I story. , -j —Daniel Sprang and L. D. Adams eon- j stitute the Committee on Finance, t

They have had much to del with gat heringand collecting subscriptions. The splendid sum raised will be ear<‘fully hitfsbamled and administered by t hem. • <► • Tlm Boston Store furnished the h imlsome floral designed body Brits ... . . . j ‘ t '■r Wi y 1 S. SPANGLER, TRUSTEE. sels a carpet that covers the' floor in the auditorium. The earpet is a beauj tiful design, highly firfished and will ) do service there for many years to come •i' The pipe organ will be in place within the next thirty days. It is the ■ Felgeinaker organ, made at Erie, ' Pennsylvania. It was selected by A. R. Bell, Mrs. John Niblick and Mrs. John W. Vail Organ Committee. It j was purchased by Falk <!t Erwin. ( • 4 • It was a great pleasure to all to have Rev. F. T. Simpson, Presiding Elder, present. There are no better men in I the ministry. He is helpful in every way. He is a most careful, wise and considerate man and an excellent preacher. He is always gladly welcomed to Decatur. Under John H. Lenhart, Supt., the Sunday School is doing thorough and excellent work. It gave $450 toward I the original subscription. It has ' taken great patience and tact to carry 1 the school along successfully in the I court house, but Mr. Lenhart has been fully equal to the situation. The W. 11. M. Society added their subscript ion to help sxvell the fund. Mrs. E. T. Gregg is a most capable and successful president. They have •<bniq. much work at home and have helped a number of need)” preachers au(l their InnulieiLiiL-tJie_weat^—_Tliejr purpose is to answer ex cry worthy call for het]ft 'Fheonlx apol >gies we ■ are to offer about tins’ published account, is the poor representation of the church building, and the omission of the. pictures of Judge Studabaker and John I). Hale. The former has been a piller. not only in Methodism but in nearl x all the business interests of our city for over half a century, while the latter is a trustee of the church and one of our most infiuential and openhearted citizens.

The contractor, J. W. Merryman, deserves more than passing notice and mention by us. The building was completed according to the plans and specifications in e-ery particular. In fact, the building committee, ate a good deal better pleased with the building than they were wit h the plans. This is highly commendable to the contractor. The buildjiig as we have before mentioned, is a beauty and Mr. Merry man may well congratulate himself on being its contractor and builder. _ There is no departmentof the church worn more efficiently or effectively managed than the Ladies Mite Society. In the past few years they have paid S4OO on the parsonage, almost SI,OOO

■--' . : . I Wmß <*■• 1 ‘K - « :' :■' V w J. \V. MERRYMAN, <'ON I’K A<'4 OK. <>n t he church and have taken.another .Within less than a year they have earned 5950. Mrs. John Niblick has been the president for the,past three years. At a -recent meeting Mrs. A. Ji. Bell was elected president. They expect to pay tin; SI,OOO subscribed Sunday within the. next three years. We are niueh anistaken—if—they don’t pay it in one-half the time. • : r —a — , t '“•■"tr" ’■ •- '