Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 78, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 January 1912 — REMODELED M. E. CHURCH DEDICATED [ARTICLE]

REMODELED M. E. CHURCH DEDICATED

Handsomest and Most Commodious House of Worship in This Section ot State EXPENSE IS ABOUT $10,500 All of Which Has Been Subscribed and Much of It Paid In.—Serv- , iices All this Week.

The. handsome and commodious remodeled and enlarged Trinity. M. E. church of .this city was dedicated Sunday, and notwithstanding the zero weather there was a goodly attendance out to the, dedicatory services. Dr. W. O. Shepard of Chicago preached at both the morning and evening services and assisted in raising the balance of the funds necessary to pay for the improvement. The committee had between $5;000 and $6,000 subscribed previous to Sunday, and as the total expense will be right around $10,500, it left about $5,000 more to be raised. Of this amount* all but $1,300 was raised at the morning meeting, and the balance at the evening meeting; Four prominent members gave SSOO each —J. M. Wasson, D. S. Makeever, Granville ‘ Moody and Henry Amsler.

Mrs. A. M. Stockton, Mrs. C. M. Williams, Mrs. Wm. Washburn and J. J. Hunt, S3OO each. R. A. Parkison, Geo. F. Meyers, James T. Randle, Sylvester Gray and Charles Battleday, S2OO each. 1 Jas. R. Parkison and Milt Roth $l5O each. O. K. Rainier, Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Ketchum, Mrs, E. P. Honan, . Dr. Turfler, J. C. Gwin, Mr. and ! Mrs. E. T. Harris, C. H. Porter, W. O. Rowles, little Max" Robinson (by Wm Washburn), Wm. P. Bak- ! er, Dr. H. L. Brown, Wm. Hoover, W. E. Moore, Dr. E. C. English and Dr. M. D. Gwin, each SIOO. The above is the total given by each both Sunday and previous thereto.

We have not the space to give the ‘contributions of sums less than SIJJO. A few contributions were made outside the church, but no soliciting was done outside. The subscriptions are 'hot completed at this writing the comimttee desiring to raise about SSOO yet to be

sure and have enough to complete everything. There will be meetings every evj ening throughout the week. ! Rev. Kindig preached Monday night; C. W. Postil, last night; district superintendent A. M. Wood, preaches tonight; R. D. Utter toj morrow night; T. F. Drake, who was pastor, in 1889, when the old 1 church was dedicated, Friday night. No services Saturday night. The new church—for it is practically new and would scarcely be recognized as any part of the old structure—is indeed a beautiful, commodious and well appointed building, and one of the very best 'church edifices in this section of the state. It will meet the needs of the congregation for severay years to come, and is a building they may well feel proud of. To see what {has been done and what the committee have .gotten for the money

expended one cannot but realize that they have gotten their money’s worth in every instance. In fact by having the work done by the day instead of contracting it out they have saved in the neighborhood of $3,000 to $4,000, the bids on the work being considered too high to let the work in one general contract. , ~There is a basement under the entire building, with a commodious kitchen, china clospt, dining room—• for church suppers, , both a ladies’ and a gent’s toilet and sitting rooms, janitor’s rooms, boiler and coal rooms, storage room, etc., all are now cemented or to be cemented, in the large and commodious basement, with good high ceiling and all heated throughout by hot water. The basement rooms are well lighted, especially the kitchen, dinipg room, waiting and toilet rooms. The main floor > has three entrances, the main entrance on Cullen street, 'having an ante-room about 12 feet square. There is also

an entrance to the, choir loft and 1 I pulpit on the south side of the church, and entrance to the Sunday schodl room on Angelica street. Each ante-room has a radiator and the outside doors open outward. In case of fire the church can be emptied in a very few moments. Theire are two entrances to the main auditorium from the large ante-room on the corner of Cullen and Angelica streets, each having double swinging doors. The pulpit and choir loft is situated in. the Southeast corner of the main auditorium, and the floor declines from all directions towarii the pulpit, thus affording an excellent View of the pulpit’ and choir loft from all points. The pews, which are all, new, are, of oak and circular form, and the *ntire floors throughout the building are all new and or hard maple. It is the intention, • per-

haps next spring, to put in a new pipe organ across the 'corner back of the pulpit. I At the left of the pulpit is the 1 choir loft while at the right iB the main Sunday school room, which can be shut off from the main auditorium by large sliding doors. The’ opening between the two rooms is 1 very large and this, room can be! used when the main auditorium is too small to accommodate the con- 1 gregations. There is, one large primary Sunday school room and six class rooms, separated by doors which slide upward between the walls. The main auditorium is finished in oak, and the Sunday school" ropms In hard pine. | The walls and ceilings throughout are handsomely frescoed, a Chicago decorator doing this ■ work. ( There is" considerable finishing to be done to, the basement, and workmen are busy evehy day finishing it up. I

The entire arrangement of the building seems to be about as near perfect as it is possible to make it, and with the ’excellent heating and ventilating facilities, the conditions for assimilating the Word of the Master are ideal. Both the finance and the building committee are to •be congratulated on their work.