People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 27-25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 January 1896 — The Primitive Baptist Church. [ARTICLE]

The Primitive Baptist Church.

The Primitive Baptist Church of lionsseliter, Ind., was constituted May 20. 1877, with a mendbership of only seven. Elders Samuel IJ. Benjamin of Warsaw, Ind., William Jackson of Atwood and Ed ward J. Taylor of Wabash county, Indiana, assisting at its constitution. Elder William Jackson was chosen as its first pastor and served acceptably'for four years. During his ministry the membership increased to twenty-three. On account of his age and the distance from his home, he declined to serve the church-longer, and Elder W. R. Nowels, who was ordained to the ministry May 14. 1881. was called to the pastoral care of..- the eh ui ch. Elder Nowels has served the church continuously in this capacity ever since. The former meeting place, five miles distant north-west of Rensselaer, was abandoned in 188 J and arrangements made for holding the meetings, first in the Missionary Baptist Church house in this place, where meetings were held for two years, and afterwards in' the Free Will Baptist house, where meetings were held for about a year longer. In 1892 the church erected the comfortable house it now occupies at a ebst of $2,200. Its membership is now about forty,» and though weak in numbers, it is steadfast in its peculiar faith and moves on in its quaint and quiet way to perform its mission in the world.