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Cfjurct) i&tos
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ship, a series on "Telescopic Views of
the Bible," illustrated by large charts
made by himself for this purpose, and
a series for the evening services on
"The Gospel in Genesis."
GEORGIA.
Atlanta, Pryor Street: Sunday,
January 7, was a banner day in the
Pryor Street church. The Rev. T. P.
Cleveland, D. D., assisted the pastor,
Rev. J. Edwin Hemphill, in the 11
o'clock communion service and made a
very beautiful and touching appeal.
No more beautiful sight was ever wit
nessed in this church than the pre
sentation of seven infants by their
parents for baptism in the special ser
vice at 3:30 P. M. Rev. Dunbar H.
Ogden, of the Central Presbyterian
church, assisted the pastor in this ser
vice. At the evening service the
church was filled again to its capacity,
and the Sacrament of the Lord's Sup
per was administered to those who
were unable to commune at the morn
ing service. Although for the past
two years the Sacrament of the Lord's
Supper 'yas been administered at both
services on communion days, the at
tendance last Sunday breaks all
former records.
The membership of our church was
greatly encouraged by the announce
ment of our pastor that during the
year 1916, 124 members had been re
ceived into our ranks. The congre
gation has now outgrown our splen
did new building, and we are planning
for a greatly enlarged church with
modern Sunday-school building and
equipment for GOO in our Bible school.
Woodland: It was the privilege and
pleasure of old Ephesus church to
have our Synod's efficient superintend
ent of Home Missions and Evangelism,
Rev. M. McG. Shields, to hold a series
of services for them recently. Ephe
sus is one of the churches which flour
ished in ante-bellum days and which
went down almost to extinction during
the years that followed. The spark
of life was kept alive by the faithful
few who were left in the community
after reconstruction days, aad the fact
that it was kept alive during the last
ten years is due largely to the untir
ing faithfulness of one of the noble
women of the congregation, Miss Sal
lfe McCrorey. Mr. Shields during the
series of services gave the people fif
teen of his Interesting and powerful
sermons, and the whole community
felt the effect of these inspiring ad
dresses. Two splendid young ladies
were added to the communion of the
church by profession of faith and one
boy made a profession and will unite
with the Baptist church. This little
church has no resident officers, but
the ladies keep a good little Sunday
school going, Mrs. M. H. King being
the superintendent. The church has
regular preaching services, being serv
ed by Candidate W. B. Clemmons, of
Columbus, Ga.
KENTUCKY.
Louisville Seminary: Examinations
closed the 20th of January, and the
second half of the session of 1916-17
began Tuesday, January 23. The two
post-graduate classes begin work on
that date, each taking up an impor-^
tant and timely subject, ^fofessor
Cotton, of the School ' /old Testa
ment Exegesis, will give a course in
"Messianic Prophecy" (or, at option
of the class, a course in Christian So
ciology), and Professor Dosker, of
the School .of Church History, will
take for study and discussion "The
Reformation in Its General Aspects."
This will fit in with the celebration
of 1917 as the four hundredth anni
versary of the Reformation. These
classes, which will continue until the
1st of April, are open to all who wish
to take them. They are scheduled
from 10 to 12 on Tuosday of each
week at the Seminary.
Louisville is being congratulated on
securing the tenth Congress of the
World'B Purity Federation, which
will hold its session in this city No
vember 8 to 16, 1917, with about 3,500
delegates in attendance, and a num
ber of the foremost social workers in
the world on the program through
these nine days. The new City Audi
torium, to be located one block east
of the Seminary, will be finished in
time for these meetings.
Blooinfleld Church, Presbytery.
Louisville: A class of young ladies in
our* Sabbath-school have undertaken
the "support of a young lady in Lee's
Collegiate Institute at Jackson. She
is a mountain girl who is studying to
secure a Christian education. Our
young ladies remembered her Christ
mas with Individual tokens of their
love and interest and received from
her a letter full of love and gratitude.
She seems to be a young girl of unu
sual promise. It is earnestly hoped
other classes in other schools will
adopt this practical method of helping
to improve the educational advantages
now offered to the young people of
the Appalachian mountains.
MISSISSIPPI.
Oxford: At a called meeting of
North Mississippi Presbytery, held In
the First Presbyterian church of Ox
ford on January 12, Rev. J. A. Chris
tian was received from the Presby
tery of Norfolk. A call from the Ox
ford First church was placed in his
hands and a commission appointed
to install him on Sunday, January 14.
Rev. H. M. Perking was, at his own
request, granted a letter of dismis
sion to the Presbytery of Mobile.
Rev. J. Marion Stafford was received
from the Presbytery of Florida. He
Is at present engaged In pastoral work
at Sardis, Miss., supplying that church
and others near by. Cor.
MISSOURI.
Farmington: Rev. R. S. Boyd en
tered upon his work as pastor of this
church the first Sabbath in January.
He has been cordially received by the
people of his church and has made an
exceedingly favorable impression upon
them as well as upon the people of
the town.
Palmyra: Recently in a meeting at
Shiloh Presbyterian church (U. S. A.),
four miles from Paris, Mo., Rev. T. M.
Barber assisted Dr. C. F. Richmond
in a twelve days' meeting. There were
seven professions and six additions,
three coming from the Disciples.
NORTH CAROLINA.
Raleigh: The Presbyterian church
in this city has taken another forward
step in placing a minister for all his
time In the western part of the city.
Among the other duties of this assist
ant pastor will be the oversight of the
Presbyterian students at the A. & M.
Collego. Mr. Edward S. Currin, of
the senior class at Union Seminary,
has been called to this important po
sition, and has, after mature delib
eration, accepted the call. It is
greatly gratifying to the church In
Raleigh that he has seen the way clear
to accept this call. This all-Important
work Is mado possible by the Van
Guard class of men, taught by Mr. E.
B. Crow, this class by itself assuming
the support of this college pastor.
This will be good tidings to parents
having sons as students In this Insti
tution.
OKLAHOMA.
Oklahoma City, People's Church:
Again the Sunday-school celebrated
our King's birthday with a "White
Christmas," using the gifts to min
ister in his nam? to eight or ten needy
families. The "Holy City" was sung
by two young ladies, while sixteen or
eighteen others, all in white, on a
white platform with white hack
ground, silently made the gestures.
The closing of the pagent "White
Gifts" was a very impressive scene.
The same young ladies knelt around a
wooden cross covered with white cot
ton and bearing in gilt letters "Self,"
"Service," "Substance," and sang
"Take my life and let It be conse
crated, Lord, to thee."
The last night of the year brought
joy on earth and "in the presence of
the angels of God" because a father,
a mother and a twenty-one-year-old
young man (all different families) ac
cepted Jesus Christ, and twenty or
more reconsecrated themselves to
his service for 1917. All of the three
(and another mother) have been re
ceived into our church. An unusual
instrument in God's hand for the win
ning of the father was his two-year
old son, who, two or three weeks be
fore, after his own prayer, had seemed
for the first time to notice that his
father had gotten into bed without
praying. Nothing would satisfy the
boy until the father had gotten out
of bed, down on his knees and re
peated after the boy the familiar
"Now I lay me down to sleep." Family
prayers are now a part of the daily
life of that home.
The offering for the Endowment
Fund of Ministerial Relief was $21.50,
o! which 50 cents were pledged by a
newsboy (the full amount has since
been paid), whose meagre earnings
had often been required to supply
what the father (through love of
drink) had failed to provide. This
was the father who afterwards sur
rendered to Jesus the last Sunday of
the year. J. S. J.
SOUTH CAROLINA.
Enoree Presbytery: At a called
meeting in Greenville, S. C., January
16, 1917, Rev. H. Kerr Taylor was
received by certificate from Ebenezer
Presbytery and he was clothed with
evangelistic powers for missionary
work in China. Mr. Taylor is a son
of Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Taylor, who
are members of the First church of
Greenville, and he and his wife will
sail at an early day for China.
Spartanburg, First: Rev. A. D. P.
Gilmour, D. D., was installed pastor
of this church In the presence of a
large congregation on Sabbath, Janu
ary 14. Rev. Dr. R. P. Pell, presi
dent of Converse College, presided,
propounded the constitutional ques
tions, and, In the absence of Rev. Asa
D. Watkins, who had been appointed
to take this part, charged the pastor.
Rev. Dr. John S. Watkins, pastor
emeritus, preached the sermon, and
Rev. Dr. Thomas H. Law, also a
former pastor, delivered the charge to
the people. Dr. Gilmour has received
a most hearty welcome .at Spartan
burg among all classes, and the new
pastorate starts off most auspiciously.
The full payment of a long standing
debt was announced to the congrega
tion before the installation services
began. The officers of the church
have resolved to make a thorough
going every member canvass in March
and to adopt fully the Assembly's
plan of systematic beneficence with the
beginning of the next ecclesiastical
year.
A deacone' conference Is to be held,
by order of Enoree Presbytery, In this
church, convening at 8 P. M. Feb
ruary 12 and adjourning the next af
ternoon,' the 13th. The Rev. Dr. John
I. Armstrong, of Nashville, will serve
as conference leader. Free entertain
ment will be provided for those at
tending.
Second: Rev. Asa D. Watkins, pas
tor of this church, 1b in a sanitarium
at Asheville, where he is being treated
for some trouble of his throat. Local
ministers are supplying his pulpit In
his absence.
TENNESSEE.
Nashville, First: At the commun
ion service on Sunday, January 14,
forty-four new members were welcom
ed into the fellowship of the church.
In connection with this service, six
teen new officers wore ordained and in
stalled, as follows: Messrs. Charles S.
Caldwell, Chauncey C. Foster, Wil
liam Simpson and Dr. Edsel A. Ruddl
man as elders, and Messrs. Nathan
Crockett, Leland Hume, J. Vaulx
Crockett, Hunter Davis, Smith Teni
son, Lee Cantrell, W. S. McKitrick,
Joseph Owen Hendley, Julius Hanna,
Wendel McFadden, Henry C. Hibbs
and Morton B. Adams as deacons.
Messrs. George M. White and Thomas
P. Kennedy, also elected elders, felt
that they should remain for the pres
ent on the Board of Deacons and de
clined ordination as elders. The
church now has an official board of
fifty-two men ? twenty elders and
thirty-two deacons.
Nashville, West Side: On Sunday,
December 24, the Sunday-school and
church united in the "White Gifts"
service and rendered a very interest
ing program. Our Sunday-school
treasurer had the pleasure of remit
ting $15 to Mr. Stites for the Endow
ment Fund.
Just before Christmas the men in
our choir had a railing erected
around the platform and stretched a
curtain along It. Our choir now num
bers seventeen members.
On January 8, Rev. A. P. Gregory
came to us and had a week of ser
vices, ending in the communion ser
vice on January 14. On that occa
sion we received ten members into
the church ? six of them by letter and
four by profession. Two of the last
were baptized. This brings our church
roll up to 124. God has been with us
and we feel His power in our midst.
It is all His work. N. A. E.
TEXAS.
Crockett: Having served this
church as pastor for fifty-six years, I
begin the new year with the encour
agement that our church is free of
debt. There have been good contri
butions to all the Assembly's causes.
The Ladles' Missionary Society, the
Aid Society, the Young Girls' Society
and the Sabbath-school have all done
a good work the past year. The dea
cons have managed the finances of the
church well. The pastor's salary has
all been paid, and besides a nice
Christmas purse made up for the pas
tor, and one also for his wife. We
are greatly needing the showers of a
great spiritual revival that we desire
to see. S. F. Tenney.
Dallas: Rev. A. B. Carero has gone
to New York City to become the pas
tor of the Spanish Evangelical church.
Somorvillo: This Sabbath-school has
been observing the "White Gifts for
the King" as its Christmas service for
the past three years. Interest has
grown every year in this ideal man
ner of celebrating the King's birth
day, and we would feel that we were
taking a great step backward should
we return to the old method of the
Christmas tree. This year the ser
vice throughout was far more com
plete and beautiful han ever before.
The very appropriate decorations
added a large part to the occasion.
There was a unity and deflniteness of
purpose in every part of the service,
which culminated at the close with
the offering, on the part of practi
cally all present, of self, service ?nd
substance. Fifty dollars was the cash
offering, together with toys, etc.,
which were distributed to the poor.
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