Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-04-23
THE A OF RELIGION.
Churches of Cleveland Conference
Reports of Observation-Disclosures from
the Semi-AnnuaI Report Ofthe Com
ference.

the State of Religion in the Churches be-
longing the Cleveland Conference prepared
by Rev. Henry Cowles of Oberlin as a re-
port to the State Conference.
The ~semi-annual report from the churches
of Cleveland Conference, presented on the
18th inst, embraced many facts of general
interest.
The church in Brighton rev. E. B. Stiles,
PASTOR reports progress and a growing
strength.
The First Church, Cleveland, REV. J. A.
Thome, Pastor,) enrolls in its Sabbath
School 232 pupils, with an average attend
ance of IS0-oficers and teachers, IS two
Bible classes embrace 80 the infant school
from so to 20. Almost the whole OF the
classes in the Sabbath School a express
ed more or less hope of conversion. This
remark embraces some Of the younger pu-
pills. Several extra prayer meetings have
been well sustained weekly since the year
commenced, especially among the young
people and young converts.
The Plymouth Church, Cleveland, reports
a fourishing Sabbath School, with an aver
age attendance of fully 300, embracing the
children of many families not connected
with either the church or the congregation.
MANY Young men nave come into the Bible
classes who study the Scriptures with great
interest and profit. Some of the teachers in
the school have made earnest professional
efforts for the conversion of their pupils
with most encouraging success. AT least
twenty give pleasing evidence of CONVEX
| sion. Twenty have been added to the
church and more are expected. Extra reli-
gious meetings commenced with the work
Of prayer, the precious SAVIOR of which yet
abides. Benevolent contributions, lnclud-
| ingthe support of the gospel among our
selves, amount to SlS00,00. This amount
includes for the American Missionary Asso-
citation S3S0,00; for the Congregational
Union $4,000 and for the American Mis-
sionary $4,000.
The church on University Heights reports
an increase in the number and attendance
/ of prayer meetings; growth of Sabbath
congregation ; the completion of their base
| ment room, forty feet square, which they
now fill and crowd with their Sabbath con-
gregation. They have q Sabbath School OF
| $40 in which the presence of the Divine
spirit has been manifested. The school IS
made up largely of German children and
youths. The Institute, conducted by RI.
| Humaston, furnishes many excellent teach
ers. 1t is thought that at least fifty give
| good evidence Of conversion, besides many
hopeful cases among the children. In the
Institute every young lady and most OF the
young men are hopefully on the Lords side.
As regards temperance Mr.. Humaston
said: think the great want is action.
/ When l found that the sellers Of strong
drink were ensnaring and poisoning my
pupils, I gave them due notice of a fight if
thew did not desist. We had had a good
strong committee of wealthy men to prose
cute dramsellers under the law against sell
ing to minors, but this was not enough.
Perhaps they were too rich-had too much
property exposed. So l took the matter IN
my own hands, gave them notice that =!
should keep my buildings well insured and
should try the power of civil law IN ONO.
We have conquered.
Mount Zion Church Rev. 4. G.. Beman)
is formed by q Union of three congrega-
tions-most of them were Methodlsts or
Baptists, but find their views fully rent
under the freedom of the congregational
| policy. They nave only a hall for their re-
iigious worship, and this on Sabbaths only
hence, they need a house of their own ex-
ceedingly. The spirit of the Lord has been
shed forth upou their church and people,
greatly blessing them in their personal Ell
forts for the salvation of their friends. On
the first Sabbath in March forty were re-
ceived to the church, more than doubling
their number. 1t was day of spiritual
~fervor; many strong men bowed their
hC&AS " ~ man PoASAS 49,
dear children, sitting with them, for the
first time, at the table of the Lord. Our
church rejoice in every judicious effort for
temperance, for intemperance and slavery
ave been to our race the upper ana the
neither milestone 10 grind US to powder.
Collamer reports q membership of from
eighty to one hundred, a sub-schOol of from
sixty to one hundred, adult Bible classes Tor
each sex. and interesting services iii the re-
mote districts. The village is, for the most
part, exempt from the curse of liquor-sellng
since the ladies, som four years ago, smash
ed up the groggeries. Strong desires have
been felt for the revival scenes, but no con
versions are reported.
At East Cleveland daily prayer meetings
commenced with the year and continued
several weeks with great interest. The
Sabbath congregation has doubled since
last fall. The Sabbath school has increas-
ed in numbers and in interest, rangingtrom
eighty to one hundred pupils! also, one
school, in a remote district, of sixty pupils,
and another of one hundred and forty.
| There are several cases of hopeful CONVEX
sion in our home school. The greater part
of the children have appeared to be SOL
EMMY impressed, and give some evidence
of conversion. Tw~enty-three have united
with the church, and it is thought that at
least fifty give good evidence of being con-
verified, besides the cases of young children.
Still the interest continues scarcely abated.
The Lagrange Congregational church
is feeble, and has not tor many years en-
loved the services of a resident pastor. The
Sabbath school is our most hopeful work.
The Laporte church is small, with only &
small sub-school of twenty, there being but
few children in the families Of our congre-
CATION. We have but one sermon each Sab
bath.
At North Ridgeville the place has been
| exceedingly dark and disheartening. Of
ninety families on the main Ridge Road,
through our township, not more than one
in four ever attend worship on the Sabbath.
The time has been when they drove q COW
into the house Of God and exalted her upon
the Bibl7. and shut in q flock Of geese over
night, to make it unfit for worship the next
day but those days are past. the children
of those people are, many OF them, serious
attendants; and ever their fathers appear
pleased to have the minister remain and
their children sustain religious worship.
Rev, NJ Bosworth, Pastor, has been there
three wears, began with a church o~ftwenty-
five, the last year received fifteen, and finds
great announcement in his Sabbath school
and among the young.
At Oberlin FIRST church,, there has been
one hundred and thirty-four additions to
the church within the past year but even
this does not measure the hopeful conver-
sions, since many of these students leave
us before making any public profession.
Four hundred students in the Commercial
Institute have but a short course and are
| soon gone but a considerable number of
them have given evidence of conversion.
The Second Church reports three hundred
members. The admissions during the year
were s~eventy-less than half by profession.
The Union Sabbath school numbers six
h~undred-about two-thirds from the first
church and one-third from the second.
Twenty-Five mission Sabbath schools are
sustained during the season of comfortable
travel, within a radius of from two and a.
half to ten nSiles. By vigorous efforts the
sale of intoxicating drinks is suppressed, or
rather restricted 70 those who bring an or
der from a physician. A constant religious
interest has continued through the fall,
winter and spring, thus far, not affecting
the whole body of the students, but q very
| considerable number.
0lmstead Falls church is feeble, andlager
beer shops are plenty.
Penfefd church has sixty members
scarcely increasing at all. The pastor is in
feeble health.
Pittsfeld church is small. Preaching on
the Sabbath, but no resident pastor.
Rawsonville church is small, but growing.
A recent addition of twenty brings up the
number to forty. The Sabbath school is
very useful, embracing the children of