Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-01-02

THE CHURCHES.

THE CHURCHES.
CHRISTMAS IN THE CONGREGATIONS
ANNUAL STATEMENT OF THE CHURCH
Es.-THEIR GRowTH.-RECEIPTs AND
DISBURSEMENTS. = THE CHRISTMAS
TREES FOR THE CHILDREN.
&C., &C., sc.
We give below an interesting statement
of the churches for the past year with some
accounts of the observation of Christmas:
THE BAPTIST CHURCH.
At the beginning of the year, Rev. Geo..
B. Taylor, who had been Pastor for a num-
Der of years, was in charge of the Church.
by the Church, in accordance with the
request of the Central Committee, to pro-
secute the Memorial work which was en-
!. gaging the interest of the Baptist Of the
State. During his absence in this work,
the pulpit was supplied by Rev. J. F. Dean,
discharging his duties with acceptance and
success. Early in April, the Foreign Mis-
sion Board at Richmond appointed Dr.
Taylor general superintendent OF Baptist
Missions in Italy. AS he felt it to be his
duty to accept this charge, his resignation
as Pastor of the Church was presented !;
and, his resolution being fully taken, the
Church had no alternative but to &C
quiesce in his decision. To his new field
of labor, he has carried with him the ar
dent wishes and prayers not only of the
Baptist congregation but of our citizens
generally.
From July to October the Church was
without regular pastoral service. Rev.
Charles Manly, the present pastor, reached
this city on the 10th of October, and enter
ed Immediately on his labors. A meeting
of considerable interest has been in pro-
gress for month, resulting already in the
addition of several members.
During the year there have been added
to the Church, by baptism, IA by letter,
ID by restoration, 1; there have been
lost. by letter, II; by exclusion, 2; by
death. 2. The present number of members
is two, hundred and ninety-one.
The ex penditures have been as follows
Salaries. :s12Oo.Oo; Current expenses,
$3.50 90: Repairs, Baptistery, &C., $4,000.
Contributions to the Memorial Fund are
ss.125.Oo to Lexington church, SlS2;ol;
to Rome Mission, $685.; to Missions,
$237.O4. Total, $5,524.9O.
In the Sunday School there "a officers
and teachers and 125 scholars.
PRESBYTERIAN.
At the PRESBYTERIAN Church Sunday, the
closing Sabbath of the year, Rev. VIM. e.
Baker, the Pastor, preached asermon from
the text $50 likewise ye, when ye shall
haze done all these things which are COM
vmanded, you say we are Improbable ser
wants. we have done that which was our
dirty to do.o In the discourse he took oc-
casion to give some interesting statistics
a.out The affairs of the church. In the
last, 1e wears. asa have been received into
the membership, and Of this number only
six or seven persons have failed to honor
their profession by a consistent life. Ihere
are about 50 of the members OF sixteen
wears ago who are still in the congregation.
During the year 1873 there were 70 persons
admitted. 10 by certificate and 81 by pro-
fession Of faith, of whom 3S joined from
the Seminary and 80 from the remainder
of the congregation. There were more ad-
ditions to the church in III and also ln ~,
than in any of the 262 churches OF the viz
einia SYNOD, There are 1876 pews rented.
THE income of the church for the past year
WAS So. O91, 10, and the expenditures tor the
church support $2,034, "a leaving balance
Of At .O56. Besides this, IA collections have
realized $64S for other objects, and the
Sabbath School has contributed to Denevo-
Hent objects, and the church building S2oo.
The ladies' Bible Society have contributed
1898. the ladies' Sewing Or Aid Society
ss1 OOO and the children's Society $780,
sThe Treasurer ef the Building Committee
had received from subscriptions l,3oO, SO |
that there has been appropriated IN the
wear an aggregate of $500, and there IS
still 81 900 due the church fron solvent
subscribers.
At St. Francis (Catholie) CHURCH the
Christmas evergreen decorations by the
Young ladies and gentlemen of the congre-
cation, were very pretty. The walls were
adorned with wreaths, and above the altar
was large circle enclosing cross, Whlle
the statue Of the virgin and child was over
hung with tent Of lace, fringed with gold
l,ullion and fiecked with red and white
flowers. On the right of the altar the
painting of the Sacred Heart OF Jesus,
was hung with lace and adorned with white
and seaatet flowers. The music on Christ
mas day was very fine, rendered under the
leadership of Prof. Richard. On Sunday
last, it being the day fixed by Bishop Glib
hons for the conservation of all the church.
es in the Diocese of Virginia to the Sacred
Heart. Father McVerry preached ser
mon appropriate to the occasion. He gave
an interesting history of the institution OF
the devotion to the Sacred Heart. Though
il had been mentioned by st. Bernard in
the 18th century, and by writers as far
back as the 4th century, it was pot proml-
ment in the church until the 18th century,
when the Saviour appeared to a nun of the
Order of Visitation in the night, showing
her his heart wounded by the GOODNESS and
sins of those he had died for. The devo-
tion was instituted then, and has been OBJ
served ever since in Europe but not 80 gen