Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-04-26
LANCASTER. WISCONSIN, THURSDAY. APRIL

and another on the Prairie, thus hay.
ing two points as nucleus around
which many more wanderers might
be gathered into the fold of the Good
Shepherd. So the following year were
constructed and completed two houses
of worship; that in Bloomington dedi-
Gated 4 igust oath, and that on the
Prairie the 18th of October following
No prophetic eye could pierce the veil
of the future destiny of these Western
communities, else the church could
have acted with de6niteness as to the
wisdom of this movement, but it full :
filed one command Of God -"Enlarge
the place of thy tent and stretch forth
the curtains of thy habitation; length.
en- thy cords aud strengthen til y
stakes" During the last winter it
might almost claim the promise fol-
lowing the command. -"For thou
shalt look forth on the right hand and
on the left and thy seed shall inherit
the Gentiles and make the desolate
places to be inhabited. lisa. "a: 2.
In 1878 Rev Charles Wiley came
from the Granite State to try a ne
field Of labor on the Praries of the
West. Mr.. Wiley was a faithful
pastor and during two years there
were twenty received into the church,
when it first attained resident
membership of one hundred. There
have been, since the organization of
the church, two hundred and eighty
nine different names recorded as men,
bers. We trust they were also written
in the Lambs Book of Life. And to
the many that hath passed within the
veil it hath been said, "Blessed are
the dead who died in the Lord" Rev.
IA: Is.
There have also been seventy one
children dedicated to God in Baptism,
and many of them have in their ma
turer years verified the promise of q
covenant keeping God.
The first Sabbath in November, rs,
Rev. Smith Norton occupied the pull
pet of the two churches, land the week
following Rev. Ira Tracy, former pas
tor of the church, entered into that
"rest prepared for the people of God"
He was the first of the nine pastors
who have been called ''to give an ac-
count of their stewardship. Yon
are all too familiar with the record of
Mr.. Tracy, both as your pastor and
one among us, to need any words of
mine to bring it before you. Like
Enoch che walked with God and was
not for God took him." Rev. Mr..
Norton was with us only six months,
but the work done for the master and
the good accomplished cannot be
measured this side of eternity, but the
visible fruits of the combined efforts
of the resident pastor assisted by Rev.
Mr.. Clapp was the admi sion of ten
members to the church NJ. Norton
left us in May with kind feelings to-
ward US as people, while we cherish
in grateful remembrance his labors
for us in the Lord.
In June, '76, our present pastor,
Rev. r. L. Cheney, came to US and in
October following was ordained TO
the ministry. Truly God has blessed
his labors as many can testify. Near
ly thirty (29) have been added to the
church while the death angel has re-
moved but one from our number
H. Garside, Senior, Deacon, at whose
house this church was organized,
passed from this to the better land in
October, 1876, leaving the record of
life well spent 10 the service Of the
Lord. Could he send back from the
Spirit-land a message to US on this
anniversary day methinks it would
be.
Go labor on-enough while here
The Master praise thee-lf lie deign,
Thy willing heart to mark and cheer,
No toll for Him shall be in vain"
In speaking of what has been done
for lis as a church | will not omit
what we have done for others. Dur
ing ten years we have contributed for
benevolent objects outside our own
church including Home and Foreign
Missions, So, 165.42; ministers salaries
aside from aid 1880; building church
edifces and furnishing and procuring
bell for one, $4,000 Making a total
of $1l.975.42
And now on this anniversary DAY
let us examine ourselves and see if,
like Ananias and Sapphire, we have
except back part Of the price" If
so let us as a church resolve in the
years to come, to more perfectly full
fill The command given to Gods
ancient people, Bring we all the
tlthes into the storehouse, that there
may be meat in mine house, and prove
me now herewith saith the Lord of
hosts, if will not open you the win
dows of heaven, and pour you out
blessing that there shall not be room
enough to receive it."-Malachi $40.
THE FUTURE OF TUE cHURoH-BY REV.
p. s.. CHENEY.
1t has seemed to me both proper
and fitting, before we close the exer-
cises of the day, to withdraw our
gaze from the past and to cast it for
few moments upon tie future
We have been listening to the
"voices of the past" We have fol-
lowed the church from its small be-
ginnings down TO the present time.
We have seen how Gods Jlessing
has attended it through all its histo-
ry. What has be in store for US in
the future is question that natur-
ally forces itself upon our attention.
There are some things connected
with the past that indicate contin-
ued prosperity. There has been a
steady increase in the number of
those who have come into the
church on profession of faith.
In looking over the church records
[ find the number thus joining. the
first ten years WAS tbirty-fVei the
next Ton years Atty, and the last ten
years eighty.one. Fifty siy have
joined the lsst Eve years. Daring
| thasa vaars Of aoursa noanv nnited