The New York herald., 1878-10-06
THE BAPTISTS.

THE BAPTISTS.
NEW YORK AND LONG ISLAND BAPTIsTs-TuE
STATE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OF THE DENoAf-
NATION IN THIS VICINITY.
During the current month the Baptist associations
in different parts OF State will meet their
gatherings The Southern New York Association,
which all the churches aud ministers OF the
Baptist faith close communion) IN this city, together
with few OF both outside, will hold lis session here
next Tuesday, In Calvary Church. Tho Long Island
Association, which, its title implies, includes all tho
"regular Baptist churches tho island, will meet in
the First Church, Brooklyn, Z. D., week. Thcn
waek following State Missionary Convention, CON-
posed delegates from associations and churches
thus affiliated, but In sympathy with It's work, and
rcprese entaiives from ministerial bodies will hold ts
annual session IN BinghAmton, begnning October %
and continuing two days.
Al the assoeiational gatherings reports from the
local churches are gwen and measures taken to
strengthen weak socistes ana organize missions
neglected districts Tho progress OF the denomina-
tion not only in the association but also in the State
reported, and the history OF at loast church Is
prepared for publication In this way much valuable
historical material OF the churches is saved to the de-
nomination; fer in few years at most the men who
familiar with tho early history OF all the churches
city win have disappeared and with them this
knowledge.
LONG AND SHORT PAs1oRArEs
The oldest Baptist pastor In the southern New York
Association Is DR.. William r. Williams, of the Amity
Church, Of West Fttyiourtn street, but formerly
OF Amity street, whence II received its name. Dr.
Williams is closing tho for.y-ssvsnta year Of mis-
paslorate. Dr.. Hodge, pastor OF the First
Mariners Church In Oliver street, stands next
TO Or. Williams In point OF pastoral SER
vice. bat with intermissions In his
present charge His passorats runs over forty years.
In the carly summer Dr. Armitage commemorassd
tine thirteth anniversary OF his installation pastor
OF the Fifth Avenue Baptist Church. Alter him in
length Of psstorate ranks the Rev. William Spslman
OF the Abyssinian Church, t~cnty-four years; then
Rev. Charles GayeT, lately deceased, who had gwen
more than twenty years ot faithful labor The Ger
man Church OF Morrisana. Tho Rev. Or. Thomas u.
Anderson, OF the First Church. s peting the
cnteeuth year OF uls pasorate, and tue Rev. Charles
q. Nor the fifteenth oil his the Central Park
Church. the Rev. Charles Graham been nearly
eleven years with Zion Church. and Dr. J. s Holmes
gave years Trinity BAptlst Church, when no
sgaed OF the other Baptst pastors IN the city
tho association one, Rev. }. Brownsr has been ten
With tho North Church. which his alnsr served
Tor u generation before him and where the son
brought up. Another, DR.. +. Elder, has been nine
that society worshps stateaiy IN Fifty
third Street Church. Alter ioag and biIter legal
sSos sSa,sn r.fsn.a S p1opey sus ~.
great body Of a., members ham ana ~0rsappsrs MapIsas
Avenue Baptist churches to.day-ono on the avenue
and another In street low blocks away. Both
claim the title as theirs, and hence their places OF
worship must be described. The church that nods
the properly Madison avenue has caliod pastor,
Rev. Dr. Brldgemsn, OF Albany, during the associa-
tional year, and probable will apply ior admIs
sion the association nj its approaching session.
Three Of the churches OF tho ass0ciation--namey,
Harlem, Rev. Haissy Moore, aad The PARK Churen.
Port Richm mond, s. l., Rev. 5. g. Smth-haye had
Their present pastors nearly eight years, The Rev.
4, rhniao Nd nj the Eirst e m
Church OF this city Tor SIX years; hve pastors have
m,nistered 80 thsir present congregations each fvo
years; seventeen churches OF the association are
pasloess The have taken pastors during the
yssr There are hity.hve churches In the Southern
New York Association.
GROWTH or THE BAPTIsrs IN NEW York.
formerly ,ncoaed ia ,ne old Now York Baptist Asso-
ciationan organization that datcs bacS 70 1891, aud
whcu, at that time, cnbraced only seven churcnes
In subsequent yearst took the cnurcnes of Brook
Iyn other towns on Long lsisud, Staten Island,
the Hudson River towns ana countlcs OF New YORK
State and parts Of New Jersey Contiguous. Out OF
the territory thus covered for quarters OF
century half dozen more ASSOCIATIONS have bscn
organized, Of which the one which meets next Tues
DAY, and the Long Island, which assemblies next
week, the Hudson River aud couple Of New Jersey
associations :rs su. paris The s1a.nsrn a.o Nsw New
city, since winch period its grown has been
very remarkable Taking series Of Decades frcm
1900 the present this growth wall be the
moro noticeable. Al the date named there we're
IN .he old New York associations 10 churches
20, and the embers ,436; IN 1870 there was no
change In the number oi churches and but slight
Sur,nS this decade = srsat aaS,uaion had taken
place, shat the number OF cnurches rose ~ nigh
MS 80 and fell Is low as "A, ana the membership also
increased to 722 aud decroascd TO LILO La 1880
association recovered some OF It's lost GROUND and
al the annual session membership OF 3,0l5 was re-
ported, but no increase OF churchss Those an mum.
bcrsd 20. Tho association met mat year In Newark,
N. J. During ths next decade the haaaciai panic oi
1887 bad passed ever tho commercial community aud
trouble turned Toward God nnd HIS
Cnurch Heneo IN lS40, when the association mot at
bersh,p or lisa In 1850, however, Tue
number OF chorcnes had Deen reduced TO rs,
but the membership reported stosd 2. 4,saS.
churches haa Topped of In 1860 the association
In this CITY, when only rs cnurcnes rcpor,ed 56s5
ana ~ oh hurcnes reported a 252 members Il was ai
ths timc that the Southern Now York Association
set on ana after seven years, at ITS last mecung
IN this CITY, 81 onurcnss reported lS 500 members.
Al that session, however, the Fifty-tnird street
the mouth churches havo uniieu, and now numser
over 500 members. The property OF The fcrmer has
bcsu soid TO Tho Free Baplrss, and tho transaction
gives the united church Uank account vi $4,000, al
active pastor and promising field Of usefulness.
But Offset 10 these losses, SECOND Madison
Avenue Church has been organized, so that actual
loss OF churches Is only one. and tno members have
unitcd with other churches. There arc only 81 pas
association, there IL other ordained
ministers aud Is hccntiaies rho association susains
whole or In part. nlne misAion churcnss ~ cost
OF $4,000 . year but two Of those missions are
nearly sell ppori,nsths Laigu street Gu urcn Rev
H. W. Knapp, d. u, pastor, Iaising 70, ls1, snd sne
Second Mission Church, 10 Grand ana Allen strsets,
Rev. y Aimsn, pastor 81, ,92o Only sixteen churcnss
IN the association and nineteen sunday schools con-
ibuted TO tho support Of tho mtsssns, and yet the
best spiritual work OF tho dc DENOMINATION IN New YORK
is Done IN those missions Lsight stree. Mission,
which was about 10 be abandoned whom Dr. Knapp
took hold 0f H. now reports 306 members and con-
grcgation Of about 500. The Second Mission been
gathered up from tho raw material BY Mr. A man. aud
the membership 10 over 200 and the congregation
limited only by the capacity OF the hall, which holds
between iour and nvo nuBared. The association also
keeps Bible readers and vleors In the cid anu AID
disabled Minister'S and all IN at an aggregate cost OF
500, 900.
BAPrIsrs ISLAND.
The Long Island Biptist Association, which meets
next week Brooklyn E. D., was organized IN 1857
IL began msston work AZ once, and IN ten yeurs
had AIDED 23 churches TO the extent OF 1856 Sew
of hurches are now anu 10 have houses
Of worship secured Of the aggregate value OF $3.50 000
fhs membership OF those churches IN 1857 numbered
282, in 1917, ,254 and tncy had baptized gSl per-
sons during those tsn years. Those 20 churches
-~.~, ,..t.. llnt par,ad Iar ualsslon uork "A