Sharp County record., 1878-01-25
TIE CHURCH.DEBT RAISER.
A Man who Persuades Unwarned Con-
gregations to Suddenly Pay What They
Owe-His Account of His Peculiar Reii'
giOus Work.

A Man who Persuades Unwarned CON
gregations to Suddenly Pay What They
Owe-His Account of His Peculiar Reii-
giOus Work.
From the New York sun.
"No, [ have never before talked to a
newspaper man, for do not desire to
come prominently before the public, >"
said Mr.. Edward Kimball to reporter
for the San. Mr.. Kimball is the man
who has been teaching congregations
how to pay church debts, and whose
success in the Rev. DR.. RobinsOn's
church, in this city, was described in
the Sun last week He is over six feet
in height, with full beard and mus
tache, which, as we'll as his hair, are
tinged with gray. He speaks in a low
voice and very slowly, except when he
talks on his favorite subject of church
debts. Then his face lights up and he
becomes eloquent. In his own words,
the history Of his undertaking is as fol-
lows
81 am not a minister, though l have
frequently occupied pulpits as q lay
preacher. | am the travelling agent OF
a Chicago firm, and man OF very mod
crate means. Three years ago l first
visited the Pacific coast. At the second
visit l became very much interested in
little mission church that was embar-
rassed with debt, without pastor, and
on the brink of ruin. 1t is the West
minister Presbyterian Church of San
Francisco. I worked there Sundays
and at evening prayer-meetings, and we
were blessed with such q revival that
many new members were added to the
church, they were enabled to call and
pay pastor, and their prospects were
materially frightened. Over year ago
again visited San Francisco, and found
the church still comparatively prosper
Gus. but burdened with a debt of SO 800.
At this time became interested in the
Third Congregational Church Of
that city, and again we
had a blessed revival The pastors
of these churches were encouraged by
what had been done, but they felt deeply
the debts with which their churches
were burdened, and which seriously en-
barrassed them. This set me thinking,
and prayed that some method might
be shown me by which could eXtricate
these struggling churches from their
difficulties. | concentrated upon this
subject all my business knowledge and
my knowledge of men and things. FSnal-
ly hit upon the plan chat l have siace
adopted. 1t was Saturday, and that
very evening I called upon Mr.. Baker,
the Pastor of the Third Congregational
Church, and said to him, 'TO-mOrrOW,
with Gods help, I mean to clear away
the cloud of debt that hangs over your
church.. He didn't seem to understand
me, and had to repeat it. You can't
do it., he said. When I explained
what | meant to do, wye
have ali we can do to pay the interest
of our debt, let alone the principal.
What with the depressed business and
the panic and a broken stock market, it
can't be done / said to him, Well,
Mr. Baker, if you think | am going to
fail in what have undertaken, you give
up your pulpit to me, and 90 yourself
over to Oakland and fill the vacant pull
pit at the Point tomorrow morning
He promised to do so.
1.-The next morning | went to that
church, determined that before | left it
it should be free from debt. As the
trustees and deacOns came in I told
them what | proposed to do. They were
aghast, and begged and implored me
not to undertake it. we aren't pre-
pared, said one. Let us talk it over,
said another, and 1T can't be done, was
echoed on all sides l said to them: 1t
is now II O'Clock; you watch that clock,
and when its hands point to half-past Y
your church shall be free from debt
Then / went into the pulpit and began
the service. When it came time for the
sermon 1 said to the people, instead of
hearing a sermon from the pulpit you
are to preach the sermon of this morn
ing, and it is to be an effective protest
against debt You say that you have
heard too much about the church fin
ances from this pulpit, and that relig-
ion and money have become too much
mixed. Well, | propose this morning
to divorce them forever, so far
as this church is concerned. Now,
Mr.. Johnson, will you come to
the front, and, with this pencil
and paper, keep a record of the sub
scriptions as they are offered" Brother
Johnson came, but he looked very much
surprised. I then told them that [
wanted nine persons to subscribe 5000
each, and that | would be the tenth.
The offers came in rather slowly at first,
but pretty soon the people began to be-
come interested, generous rivalry was
excited among them, and before they
knew it 81, 800 were subscribed. Then
began on 800 subscriptions, and from
that went down to smaller sums. The