Daily Republican., 1879-03-20
METhODISM.
Rise and PreEress Of MethOdism in
New Castle.

Rise and PreEress Of Mofhodism 1
New Castle.
From the first issue Of the Daily Coz
ference "Worker" We clip the follow
|ing sketoL of. the rise and progress +.
MShodisfi IN New Castle:
In the year Of 1917 there were bu
three Methodist families in New Castl
and the spirituality of the society wa
at a very low ebb. During the thre
years following, there seems to hav'
been considerable increase both as re
CARDS the number of members and the eli
desire to have more permanent abod,
for worship, and on the first day of July
in the year 1920, at special meeting
held at the house of Thomas Mccall
mont, it was unanimously agreed upor
to purchase lot Of ground and build
a house Tor the worship Of God. At this
meeting there were present Thos. Nc
Calmont, J. Rushing, Noah Morris John
Hayes, Thos. Marshall, Thos. Challen
ger, Jos. Smith and Jas. Wilson.
The committee appointed for the Sc.
curing of an eligible lot, reported at |
subsequent meeting held in the month
Of August following, that ground coult
be procured Of Richard Sexton on thu
west side OF the town near the site o
the present church, for $3.50, which wa
finally purchased and deed procured 70
the same. Immediate action was takel
for the erection of a church which wa
completed during the year following
1921. This first church was called
Nazareth.
During the year Of 1924, a disastrous
fire swept the entire lower half of tn.
town, and, as many OF the sufferers by
the fire were contributors to the new
church, it was at one time endangered
by the hands Of the sheriff, but by q
strenuous effort the sum of $l50 was
raised, which relieved it from its EN-
barrassment. At that day this amount
was thought a considerable item in the
way of successful church fnanei ering
What striking contrast is this with
the Indebtedness of some churches of to.
day. The floor of the new church was
laid with yellow pine boards planed
with square joints, and the rafters and
gallery were of hemlock.
In the year Of 1868 thu membership
had grown to such an extent that the
church was considered too small and
insufficient to accommodate the congre-
CATION, and movement was put on foot
for the raising Of sufficient funds for its
remodeling and enlarging, but this was
finally deemed impracticable, owing to
the imperfect state Of the walls and
various other reasons. After protract-
ed discussion upon the subject it was
decided to build a new church which
was, after much hard labor and self.
sacrificing, finally accomplished, and
which to-day stands as a monument of
Methodism in New Castle. During the
pastorats Of Rev. J. B. Mann, in 1875
II the present building was much i'm
proved by the addition of very neat
and comfortable Sunday school room at
the rear end.
The first appearance of New Castle as
an appointment, in the General Min.
utes, was in 1921 in connection with
Wilmington. Thus: 1921 Wilmington
and New Castle, Rev. Lawrence Law
renson, pastor. In the year following
it appears in connection with Newport
with Rev. Ezekiel Cooper as pastor.
During the nine years following the
pastors we're as follows: In 1928 Henry
G. King; 1924 Jos. Rushing; 1885 Ed
ward Page, and Jos. Goforth as super
numerary; 1927 S. Sharp, J. B. Ayres,
1928 S. Sharp, VIM. Cooper; 1929 Thos.
Miller, VIM. Rider; 1880 VIM. Rider,
=. D. Jones; 1881 VIM. Talbsrt and
Jas. Nichols. Owing to some difficulty
in finding the old records we have been
unable to btain sufficient information
concerning the after appointments.