, 1882-06-17
Lay,ng the Conversions.

Church occurred Wednesday evening AZ
the corner Of East Rose and North 'oi'iiie
streets. The lot is Z very handsome one
with splendid shade trees aud l1 iees sqaAfe
On 4 part OF 1t is located the parsonage 10
which the resident pastor. ID. J. fierce' Do"
resides. Upon the southwest eoroer Is 70 oe
sr,s,.5 The church. frame structure 5Z1f'.
An ell IKE. for the use OF the saooAlh
school, Is also projected in connection Win
the buiIding OF the usin church This con-
.rega,iou, not beng large but earnest IN TIC
work they have undertaken, have had u
overcome many difficulties to attain she"
,,-,-s-n- b.u.e;uI outlook, and that they par
tic,psted IN the ceremonies On ednesdsy
evening with thankful hearts, 10 one can
d,ubt They have almost $1,000 on hand
here 500 has been given them BY the VII
I.me.te association, 500 more gwen anu
500 loaned by the Baptist Home Missionary
Society. so that when completed there VIII
he but a small debt OF 500 on the chnreh.
Rev. Mr.. Pierce Is expecting ms plans anu
specifications every day, -. when these Al
riye. the contract will he let and the ouiic-
ing begun at once.
The ceremonies of Wednesday evening
yr.r, so timed n 10 make It convenient ior
members # the church en route 10 the meei-
,op Of the Association at Weston 10 be pres
eut and participate Among Others were
Rev. ;. L. Stearns, the pioneer Missionary
IN this region: Rev David Craven. OF Day
,on. Elder u. Z. Brooks, Of Huntsville
Rev Z p. Waltz, OF Baker City, Oregon
Rev. A. II. Boo,he, Of Dayton: Rev. l. II.
Saodderly. Of Alpowai; Rev. A. ID. Me-
Nicbsels. the sunday school and Bible MS
sionay oi the Home So;iety, and keT. u
" Clancy. Of WaIIa Walla- Rev d. D.
Pierce. pastor here, conducted An organ
was placed under the trees, near the corner
stone at which Professor Geddes presided
He Was assisted By number OF Ladies anu
gentlemen rs a Choir. After Singing by the
choir and Z PRAYER by Elder Mr.. Brooks,
Rev. Mr.. Stearns gave brief summary Of
the work of Mt. Pleasant association, to
which the chlrch belongs. Ii was organ
izsd IN 1865. In 1869 there were churches
aud I42 members IN this jurisdiction oi the
Association Ia 1873 there were iV churches
and 2,3 members In 1880 there We're !.
churches and SS2 members. Three Associa'
tons have Lranehed from tins - Grand
K,ul.. with churches aud ia members
lst ASSOCIATION Of IIaho, with . churches,
aud the Paiousr. with : chrrgGes and ita
members.
Rev. +. 7. Walt followed, Tecountlng the
trials and hariships OF the early pioneers oi
the H,ptis, church. lie found great encour-
a.rmrn, III the present growing condition OF
the church. Mr.. McMichael came here, he
said, many years ago, when Walla Walia
was a supply camp or depot for the mines
he had been ont III the back country, ami
Was surprised 20 tind So great number OF
people without the Bible. lie said that IL
localities fully ole fifth of the people did
not possess even a testament, and in the
b7cl. country really cne.half d the families
were without the word OF God. But he was
supplying them, and, he hoped, sowing seed
that woull Ipen INTO L great harvest by
and ny.
Rev. Slr. P.erce then read . part Of the
2Sth chapter Of ISAIAH After prayer by
Rev. Mr.. Clancy, Rev. Mr.. Pierce gave the
following history Of the church IN Walla
Wana:
The First Missionary Rap:ist Church OF
Walla Walla City Was organized May llth,
1919, Elder t. ". Clancy being chairman of
the meeting and Rev J. l. Bitch. ID. d..
beiGs, the resiien. missionary in the employ
OF the American Baptist Home Missionary
Soeirty. j. J. Stage was elected clerk.
The following is i full list a, the constituent
members Bro. ) L. Bitch, Sister NJ. X.
Bitch, Bro. j. j. Stage, Sister Celia A.
stage, Bro. Nineveh Ford, Sister Lucinda
Swezea, Sister Eoucena Warner. Bro. j.
Warner was baptized the same day. The
sall church WAS incorporated according to
Territorial law May 18th, 1880 The follow.
mg persons were elected truatrees H. II.
Hungute. Robert St0tt. J. NJ. Armstrong.
J. D. Swezea and y. v. Small. }. Il.
Winston clerk. u. J. Pierce pastor and
Sunday School superintendent. Thirty-fve
members have bren received to date, OF
whom oae has died, and seven have received
letters, leaving the present number twenty
seven. Tie SUNDAY School has averaged 10
scholars and collected SO 5i during its first
year. The present pastor, u. J. Pierce, ar
II, ed April 81, ISSi, and IN accordance with
instructions with the Oregon Boagd, Baptist
Convention Of the y 9Th Pacific Coast, en-
deavorei to Secure property and pledges for
4 house cf worship. September 81. 1881,
twu lutS aud Aousr On the corner of Rose
and Goiville streets were purchased for
SlC09 ~, I proportion OF which was raised
AMI three hundred paid, the rest being spent
IN Improvements. The Baptist Home Mis-
sionagy Society Plsdges SJG0 as a git. and
$500 as loan upon condition that the came
5e repaid whenever tho property ceases to be
held hy the BAPTIST Church Albert ".
h,naey. o: Salem. Oregon. promised $50
rwa years since, ana other gifts in the VIII
laUlette railey viii probably amount to $50
Subscriptions aud pledges amounting TO
Sl00 have been received III the vicinity,
and It IS hoped that yearly as much more
vii be given 70 BALANCE the gifts stated above
and build church without debt"
y; the conclusion 0: this, the TN box vas
placed IN the cavity Of thu corner stone. II
confirmed New Testament: History of
the church minutes ot the Baptist AssO
cation y. 7. C.; minutes Il the Mt. Pleas
ant Association inmates Of the Grand
E5nde Association; Baptist Beacop nm
utgs Of willamette Association Women's
Missionary Society minutes: Prospectus of
C,liax Ac ademy Articles OF Faith vari-
Gus publications of the Baptist Publishing
society: Daily and Weekly STATESMAN
and CaioH: weekly OrtgoEidN Rocky
Mountain BdpIist and manual of the Port.
land churches. Jas. Knott then laid the
m"F:ar, and the ministers. with uncovered
heads placed III. stone in POSITION. After
n a- L. -. -. u ~