Daily Republican., 1889-11-01
WILMINGTON MISSION.
ALMOST A LOST CHAPTER OF
CITY METHoDlsM.
A Sketch of Ten Years Struggle Be-
fore Wesley NJ. r. Church Was
&EzD Organized-who Took Part
In That struggle.

mission work In the city Of WHINING ton
OF which there was no reference during
the Asbury Centennial observauces. II
supply that lost chapter Is the purpo,e
Of this article. The Wilmington CITY
Mission work extended through the years
from 1873 to 1883. The mission first
rented the old Union Church, S coHd
street near Washington, where they had
a grand rally upon taking possession,
and Rev. e. stubbs preached to O
crowded house. A sabbath school was
organized by some Of the members OF
Grace Church with DIR. Z. shelp ss
superintendent and with q corps OF eff.
cient teachers.
An organization was effected of local
preachers, exhofters and members oil
church rs band OF mission workers,
and Charles Moore was elected presid lent.
They held meetings in the old Union
some two yeare, or until IL was soil.
After that they found new quarters In the
old Fame engine house.. Second strest,
between Sbipley and Orange strests,
opposite where the nfw Fame building
now stands. The Grace Church people
now gave up the Sabbath school to the
mission, and Thomas Houpt was elected d
superintendent. About this time the
association called Rev. Henry Sanderson
n, their pastor or leader, but the stay IN
the old engine house was brief. They
leased the cd No. Is school house on
SECOND street near Washington and this
became their headquarters for some ten
years. The frat fall and winter they
were here o great revival of religion
broke out and about enc hundred souls
we're converted. There being no regular
church organization, the converts were
advised to joiu the church of their choice,
when some Joined Unicn, some Asbury
and some other churches.
In 1876 the mission was organized into
a church by Presiiine Elder J. d .Quigg,
with Rev. Henry Sanderson as pastor,
under the name Of City Mission, with 6C
members and four Appointments, viz.
Second ard Washington, West Will
mingtop, McDowelyille, Mt. Cuba,
Auburn school house and afterward foi
a short time Kingswood. These appoint.
ments were arranged on general plan,
and number Of local preachers and ex-
horters were. appointed as assistants tc
the pastor in mission work. Rev. Henry
SaHderson was In charge OF the mission
from 1875 to 1878 In the spring of 1875
Rev. Charles Moore, a local prt acher,
was appointed by Presiding Elder QulgR
to take charge. The next year the mis-
sion was put in charge of Asbury Church,
Rev. J. A. b. Wilson pastor, and 60 con.
tinued until Rev. Charles Hills pastor
ate of Asbury. Some time during Rev.
G. Hills term the Quarterly Conference
resolved to remove the class formed at
Second aud Washington streets tC
Asbury Church and to let the Sunday
school remain as q mission school, but &C
many of the active workers objected or
account of the school having been org n
lied and carried on as an independent
| school the project was abandoned. Tn,
right fer Asbury to appoint q superin
tendent, however, was conceded, wheI
| Charles Foster wSs appointed. At th'
close of Charles Fosters term Aeburl
withdrew, when the school was organ
ized us an independent mission under The
charge Of the Rey. s. G. Young RS presi-
| dent and John Harris as superintendent
of the school, which still held the nam,
OF City Mission.
After few years Rev. Mr.. Potter, o
the NJ. P. Church, was elected president
| when he made an attempt TO organize al
NJ. p. Church ont OF the f1'eelon, but Il
this the most OF the workers objected
Sot aiterwa, ds the Potter faction lef
aud organized an NJ. 2. Church at Sew
eIth and Walnut streets. The mission
| was kept intact In the sch ,oi house until
the Board OF Education needed the buI d
ing for school purposes. The mission
then stored their furniture. but kept uI
the school In private house with A. q
| Perkins and Sisters Lum and House nc
tive workers. About this time the city
mission and church extension eoard had
reorganizei and and resolved to open {
| mission In the western part oil the city
and to take 1t under their care, A. Ser
geant and Rev. II. Sanderson were ap
| pointed q committee 10 rent house suit
able for Sunday school purposes. They
soon found one on the corner of Adam,
street and Maryland avenue. Here the,
organized a Sunday school, with Rev
Jabez Hodson as superintendent.
A class was organized, but the mem
bers refused to come under the churcl
extension board. They then asked Rev
Chas. Hill, who was their presiding elder
to organize them into u church, which
request he compiled with and appointed
Rev. 8. T. Gardner pastor and leader
Ths old mission : furniture was agaiI
brough: into use and tge most OF th'
active workers were from the old mis-
sion. On tho day OF opening som'
wanted to hang out the mission s'Rr
AGAIN, but others objected and desired {
new name. After some time the nam'
| of Wesley was adopted, aud the pre-
siding elder induced some of the mem
bers Of the stronger churches to join th'
young organization by certificate. 4
season OF great encouragement followed
and Presiding Elder Hill instructed
Brother Gardner to give all OF them
their certificates and disbaud the mis-
sion. This Brother Gardner proceeded
to do, and quite large number
accepted them, but others more persisten
would not take them, and held on TO thei
place OF meeting on Adams street unit
the 25th of March. They were then abou
to give up, but their first convert, An
drew J. Conner, would not give his con
sent and rented storehouse on tho othe
side of Maryland avenue on his own re
sponsibility. and the meetings were con
tinued.
1t was while in this place that the littl
flock resolved to build Wesley Church
and but for the persistent efforts OF thes
mission workers, that church might still
have been in the far distant future Ii a
all. This is the correc6- history OF th
march of Methodlsm in the western par
of the city that led to the organization 0
Wesley church, and the local preacher
and exhoiters had much to do with II
rise and progress. 9he names Of Charlie
Moore. Albert Thatcher, Jabez Hodson
Ell Mend, nhall, A. J. Dolbow, Georg
Day. w. w. Taylor Alfred Il. Scott
supernumerary, John and W. L. White
and othe: 8, were Intimately associates
with the work and listers Ann q, Per
klus, Lum aud House were earnes
sunday school workers all these yearf
The mission has done 3 grand good worl
| for God and MAihndism aud many haY