Morning journal and courier., 1890-10-13
A oHUnCH PnopEnrx SOLD.

 St. John Street M. E. Church to
 Pass Into she Hands Of the SSSe-
 dish Lutherans-HistOr Sketch
 of the Church.
 The St.John Street M. E. church will undoubtedly become the property of the Swedish Lutherans on May 1 next. The committee of the Swedish church having the matter in charge have made an offer for the property which the board of the St. John street church voted to accept, and it is probable that the whole matter will be consummated at the joint meeting of the two committees tomorrow evening. The reason for the move on the part of the St. John street church members is that the membership of the church has been steadi- ly decreasing for the past eight years on account of many members moving away from that section of the city until at the present time there are 120 members of the church living in the northern section of the city as against about sixty in it's pres ent location. There is also quite num- Der of it's former members living in Fair Haven.
 At the present time the entire debt upon the church will not exceed $4, 900. The price to be paid will be between $20, GOO and $25, ,O00, and the Swedes are to take possession May 1, 1891. The Swedish Lutheran is rapidly growing church, under the pastorate of Rev. Frederick Jacobson, and a large share of the congre- gation live in the vicinity of this church.
 The St. John street people will probably build on the corner of Orange and Ed wards streets, as the Rev. MT. Markwick, -c IL fusal until November 1, of a lot of ground in that section upon which it is proposed to build the new church. No plans have as yet, however, been definitely made nor will there be until later in the fall.
 The St. John street M. E. Church soci- ety vas projected in the autumn of 184O and consisted at the start of but fourteen members, the only survivor of whom is William s. Barnes, now living at Oyster Point. The first meeting was held at the house of MT. Newton Wheeler. The num- ber of members rapidly increased however and in the winter of 184O-1, the second story of the old museum building on Olive street was rented and fitted up as house of worship, capable of seating four hundred persons. In this building the Rev. G. Stillman, at that time pastor of the First M. E. church, organized the Second M. E. church and preached the first sermon on March 4, lS41.
 The conference which met just one month later sent as the first pastor of the new charge the Rev. Richard Wyman A revival followed and the success of the undertaking soon became an established fact. They continued to worship in the Museum building until the. coming of the Rev. Heman Bangs, who purchased lots on St. street, and in May, 1845, the corner stone of the St. John street M. E. church was laid and the church dedicated to the woyship of Almighty God on November 18th of the same year by Dr. Oin, presi- dent of Wesleyan university. The church continued to prosper in it's good work notwithstanding the fact that the efforts of the church were hampered somewhat by the heavy debt hanging over the church. | In 1881 there was mortgage on the church property of $15,00O. |. This was re- duced gradually until finally on July 19, 1885, the mortgage on the church property was paid of, and burned publicly in the presence of large congregation. $1,OOC has been paid on the mortgage, covering the parsonage and sexton's house, and their is now remaining debt os only about 3s,oOo.
 A complete list of the pastors who have ministered to the congregation of the St John street M. '. church, with the date o1 their appointment, is as follows: