Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-04
DEDICATED IN STYLE.
Opening of the Handsome Proyi-
dence Presbyterian Church.
GROWTH OF THE CONGREGATION.
President James D. Moffat Delivers the
Principal Sermon.
BEGINNING OF THE WEEK OF PRAYER

bkUlNNINU VI lnL WIEN Vf ThAlLh
Away back in April, 1869, the Providence
Presbyterian Church of Allegheny was
ushered into existence, with membership
roll of Il. This little band of Christian
workers sprang from mission school or
ranized ten years previous and has grown in
strength and power until yesterday those of
the founders, who are still living, and
scores of members who have since Joined
the church, had the pleasure of witnessing
the dedicatory services of the new edifice at
Madison avenue and Liberty street
The building is a model of the latest
style of Romaneseue architecture. The
walls are of gray Amherst stone laid in
courses. The Madison avenue side is
broken by tower and pastors study, max
ing a pretty front. The building is fin
ished throughout with quartered oak, and
the windows are all of the best cathedral
and opalescent glasses, arranged quite
uniquely.
Plan of the Structure.
On.the first floor is the lecture or Sunday
school rooms. The room is 35x64 feet and
back of it, connected by a sliding door, are
two other rooms, each 24x32 Altogether
this floor has seating capacity of zoe. The
rooms are handsomely carpeted and fur
nished. Adjoining the room at the front of
the building is the pastors study, which
the ladies of the church have handsomely
furnished.
The auditorium, on the second floor,
shows the work of the artist. The room
.. -
which will accommodate about IS The
seats are grouped in amphitheater form, on
a slightly slopine floor. The pews are of
quartered oak and covered with best velour
cushions OF a rich olive shade. The organ
is one of the best in the city and is finished
IN quartered oak TO match the woodwork of
the building The pulpit and pulpit chairs
are of modern design and exceedingly hand
some. The church throughout is one to be
much admired
Quite a Valuable Building.
The building and furnishings complete
cost SIT. 600 OF this amount all has been
paid and subscribed but about S21, ,OO0
The dedicatory services were elaborate
and interesting and continued morning.
afternoon and evening. In the morning the
pastor. Rev. William A. Kinter, offered the
Invocation The Scriptural lesson swas
Robert D. Wilson offered prayer and the
dedication of the church was by DR.. James
d. Notfat. President of Washington and
jefferson College. He took his text from
Revelations xxi. 22-23: "And | saw no tenn
pie therein, but the Lord Cod Almighty
and the Lamb are the temple of it. And
the city had no need of the sun, neither of
the moon, TO shine in it, for the glory of
God did Tighten it, and the Lamb is the
light thereof" In brief his sermon was as
follows:
The people about TO dedicate their new
church we're asked to consider the ideal
state promised wherein the temple would
give place to God Himself. Unfuifilled
prophecy is designed not only to encourage
Christians, but also to indicate their duty
il is our duty to strive to become what God
fOretells we shall be: and it is our duty so to
use the ordinances of the present state as to
lit ourselves for the ideal state promised.
The principle set before us here, is that what
now seems to be indispensable to our COM
fort must ultimately give place TO God. This
illustrated by our dependence on the
sun for light and heat, but after all our real
dependence Is upon the suns Maker and
ours. Friends. in our present state, are in
disnensable to our hGppiness. but God who
enduws friends with all that makes them at
tractive TO Us, can take their place and give
Us experience of higher order of friend
ship.
Essential to Spiritual Life.
So churches and church services and
forms are now essential to spiritual life,
which cannot be developed if these forms
be disregarded, bus the time is coming when
Christians must enter into immediate fel-
lowship with God, and the only profitable
use of church ordinances must have con-
stant regard to this fact, and be a prepara-
tion for the higher state in view.
The sermon was illustrated throughout by
actual occurrences tending to show under
what different circumstances Gods people
had entered in part into this higher expert |
ence.
Rev. William NJ Robinson. pastor emeri- |
tus, offered the dedicatorv PRAYER A COL |
lection was then taken up, amounting to |
s.. 500
In the afternoon special Sunday school
and congregational exercises were the |
features. II savored considerably of a |
reminiscent meeting, addresses being made |
bv Mr.. Smith Agnew, Jr.. J. p Orr, Mr.. |
Dickson. Superintendent Logan and Mrs |
PoindeIter, who gave in entertaining |
speeches their memory of the organization |
Of the church, and Of the experience they i
had as scholars and teachers Sf the same |
Mr.. J. s. Slagle spoke of these early days |
also. Rev. J. F. Robinson offered prayer |
A collection was then taken up, and, al |
though not so large as the contribution of |
the morning, vas quite generous one
The most pleasant feature of the after
noon service was the fact that Mrs. Samuel |
Ramsey, wife of the founder of the mis-
sion, was present.
The Promising Future.
In the evening Rev. John L. Milligan
the congregation, speaking of the
promising future the church has Rev.
Henry 7. McClelland, d. D., preached the
sermon The music was of marked excel
ence and was under the directorship of
Miss Hammer, assisted by an orchestra
chosen from the young folks of the Sunday
school. The tone and power Of the new
pipe organ was favorably commented on.
The present pastor of this church, Rev.
William a. Kinter, was given a call while
yet a senior at Princeton Theological Semi
nary. He was installed in September, 1889,
and for the past two wears and half has
been fulfilling his mission creditably to
himself and church