The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1892-11-29
FAREWELL TO A CHURCH.
Central Union Congregation Take
Leave of Old Fort Street Church.


Church congregations, after the
Bethel was destroyed in the great
fire of 1886. The Central Union
Church congregation, having erected
a noble stone edifice at Beretania
and Richards streets, bade farewell
with appropriate exercises to the old
wooden Fort Street Church on the
day mentioned.
Rev. e. G.. Beckwith, DID,, pastor,
preached a farewell discourse at the
morning service, from Psalm 26:S--
Lord, | have loved the habitation
of thy house, and the place where
thine honor dwelleth." After an in
PRODUCTION bearing on the reasons
why they should love the old church,
the preacher went into the history
of the congregation and building.
"The Second Foreign Church in
Honolulu" was organized June 2,
1852, under the pastorate of Rev. T.
E. Taylor. 1t held weekly prayer
meetings in little session room, and
worshipped Sundays, first, in the
old Kaumakapili grass church, and,
next by permission of the Govern
ment, in the new courthouse on
Queen street. On September 26,
1858, the Board of Trustees-O. H.
Gulick, VIM. HI. johnson, Jacob
Hardy, E. o. Hall and E. G. Beck
with (the present pastor)-bought
the site of the church, now about to
be abandoned, of S. n. Castle for
S2l00 Mr.. Castle had bought the
land of Chief Justice VIM. l.. Lee.
The name of the church was chang
ed January 2S, 1856, to "The Fort
Street Church"
After the purchase of the site the
one great purpose of the congrega-
tion was to erect a building. About
the first of May, 1854, at meeting
of the church and congregation, pre-
sided over by Judge Lorrin An
drews, S. n. Castle, chairman of a
committee on plans and estimates,
reported. The report was accepted
and building committee consisting
of A. S. Cooke, O. H. Gulick, A. B.
Bates, G.. p Judd, Henry Dimond
and Warren Goodale was instructed
to take preliminary steps toward the
erection of brick edifice to cost
$4,000. The plans were frustrated
by the necessity of the pastors leav-
ing for the benefit of his health. In
the spring of 1856 the matter was re-
vived. The Board of Trustees, con-
sisting of G. P. Judd, Warren Good
ale, E. O. Hall, G. r. Bishop, r. A.
S. Wood, j. H. Wood, ID. A. Weston,
A. B. Bates and Ichabod Bartlett,
met at 10 o'clock every morning and
spent one hour in canvassing the
town for subscriptions to the build
ing fund. July %, 1856, it was de-
cided to accept the tender of G. H.
Levers for the building of church
according to plans prepared by
Mr.. Heuck and perfected by r.
A. S. Wood, at the price of
$500, changed finally to S10,575.
G. p. Judd, j. HI. Wood and R. A. S.
Wood were appointed building
committee and the work of con
struction began. A spire was not in
the calculations, but the ladies, who
had started the building fund with
subscription of $500, and paid a
deficit of S2l7.50 on the site, came
together and resolved to raise $3.50
for spire. The letter conveying
their resolution was signed by Ann
Maria Dimond. 1t was decided not
to have the church dedicated till it
was paid for. The church was dedi-
Gated December %, 1856, with prayer
by Rev. Mr.. Turner of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church and sermon
by the pastor, Rev. j. D. Strong. In
1868 the choir loft was added under
the superintendent of a committee
consisting of G.. p. Judd, w. W.
Hall, w. G. Parke and A. F. Judd
The building was expanded on the
two sides in 1879, by building com
mittee composed of p. G. Jones, w
F. Allen and w. w. Hall, at a cost
of $5002.61. The speaker concluded
by recalling the memories of pastors
and people identified with the old
church.
EVENING SERVICE.
The church was crowded for the
farewell exercises of the evening,
numbers of late-comers being unable
to get seats. After devotional exer-
cises, in which the pastor was aided
by Rev. DIR. Hyde, the exercises were
given in charge of committee, of
which Chief Justice Judd was chair
man.
Rev. f. w. Damon spoke feelingly
of the associations of unity con
nected with the superannuated
edifce, mentioning especially the
happy union of the Bethel, of which
he was a member and son of the
pastor, with the Fort street congre,
cation.
Miss Chamberlain gave an address
full of "reminiscences of the mission,
airy fathers and mothers, and notable
members of the church in it's early
days. She drew vivid word picture
of Sabbath there spent in those
times, bringing in long list of the
worthless of whom but few survive.
Mr., w. w. Hall gave history OF
the choir, of which he was a mem
ber when small boy. 1t had always
been mainly filled by members of the
church, most of them pupils of the
Punahou schools. Probably not less
than 400 or 500 persons had been in
the choir at different times. Before
the choir loft was built the choil
occupied the gallery, and at the
SinCpiup Tho nnnnranatinn ti,rna a6