Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-03
A CHURCH JUBILEE.
The Centenary Celebration Of the
Reformed Denomination.
P Asst AND PR E 8 E N T
An Important Event to BE Celebrated To-
morrow at Grace Reformed Church - The
Career Of an Historic Church - Its Origin
and Developments

Tomorrow will be a time Of unusual interest
| to all members and friends Of the Reformed
Church Of the United States" The one hum
dredth anniversary Of the independence OF
that denomination from the mother church on
the continent will then be celebrated. The oc-
casion will be one Of thankfulnsss on account
of the many difficulties 1t has SO nobly sur
mounted in its pas. history and Of hopeful
looking forward to the future. At
| Grace Reformed Chapel, on 18th street
| between Rhode Island avenue and street,
centenary services will be held at II m, the
pastor, Rev. Mr.. Apple, officiating. The SER
mon will be delivered by Rev. George w.
Richards Of Allentown, Pa In tho evening
| there will be service Of praise and addresses
by visiting clergymen. The pastor and people
4 OF the German congregations In this city OF
this denomination will join IN these services.
On Monday evening q reception will be given
by the ladies OF the congregation In the re-
Gently completed parsonage, 1405 18th street.
AN INTERESTING HISTORY.
Although late in its advent to the city and
small in its two representative congregations
here, as compared with the large churches Of
Washington, the Reformed Church, in the his
tory that lies back Of it, its present vitality and
| Its future promise. holds a position that must
attract the attention Of every one interested in
the progress Of Christianity In this land.
While the Reformed Church In the United
States-sometimes called the Reformed Ger
mani in distinction from the Reformed (Dutch)
celebrates this year the Tooth anniversary Of
its independent existence in this country vet if
| the date Of its origin il taken from the begin
| ming Of the reformation. from the time when in
l5l7Zwingli at Einsiedeln, in Switzerland fulmi-
| mated against ecclesiastic corruption, and Luz
Their nailed his protest to the Wittenberg
Church door in Germany. then the Reformed
Church Is in its S77th year. It's pathway through
these nearly four centuries Of history has been
| consecrated by the blood Of many martyrs and
| Is redolent with the perfume Of coniessors'
faith. No portion Of Christ's church can show
devotion more true, suffering more severe or
eonstancy more enduring than that displayed by
Reformed people In the maintenance Of their
rights Of conscience. The name Reformed"
was originally applied to the numerous churches
that in the sixteenth century, with
one accord, began to reform" the
doctrine and customs of the Church Of Rome.
| These arose In Switzerland. France. Germany,
England and Scotland. They never contem-
plated severance from the communion Of the
Roman Church and accepted the alternative
only when it was forced upon them. Although
in England and Scotland the name Presby-
| terrain was afterward given the name Reformed
was at first applied to all reformation churches
with the exception Of those that followed the
| Augsburg concession. Luther's attitude toward
Zwingi at Marburg concerning the doctrine Of
| the Lords supper precipitsted division Of tho
| reformation Church into Reformed and Luth-
| eran, which has continued to the present.
| Luther afterwsrd softened in his attitude
toward his antagonists, and subsequently, under
the influence Of the peace loving Melancthon
and his warn friend Calvin, the two churches
| approached toward a union. Yet ID WA too
| late, the breach had been made and could not
| be healed entirely.
FLED TO THIS COUNTRY.
The Reformed Church In the United States
| originated with refugees, scattered bands Of
| exiles for conscience sake who fed from re-
| ligious persecution in Europe, notably those
| following the DEGREES Of Louis XIV, the revo-
lawed the Huguenots, and the ravagng Of the
Palatinate, by which the smiling Rhineiand. the
! home Of the Reformed Church Of Germany,
was turned into wilderness and her happy
people made homeless. Those refugees from
the Palatinate, reinforced by the Huguenots
and other exiles, having settled in this country
from New York to the Carolinas, were gathered
into congregations by self-denying missionaries
| and subsequently, in 1747, organized into a
synod by the master spirit Of Michael Schlst-
| upon the churches Of Holland for support
the church here became self support
| ing and declared its independence in 1898. Its
strength then. so far as members 70, was by no
means such as to inspire its supporters with
| any great degree Of self-complacency, for there
| were only twenty-five ministers and about $50
churches. These were beset by many difficult
| ties-notably the conflict of language-which
other churches Of English origin never knew.
But the growth Of the church since then has
been steady, and in recent years rapid its rate
of increase since 1880, according to the late CEN
| ity of the growing churches Of the country.
| The ministry, numbering twenty-five a century
ago, il now over 900, and the $50 churches have
increased to over 800, with membership Of over
200 600 The churches are scattered through
out twenty-eight states, but are strongest in
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Caro-.
lima, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin.
ONE OF THE FOUR GREAT CORNERSTONE
The spirit Of the Reformed Church in the
faith the Heidelberg catechism, first promul-
gated in 1868. At present acknowledged by
millions, translated into all the principal
tongues Of the word, it ranks one Of the four
great Protestant confessions, namely, the
Lutheran, the catechism of the Church Of
England. the Westminster and the Heidelberg.
True to the conciliatory spirit Of her catechism
the Reformed Church has avoided all extremes
in doctrine and practice; it has laid stress
rather on the positive essentials Of Christian
truth az they are revealed in the person Of
Christ. bas.ng itself on the apostles creed. and
seeking rather INC tuiuSs oH WHICH OurBblAnS
agree than those on which they differ. The
church has ever sought after peace. unity
and cooperation with sister churches. II
has become one of the leading members OF the
alliance Of reform churches throughout the
world and only recently responded heartily to
an overture from the Reformed Dutch) Church
to enter into q federal union with that body
The grea. desire at present seems to be for
closer union of the Christian churches. This
may be realized under some form Of federal
union analogous to that between the states in
which the various parts or denominations, each
preserving its own autonomy shall, be bound in
such union as will permit FREEDOM Of action in
sectional affairs. at the same time reserving con-
cert Of purpose and action along general lines.
sprngtime In Washington.
Mrs. Francis Hodzsou Burnett in ST. Nicholas
Then-even in February-there come some
wonderful days among the cold ones. They
are like young daffodils scattered upon . gar
den covered with snow. Suddenly there Ii .
= -. H. .Ip h. ux,v-