The Portland daily press., 1894-10-01
DEERING.
First Service Held in Trinity Chapel
at Wooafords.
Bishop Nelly Present-Service Conducted
by Rev C. 7. Ogd en-Something of the
Local History of Episcopal Effort.

Local History of Episcopal Effort.
Yesterday the first service was held in
Trinity chapel, tie new place of worship
of the Protestant Episcopal church at
Woodfords. on the corner of Pearl street
ard Forest avenue. This chapel. has
been completed after about three years, at
cnst of $500. All of this sum has been
paid except about $500. which remains as q
debt. AS soon as this is paid the chapel
will be consecrated.
The service yesterday was honored by
the presence of Bishop Nicely, who made
an address and administered the commu-
Mon.
Rev. C. It. Ogden in conducting the SER
vice made an address a portion of which
follows:
This is a day of Thanksgiving to many
of us-a bright and happy day. hope to all,
because we are permitted to see in reality
that event to which we have looked for
ward since the day that the corner stone
of this little chapel was laid exactly three
vars ago last Sunday. The event of course
is the completion of this building for the
worship of AlmightysGod. sAnd all re3oie
because in modest way We have made
another center Of influence in our COM
Slunity; where eur prayers can be said to
sno vile hears an answers, where Gods
sord can be preached and the sacraments
administered.
This little chapel is the result Of a small
lttempt to do some good to others by a
pember of my own family, Some mine
Tears ago two children were sent by their
Aarents to the house for instruction IN the
latechism ON Sunday afternoon and this
ras the nucleus of a Sunday school, which
occupied our parlors for these years until
n the course of.time we were able to pro-
yure a room in this building which has
Seen occupied for this purpose for the past
Two years Especial Acknowledgements is
due from me to Mr.. I. g. Furnival. who
moved from Portland to Deering in sS9, and
was the first to suggest the icea that a
chapel ought to be built in Deering and
gave inspiration and hopesto the under
taking which was begun in '9l.
He remained here about year and re-
moved, through the necessities which a
change in railroad management forced
upon him. But the work which was then
projected has at intervals gone on until
we have almost reached tho completion of
the building.
1.-THE reporters of the public press have at
various stimes. spoken of our modest work
in 1attering terms. They have given praise
beyond what we deserved and have digni-
fed our little building hy.high sounding
titles, such as the ANGLICAN chapel and the
Anglo-Catho1ic church. So that some of
our neighbors in the community are greatly
in doubt as to our doctrine and practice
and wonder If this is not something new
in religion. In explanation it ought to be
understood that this is only chapel of
Protestant Episcopal church.
I'VE owe much to the church of England
for what she did here over two hundred
years ago, but we are not English church
men now, but American churchmen. This
state of Maine is not colony of England
no but it was once and afterwards became
the territory of Massachusetts,.
THE Rev. Richard Seymour came over
here in 1907 as chaplain to the Popham set
Element and held the first service probably
the first service of any kind in New Eng
land.
And subsequently in 1885, Rev. Richard
Gibson officiated for several years at Saco
and Richmond Island nearPortland.as mis-
sionary of the Church of England. Also the
Rev. Robert Jordan ministered to all the
settlements between Falmouth and Ports
mouth for over thirty years.
For time the services were suspended
owing to extreme prejudice. but finally the
war of the Revolution made separation
necessary between this and the mother
country and our own government was es-
tablished. The church in the United States
was made to conform to the new order OF
things. Bishops of our own were obtained
and government of the church was orga-
nized, which followed the plan of the
United States government, and today the
Episcopal churc bsmore nearly conforms tc
the general government ofsthe.country than
any other organized religious body in the
land.
s'This bit of we'll known history is re-
ferred to in order to show that there is
nothing new in the claims of the church tc
the allegiance and support of English
speaking people and we believe that she is
set here by God in our own day with pc
culiar mission and work Of her own. -