The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-06-25

1
and the tenth anniversary Of the pas
torate of Rev. N. f. S,ahl were cele-
brated yesterday at the Green Ridge
Presbyterian church.
Only three calls have been issued for
pastors. who, by y strange coincidence,
were members OF the same class al
Princeton, yet were from the east,
south and west, They were Rev. W,
s Stites, of New Jersey, who did not
accept; Row w. B. Walker, Mary
land. pastor for seven years, and Rev,
n. +. Stahl. the present pastor. Rsv.
James Mcleod, D. D., of the FIRST
Prssbytsrisn church, was also OF the
same college class
The text of yesterday mornings an q.
niVersary sermon was: "And they said
nothing" Luke, xxi, 35. Mr. Stahl
sad that the Master one day called his
apostles around Him and sent them out
among men to preach the gospel Of the
kingdom, saying. Freely have ys re-
ceiyed; freely give" He prohibited
their taking the things most men
would have thought necessary for their
work. Two years later the master
said: when | sent yop without purse
and script, lacked ye any.hing?' Aud
they said: Nothing
Mr. Stahl drew an instructive paral.
lei and said the church of today is the
apostles successor as kingdom build
ers. For ninetesn years the Green
Ridge Presbyterian church has en-
gagged in the mission and tho past year
aas been one of activity ana prosperity.
ENCOURAGING CHURCH FIGURES
The session reported to the Presby-
terry at its stated meeting in April as
follows: Five elders, IS new members,
IS received from othe. churche-, addi
tions 93. 494 commandments, 2S adult
baptisms, II infant bsptima
Benevolent contributions were "a
follows: General home missions, S6S;
general Sunday school, Sl9; for Mr.
Ku5ak, 1886; total, $lG7. Other con-
tributions mado the total 2l,l4O.
A resume of the Sunday school work
was mads in which attention was
called TO the prinstsking work of
ColonelF L Hitchcock, superintendent
of tins school. Mr. Stahl spoke Of the
work Of the Christian Endeayor aud
Junior unions, the Womsn's Mission
ary society, the Ladies' and Girls Mis-
sionary band, Kings Daughters, the
Ladies' Aid Society aud other church
associations. Ia each caso the work OF
the year shows an increaso in matters,
both spiritual and otherwise. Iu speak
Z OF the retirement OF Attorney G. S,
Woodruff from the treasursrship, Mr..
Stahl said the church would hold in
grateful remembrance the long torn of
burdensomo and ted SER
vice,
From all sources the contributions
TOR benevolent work has been 81, 100;
receipts from other sources make tho
total received, $1,000 The estimated
church expense for the year will be
$l4 200
And now bretheren in considering
this beautiful and progressive church
the Lord has given US, our increase of
membership, our year of prosperity,
when the Master asks Lack ye any
thing, must We not answer moth
ing" Freely ye have received, freely
give" Now what does the Lord want
US to giveH In one word, yoursslvsa
CHRIST OWES Us NOTHING.
Brethren, are we giving ourselves to
the Lord and His work? That is what
He wants-what He claims. In all the
coming time let us be faithful to Him,
to soulg. to this church, to each other,
to our own selves. Christ has gracious
ly said; Freely ye have received freq
ly give" but he might have said: II
committed to you much in trust, Day
that thou owest" Ah, we owe so much.
How would each of us live if this
were to be his last year on earth2 This
is the way that you ought to live, my
brother, this year This you yourself
will confess. Snail we not try to at
least approach such life this year: II
have lived like beggar," said diving
phlanthropist, ''that beggars might
learn to live like men," and so, DIS has
been well said, Christ lived like man
that men might learn to live like God.
Brethren, shall this be our church
motto this year? As we remember all
the Lord has bestowed upon us and
what He asks US to do for Him and His
lost ones. Freely ye have received,
freely give" II go, and we try to live
up to 1t, what year it will be for Him,
for them, for US.
The Lord asks us what we neol more
than He has given US, in order to make
this twentieth year of our work for
Him great and glorious work. And
brethren, we must answer In the words
Of the text, Nothing" Then He will
expect euch years work.