The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-12-31
NOTABLE CHURCH
sIxTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF TERRE-
HAUTE CONGREGATIONAL.
Famous Pulpit Where Beecher and
Lyman Abbott Preached-Dr.
Hyde-s Address.


Congregational Church to-day and to-mor-
row is celebrating its sixtieth anniver-
sary. 1t is the oldest Congregational church
in the State. 1t has been known as a pi-
oneer of the Western country with which
two preachers of more than national fame
were associated. 1t was in this church
that Henry Ward Beecher always said
that he first discovered his pulpit power.
and Lyman Abbott. his successor in Ply
mouth Church, Brooklyn its pastor
for nearly six years. Beecher came here
in 1872. while he was the pastor of the
indianapolis church, TO take part in re-
vivai. Lyman Abbott became the pastor
in 1859. Among other pastors was the Rev.
Thomas Bacon, son OF DR.. Leonard Bacon,
of New Haven. of the fathers of Con-
gregationalism.
In August 1884, the Rev. NJ. A. levitt,
young preacher of New England antece-
dents, stopped in the village to get dinner
for himself and horse. He was travelling
on horseback 10 st. Louis where he ex-
pected to locate. Even at that early day
fine horse quickly attracted the notice
of the people of the town which has since
become famous the place where worlds
records are made. The villagers thought
| man who owned as good a horse as the
one the stranger rode would like to see
horse race, and he was asked to remain
in town over Sunday, the following day, to
witness the races of the coming week Even
when he told them that he was preacher
they pressed the invitation on him, and
inducement promised to get a con-
gregation together for him on the next
day Sunday morning he preached in the
court room, and before night he was ten
dered a 'call," the horse-race promoters
being among those who were most urgent
He accepted and went to Baltimore to get
his wife and child. The church was or
ganized on Dec. so with eleven members.
Fifty-one persons subscribed S405 for his
| first years salary In December, 1853, he
preached his quarter century rermon On
| the following day there were public exer-i
cises when Col. Thomas II. Nelson was
| the chairman of the meeting, and among
| the speakers were Col II. w. Thompson
| All three-Jewitt, Nelson and Thompson.
are on the programmes for the reunion
| meeting to be held tomorrow.
! The Rev. DR.. Hyde, of indianapolis. de-
| livered an address in the church this morn
ing on 1.-The History of Congresationaiism
| in Indiana" The Rev. DR.. j. II. Crum. the
| present pastor has been with the church
| six years. DR.. Hyde said:
i t..
| ''Congregaticnalism has been much more
| of a factor in the building up of the State
than is commonly supposed, even by its
| own adherents. 1t was vigorous force
| more than seventy-five years ago. The sur
| prising thing about 1t all is that for more
| than half OF that time. wheE Congregations
| alists did their largest work, they did it
| under another name. They were in part
| nership with the Presbyterian Church and
/ the partnership was so administered that
| the fruits of it were gathered by the latter
| body into it's own fold. The motives V hich
| led to this union of forces to supply the
! religious needs of the settlements i'm
the West were highly creditlble to the,
| Christian spirit of both partissioWe, are
| churches to find some traces OF the early
| work of our own church. In mis- history
the c snarf haf oil th oan Inc
| ticut Missionary Society seems 10 nave the
first claim to our gratitude: The Nara
1 tives,' as they called, of the 1abors of
| the missionaries of this society, the fore
| runner of all missionary organizations in
this country, are 10 be found in pamI'hlet
| in the Congregational library In Boston
| and probably nowhere else.
! Missionaries of this society were in
northern Ohio as early as 1872. The nrst
| to tour of exploration by Samuel Mills
| and John Schermerhorn in 1Sl2-13. They
l first scattered settlements on the w nlIe-
water and other branches of the Big Miami
| and the Ohio between the falls of the Ohio
and Vincennes The Rev. Nathan b. Dor
| row gives an account of a tour on horse
back across the State to Fort Harrison,
| near Terre Haute, thence down the Wabash
into the illinois country , In 1916 , the ,, SO,
year became State In 1917 the Rev. Grin
Fowler established a circuit including ten
| counties in the middle and eastern parts
of the State and In the two following years
! several Presbyterian churches were organ
lied. In 1919 the Rev. Isaac Reid came
| into the State, and his name is associated
| with the early history OF many of our i'm
| portant towns and cities. The Rev. David
c. Proctor came in 1921, and in 1s22 he was
preaching in Indianapolis. In 1923, with
| the assistance of Isaac Reid, he organized
! the First Presbyterian Church, of that
city In 1926 missionary Reid preached in
Terre Haute, and the next year missionary
Crow here and reports that the town
was without a religious society. In 1927 it
| was reported that one-half of the Presby-
terrain churches in the State had been es-
tablished through the work of the mis-
| sionary society. There were then sixty
| churches and sixteen ministers.
/ 1.-The union of missionary societies effect
ed in 1876 under the name Of the American
Home Missionary Society continued thirty
Presbyterians withdrew. During these
| years the agents of the society did not
plant a single purely congregational church
! in Indiana There were but three or four
| plan of union churches that were not
| finally lost 10 the Congregational denom-
L
| and Ontario
THE NATIONAL COUNCIL.
when we learn how prevalent was the
notion that Congregationalists who migrat-
| ed beyond the Hudson river must become
| Presbyterians to escape suspicious and
| criticisms 1t ceases to be wonder that so
few have the courage to hold on to the
| pattern of the church order given TO their
fathers. Their suspicious became such
| grievance that national council called
in 1916 TO onsider the condition of the Con-
| gregational churches in the West. Michi-
! gan City had the honor TO be selected as the
place for holding this convention. Three
| Eastern States and five Western States
were represented in this council The West
ern brethren spoke out of full hearts con-
| corning the opposition and unfair criticism
they encountered in attempt to plant Con-
| gregational institutions on Western soil
| and the Misrepresentation that had gone
/ back to prejudice the minds of the Eastern
| brethren. The convention had its desired
effect. 1t opened the eyes of the churches
| at the East TO the true situation OF their
| Western brethren. They found the. latter
| as orderly and loyal to the gospel as
| themselves a revolution in public opinion
| had now begun which gave more pro-
nounced utterance in the Albany conven-
| ton OF 1852 when the old plan of union
| was annulled and building fund