The Washington times., 1894-10-14
ALONG PAsToRATE.
For Thirty-seven Years DR.. Meador Serves
One Church.

For Thirty-seven Years DR.. Meador Serves
One Church.
The Fifth Baptist Church, on D street, be-
tween FOur-Rnd-a-half and Sixth streets
southwest, has a peculiar distinction. 1t is
thirty-seven years old and the pastor, Rev. c.
C. Meador, D. D., is the only one the church
has ever had and this is the only pastorate in
which Dr. Meador las ever served. DR..
Meador has the further distinction of being
the Oldest minister in point of continuous
service in the city.
In July, 1856, DR.. Meador, then a student
in Columbian University, started mission
Sunday-school in the southwestern portion of
the city. 1t was done at the suggestion of
Dr. G. W. Sampson, of the E Street Baptist
Church.
The field was good one and in a year the
Fifth Baptist Church was organized with a
membership of twenty-four. The old church
property on the site of the present church was
purchased. 1t had been the place of worship
for the old school (or Hardshell) Baptists and
the new organization started of with fatter-
ing prospects. These prospects have been
ANA4AA4CA III LA4C BdSk 4AAs-SCkNA stoio. ADL
the church now numbers over 500 members,
has a sunday-school with over 800 members,
and a 1ourIshing mission-school. 1t Is the
intention to build new church in a more
suitable quarter as soon as the finances of
the congregation will permit lot has al
ready been purchased on street south
west, between Sixth and Seventh streets.
The congregation increased rapidly up to
the breaking ont OF the war ana was then
~, H.
sixties were very trying on al churches, but
especially on this. Members scattered TO
their various homes in the North and in the
South and fought as their consciences die
tated. 1t was after the struggle ended and
they had returned 10 Washington to live that
the church recovered. To-day there are wor-
Shipping here men who wore the gray and
men who wore the blue; they find their COM
mou home under the roof that covered them
before the strife began.
During these years Mr.. Meador struggled
along with his flock as best he could in four
years only receiving three persons into the
church. With all these drawbacks, however,
a new church house was erected in 1865, the
same in which they now worship, at a cost of
about S25. 600. 1t has been used each Sun
day since that time, and will continue in use
until the new church building has been
erected.
TEE OFFICIALS OF THE CHURCH.
The trustees OF the church, in addition to
the pastor, are: Joseph V. Bailey, John L.
Cox and S. NJ. Yeatman. The deacons are
John L. Cox, J. J. Darlington, James C. De
Alley, Simon Howison and John P Lucas.
Clarence Gessford is the clerk. The music of
the church is led by a choir of twelve or If
seen voices, and j. w. Garland the blind mu-
slcian, so well-known in the city, is the organ
- rl,.G fs
ing one and supports a mission school on
FOur-and-a-half street, between and o
streets southwest. Walter T. Carter is super
intendent, and Clarence Gessford secretary
The International series OF lessons are used.
The school has a roll of honor, on which
the names OF those pupils who have been per-
feet IN their attendance is entered. Miss
Handy, who was lately married TO Mr..
Mundy, stood first on this roll. She had not
missed a Sunday-school in twelve years. The
Young Peoples Association meets every Sun
dav evening at 6:45 o'clock. c. Clinton James
is president and their work corresponds to
that done by the Christian Endeavor Society.
it was organized years ago and has no local
affiliations The members visit the sick, raise
money for the missionary fund. and work
among the young people Of that vicinity.
As is usual in most churches the mite So
ciety, the ladies' organizations is the one
which keeps everybody going. 1t has for its
president a man, Mr.. w. S. Oliver, and this in
itself is peculiar. The society raises money
to support missions, visits the sick and the
Door, and keeps alive the social life of the
church. Its greatest work is raising money
for missions. The church raises annually
$500 for the support of missionaryin China,
whom it sent over, and the result of the work
of the ladies In this direction is much appre-
ciated.
DIR. Meador in his long service in this
church has seen a generation grow up. OF
the original members OF the church when es-
tablished but one survives, in addition to the
pastor He is Mr.. J. Z. Carlin, Twelfth
street, between and Maryland avenue south
west DR. Meador was born in Virginia and
graduated from Columbian University in 1857,
Just before he took charge of the church
Last summer he received the degree of doctor
of divinity from the college, one of the last
official acts of DR.. yelling.
In his pastorate Of thirty-seven years DR..
Meador has preached over 1000 sermons,
baptized between 800 and 900 persons, mar
ried about 900 couples, and buried nearly
s. 900 people. He believes in pastoral visits.
and manages to visit all the members of his
congregation at least twice year. in the
spring and in the fall OF course, in cases of
sickness his visits are more numerous Such
work keeps him busy all the time, and it is a
hard matter to find him at his pleasant home
on Thirteenth street northwest He believes
in having his entire congregation at work,
and presses each member into service when
occasion demands. He has followed this be-
lief ever since he began his pastorate, and is
sure that it has worked well The results
would seem to show that he is not far wrong
Everything is bright aid cheerful, and the
outlook could not be more inspiring. From
the congregation to the mission Sunday
school, every body is awake and active.
CHANGES DURING A PAsToRATE.
"of course 1 have seen many changes in the
CITY," DR.. Meador said in talk about his
long pastorate. "When we started the Fifth
Church We were cut of from the city by the