The courier., 1895-12-21

The Pieasan; Hour club. following its
time-honored custom, viii give holi-
day party next week. the 9th, at the
Lincoln hotel and IL promises to be one
of the gayest dances given by the club
this season. On the same night the
Patriarchs will give a german In the
Lansing hall. Some time in February
the Patriarchs will give fancy dress
ball. The Lincoln club will give dance
and reception new years eve, to which
some people outside of the club have
been invited. Later on the Lincoln club
will give leap year party.
Last Sunday the Rev. Lewis Gregory
made the following statement TO the
assembled congregation of the financial
condition OF the church:
ION November LIST a circular letter
was addressed to members OF the
church calling attention to an effort
about to be made TO raise twenty-five
hundred dollars to pay all outstanding
claims against the church.
have to report to you this morning
that the end Is i'm sight, as the whole
amount needed has been pledged except
$147.47, which / hope you will give me
this morning. In the beginning 4 came
before the trustees and asked the priv
ilege of giving one-fourth of my salary
for the current year as a recognition of
the burdens many have been called upon
to bear and as an expression of my will
ingness to help to raise the amount.
As IL seemed best that a large part
of this canvass should be made by me
4 ,.,;,h haor u-ifpoSs m the upiforu,
kindness to me as a solicitor and inter-
est In the church shown by all called up
on.
While we are speaking of these things
this morning / want you to get some
idea of the comparative financial posi-
tion Of this church. Not long ago / had
a friend in another church ask me IL Ii
was true. as he had heard. that the First
Conversational church thought of clos
ing up for awhile. There has been a
notion i'm fearful hearts that We are not
so well of as our neighbors. Therefore.
il is not for the sake of making any
invidious comparisons, but to set at
rest such forebodings and to counteract
prophecies of evil which unintentionally
church stands. Reckoning in this way
that make this comparative statement.
These are the mortgage debts of the
larger churches i'm Lincoln taken from
the records in the county recorders Of
flee Some of the churches have three
lots and a parsonage; some have but
two on which a church building stands.
To make a fair comparison i take into
consideration only the incumbrance up
on two lots occupied in each case by
the meeting house When there is a
blanket mortgage covering the three
lots I take only two-thirds of the mort
gage as upon the two lots on which the
church stands. Recovering in this way
the two lots on which stands the
Universalist Church. 5000
St Pauls Methodist. t.... 5000
St. Theresa's Cathedral. - S,SS6
First Presbyterian. 5000
Holy Trinity. prot epis. .... 1861
First Baptist. ...........---.-..... 10000
Central CHRISTIAN. .-..--...-....- zOVo
Against the two lots on which this
church stands there is no mortgage. So
while all the rest of the leading churches
OF the city have a mortgage incum-
brance on their church buildings. vary
ing from s.. 900. the lowest, to 0.Oo0, the
highest, our own ch hcruffi.o..a
highest, our own church is the only one
entirely free from any lien.
OF the eight churches named. five
have parsonages; two have none, and
respecting one / am in doubt All of
them are mortgaged. The rentals pay
for interest and repairs with something
left over. They might be sold without
loss, but would add little or nothing at
present prices to the funds of the
church.
The First Congregational church owes
$500 on a trustees note of long stand
ing given in connection with the pay
ment of bills in building and furnish
ing this house of worship. So that if
we succeed in raising the small amount.
about $50, still needed to make our re-
cent nledges paOd Il can rannrf to Ynu