Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-08-10
A SPLIT IN THE CHURCH

Causes Lively Time In steubenville'
Wheeling Baptists Cause All the
Trouble.
Special to the Register.
Steubenville, O., August "a griev-
ance from Macedonia colored Baptist
Church, of Wheeling, stirred up red
hot row in the meeting of the Mt Zion
Baptist Association here this morning,
in which a large number Of delegates
took part, some declaring themselves,
others raising points of order, while
others tried to smooth out the rutiie.
The following letter was read from
Macedonia Church:
Dear ren:-Permit us to call
your attention to a matter which is
very grievous to our church. On May
26. 1895. a number of elders of the Mt.
Zion Baptist Association met in the
city of Wheeling in council at the
Odd Fellows Hall at three o'clock in
the afternoon and organized a Baptist
Church (Ebenezer) with part Of the
members of our church with letters Of
admission and the excluded persons
that were excluded last year and this
year were organized into that body
without them coming back to the
church to give any satisfaction. We
were notified to meet the Council, but
we were misled by letter from the
Council therefore, we ask you is this
right or wrong for these members of
the church to go off from the church
in the way they did, and these elders
to organize them into a church. Furth-
ermore there are not enough Baptist
people in the city of Wheeling for two
Baptist churches to exist and grow or
do well. The elders who organized the
church were VIM. Toney. A. Peaby, J.
J. Christian, V. 0rner and A. B. Cole
man"
Mrs. Dollsberry, who presented the
letter, did not lay down the assessment
of the church, as is the custom. and
when asked about It she said she had
half the assessment, but would not pay
it until the Association had decided
whether they would receive the other
Wheeling church (Ebenezer) into the
Association. Just what to do with the
letter caused great discussion. Some
were opposed to receiving 1t while
others wanted 1t submitted to a COM
mittee on grievances, but the chair re-
fused to receive it until the assessment
was paid. Rev Elliott, the pastor of
Macedonia, read communication from
his congregation, saying they would
ask for a withdrawal from the Asso-
citation If the other church was receiv-
ed. and this letter caused quite a SEN
sation and set the worthy Clippers"
to thinking. John HearnS, another
delegate from Macedonia, was ruled
out of order just at time when he
wanted to "'splain something" and he
ordered the old gentleman who called
the point of order on him to sit down
too The delegates from EbeneZer are
John Rainbow and j. G. Cooper. but
they kept out of the mad whirl Of dis
cussion and may be saving their am
munition for future use. Rev. Toney,
who supplies Tbenezer Church, who
was the moderator during this breeze,
managed to keep his head and decide
fairly on all questions that came up.
1.-THE church was assessed $3.50 for the
LOrain mission, and the delegates
brought but $3.15 along, saying that
was all they would pay since the AS
ISOLATION had organized another church
and divided their strength, so they cut
the assessment in two on their own
hook. Mrs Dollsberry proved quite a
talker, and said there was nothing in
the constitution or minutes requiring
her to pay over the money until she
got ready. Some one claimed that
Macedonia was the grandmother Of all
other churches. One minister nearly
persuaded the lady from Macedonia to
pay over her monsy by saying they
could not get the grievance before the
Association unless the assessment was
paid but she held her own by asking
him to show her where it said so in
the minutes. which he failed to do. Mrs.
Dollsberry was very positive in all her
arguments. and is proving a worthy
champion for her church.
The case was submitted to a disin-
terested committee on grievance this
afternoon, and Rev. Elliott says the
matter will probably be settled by
Ebenezer Church people being ordered
to attach themselves TO Macedonia
Church again.