Evening star., 1895-06-15
PL PREPARED
Construction Of the New Epworth
Church to Shortly Begin.
FINE EDIFICE TO Be ERECTED
Description ofthe Completed Struc'
ture in Detail.
THE CON G R E G ALTON


Bids will be opened next Monday for the
construction OF new Epworth Methodist
Episcopal Church South, Rev. J. o. Knott,
pastor, which is to take the place of the
editice now used by the congregation at
the corner of 1th and streets southeast.
The contracts will be awarded as soon
as possible, and unless something unfore-
seen occurs the corner stone of the new
edifice will be laid with appropriate cere-
monies in the course of a few weeks.
The new church, when completed, will
be In every way desirable as a spiritual
home for it's owners, and will be one of the
prettiest edifices in the eastern section of
the city. The church will front on both
'th and A streets The material used in
the 7th street front will be brick, and in
A street of stone. The main entrance will
be on A street In size the edifice will be
80 by Sc feet. On the A street front there
will be two square towers and one circular
tower. The corner tower will be 10 feet
square and 100 feet high, and the others
will extend short distance above the roof.
The stairways to the galleries will be To-
Gated in two of the towers.
Pulpit, Auditorium and ChnnceI.
The pulpit, which will be very hand
some, will be placed on platform in a
corner of the main auditorium of the
church. The front of the sacred desk will
be paneied oak as will also be the chancel
rail and wainscoting, and the pulpit will
be elaborately finished with nodded COL
umns and chancel arch
The floor of the auditorium will incline
toward the pulpit, and the pews will be
semi-circular in form. In the rear of the
pulpit there will be a private stairway
leading to the basement The ceiling will
be partly square and partly circular, with
a circular dome, and will be finished in oak
and Georgia pine The roof will be slate.
Sunday School and Class Rooms.
The basement OF the church will contain
large Sunday school room, class rooms,
library, pastors study and boiler room and
the class and Sunday school rooms will be
so arranged that they can, when occasion
may require it, easily be thrown into one.
The basement will also contain all the lat
est modern improvements, so far as they
are applicable to church purposes. The
construction will be pushed as speedily as
possible under the superintendent of Mr..
4. Woltz, who has been selected as archi-
tect 1t has not yet been definitely deter
mined where the congregation will worship
during the erection of the new building but
| 1t is probable that a tent will be used for
meeting purposes during part of the time.
History of the Congregation.
The history of Epworth is interesting
The first attempt to organize a mission of
the NJ. E. Church South, east of the Capitol,
was made during the pastorate of Rev. DR..
S. K. Cox, who was in charge of Mount
Vernon Place Church about twelve years
since. The place selected as a place of
meeting was Odd Fellows Hall on Sth
street southeast, but the effort failed, be-
cause of want of cooperation in the move
ment on the part of the parent church and
the need of suitable surroundings for sue
cessful work.
After the appointment of the late Rev. S.
w. Haddaway (who succeeded DR.. Cox) TO
the pastorate of Mount Vernon Place, he
called a meeting of the members living east
of the Capitol Revs. Messrs. Evan and
Boteler of the Baltimore annual conference
and Messrs. Shreve, Hall, Thomson and
Steir, local preachers.
These persons met at Baum'S Hail. corner
of East Capitol and 4th street southeast on
| the evening of April Is, 1856, and after
careful thought and prayer and full eX-
preston of the views of those present i.
was determined by formal vote to estab-
lish service in that hall until more suitable
accommodations could be secured.
Regular Services Begin.
The first regular service was held Sun
day, April 25 1885, Rev. ]. w. Boteler
preaching at IL am. and Rev. j. ". EVAN
at 80 pm. A Sunday school was organ
lied, with Mr.. T. z. Clark superintendent,
and class meeting, with Mr.. E. T. Thorne
leader. Here services were held by those
already named, clerical and lay until the
purchase Of the old building now used by
the congregation at the corner of 7th and
A streets northeast. This structure was
formerly occupied by the METROPOLITAN
Presbyterian Church, and erected by them
on the corner of 4th and streets south
east, but afterward moved to the present
site. After repairs, cleaning and furnishing
the first formal service was held July q.
1856, the late Rev. DIR. Samuel Rodgers
preaching in the morning and Rev. DIR. S.
X. Cox at night For a considerable time
the pulpit was served by Rev. s. w Had
daway and the gentlemen who were pras-
ent at the preliminary meeting In the fall
of 1856 evangelistic services were held by
Mr.. Haddaway, who had Rev. j. O. Knott.
tie present pastor, to aid him for week
The mission was given the name of Grace
and Rev. J. c. Jones appointed pastor. He
served under Mr.. Haddaway from 1887 to
1888 when Grace was made distinct
charge, Mr.. Jones continuing as pastor un-
der the new condition of affairs until
March last, except for an interval of eight
months when Rev. Harry Febry had
charge. Mr.. Febry was, however, COM
PEELED, on account of his health to relin-
quish the work.
The name of the church was changed
from Grace to Epworth in the spring of
1888. Twenty-seven members constituted
the body when Mr. Jones took charge. He
left roll of one hundred and eighty-four
There are now over two hundred members
The following have served as superinten
dents of the Sunday school: Messrs. T y
Clark, George Wright, w. NJ Deck and the
present incumbent, w. F. Hummer The
present pastor. Rev. J. O. Knott. was an
pointed by the conference which met in
Washington during March last.
SENTENCE SUSPENDED.