The Portland daily press., 1896-01-06

increase added greatly to the spiritual
power and working force of the church.
This remarkable work of 1874 was carried
on without aid We were our own evan.
gelists and voealists.
The years between 1874 and 1877 were
marked by continuous revivals and IN
creasing add itions.
! In 1879 the last dollar of the church
debt contracted in 1878 was paid, and a
memorable service of thanksgiving was
held by vote of the parish ON October 18th
of that year.
The year 1882 was an aggressive one in
the history of the church. 1t began with
very important action. January 3Otb
the church adopted the form of admission
which has since been used in receiving
new mem bers. This made the Apostles
Greed the basis of church mem bershin.
Thus our church did tor itself in 1852
what the Trienniai National Council in
1885 recommended all Congregational
churches to do.
There has always been large proportion
o f young people connected with the st.
Lawrence Street church as Christian
workers. 1t has all through my minis
| try, had strong young peoples weekly
service In the spring of 1881 the young
peoples Thursday evening prayer meet
ing became the centre of religious work
of great interest. Inquiry meetings were
held in the large parlor of the late Dea.
H. II. Burgess's house, and large num-
Der of young people were led to Christ.
In close connection with this work of
grace came the form alton of the Society
an important place in our church work
ever since. Ours was the third society OF
this kind formed in the country.
In the spring of 1882. thirty more per-
SONS, mostly young confessors of faith,
were added to the church.
The same year began the outdoor SER
vices ON Sunday afternoons, which have
been successfully continued ever since,
and which have been ably aided by the
city pastors who have willingly respond
ed to our appeals for help. Too mucn
cannot be said in commentator of this
lOIul VI dSSIO5oANC OLQICl WOIh,
On February 10Th, 1888, the oh urch OBJ
served with elaborate services its twenty
fifth anniversary. 1t was An occasion of
great interest and value. The following
year the church published new manual
which has been commended as a model
of its kind. In the work of preparing
this manual the pastor was ably aided by
the late Dea Edmund S. Hoyt, who,
during his long connection with u.s. was
Sunday school tie acher of eminent abil-
ity, and wise counsellor and practical
worker in all church enterprises.
The last decade of our church life has
been more fruitful in conversions than
any previous one. From 1885 to 1896 we
have added one hundred and sixty-nine
members to our church.
Dividing the twenty five years of this
pastorate into periods of five years each.
we may make the following statistical
exhibit of our growth:
From 1871 to 1876, seventy seven were
added to the church.
| From 1876 to 1881, thirty seven were
added to the church.
From 1881 to 1886. sixty-one were add
ed to the church.
From 1886 to 1891, seventy-One were
added to the church.
From 1891 to 1896, ninety eight were
added to the church.
Making the total additions to the
church membership three hundred and
forty -four, of which number two hundred
and ftry-seven were received on confess
sion of faith.
Our present membership is three hun
dred and three, and this makes our
growth in a quarter century consider
able more than two and half fold.
We have a resident mem bership of
about two hundred and fifty persons. If,
as was-the case in 1871, one-half of our
resident members were actively connect
ed with some form of church work, we
should have working force of one hun
dred and twenty five persons.
| But there are reasons why we cannot
expect this. We are resolving mem be1s
at an earliery age now. Wisely we are
unfolding the yont hfuL This gives us a
larger field within our own doors for
church work, but does not as largely in
crease our working strength. Our young
er church members become church work
ers, hut first they come in to grow in
grace and in the knowledge Of Jesus
| Christ.
| Mr.. Wright here defined the meaning
of the terms "Ch-istian WORKER and
''church worker" and brought out clear
| ly the fact that 1t does not necessarily
follow, because a church member is not
personally active in prescribed lines of
church, work he is not therefore a work
ing Christian, for the whole OF the indi
vidual life is a sphere for Christian
W ork. The family, the work shop. the
daily associations Of business and of So
cial life may become spheres of active
Christian effort He then passed on to
speak of the great enlargement of the
field Of Christian work on Munjov Hill
New streets of residence have REQ gently
been solidly built up. Many new dwell
| lings are now in process of erection. The
proportion of house overs and of nerma
nent homes is much inc reased of late
years. Our population is rapidly grow
| tOr,r oil ia in oil