The herald., 1896-01-06
YESTERDAY At THE CHURCHES
Some of the Many Sermons
That Were Delivered
ANNIVERSARY AT EPIPHANY
The Event Celebrated by Special and
Elaborate Services
The Influences of Thought Upon the
- Body, the Subject at unity--New
Era and Other Discourses

Today will be the tenth anniversary of
the Episcopal church of the Epiphany, East
Los Angeles, and the event was duly cele-
brated at the church edifice, at the corner
of Sichel and Altura streets, yesterday
morning. The rector, Rev. A. &. l.. Irew,
d. D., was assisted by the Rev. franklin
w. Adams, special communion services
being held to commemorate the close of
the first decade of the parish. The music
was especially good, the regular choir hav-
ing been strengthened for the occasion.
Before the regular services The rector
gave brief historic sketch of the organiza-
ton and growth of the parish for the bene-
fit of the congregation. The first meeting
held of the present congregation, which
gave birth to the parish. was at the resi-
dence of Mr.. E. P. Cornick. who has since
removed from the city, on January q,
1856, the festival of the Epiphany, for
which reason the new parish was so named.
The first pastor called to the charge was
Rev. Henry Scott Jefferys, who served
from the organization until january,
1888, when he resigned to go to Japan as a
missionary, and where he is still located.
Mr.. Jefferys was succeeded by Rev. Charles
A. Kienzle, who served until Easter, / S93,
when he surrendered the charge. From
this time until January l, 1895. the church
was without regular pastor, the pulpit
being filled temporarily from time to time
as occasion offered. In January, 1925,
Rev. A. G. L. Trew, better known in South
ern California as Dean Irew. was called to
the pastorate and acc opted the same and
entered on the discharge of his duties. Mr.
Trew, it will be remembered. was for
long time dean of the diocese and pastor of
the church at San Gabriel, but resigned
that pas crate to take charge of st. johns
parish In Oakland, the largest Episcopal
congregation in that city. He could no
stand the northern climate, however, and
when called to the Church of the Epiphany
resigned his charge in Oakland and re-
turned to Los Angeles. where he has since
devoted his energies to building up his
parish on the East Side. In this connec-
ton it should be stated that the Church of
the Epiphany is the second Episcopal
parish organized in Los Angeles, st. PauFs
being the first and Christ Church the third.
The lot at the corner of Sichel and Altura
streets was secured shortly after the or
ganization, and the present chapel was
erected in 1SSS. This building is erected
across the rear of the lot, and it was the
intention of the congregatio TO erect the
church building proper in front, fronting
on Sichel street, lin which case the present
building was TO be used as guild
hall, but the finances of the con-
gregation have never justified this expendi-
original building. There are now 120
communicates on the church roll. and
while the congregation is not yet entirely
out of debt, under the earnest work of Mr..
Trew, much progress has been made to
that end, and it is hoped that within the
next year the entire Indebtedness will be
liquidated and the little chapel formally
dedicated.
Mr.. Trew preached a thoughtful and
eloquent sermon appropriate to the oc-
casion, taking as his text the following Sc
lections of scripture: Psalm cXXvii, Xxx
cept the Lord build the house they labor in
vain that build it," l Cor, xv. 5S. Your la
Dor is not vain in the Lord:'' l Cor. ill, 9,
I'VE are laborers together with God.
After referring to the fact that the con-
gregation was entering upon new era,
both in relation to their own personal lives
and in relation to their membership in the
congregation, the speaker said that it was
because of the position in which they stood
today, TO make as it were new beginning,
that he had selected as the subject for his
thought one or Two of the principles which
lie under all human moral or religious
effort. The future, said the speaker. will
take it's shape and color from what we our
selves sha do. Our own actions are what
its character will chiefly depend upon. If
that is so. then it will be we'll for us study
the nature of our actions What does
human nature draw it's value from? What
gives it worth and stamps it with perma-
nence and success? The answer 20 the
questions. said the speaker, is found in the
three words of Holy Scripture with which
he began his discourse. The answer. he
said, Is found in all three, by combining
them. Either of them by itself is not suffi-
cient; each brings out one aspect and
places emphasis on one side of the truth,
while the other side in tucn is partly passed
by; their combination gives the full truth.
After discussing the matter at length,
the speaker concluded his able address as
follows: "What, then, remains as our les
son of wise duty? 1t is a double lesson.
Let us be profoundly conscious that Gods
will and Gods grace must be the very
foundation of all our actions. Without God
We can do nothing. That is the first thing.
And the second is, we must then strive to
do our part, as if not part, but the whole.
depended on us. Fidelity, panstakng
conscientiousness, the doing our best-all
this rests with us. This is ours, all the
same as if it were not Gods spirit that is
working in us to will and to do. And yet
we must never forget this other side. God
puts all this into our hearts by his spirit.
Gods spirit works in us, and the organs by
which he works are our human faculties of
thought and affection and will. He works
by means of them, and often it will be
difficult even for ourselves to tell what
thoughts and actions are purely ours, and
which are his, though done by us. The
self-denial for another's benefit which we
resolve on seems our own poor resolve, but
it comes from the spirit; the gentle answer
to harsh and unkind remark is not our
own; it comes from the Holy spirits
prompting. Thus it is that the Lord builds
the house of our SOULS character and that
the exercise OF our human faculties by
which it is built up is not in vain, because
Gods action and our labor are merged and
blended into one. And so we are laborers
together with God, and our labor is moi in
vain in the Lord.'
At the conclusion of the service the sac
Sament of the holy communion was ad.
hinistered.
Central Presbyterian
A large congregation greeted the Rev. DR..
Fowler, pastor of the Central Presbyterian
church, on the occasion of his initial SER
mon at the Y. M. c. A. auditorium yester-