The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-27
RICH BUT HOMELESS
PECULIAR CHURCH sQUABBLE II
CITY OF BR0THERLY LOVE

An Episcopal Congregation With Over
Half a Million Dollars In its Treasury
and Yet it Can't Have Church Where
it Wants One-Neighborins Churches
Object as, Under the Church Law, The
Have a Right TO Do-They are in a Ter
ribIe stew and Talk About Appealing e
Bishop.
Philadelphia. Pa, Feb. Pit is
DOUBTFUL il in all the annals of the
Protestant Episcopal church there is
another such curious case as that OF
the Epiphany church in this city. Here
is a congregation with over S6OO,OOO'
which il desires TO put into structure
which shall be a credit to the diocese
and city, but through the opposition
Of neignboring Episcopal churches 1t
has so lar been prevented from so
doing
Tse Epiphany congregation has been
IvainIy seeking a new site for its place
}of worship ever since its old edifice, At
q
! purchased by John Wanamaker two
sears ago. but the matter is as far as
sver from d settlement. Indeed, the
church is now even more seriously en-
tangled than ever before, and the con-
Ereeation of the Church of the Atone
nent. at Seventeenth and Summer
streets. figures largely in the latest
complicaJio
TIE troubles of the Epiphany church
date from The early spring of 1894, when
the vesjryE=n ratified the sale of their
edifca 90 John Wanamaker. 1t was
arranged that the congregation should
move out al the end of a years time,
Tor a suitable site for the new church,
which was 10 be made free with an en-
d1Wment fund sufficiently large TO es-
tablish il upon a sound financial basis.
aIT. Wanamsker's offer of 100000 was
ample for this purpose. / was the in
tent5Ou 70 devote about half this sum
30 the purchase Of ground and the
erection of a church, establishing an
endowment fund with the remainder.
HOLY TRINITY'S OBJECTION.
site on Chestnut street, above
Twentieth, was looked upon with favor
by the vestrymen, and the preliminary
arrangements for the transfer Of the
ground 10 the Epiphany church had
already been entered into, when an OBJ
stacie which proved insurmountab bic in
1crvencd. This was the strong oppo-
stfon Of Or. ". y. McVickar, rector
of Holy Trinity church, at Nineteenth
and Walnut streets. The canons of the
Protestant Episcopal church provide
That when it is proposed to establish
. new church in any locality the con-
sent Of the rectors of the three churches
most contiguous ITO the proposed site
must be secured before the work can
go on. Dr.. MvNickar vigorously OPP
posed the project, arguing that the es-
tabliShmeut Of church at that point
would seriously affect the future Of
Holy Trinity.
The year of grace granted the Epip-
hany congregation by Mr.. Wanamaker
expired on April | last He extended
the time another year. and the vestry-
men of Epiphany looked about for an
other site. II appeared TO them that
the Baptist Tabernacle a Eighteenth
aud Chestnut streets, which was for
s3h. would, with few necessary
changes "a TO the interior. suit their
purpose adnlira bly,. The purchase of
the tt bernacle property and the re-
furnishing of it would cost less than
endowment fund for the maintenance
pf the church as free house of wor-
ship. DR.. NcNiclSar here again object
d This proposition was even less ac-
CeOcaple Lo him than the first. for it
would bring the Epiphany church still
nearer 70 Holy Trinity There were al
ready toe many Episcopal churches in
that Vicinity. The good doctor, stand
ing in The belfry Of Holy Trinity, with
an ordinary revolver, if he were so
minced eSDd presuming his marksman
snip ~ be fair. could shoot a bullet in
Ia tne7 windows of no less than six
churches 1f his own denomination. The
EDipnanv established in the old Bap
fist Tab=rnacle would make seven.
This WAS the basis of McVickar's OBJ
lection.
GRACE CHURCH DEMURES.
Fo-. y tine the congregation of the
Epiphany SUspen led its efforts TO find
q new sitss then the attention of the
vestryna II mas called 10 a little church
50 far EyB9Fed from Holy Trinity that
DR.. MCNjckar could not possibly OPP
pose theip requirement Of il.
This.Was tlle Church of the Atonement
at Seventeenth and summer streets, in
whose Vicinity a great many members
of the Epiphany Church reside. The
cccles:astic authorities of the dioceS
having given the congregation Of the
Atonement leave to sell their property,
when the bishop was satisfied that EpiS-
copai services would be continued there,
the CnUch of the Epiphany offered to
buy the property for a Chapel of the
Epiphany" Then il was concluded so
far as the committees could consum-
mate II. on the condition expressed and
understood. that the consent of the
three nearest rectors should Zoe obtained
The rector Of st. Clements. four squares
away, and the rector Of The Redemption.
six square distant. promptly gave their
cordial consent. An unlooked-for OBJ
stacla developed, however. when Rev.
II. Richard Harris. rector of Grace
church, at Twelfth and Cherry streets.
with the advice Of his VeStry declined
u permit the Church of the Epiphany
Il acquire Jhe Atonement property for
n chapel. They magnanimousiy agreed
however. 70 allow the brethren of the
joint congregations of the Epiphany and
AjOnement 10 worship God in their place
temporarily" The opposition of Grace
church 70 the deal is more remarkable
iu that only a few years ago. Grace
church declined 10 take the property
and field Of the Atonement as a free
ST.
Air. Harris. the rector of Grace
church. expressed himself yesterday as
u irtily in accord with DR.. McVickor in !
Ms opposition to the establishment OF
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