The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-01-12
100 YEARS OF METHODISM
ANNIVERSARY sERVICE IN COM EXPLORATION OF THE SERMON

That Was Preached Century Ago in wes Goshen--some Wonderful Stories of the First Preachers-- House Net Standing Where the First Services " ere Held. The Rev. MT Stott gave his sermon on "One Hundred Years of Metho- dism" in the church in West Goshen on Sunday, January ?, 1898, to small congregation, owing to the extreme cold weather and bad condition of the roads. It was prepared in honor of the one hundredth anniversary of the first Methodist sermon preached in this town. The Waterbury American says: The first Methodist exercises were held in the house now owned and occupied by Henry G. Wright This is the brick house about three-fourths Of mile southwest of our village on the Milton road; and was built in 17S7 by Captain Jabez Wright, the great grandfather of the present owner. The first Methodist sermon was deliv- 
 house on December 3t, 1797. The first Methodist quarterly meeting was held in the barn of Captain Wright in July, 179S. The attendance on these meet ings was small at first, but soon out grew the rooms in private houses, and the old red schoolhouse that used to ct nd bn north of MT. Wright's was used; this building is now the small barn and hennery belonging to Mrs Catherine Cooke in this village, having been moved here about thirty years ago. The Methodists were constantly receiv- ing new members and their attendance increased until the schoolhouse could not accommodate them. A large house near by, belonging to Ethan Walter, was secured, the second story of which had no partitions in it, and good sized audience room was thus obtained. Camp meetings were held in 1909 and 1S10 on the hill south of West Goshen cemetery, and it is said, fin fine grove of tall, large trees" where to- day is an open field. In 1909 the first church was begun. It was placed on piece of land about three rods square, southwest trife, of the present edi- flee, and for reasons known, perhaps. at the time, on land leased for nine hundred and ninetynine years. This was a very cheap and coarse building and is spoken of to-day as the Meth odist barn" A writer says of it, Tt had box seats, with straight perpen- dicular backs, capped with three inch rail. I can see them now and feel them, too, and I should not wonder if every Amen came out with a grunt. The pulpit looked like a pris- oner's box, or the stand of an auction ger, and the gallery provided fine place for the boys to hide and concoct mischief, and, to cap the climax they put all their paint on the outside, and made it red at that, leaving the in- side of the building as it came from the saw mill, with a little dressing from broad axe and plane. But from that pulpit came powerful sermons, and earnest, convincing prayers and exhortations, and from those seats came evidences of the Spirits power, not unheeded and not without infiu- ence The meetings held here during an occupancy of twenty years were of great interest, and the church was filed In 1885 1t was sold for s4,iG2, and removed to new location, oppo- site the Center cemetery, and rebuilt in it's original shape and size, and is HOW the main house of George Herald
 In 1886 the present house was erected and has always been sufficient for the needs of the parish, although at times well filled, and none too large. At Its dedication the people had a jubilee. A powerful sermon was preached, fifty singers were in the choir and the house was crowded. The leading chor- isters are remembered by many of your Goshen readers, Birdsey T. Howe and Lucius Dennison Allyn. In 1886 the church edifice was thoroughly re- paired and renovated, inside and out, under the direction of the Rev. James Taylor, then pastor, at an expense of many hundred dollars, the cost of which was fully paid before reopening on September 1 of that year, just fifty years after it's dedication. On that day a former West Goshen boy, the Rev Charles s. Wing preached the sermon The church was well filled, but in all that audience only twenty three persons were present who were there fifty years before. For the last ten years the membership has declined. Death, removals, abandonment of manufacturing, with attendant de- cline in population, shrinkage in busi- ness and "hard times for farmers. ' have 1essened its support. Still its light shines, and, if many pews are empty, the gallery deserted, the sing ing weak, the few who remain loyal and faithful are cfeered and encour- aged by the "promises." They are sowing seed which will return again And public, looking on, is encour- aged also, for well we know that an open church is better than closed doors, and that "every good example adds wealth and happiness to any peo- pie"
 The history of Methodism in Goshen is history of West Goshen, for dur ing the last one hundred years the sect has been supported and sustained by all the parish regardless of denom. ination or creed. There may have been time when the Congregational ist felt himself better and above his Methodist brother and next dool neighbor, when he thought he ough not to attend divine service in tho Methodist barn. and when he disap
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