The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-10-18
A PRETTY CHURCH
The south side Baptist Church Nearly
COmpleted-A Prosperous Congrega.
ton That Has Been Built mp IN Three
Years-The New Edifice to BE Dedi.
Gated In Two Weeks

ton That Has Been Built mp IN Three
Years-The New Edffce to BE DedI-
Gated In Two Weeks
A reporter OF The Messenger, in
company with the Rev. T. II. Earring
ton. pastor of South Sid Baptist
church, had a look yesterday at the
new church edifice at Fifth and Woos-
ter streets. Messrs. Mills & Savage,
the contractors, are now putting OF.
the finishing touches n will complete
the church and turn il over so il can
ne dedicated on the first Sunday in No
vember.
The church stands on a beautiful To-
| on the northwest corner of Fifth and
Wooster streets. The lot fronts 132
feet on Fifth street and runs back 90
feet. the south side being on Wooster
street. The building is 55x5o feet, and
is So feet high, with a steeple about 90
| feet high. The roof has been put on
| the house and has been painted, and
yesterday the carpenters finished the
roof Of the steeple.
The entrance to the church is on
Fifth street. The base Of the steeple
forms a vestibule, and it is entered
through double Gothic doors. The
vestibule is 9x18 feet in size and is well
lighted by Gothic windows. The church
+! on each side of the vestibule is lighted
by win Gothic windows, and there are
| two single windows on the north and
| two on the south side of the building.
The main body of the hurch en-
| braces an auditorium 55x35 feet in di-
mansions. 1t has a seating capacity for
! 400 people and the peWs are to be made
| of natural pine trimmed in cherry and
! walnut. Around the walls there will
be neat wainscoating Of pine trimmed
in cherry and walnut. The pulpit is on
the middle of the west side of the au-
ditorium, fronting the vestibule, n
| underneath it is a pool 6x10 feet and
3b feet deep. Back of the pulpit is a
hall 1Ox12 feet, and on either side of
the hall, with doors entering from it,
are two dressing rooms, one for ladies
and one for gentlemen. There is an
! outside exit for each room. These rooms
are lighted by Gothic windows. The
! choir will be located in the southwest
| corner of the auditorium. OVER the
pulpit is a pretty arch and from it will
hang curtains that will separate the
| pulpit from the hall leading to he
dressing rooms.
The ceiling of the auditorium has a
pitch of % feet. 1t is natural pine and
will be painted in p~annels of white
with the style work in lilac. The pull
pit is made of pine finished in cherry
and walnut.
The church is a frame structure.
painted a blue grey and trimmed in
white, and it is an exceedingly neat
structure. It will cost about 81, 800. ex-
elusive of the lot. A pretty concrete
walk 10 feet wide is to run from the
pavement to the entrance of the
vestibule. Work was commenced on
the building six weeks ago and the
contractors have made an expeditions
and excellent job of it.
The church is quite an Improvement
to that section of the city. and there
are also other improvements hat have
made quite a change in the looks of
the cross streets. Mr.. G. G.. Parker is
finishing a nice two story residence on
Fifth street. next north of the church.
Mr.. E. Strunck has two new houses
on the east side of Fifth street, and the
neat two story residence of Mrs. Ruth
Curtis has been extensively improved
erected for an arc light at
the intersection of Fifth and Wooster
streets, and it will not only benefit the
church, but the neighborhOod. The
surroundings of the church are very
pretty, and in front of it are five grand
live "a trees.
South Side church was organized
three years ago., with IS members, and
now it has 1876 members. At the as
ISOLATION in October last year the to-
tai recelpts of the church were re-
ported as 1904, and this year it was
$741, besides the money raised to build
the church. The missionary collections
were increased from $50 to $110, and
there was an increase from the Sunday
school and for periodicals.
The Rev. F. H.. Harrington, a conse-
Grated and talented young man, is
pastor of the church, and it has pros
pered wonderfully under his ministry.
He is a native of Bibb county, Ala
bama and was attending the denomi-
national college, Howard College, at
Birmingham, Ala, when the Southern
| Baptist Convention met In Wilmington
last May a year ago.. He came to the
| convention and was thus brought to
the church. The church membership
has doubled since he has been here
and the congregation is highly pleased
with him. The membership of the
Sunday school has increased from So
to 100. He is quite young and expects
to complete his education at Howard
College. and then take a course, prob
ably at the Chicago University. This
is his first ministry. and he has indeed
made an suspicious beginning.