The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-06-20

Rev. Robert f. Y. Pierce yesterday
accepted the call extended to him June
to become pastor of the Penn Avenue
Baptist church. He made known his
acceptance in the following letter which
he read at the conclusion of his morn
ing sermon:
70 the Officers and Members of Penn
Avenue Baptist Church, Scranton, IA.
Dear Brethren: I have been Informed
Of the official action of the church. taken
at the special meeting held Wednesday
evening, June s, 1898, in which the church
formally, yet most cordially, extended
to me a call to the pastorate. Your ac-
tion has been very much appreciated and
| desire to thank you for your Christian
confidence, and for the honor conferred
by this invitation to become your pastor
Such relationship must not he en-
tered into, however, without mature
thought and most prayerful Considera-
tion. Your kind invitation of last April
to serve the church as pastoral supply
for a few weeks, and my coming TO be
with you for a season, was manifcstly
Of the Lords leading and beyond all
human planning.
Your cordial greeting. your Christian
encoura cement, and finally your most
earnest call to the pastorate have inn
pressed me deeply. The great field for
Christian labor, the apparent readiness
to respond to the Masters call for service
on your part, and the spiritual forvor
and great unanimity of the official breth
rem and membership of the church in CX-
tending the call, all Indicate a providen-
tial guidance, and make plain the duty
OF the hour.
RICHLY BLESSED.
/ have been richly blessed in soul-win-
ming in the special evangelistic work to
which | have given the past two years Of
ministerial effort, and feel that ! ought
not to rclinquish that work which has
been manifestly owned of God. The
field of your church activities doubtless
afford great opportunities for Cvanse-
lstic work, and | am led to believe that
you will encourage your pastor in all his
cvangclzng efforts, and occasionally
generously accord him privileges Of soul
winning service with brother pastors
when the home interests will not be ma
tcrially affected thereby.
After careful reflection and earnest
prayer for divine guidance I have been
led to believe that it is the will of our
Lord and Master that | should accept the
call of the church, and | do hereby pray
| erfully and rcverently accept the office
which you have prayerfuly and with
| Christian Cordialty rendered me; thus
| entering in to be a sharer in the faithful
| labors of the mon of God who have
| toilcd with you in other days and to be a
co-laborcr with you in the harvest fields
| Of God i'm the on-coming days.
| With this acceptance l can but assure
| YOU of my hearts best service. Having
| 1
| i'm all my ministry to Glorify God in the
| winning of souls to Him, and the up
| building Of His church, and the spread OF
| His kingdom.
From you | shall ever hope to receive
| Christian encouragement, prayerful SYM
| pathy and loyal and loving support ir
| all my service for Christ and the church
| Praying that we may thus be one ir
| interest, one in heart, and one in Christ
Jesus our Lord, always bearing each 9TH
cr's burdens and sharing each others
joys. I am, beloved in the Lord youl
pastor. Robert +. Y. Pierce.
| Scranton, Pa, Jure IS, 1925.
TIE CLOSING HYMN
| Immediately following the reading o
the letter the doxology was sung
| Prayer was then offered by Mr.. Pierce
| and the incident closed with the sing
| ing of BLESSED BE the Tie that Binds.
Mr. Pierce did not come to Scranton
! as a pastoral candidate in any sense
but he so pleased the members Of the
| congregation by his ardent religious
! spirit. energy and many other esti
mablc qualities that the call when sug
| gested was rendered with an enthusi
asm and unanmity that has neve
been cXcelled in a large Scranton
| church.
According to engagements mad
some time ago, Mr.. Pierce will atten,
the international Christian Endeavo
convention at Nashville and deliver
course Of daily lectures from July {
H. he will also deliver several lecture
during the international convention o
the Baptist Young Peoples union a
| Buffalo from July II to II. BY vote o
the church he viii be given a vacation
in August. During a portion Of th
| month he will be with Evangelis
| Moody in the big army camps a
Tampa, Chickamauga and Fall
| Church.
Mrs. Pierce and their S-year-olt
daughter, Bessie, will be in Scranto
this week to remain a few days befor
going to Springfield, Mass, for tn
summer. \ son, Charles f. Pierce, ha
just graduated from Temple colleg,
Philadelphia, where he has completer
a commercial course.