Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-28
CHURCHES JOINED
Fifteenth Street and! St Paul's
Agree to a Union.
MUST Be RATIFIED BY CONFERENCE
Terms Upon Which theAmaIgama-
ton Was Effected
WILL BE KNOWN ASST. PAUL's


WILL BE KNOWN ASST. PAUL's
Upon the assembling Of the Baltimore
conference of the M. E. Church at Waugh
Chapel March 2 the name of the Fifteenth
Street Church Of that denomination will be
erased from the rolls, and 1t will thereafter
be known as st. Pau1s, the two churches
having been merged This arrangement
was made at a meeting Of the quarterly
conference of the Fifteenth Street Church
Wednesday evening by unanimous vote.
The financial difficulties with which the
congregation has been surrounded for a
considerable period have been already re-
ferred to in The Star, and until within the
past few months it was hoped by all con-
nected with the organization that they
could weather, the storm and maintain an
independent organization for all time:
There had from time to time been talk Of
union of the Fifteenth Street and st.
Paul's churches, but the terms could not
be agreed upon until now.
Offer Once. Rejected.
In speaking today to Star reporter,
gentleman who is thoroughly informed on
the affairs of both churches said:
.At one time the Fifteenth Street Chur h
rejected an application for union as made
by st. Paurs, and considerable feeling was
thereby engendered, but at last the time
arrived when the 18th street people felt
that they must extend the olive branch to
st. Pauls.
1.-The branch was received, and in re-
Spouse Fifteenth Street Church was pre-
scented with the terms Of union. These
terms provided that st. Pauls be the name
Of the amalgamated churches; that ma
jority of the new official board should be
taken from among those now composing
the official board of the present st. Paul's,
and that St. Pauls pastor be the preacher
in charge Of the new organization. The st.
Pauls congregation informed the 18th
street people that this was their ultimatum
and that it was useless for their bretnren
Of the other congregation to propose any
compromise, as they did not intend to re-
cede from the position they had taken.
Hard as these terms were regarded to
be, it was finally decided that it would be
best for all concerned to accept them.
THE greatest trial was when it came to
vote to sever the relations between Rev.
DR.. Murray, pastor of the Fifteenth Street
Church, and his congregation, but DR.. Muir
ray removed much of the difficulty by tell
ing his people that, greatly as he was at
tached to the membership, he was entirely
willing, for the sake of the financial well
fare of the church, to go to whatever field
Bishop Merrill may determineIto send him.
DIR. Luther B. Wilson, presiding elder,
in a speech of rare grace, highly eulogized
the Christian and correctional act of the
conference and membership. and pronounc-
ed the contemplated union happy solution
Of many problems. Nothing now remains
to be done beyond few minor matters in
the conferences of the committees from
each church, and at the ensuing annual
conference the amalgamation will be COM
pleted.
The Initial Moyement
1.-The initial movement for the union of
the Fifteenth Street Methodist Episcopal
Church, at the corner of 18th and r streets
northwest and the St. Paurs congregation,
worshiping in the old Episcopal church at
Dupont circle, was made by the former
through its official board some three weeks
ago. At this time they simply gave a
general invitation to st. Paurs membership
to confer with them upon the Subject Ne
gctiations rapidly followed and plans crys-
tallized, this time ST.. Paure taking the
initiative and offering terms upon which
the present projected union has been con-
summated.
"wednesday night, at the fourth quarter
ly conference of the Fifteenth Street
Church, as above stated, the committee of
the official board reported St. Paups three
propositions and their Recommendations
thereon, and on motion of Dr. g. r. MUIR
ray, the pastor. they were unanimously ap-
proved and passed"
Crlsls threatened.
A. prominent member of the Fifteenth
Street Church said to a Star reporter:
''The history of the present movement
dates back to August, 1897 when the trus-
tees of Fifteenth Street met and consulted,
as to a crisis which then threatened. This:
crisis was averted by the generous loan Of
fercd by Miss r. v. Reeder, who, from
first to last, has been the foremost con-
tributor to the new church building. Be
sides a contribution of several thousand
dollars on the edifice. she had built the
fine pipe organ, which Dr.. Bischoff so
warmly praised something oyer year
ago. The organ Is worth $3,5OD. b., =
But this crisis past, the fact that no
reduction of the principal of the debt could
be made led the church officers to look
toward consolidation with another conxre-
CATION, and. St. Paul's being near by, it was
meditated some time ago to open confer
ence with its official board on the subject.
1t is true that the interest on the debt was
paid as it arose, or within reasonable
period thereafter, but 1t was foreseen that
this was simply eating the heart out of the
new enterprise, without hope Of better
ment.
..Strained as have been the finances this
wear, $1,000 has been collected and paid on
interest charges, while 50 600 in supposedly
first-class subscriptions remains to be col
lected. Meanwhile the Ladies' Aid Society,
with Mrs j. ]. CLEARWATER as its president
has raised over s5O0-doing. for Its opportu-
mites, an even larger work than last year.
The church, also, by dint Of determination
to do It, has raised in full all of Its con-
ference moneys. or has the prospect OF SO
doing And the Young Woman's Foreign
Missionary Society had actually exceeded
in raising funds any similar organization
in the Washington district of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, at the fall meeting OF
the societies in this city.
This gives an idea Of the heroism OF the
congregation, which, had help come from
within in generous measure, would nave
been in fine condition today.
For thirty years the Fifteenth Street
congregation has been worshiping ON the
present lite, and had the present building
cost what it was originally; intended to
spend on 1t, 1t would have felt no undue
pressure. But estimates Of cost. went
adrift, and while a splendid structure arose
loftfly a splendid debt rose higher still.
Enterprise n Monument.
but the enterprise is. take 1t all in all.
grand monument to the labor, the faith
ard the sacrifices of the Fifteenth Street
membership. and no change Of name and
no change Of personnel can rob them of
the glory of giving to the northwest of
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