Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1899-12-14

church membership. All this is most
congratulation in the rapid, healthful
growth and development of christian
work by one denomination and gives
assuring confidence that other demon.
nations in like proportions have been
abundantly prospered in the work of
the Lord.
Thus it is and ever has been with the
onward progress and healthful growth
OF christianity in the world. In the
new fields and localities there comes
first the small beginnings and the pri-
mary work mainly has been depend
ent on what is called the outside ele-
ment of the church, but God has
always found the way to induce them
and all commenced to cheerfully and
literally bring forth from their store
house and personal treasures, with
which He has so literally provided
them, all the necessary financial sup
port to begin and prosperously carry
forward His work whenever and
wherever His protesting followers
willingly and faithfully do what they
can to gather up the fragments and
earnestly prosecute the work, and then
as these churches and communities
grow and develope in numbers. wealth.
power and spirituality they become
the more conservative, neurological
and effective in a broader, larger field;
so they not only sustain and magnify
the work at home, but are the more
able and willing to extend their aid to
needy and distant home and foreign
fields in evangelizing the world under
the great commission. Under this
vital principle, through some such
process and for such noble and glori-
GUS purpose God has through His peo-
pie of the Presbyterian faith brought
from the seemingly small beginning
OF twenty years ago, in the then little
village of Audubon, the magnificent
completely adopted temple for His SER
vice and worship that it might, in
deed, be as the beautiful city upon the
hill top of privilege, as the great light
house of Gods love, faithfully point
ing the benlghted wandering ones to
the city and haven of eternal rest and
peace; and leading the erring, sim
laden ones to the earthly home Of pro-
lection, peace and JOY, which Christ
has established for ali who will come
to Him. And we bespeak for the pres
ent large membership of the First
Presbyterian church, of Audubon,
abundant success in faithfully and
powerfully prosecuting the great work
entrusted to them, with these multi
piled facilities and magnificent oppor-
tunities.
1t is a magnificent structure, COM
modious and complete in all its vari-
GUS departments. The auditorium
proper is forty-eight by torty-eight feet
in size with corner front entrance and
pulpit in opposite corner, with elevated
seats and with present pew capacity
of from two hundred and fifty to three
hundred, with room sufficient to add
one or two hundred more seats in the
auditorium proper, when occasion re.
quires. Then adjoining on the west
side is the Sabbath School department
in all about thirty by seventy feet in
size with rolling doors separating it
from the main room and so arranged
audience room. The Sunday School
J room is divided into various apart
ments, infant class room, ladies' parlor,
other class rooms, and main assembly
room, all of which can be thrown into
one room. To the right and back of the
pulpit in the auditorium is an organ
and choir loft, which is furnished al.
ready with an elegant sweet-toned yet
powerful pipe organ. To the west of
that is the pastors study, with doors
opening to the pulpit platform. The
basement, with ten feet ceiling, is de-
voted to furnace rooms under the main
audience room, In which are set two
large furnaces which nicely heat the
entire building, while under the Sab.
bath School apartments the basement
room, thirty by seventy feet, is devot-
ed to kitchen and dining room, with
all modern facilities for serving at fes-
rivals, fairs and all church gatherings
+ of such nature. An old fashioned fire
place or CRATE also adorns the base
ments dining room and ladies' parlor,
up stairs. An entrance to the north
side admits to the Sabbath School
apartments and basement, with en-
trance also to auditorium. The entire
building is furnished with memorial
and art glass windows, and the inside
finish is in keeping with the beautiful
and substantial finish of pressed brick,
veneered upon solid brick foundation
which is rock-faced brick veneer above
ground, and in the symmetrical brick
turret top tower swings the grand
toned old q Namely and Kimberly y
Troy Bell" which for nearly twenty
years rang out from the old church
tower the precious gospel call to come
and worship.
AS to the financial part we are in
formed that Mrs Lois G. st uart very
generously and cheerfully donated one
half of the cost of the entire building.