The times., 1899-05-08
new CBURCH ED[FICE
FORMALLY OCCUPIED
Home of the Fourth Presby-
terian Congregation.
Opening Services in a Handsome
House of Worship.
One of the Oldest Religious Bodies
in the City-Its History
in Brief.

this city and the house of worship was
formerly on Ninth Street northwest, be-
tween G and II Streets. Some time azo 1t
| became evident to the members that their
church was too far down town, and it was
decided TO purchase a site somewhere in
the residence section and build a handsome
structure. After some discussion lot on
the corner OF Thirteenth and Yale Streets
on Columbia Heights was secured, and
about year ago the construction OF the
present chapel was begun. II is about sew
enty feet square s-ld has seating capacity
of $50 in the main auditorium.
The Sunday school room, which is sit
uated on the second floor, instead of the
first, as is usually the case, is about the
same size as the auditorium downstairs,
and is very conveniently arranged.
The classes were called to order at $3.50
yesterday morning by James A. McElwee,
| Superintendent of the school. He congrat-
uiated the children and their older asso-
ciates on the acquisition of the new guar
| ters and introduced Thomas c. Newton,
who spoke briefly. Addresses were also
| made by Frank L. Middleton and A. b.
Kelly.
O'Clock with prelude On the new organ,
after which the dexology was sung. Rev.
Joseph T. Kelley, the pastor. then Offered
prayer of invocation for the success OF the
new church. and concluded with the Lord's
Prayer, which was recited by the congre-
CATION. After the singing of Dudley BUCKS
"Alleluiah," the TwenIy-fourth Psa IN was
read by the entire congregation.
Rev Byron Sunderland, d. D., of the
First Presbyterian Church. preached the
dedicatory sermon. DR.. Sunderland took
his tex; from Psalms xlvii:2, Beautiful
for situation-the joy of the whole earth
is Mount Zion-on the sides to the north
of the city of the Great King"
DR.. Sunderland traced the history of
Mount Zion and the capture of the hill by
the Israelites under David 1t was he.e,
he said, that the Jebusites had their great
est stronghold from which the sons of the
tribes of Israel under Joshua tried again
and again TO dislodge them without sue
cess. -Four hundred years afterward Da-
vid tock possession of the hill and drove
out the pagans and thenceforth it was
known as Mount Zion, "the city of David"
Continuing, DR.. Sunderland said in part:
What a miracle and marvel it is that
after a lapse of 1900 years, in country
then unknown to the Orient, at the Cap
ital OF the foremost Republic en- the face
Of the earth, and by the dying couch Of the
nineteenth century, We should assemble
here on this spring Sabbath morning on
these sunlit heights. so beauteous, to dedi-
cate this most comely structure to the
service and worship of that came cove
! nant-keeping God.
Especially you OF this household Of faith
for all the way that God has led you from
your organization as a Christian Church;
| planted as you were in the earlier years
of the Capital City-your fathers and foun-
| ders did well for the common cause in the
| conditions there surrounding them. No
! human mind can compensate the blessings
/ that have been bestowed upon the city,
the country, and the world through the
| sacrifices and the ministrations of this
noble church. But in the growth and de-
velopment of great city like our own,
when the centre CT population will be re-
/ moved and the tide of attendance will
run low. the very sanctuary so full of hal
| lowed recollections, and the few remaining
/ veterans of its warfare will become as
| strangers 10 the new generation that are
reaching beyond the former limits of habi-
tation to new and fairer sections. For
1 the last thirty years this growth of the
| city to the north and west, as in Jerusalem
of old. has been opening new fields to
| Christian enterprise and depicting the resi-
Dental sections of former times.
Here the children shall be nurtured IL
! the Sabbath school and in he homes of
| the families whose daily incense rises from
the domestic altar. Here the elders shall
sit well in the house of God and the pas
| tors loving care go out TO all the flock.
! Can anything be more pathetic. more ten
der more charming, more hopeful, in all
! the round of mortal existence? While the
| great tragedy of the world moves on and
I the centuries full of the purposes CT God
shall come and go this will be your Mount
Zion here, pleasant for situation, the joy
/ of the whole earth" and oh! what joy.
/ And now for the cause of all this and to
the seal Of this you viii devote this chapel
today as holiness unto the Lord. 1t Will
be forever a great day in your history.
| Glory be TO the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost. AS it was in the
beginning. is now, and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen
At the conclusion of the sermon the
church was formally turned over to the
board of trustees by the pastor. acting as
the chairman Of the building committee.
| George w. Babcock, Chairman of the
| board of trustees Of the church, received
| the keys and made neat speech in which
he said he hoped the ministrations OF him
| self and his successors would be as well
| executed as the work of the building COM
mittee, from whom he now took possession
Of the building. Mr.. Kelly then stated
that there was still some Indebtedness Ia
be liquidated on the building and he called
for subscriptions. The amount of the
subscriptions wanted was $4,000, and this
was subscribed In very short time. After
the reception of the contributions prayer
was offered by Rev. DIR. Mcknight and the
benediction pronounced by Mr. Kelley.
Afternoon services were held al O'Clock
during the course of which addresses were
| IFragI 10 latrD Dow flN sua fcIa paHr Il-
Radcliffe Rev. DIR. Charles b. Ramsiell
Rev. DR.. George n. Luccock, Rev. ]. r
Verbrycke, and Hon. b. II. Warner. The
meeting was presided over by Rev. DIR. Bit
finger and the benediction was pronounced
by Rev. DR.. a. w. PitZer. At O'CLOCK
Ralph Wells, OF New York, addressed III,
Christian Endeavor Society. and Mt
O'Clock Rev. J. T. Kelley preached his frs
sermon in the new church and inauguratet
the twenty-sixth year OF his pastorate
Tuesday evening a special meeting will b.
held in the church during which fraterna
greetings will be exchanged between tn,
various pastors throughout the city cnc
the pastor Of the new church. AT the con
clusion Of the services in the auditorium
there will be a reception in the Sunday.
7 school room under the auspices of tn,
ladies OF the church.
I The Fourth Presbyterian Church is ON,
of the oldest of that denomination in thi
| city. II was first organized in 1928 with
! | membership of twenty-three. The congre
CATION held services in a number of hall
, and school houses until they erected thei
first house OF worship in Ninth Stree
northwest, between G and II Streets, wher
, the old building now stands. This build
ing was known as the little whit
Church" and remained the only place O
worship for the congregation for te