The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1900-12-06
OPENING SERVICES.
INTERESTING EXERCISES At THE NEW
METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH
SUNDAY,

Opened 10 the Worship of Almighty
God but Will Not be Formally Dedi- /.
Gated Until Later Date-the Build /
ing Not Yet Completed Nor Entirely
Free From lncumbrance.
The opening services Of the new
Methodist Protestant church Sunday
marked another important period in
the towns history. An interesting
program had been arranged and the
exercises were participated in by a
large number of our people. The
music was a feature and was greatly
enjoyed. 1t was an occasion for re-
joicing. for praise and thank giving,
and people of every denomination and
of no church utilization at all. re joiced
with our Methodist Protestant friends
in the possession Of so elegant and
commodious house of worship.
The service opened by singing The
Lord is in His Holy Temple by the
choir, following by hymn No. SO. in
which the congregation heartily join
ed. Then responsive reading, Psalm
422. and Invocation by the pastor,
Rev. j. 5. Williams. An anthem by
the choir "Praise Ye the Name of the
Lord was beautifully rendered and
Rev. j. ID. Hufham, ID. d., led in
prayer Hymn No. 1856 was sung
and then Scripture reading, Kings.
1922 80, by Rev. c. l.. Whitaker, the
new Y elected president of the North
Carolina Conference. A couple OF
selections by the choir and the offer
ing. and pastor Williams delivered
the following '.words of greetings:
We greet you. friends, on this glad day,
| in the name of orr membership herp-a
little band of one hundred aud forty.
| United We are III our Efforts to do good,
| in our love for You and our appreciation
OF Your Kindness to u.
We greet you in the name of our sixteen
| Thousand members in North tarolinn, III
| the name of our Annual Conference of
| fifty ministers and as many Iaymen, from
| whose sessions we have just returned
That meeting was Il vertable "Mount
| Of Transformation to u-. Jesus was
there. We felt that we would like to re-
main there. But He sent Us into the
| valley. No. He has come with us. This
| Valley of Sin, not that our town is the
worst, but there is much wickedness in
| our midst; this Valley of Suffering, for
| there is sorrow about US: this Valley of
| Peace and Love.
We greet you in the name OF our 49,
| 600 members in this country. Not a
| large army in comparison with Older de-
nominations. Yet we love each other
| and are IA compact body of Christian
| workers for our Masters cause.
We greet YOU in the name of our
! Methodist Protestant comrades in Japan.
| Our work there will be just twenty-one
years Old next May. no doubt that
| month will be he beginning OF greater
day for Missions among our people. We
would remember also our work in China
| begun about one year ago.
We greet you in the name of our Lord
who said: Gone is your Master even
| Christ, and all We are BRETHREN
| You will Worship Him by your affairs,
while we worship Him here. May we all.
find Him. May each church altar be a
| place where ENERGY and truth shall meet
| together, and Righteousness and peace
kiss each other
! We bave much in common. a common
| duty, Il common enemy. a glorious des
| tiny in common.
1t is our prayer that all conditions OF
! people may come to this altar, that
hungry souls may be fed, that men may
be convicted of sin, that broken hearts
| may be cOmfOrted.
God forbid, that az we worship in this
beautiful editice our Lord should hear
beneath our anthems and organ tones
! the cry ing OF hungry children and the
| pitfous wall OF forgotten widows.
| Inhapply for US If Jesus should have
to ignore these splendid material tokens
| of honor to Him and do rs Lowell de-
| scribrs:
''rhen Christ sought out an artisan,
| "A loW-browed, stunted, haggard man,
| and mntnerless H. whose fin gers tn n
pushed from her family want and sin.
| "Ihese set he in the midst of them,
"AnI as they drew back their garment
hem,
| For fear of detilement, 'Lo, leIe, said
he,
"'rhe Images We have made of me-
| A Parable.
May this altar be the birthplace of
many a new life.
He was followed by Andrew j.
Harris, Esq. who spoke as layman,
as follows:
Perhaps some of you who are not
Methodist Protestants, wonder why an
unOrdained and promlscuous layman
| should be called for at this point in our
| opening services 1t is no chance but
only the logical sequence of the principles
and pOlty of our church government.
As our pastor has said, so say we all.
Praise waitpth for thee, o God in Zion"
| In this proud day OF our rejoicing, we, as
a church., standing by and endorsing the
| principles of our fat hers. areerecting such
| monuments as this as memorials to a
race who buried, vet live, Systems rise
| nd foil an Il n nd
are forgotten, we, as individuals. are not
as yesterday, tomorrow We shall be laid
| in our graves. and the trea of he coming
| generations shall be over our headS-yet
| Eternity shall never cease 90 pXult for Us.
| if We build our lives and characters into
| the eternal principles of our fathers aud
| demonstrate to mankind the true family
relationship between ourselves and our
| God
Recently time was when we We're I'M
| known Now 10 intelligent Christian in
our borders fails to recognize US and
| soon, if we continue our walk with God,
| the knowledge OF our principles shall
cover the earth as ''the waters cover the
sea- We greet you, friends. We already
feel the thrill that inspired Israel : sweet
| singer, when he said: "A day in Thy
courts is better than a thousand
No need to tell you of our origin. All
know how the mighty upheaval in COVER
mental affairs in the closing of the last
century led our Ievel-headed forefathers
to acknowledge that the best government
was necessity and for men to have the
best government they must govern them
selves, and this idea developed into our
National Government, that Is the wonder
and pride OF our present civiIIzatIon-for
no nation in the bounds OF civilization,
but feel the pulsngs OF the national heart
with hopes raised by the life OF our nation
and so in the history OF church govern
ment, all creeds, all beliefs, all churches
have followed, often bIindly cropping in
the dark toward. the light that was
breaking in this new and glorious dawn
ing OF the perfect day.