Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1900-02-01
A PASTORS FAREWELL.
Rev. Q. n. Hockey conducts His Final Service In
the Lutheran Church-Regret at his De-
parture.

Rev. @. n. Rocky conducts His Final Service In
the Lutheran church-Regret at his De-
| parture.
Rev. G. II. Rocky, who has been
pastor of the Lutheran church ofShep-
herdstown and Uvilla for nearly seven
years, and who recently resigned to
accept a call from Waynesboro,
Pa, conducted his farewell service
last Sunday. At the morning service
in Shepherdstown the church was
crowded, and the usher, found it nee
essary to place chairs in the aisles to
seat the people. The pastor could
not but be touched at this last evidence
Of the esteem in which he has been
held not only by his own members
but by the people Of the community
in general. Many members Of other
churches attended the service. Mr..
Hockey took for his text the 18th
verse of the 18th chapter of Second
Corinthians:
FINALLY, brethren, farewell. Be per-
feet, be of one mind, live in peace ; and
the God of love and peace shall be with
you"
He said in part:
The final hour is come. A ministry
of six years and seven months closes
with this service. Sacred have these
months and years been, crowded and
crowned with the unmiStakable evil
dences of Gods love and favor and with
the continued assurances Of your esteem
and unbounded kindness. And now to
say farewell is, assure you, one Of the
most unpleasant duties OF my life. l
remember well that day when just 70
months ago | announced from this pull
pit these words as the text of our intro
ductory sermon For | determined
not to know anything among You save
Jesus Christ and Him Crucitied.' How
closely we have adhered to that text is
a matter Of record and memory. But
that was the first pillar erected. From
this the arch has been frightening un-
til that arch finds its rest on the should
er of the pillar we plant today, Final
ly brethren, farewell" Beneath that
hallowed arch our hearts and hands
were Joined. Our interests were one,
our work was one, our prayers were
one our joys and our sorrows, our
hopes and our disappointments, were
~ r
sonal spiritual experiences rolled, per-
haps uncOnsciously TO you, over upon
my own heart in gladneSs or in sadness.
So closely was bound to you, not mere
ly by official PASTORAL ties, but by your
unbroken kindness, that every song OF
Joy that fell from your hearts found It's
echo in mine, and every tear of sorrow
glistened in my own eye. l came IN
the spirit Of the Master TO talk with you
and walk with you in the light of God
and He has eXhalted US together, and
made US sit together in heavenly places
in Christ Jesus" and while today that
walk is ended, yet the heart union
formed by the interlacing Of experiences
of six years shall never be dissolved.
That union is as sacred as heaven and as
abiding as the soul itself. Spiritual in
fluences are immortal, and when, some
sweet day, by and by, this union shall
be made eternal at Gods holy throne,
we then shall find that these experiences
OF the past SIX years shall be blended
into and help make up our eternal es-
tate. So, my brethren, in the deepest
and sweetest sense there is no such word
as Farewell" What we have expert
enced in the years that now are past are
abiding and operative in the soul today,
and shall continue to abide in the light
of that bright day that has no twilight.
In this sense there is no such thing as
separation.
Our union has been blessed of God.
What has been accomplished cannot be
attributed to our worthiness or the efh-
cheney of our united efforts. Far be-
yond our worthiness God has been |
pleased to vouchsafe His blessings and |
His love. Not unto us, . Lord, not |
unto us, but unto Thy name be the |
praise" What has been accomplished |
will appear from the brief statements |
| now make. | simply do this because |
it is customary and right on such oc-
casions. We have received into full |
membership of the church during the |
past six and a-half years 25l new mem
bers. This is encouraging when we
consider the limited nature OF our ter
ritory. The membership Of this church
(Shepherdstown and Uvilla considered
as one) was 302 when | took charge.
OF these 302 there are still in active
connection with the church 255. There
have been added psi new members,
making total of 553. We have lost
during the same period by removals 60
and by death 10, a total loss Of lO2
These losses deducted leaves a present
membership of 45l-a gain in member
ship of nearly 80 percent In spite Of losses.
We have held 26 communion services
in Shepherdstown at which 4,2Ol par
ticipated, or an average of l62 at each
communion. AT Uvilla 10 communion
services, with 1876 communicates, or
an average of l04-a total Of GIT COM
municants and an average in the charge
of 266. We have consecrated in infant
baptism 1913 children and have baptized
80 adults, making total OF l53 baptlsms.
We have conducted ll8 funeral services,
40 having been those Of members OF this
church.
The personnel of our regular morning
audience has changed since first looked
upon it. Seats are vacated now that
were filed then by those who have gone
up TO that higher sanctuary, and there
are some here today who shall follow