The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-03-16
FREE OF DEBT.
Corunna Avenue Methodists Begin New
Era In their Work.

Era In their Work.
| The Corunna Avenue Mtthodists have
hal difficult struggle for seven years past
cUntending against the disadvantages Incl
| dent to the lite of small and struggling
society which were further increased by the
great distance of their place of worship from
the center of the district from which their
support must come
The church was first organized as the
Riverside church when the car barns were
located midway between ONo>so and Coz ur-
na and a small settlement had sprung up
there which seemed likely to still further
increase and grow. The society was organ
Ized under the leadership OF Rev. w. VI.
Ward, then pastor OF the COrunDa church,
and little chapel OF little better than dry
goods box dimensions was built back from
the Corunna road near the river bank.
Two years later the prospects for the i'm
mediate increase of the population of the
mid dle-town settlement having waned and
it appearing that the church must draw
largely from the eastern outskirts of OwOs-
SO city for its support, the chapel was
moved to the Corunna road nearer to Owos-
80 than before. 1t was enlarged at that
time. In this location Rev. w. G. Nixon
worked for five year, and succeeded in
keeping a steady and healthy growth In
the society which was also true Of Rev. G.
X. Hill during his psstorate.
As the church grew in membership how
ever, it became even more evident that the
vast amount of Its support and growth must
come from the residents of Corunna ave
nue. and the adjacent streets in the eastern
part of the city itself, and the support from
the center where the society was estao-
lished became correspondingv small This
was the state of affairs which appealed
most forcefully to Rev. g. C. Squires when
the latter took the charge last September,
| and in corporation with his executive board
he began to look about for a more central
location.
After various discouragements had been
met and overcome site was secured and
| the building actually moved and placed on
its new foundations. Preparations then be-
gan to be made for the re-dedicaton OF the
thoroughly renovated aud fully up-to-date
building, and Sunday saw the successful
elimination of the plans of the pastor aud
people, and the C0runna Avenue Methodist
church has succeeded the Riverside church
and is prepared to carry on much larger
work than its worthy predecessor.
The services Sunday were impressive and
well carried out in every particular. The
Reverend DR.. George Hickey, of Detroit.
preached ia the morning giving a sermon
that awakened some new ideas In some peo-
pies minds about the value OF giving to a
church Or to any other society which works
| for the Improvement of society in general.
So we'll did the people appreciate the truth
] of this matter that the full Indebtedness OF
| the soc ETY. was provided for before the even
ing session was ended, 81, $50 having been
raised during the day. In the afternoon
| Rev. Seth Reed, formerly circuit rider ia
the district, later presiding elder, and Away
favorite in Owosso, where many still re-
member his pastorate, was the principal
speaker and pleased and interested the au-
| dience with "reminiscences OF the early days.
La the evening DR.. John Sweet, presiding
elder, and Rev. II. G. Northrup, OF Coruu-
ma, were among the speakers. All the OK.
ercises of the day were we'll carried out aud
the members of the church nave abundant
reason for happy feeling this week.
The new church, for such it practically
is, Is most conveniently located and now
has commodious, light and dry basement
which makes an admirable room for Ep-
worth League and Sunday School work.