The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-04-02

tounded--dopeS Tor the Future
Were Outlined by Pastor.
The congregation of the Green Ridge
Baptist church, yesterday celebrated
the seventh anniversary of the dedi-
cation of that church.
In the morning the pastor, Rev. w.
j. Ford, preached a special sermon and
spoke as follows:
have not often wearied your patience
with anniversary sermons. For the usual
self laudatory panegyric, which enumer-
atcs the pastoral calls made and labors
performed | have no use. II the work
has been conscientiosly done 1t will speak
for itself in the life of the church, but If
1t has not been honestly done for the sole
purpose of advancing Christ's kingdom,
to parade before the world our multiplied
labcrs and varied activities is Offering
strange fire in Gods affairs and is ull-
worthy of a minister of Christ. Another
objection which | have to the ordinary
anniversary sermon is that it must of
necessity draw comparisons between the
present and previous pastorates. There
is no danger this morning of our institut-
ing invidious comparisons as this church
has never known any other pastor and
the pastor has never served another
church.
For several years we have been making
history. Makers of history are usually
too busy to record their deeds. And when
the historian would preserve the memcry
Of the past it is often necessary to
search through scanty and conflicting re-
cords depending largely for his informa-
tion upon uncertain tradition. This SER
vice, the seventh anniversary of the dedi-
catlCn of our first house of worship. and
probably one of the last services that we
shall hold before this building gives way
to the new one, | wish to review our early
history while the events are still fresh
in the minds of the principa! actors.
THE INITIAL EFFORT.
About fifteen years ago. while the en-
crgetic DR.. David Spencer was pastor of
the Penn Avenue church an effort was
made to open a Baptist mission in Green
Ridge. Association hail was secured but
after a few services had been held fur
thcr use of the hall was refused and tho
only public building In the section, the
attempt was abandoned for lack of suit
able place of meeting.
In the summer of 1890, a few choice
spirits felt that the time had come for
aggressive work. CottCge prayer meet
ings were held usually by Thomas Johns.
This movement was radically different
from the earlier one. In the first instance
wise teachers had said Green Ridge is n
strategic point. Baptists must occupy it
for the sake of their interest in this city
In second instance men and women of
faith who made no pretention TO fore
sight or leadership said For our own
sake, for the sake of our children, for
the sake of those who are not being
touched bq any existing religious organ
ization we ought to have a Baptist Sun
day school in Green Ridge"
The Finn chapel OH Penn avenue was
secured and on November 80, $780, a Suu-
day school was organized. The officers
chosen were Superintendent, j. X.
Brady; assistant, w. F. Clark; secretary.
&. e. Wetmore; trea surer, c. A. Nichol-
son. Twenty-siX scholars were present.
At the end of the first year the Secre-
tary's books showed an enrolment of 16O
and collections for the year amounting
to $lll.S7, an average of S215 per Sunday.
Soon the Finn chapel was too small for
the growing school and the room in the
Nettleton block, now occupied by Man
ncr's drug store, was selected. | need
not trace the steps by which the school
has risen to its present position of influ-
ence. If you would know the secret. it's
otncers have been efficient. its teachers
have been faithful. The school is proud
of the fact that from the day of it's or
ganization IL has been Self-supporting,
raising and exponding more than sl,6OO.
EACH NEED RECOGNIZED.
No department of the church was or
ganized until the need was recognized
First the prayer meeting, then the Sum
day school, then the church. then the
various auxiliary societies of the church.
In the summer of 1892 ]. c. Brookins,
then a student at Hamilton. ~ ", was
invited to spend his vacation in the field.
AS a result of his tactful and energetic
labors a church was organized on Sep
tember %, 1892, with seventy-seven MEM
bers. 1t is our proud boast today that
this church has never been a mission of
any other church. 1t has never known
the fostering care of an outside organi-
2ation, ii has received no aid but from
the flrst has met its own expenses and
purchased its own property 1t has been
fortunate in having as It's board of trus-
tees men of business ability who believe
| that common sense is needed in the man.
agement of church as much as in the
conduct of their own business affairs
The personnel of the board has with one
exception remained unchanged. At pres
Ont j. h. Brady, J. w Carney, j. W.
HOwarth, r. +. Chamberin and +. NJ
Loomis constitute the board of trustees
OF the six deacons chosen at the organ
ization, Samuel Price, Thomas Johns
S V. Hall, j. p. Jones, II. Il. Mallory and
5. w. Lewis, only Brother Johns re-
mains in the service of the church. There
have since been associated with him A. =
Calender, II. II. Langham, William Sns
der, G. T. PrltChard and Charles Scamb.
Ter This church is also fortunate in nav
ing as deaConS men for whose conduct II
is never called upon to apologize, mer
who command the respect of the church
and the community. The deacons consti.
| tute the pastors cabinet and / have
learned to lean heavily on these men.
My own connection with this church be.
| gan one month after its organization
! When student in my senior year sup,
| piled the pulpit. Some months after YOU
honored me with call to become youi
| pastor. We were not stranger to each
| other. You had cCme TO know my limita,
tione. / understood fairly veil the con,
oitions of the field. ! hesitated You
| membership was small, YOU owned nj
| property you We're liable at the end OF
| any month to be turned out of the room
| you were then occupying. Other denUmi
| nations were firmly established. Tive
| churches were erecting costly edifces an
| other was beautifying a splendid prop
! erty recently acquired Their pulpits
| were filled by men of reputation and eX
| perience. l had neither l did not be
lieye that | possessed the qualification!
| necessary TO lead you to success. Bu
| ] never believed in setting up my judg
ment against a whole church. Those o
you who were identified with the work il
| those early days can see now as yol
perhaps could not see then that you mad,
| some large drafts upon the bank of faitf
| and God always honored your drafts