Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-04-24
Contributions Sufficient to Pay Re-
manning Indebtedness.
EAST END PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Cost Is,OOO-Formally Dedicated to
The Cause of Christ by DIR. Willis
G. Craig = Confirmation at
Episcopal Church,.
From Mondays daily.

From Mondayss daily.
The East End Presbyterian church,
recently completed at a cost of $4,000,
wassformally dedicated to the cause of
Christ Yesterday morning at II o'clock.
| The dedicatory sermon was preached
by Rev. Willis g. Craig, DID,. Lib,
of Chicago, a congregation of over
500 attending the services, contribu-
| ting towards a donation of $1,925, the
remaining Indebtedness on the church.
DR.. Craig at the close of his sermon
announced that $15.525 had been rails
ed by subscription, and that it was the
desire of the society to raise the re-
mainder OF the money before the ded-
ication. T. ID. Foster headed the list
with a generous donation of $500, and
within thirty minutes contributions
ranging from ST. to $500 were received
| in sufficient numbers to pay all out
standing obligations of the society,
and when DR.. Craig pronounced the
final words of the dedicatory program
| it was with the knowledge that the
beautiful church home was the Lords
without the claim of single mortal
man upon it.
A history of the church and de-
scription of the new building were
published in Saturdays Courier. The
morning services Sunday were opened
| by the congregation singing the Dox-
lology, followed by invocation by Rev.
| j. NJ. McElroy, the founder and former
pastor of the church. After hymn
! by the choir, led by Prof. j. H. Roehm,
Prof. c. B. Knight, of Parsons college,
Fairfield, read part Of the eighth
chapter of the first book of Kings.
The scripture reading was to have
been by Rev. A. A. Mcmillan, of Abba,
a former pastor of the church, who
was unable to be in attendance. After
another selection by the choir and q
prayer by DR.. f. w. Hinitt, pastor CT
the First Presbyterian church, Homer
Caughlan sang ''Plains of Peace" The
usual announcements of the church
for the week were made, and after 4
song by the choir, Rev. ID. A. Murray,
pastor of the East End Presbyterian
church, introduced DR.. Craig.
synopsis of the Sermon.
DR.. Craig spoke from the fourth and
| fifth verses OF chapter two of the Sec
ond Chronicles:
"Behold / build house to the name
of the Lord my God, to dedicate it TO
Him, and to burn before Him sweet
incense, and for the continual shsw
bread, and for the burnt offerings,
morning and evening, on the Sabbaths,
and on the new moons, and on the
solemn feasts of the Lord our God.
This is an ordinance forever to Israel.
| "And the house which build is
great, for great is our God above all
gods"
He said, in part, as follows:
ut is q blessed thing, my fellow
Christians. to look back into the past
ages and to know that we have had
predecessors who worshipped God ana
lived in the blessed expectation of this
future. Our action this morning, in
giving this church to God, is like unto
that of the great king of Israel who
gave God temple. The great temple
built by Solomon, dare say, was the
greatest work of his life. | venture 10
say that the greatest work which your
hands will ever be called upon to per-
form was the building of this church,
this temple which is soon to be dedi-
Gated to such high and noble cause.
Solomon knew the temple would hold
his people together. So will the result
| of your efforts in providing this sacred
church home. Your spiritual powers
have been increased by the work which
/ its building has necessitated. There
are those here today who are living
closer to the Great Jehovah than when
they first began. Your sense of spir-
| itual power is greater today than ever
before, and you are kinder to one ano-
Their.
! God did not wait for this beautiful
spring day to bless you for what you
have accomplished in His cause. lie
visited your community not long ago
and brought many and many to Ills
fold, touching others who are only
WAITING to come forward. This tenn
lple, on its prominent eminence, speaks
more than the human mind can con-