Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-06-14
HEBRON CHURCH DEDICATED.

HEBRON CHURCH DEDICATED.
4 Beautiful BuiIding-Great Crowd
Impressive Exercises-A Feast Under
The Trees. Etc.
Long before eleven CLOCK last Sun
day every hitching place for horses
and carriages in the large oak grove
around the new church at Hebron was |
filled, and all were stopped at the |
pastors grass lot east of the cemetery |
and turned in there, and still the car
riages rolled in from every direction |
in long procession, coming by every |
road, all converging to the one point, |
Hebron church.
BY II O'Clock there was a regular
crush IN the church, chairs blocked the |
aisles and space around the pulpit, the
doorways were filled with standing
groups and hundreds remained out
side. Hebron never saw, perhaps. a
larger and more interested and Sympa
thetic crowd. and it must have been
gratifying indeed to the Hebronites to
know that they had SO many friends
from every section of the county who
came to rejoice with them over the
restoration of their church home and
the comfort and elegance of the new
one. There was delegation from
every Presbyterian church in Staunton
and Augusta county l think. as we'll
as others, and from reports afterwards
the congregations of the First and
Second churches showed plainly the
draught that the unusual occasion had
made upon them.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING.
The inside Of the building presented
an Interesting spectacle as l looked
over the great congregation of we'll
dressed, devout people, land the church,
so handsome in its finished beauty OF
proportion and adornment. The pre-
dominating color of walls is light
buff, the finishing is of yellow pine
highly polished, the curved seats of
heavy oak, handsome and exceedingly
comfortable. The massive fiuted pill.
lars support the lofty ceiling which is
| tastefully Ornamented with carved
railing work and the gallery roomy
and gracefully curvlng over the en-
trance, is ornamental as we'll as useful.
| Behind the pulpit, a heavy arch of
light colOred wood corresponding to
the tint of the walls and ceiling, forms
pretty recess over the ministers seat,
while the pulpit is furnished with q
handsome desk and oak chairs, finish
ed in green plush. A large and hand
some Bible, the gift of Capt. II. NJ.
McIlhany, rests upon the desk, and
the rich silver collection plates, the
gift of H. l.. Lang, glitters upon the
pretty communion table. The costly
stained glass windows, one large Cir
cular one over the pulpit, embelished
with the figure of white dove bearing
a green olive branch, three large arched
ones over the entrance and handsome
side windows, through all of which the
mellowed light falls upon a splendid
carpet of green and buff. Everything
in harmony and good taste makes up
a large, convenient and handsome
church building, superior to any coun.
try church | have seen in Virginia, a
monument to the enterprise and lib
erality of the congregation and reflect.
ing great credit upon the management
and taste of the building committee
consisting of Messrs. Howard l.. Will
son, W. A. Crawford, 6. Lewis Glenn
mer, G. }. KOiner, John Trimble
Finley Bell and Thos. j. Thompson.
i DEDICATION SERVICE.
Some minutes after the appointed
!, time, hush fell over the great audi.
ence when DR.. G.. B. Stricken, the
reverend professor from Union Theo,
, logical Seminary, arose and announced
the grand old hymn, ''All Hail the
power of Jesus Name" The Who'll,
, congregation stood and followed tht
, choir of twenty trained voices, IL
grateful song, which floated through
the open windows and found a respOn
{ sive echo in the voices and hearts O.
, the large and waiting congregation
| outside. After appropriate prayer
, another hymn was sung beginning witt
, 81 love Thy Kingdom Lord,
t The House of Thine abode"
J This was sung with fervor, then DIR
r Stricken announced his text from
John, It'll chap. and 18th ", and fol
! lowed with grand sermon to which
no report, except a verbatim one
. would do justice. At it's conclusion
the dedicatory prayer WAS fttingly
and appropriately made by the pastor
Rev. Holmes Rolston, to whom 81
much is due in the erection of thi
splendid temple of the Living God.
A LIBERAL SUBSCRIPTION.
) Mr.. RolstOn then stated that tn
T total cost of the church was $3.50. o
this large sum $3.50 had been paid
, leaving a balance of 81 900 to be pro
vided for, and an appeal would nov
be made to the congregation to reduc,
materially that amount DIR. Strickle
: conducted the collection which follow
5 ed, and while he commended the lib
} eralitY and devotion of the people, ap
| pealed to them to spare no effort O.
: reasonable sacrifice to provide tn
, necessary funds for paying for al
| edifice which would rank among tn,
| best and handSOmest of our churches
. truly a worthy object for the exercis
of llberality. In answer to his call TO
! pledges, in addition to what had al
2 ready been given, there we're numer
t Gus handsome responses made from
8 all over the house and many from out
: side, among which were from j. C
: Coiner $500, q. Lewis Clemmer $500
3 Howard l.. Wilson 800, John Trim
> BILE 500, Ro. L. Crawford 800, Rev
e Holmes ROlston $75, G. s. Brown $50
e and large number of others who's
f names l did not catch. A cash collec
tion was then taken by passing arount
the plates, which brought in $1S5.
number of little penny bags were thel
handed in by the small children con
/ tanning $53. The whole amount wa
counted up during the recess and tn
ladies gave in $3.50 additional which
they had in hand, the sum total reach
: ing about 81 900, leaving the amour
, of debt on hand an easily managea bl,