The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-08-15

The following sketch is from
the pen of the pastor, Elder II. N.
Alderton, and published in Zion S
Advocate, April 1901.
81 find the church was organ
lied in 1865. It's first pastor was
Ed. Powell, who served the
church from it's organization to
his death in 1905. He was in the
constitution of the church. His
name is the only one given in the
record of members in the first
organization, but the records are
somewhat broken, and at
times imperfectly kept.
"The church prospered, and up
to the time of Ed. Powell's death
one hundred and sixteen had
joined. They joined the Philadel-
phia Association at first, and the
Association helped them some in
their infancy as a church with
money and books. The latter
were to be passed around as helps
to establish the members in the
doctrine and practice of the
church, which was organized on
the Philadelphia Confession of
Faith. The records show that
sha required her members to be
governed by it, yet she maintain
ed her independence, as we find
she protested against certain
things in the constitution of the
Association, and instructed her
messengers to demand the repeal
of the Objectionable part, and
when the doctrine of general
atonement and other Arminian
measures were introduced in
the Association, the Tonoloway
church raised an order forbid
ding it to be preached in her pull
pit, and affirming that Christ
died for the elect only, and that
they would all be saved. She
gently repr oved her members for
affiliating in the worship of God
with those of different doctrine
and practice and encouraging, by
their presence or otherwise,
those who preached contrary to
her articles of faith and the Bible.
After reproving her members for
wrong course, she would en-
courage and require them to at
tend the regular meetings of
their own church as a afe-guard
against being led into errors.
"They never allowed stranger
to preach in their pulpit without
an investigation into his standing,
and only after it was decioed by
vote was he allowed to preach, and
even then he was only ON trial,
and some were sustained and
some dropped. Domestic mis-
sions were introduced, and OBJ
tanned some consideration by
some of the mem bers, but were
afterwards rejected by the church
as unscriptural. Yet the church
records show that they looked
after the support of the ministry
in general, and of their pastor in
particular. They owned about 43
acres of land and rather inferior
building at first, where they met
for worship and which they were
continually repairing. They help
ed their pastor to buy home of
his own. To raise funds for this
purpose they appointed a man to
stand at the door and solicit mon.
ey of the congregation as they
went out; also raised some by
subscription. Sometimes they
were ahead and would put out
their money to interest, but more
frequently they were behind and
making frequent appeals 10y ord
der of the church) to members
and friends of the cause.
Thus they struggled on until
1928, when the present house of
worship was proposed, to be built
of brick, 40 by 60, without CALLER
les This house was finished IN
1886, and is still in Il good state of
preservation. They-ordained one
Ruling Elder, but can't find
what use they made of him, and
perhaps they didn't find any use
for him, as that was the first and
last one ordained.