Evening star., 1901-08-24
IN THE. CHU RCHES

| to Rehoboth Church, Md, OF which Rev.
| Dr. North. formerly OF this city, is pastor,
and which also belongs to the same synod
| as do the Presbyterian churches In this
| vicinity.
The records OF Rehoboth Presbyterian
Church date back to 1865, when Colonel
| Stevens, an Engiishman and a Presbyte-
| rian, came to America and sailed up the
Pocomoke river. The deep forest and the
| wide. spacious shore at the place where
he landed suggested room for all, and SO
| he named the place Rehoboth.
| Soon after the little colony was formed
the Presbyterian church instituted and
small meeting place was erected Later
Colonel Stevens was instrumental in bring
| ing Rev. Francis Mackenzie to America to
be the first pastor of Rehoboth Church.
Colonel Stevens died in 1857 and was buried
on the farm near the old church The tab
let marking the grave gradually sank into
| the earth and for many years hidden
| from sight. One hundred and sixty-six
/ years after his death, during the pastorate
| of the late Rev. DIR. James L. Nallandig-
| ham, the long-lost grave was located and
the slab raised and placed in position
/ Notwithstanding the claim that Colonel
| Stevens and Rev. Francis Mackenzie were
| the founders Of the church named, another
| congregation, located at Snow Hill. nearby,
| claims the greater age. The Snow Hin
| church has been named the Mackenzie Me-
mortal, upon the claim that Rev. Mr.. Make
| mie was It's founder. In the absence
| of official data with which to prove this the
| question cannot be definitely determined.
/ During the past two centuries Rehoboth
| Church has undergone many changes. Fifty
years ago its congregation had dwindled to
eight members, and it is thought that had
| 1t not been for Rev. DIR. Vallandigham it
| would have gone to pieces altogether. 1t
| at present has a Sunday school of nearly
| 100 members and a church membership Of
| more than fifty
AS far as known the church has had
three different structures in which to wor-
| ship. all the same site. The present
| building was erected in 1706. The exterior
| of the church remains just 1t when
| constructed the walls remaining of bricks
| brought from England The interior how
| ever. has been greatly changed. giving IL a
modern appearance which presents quite a
| contrast when compared with the exterior.
| A tablet just over the pulpit bears the
| following inscription: ITO Francis Make
mie, Father of the American Presbyterian
| Church; Rehoboth. His First and Favorite
Child. Founded A. D. 1888: These sacred
| grounds were given by him. He said.
Everything should tend heavenward."
! A movement has recently been started
among the Presbyterians of this section Of
| the country to raise fund with which to
/ build monument to Mackenzie, either in
side or on the grounds surrounding Reho-
| both Church.
| The corner stone of new Catholic
| church was laid at La Plata a few days
| ago Cardinal Martinelli, assisted by seven
| other Catholic priests, conducted the cere-
| monies. Representative Sydney E. Mudd
| introduced Cardinal Martineli to Gen. l..
| Allison Wilmer, who delivered the address
| of welcome. Gen. Wilmer spoke for about
| ten minutes and was frequently and loudly
| applauded by the audience. Mr.. Mudd in
| brief speech, responded to Gen. Wilmer
and thanked him in behalf of the church
| authorities and the attending priests for
his appreciated favor. The addresses were
made from covered stand erected in the
corner of the foundation of the church,
which Is already laid. large gathering
was In attendance, although the frequent
| showers kept many away who otherwise
| would have been present.
/ The church building committee consists
! of Rev. Father Forhan, Dr. T. s. owen,
Messrs. Adrian Posey, t. R. Farrell and
| c. E. Wade. Heretofore the Catholics of
| the town worshiped either at st. Thomas
Church at Chapel Point in the town
| hall. The main building of the church
| will be forty-three feet wide and fifty-four
| feet long and will be built of brick The
| cost will be about $1,000. After the cere-
| mony Mr. Mudd entertained Cardinal Mar
| tinelli and the other priests who took part
/ at his home.
A number of Sunday school workers in
Washington attended a district Sunday
| school convention held in Forest Grove,
Md, NJ. E. Church South a few days since.
Rev George H. Mock, state superintend-
ent Of the Maryland Sunday School Union,
presided and addressed the scholars and
teachers. AT the close of the Sunday school
session at IL o'clock he delivered a sermon
| to large congregation. At 2:30 pm. he
| spoke on How to Improve Our Sunday
! Schools" and in the evening delivered an
| other address. Addresses We're also made
by Rev. c. w. Mark of the NJ Z. Church
South on The Duty of Parents to the
| Sunday School, and Rev. A. L. Spielman
of the Methodist Episcopal Church on Our
| Relation to the Unreached Masses"
Rev C. s. Mason, well known in this city,
| but who for seven years past has been
| superintendent of the Pacific Union Mis-
sion at Los Angeles Cal, has resigned that
position to enter upon eVangelistic work, IN
which he was formerly engaged. Mr.. Ma
son is ordained minister of the Bap-
tist Church. He visited Washington about
| six years ago. Mr.. Mason is planning an
evangelistic tour across the country, be-
ginning on the Pacific coast about Septem-
ber /. After that date his address will be
the Central Union Mission in this city.
Sunday school will be established for
| the Catholic children of Bloomingdale on
| r street between I'd and 3D. streets in the
| latter part of September. This has been
| deemed advisable because, while ordinarily
/ the children would be expected to attend
| the school at the Brookland Church the
| distance is regarded as too great Miss
| Mary Glorious Is taking a very active in
| terest in the matter, and may become
| superintendent of the new school.
Rev. David H Carroll, the last to sail
! for London of the delegates from this vi
| cinity, who have been selected to attend
| the ecumencal conference of Methodism
| as representative of the Methodists in
| the United States left for the English
| detained on account of sickness. All
| branches of Methodism will be represented
at the conference which will consider mat
ters of general interest to the church. Rep
resentatives will gather from all parts OF
/ the world The conference will convene
/ September 4, and adjourn about two weeks
/ later. Bishop Hurst win take part in the
conference.
| The Belt-Parrish Association of the East,
which is composed of over 800 members
from the District of Columbia and Mary
/ land, will have its annual gathering soon
at Emory Grove where the meetings Of
/ the last two years have been held. The
oldest member of the association, Miss
i Rachel Belt of Prince Georges county,
/ Md, buried this year, having died at
/ the age of ninety-four and she had been
| a member Of the Dover Methodist Episco-
| pal Church since childhood.
A similar company, known as the Belt
/ Parrish Association of the West, holds its
| annual reunion in Millersville, Ohio. Each
association sends delegates to the other.
| Five or six hundred persons sprang from
| the three Belt brothers, who came from
| England in the latter part of the sixteenth
| century Three ministers In the east