Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-29
CHURCH DEDICATION
Exercises in Temple Baptist
House Of Worship.
PRETTILY DECORATED
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL CON-
DITION RENDERED.
Addresses by B. n. Warner, S. w.
Woodward, DR.. Merrill E. Gates and
Commissioner mcfarland.

|
Commissioner Macfarland.
| The dedication of the new Temple Bap-
fist Church at 10th and.N streets northwest
| at II o'clock yesterday morning marked
| the opening of a series of special annfver-
l'sary services to be held in the edifice dur
| ing this week. Four services were held in
the church yesterday-the dedicatory serv-
| ice in the morning, a platform service IN
the afternoon and Christian Endeavor and
preaching services in the evening.
The altar of the new church was hand
| somely decorated with palms, golden rod
| and flowers. which lent an attractive fresh
| ness to the scene At the morning service
DR.. o. P. Clifford of Buffalo, N. Y, preached
the dedicatory sermon, and the structure
| was crowded to the doors with an interest
ed audience which listened to an eloquent
discourse. Commissioner H. B. F. Macfar-
land presided at the afternoon meeting, the
theme for which was The Church and the
City" Among the speakers at this service,
In addition to the presiding officer, were
Mr.. B. H. Warner, Mr.. S. W. Woodward
and DIR. Merrill E. Gates. The evening ser
mon was preached by DR.. Clifford. Special
| music furnished on each occasion by
the choir and soosts of the church
|
mon, Mr.. William Fletcher, chairman of
| the board of trustees Of the Temple con-
| gregation. made a statement as to the
| financial condition Of the church, in which
| the total cost of the new building, pipe
| organ and furnishings stated to be
$4,000. OF this amount, $1,000 remained
| unpaid. The trustees desired to ra Sc 5000
! Of this Indebtedness at once, and during the
services of the day this amount was sub
| scribed by members of the congregation
and friends. The lot on which the church
| was erected was purchased in 1891 for
| $4,000, which was all paid before the con-
| StructiOn of the new edifice was under
| taken.
Sermon by Dr. Clifford
| DR.. Giffords text for his sermon of dedi-
cation was found In Genesis Is; 16 and II,
and John 1; 81. Among other things, the
preacher said in part:
"Churches are not built for Gods use, but
| for mans sake. God needs no house The
| church is the symbol of God, whether it be
| the stone, the altar, the temple, the Son of
| Man. or the church now repreSt nting Him.
| The presence, inspiration and protection of
the church is needed by the inhabitants of
| the earth
"Cities are the raised alphabats Of our
civilization. The churches spell hope and
salvation. The beautiful library in this city
is the visible memory of the ages, the sym
| bel of the thought of centuries. When this
! building and others like it crumble the peo-
| pie in few generations will lapse into
barbarism. The pride ard hope of this age
is that we have Christian civilization,
| Christian nation, in America, and a fair
| and goodly capital.
| ION one occasion l went aboard a modern
war vessel, a floating island of steel. in
| company with the chaplain. We walked
| along the deck past those great 13-inch
apostles of peace and into the room where
| in little case is kept a trembling needle
! of steel pointing continually toward an I'M
seen star. That little piece of steel Is the
/ % Ohio ,~1 fl,o
vessel. If that needle is lost the ship is
| derelict. This church is needle pointing
heavenward, and 1t will serve to guide us
safely into port. This pile erected on the
! corner of this street stands for Gods near
| ness to Washington
DIR. Clifford urged upon the congregation
the necessity of making the church spir-
! itual power and warned them against using
| 1t for their own convenience in temporal
| affairs.
Pastors Introduction.
DR.. Muir, pastor of the church, intro
duced Commissioner Masfarland at the
opening of the afternoon meeting. After
congratulating the church upon Its beau
tiful new home Mr.. Macfarland said:
The significance of this event is as deep
as life itself. For this is the opening Of
door Of spiritual opportunity. This is to be
a meeting place for the Eternal Spirit and
| the spirits Of men. 1t is to be a constant
| invitation and a constant satisfaction For
here are to be the bread Of life, the water
of life of which if a man eat and drink he
| shall hunger no more, neither thirst any
more The hunger of the heart the thirst
| of the soul can be satisfied here as they
cannot be satisfied in the exchange or the
college the library or the laboratory.
Here the strong may go from strength to
strength rejoicing. Here the weak may find
| that sympathy which the world denies and
that courage which the world cannot give.
Here the fatherhood of uod without which
80 v,,t11
be set forth. Here all His children may
| find what their souls need.
The Father of Lights with whom is no
shadow Of change will give perfect gifts to
distress and the disappointment out Of
the success of life, the victors and the van
quished alike shall come to the Fathers
house. where there is welcome and wealth
for them all. The ideals of God shall shine
before them here. Their eyes, freed from
the blindness Of this world shall see the
love that suffereth long and Is kind; envieth
not, vaunteth not itself is not pulled up,
seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh
not account of evil, rejoiceth not in un-
righteousness. but rejoiceth with the truth:
and, seeing, shall follow after that love, de-
string earnestly spiritual gifts.
1T takes prophetic imagination to
foresee the great things which shall be
done here, although only the eye Of God
can foresee their eternal issues We can
all see the long line of those who are to
enter here into the spiritual life. We can
see them In the communion or the Sacra-
ments. We can see them in all the bless
ings of their service here.
| I'm this service will come that transfer
nation of character which makes the best
citizens. city filled with such citizens
would be an ideal city. The citizens make
the city. The Lord keeps the city through
the citizens"
Discusses Church Relations.
Mr.. Warmers address dealt with the rela-
tions between the churches and the mu-
nicipality. By way of Renaissance he
stated that in his early days he was en-
trusted with the sale of the square on the
corner Of which the new church stands and
that he had built most Of the houses on the
square.
II am glad to see this structure standing
In this part of the city. Wherever a church
supplants any other ediflce, 1t Is an event
in the progress Of our civilization. 1t means
the higher education of the children in the
community. The church helps not only to
qualify and prepare the people for the ce-
lestial kingdom, but 1t also assists in de-
| veloping the best citizenship in this world
1t is another guarantee for law and order.