Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-19
CHURCH DEBT RAISED
Offering by Congregation Of
Trinity M. E. Church.
CENTENNIAL OCCASION
ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY
OF TIE ORGANIZATION.
Addresses by Prominent Methodist
Representative Gardner Presides-
Three Services Held Yesterday.

| An event Of Importance to the members
| Of Trinity NJ E. Church, in the beginning
| Of their centennial celebration Of the or
! ganization Of that body was the raising.
| at last nights meeting. Of the residue,
| SO 600 needed to wipe out the Indebtedness
| on the church building located at Pennsyl-
! vania avenue and 9TH street southeast. Sub
| scriptions were taken in the morning and
| afternoon, and the amount raised at the
| evening service completed the sum requir-
| ed to free the edifice from debt. The meet
| ing was rather protracted but most Of the
| congregation waited patiently until 10
o'clock while the collection was being
! taken. After the whole amount of indebt-
edness had been subscribed the choir sang
| Wagner's Festival Jubilate."
The church was crowded with an audi
ence composed of representative Metho-
dists from the various churches throughout
| the city, all of whom came to attend the
| anniversary exercises, which began at the
| morning service. Secretary Leslie NJ
| Shaw Of the treasury was expected to pre-
| side at last nights service, but was unable
! to be present, having been called out of
| the city. Representative Gardner of Michi-
| gan was in the chair in his stead. Ad-
| dresses were made by DR.. j. M. Buckley,
editor of the Christian Advocate, and by
gheny College.
Artistic Decorations.
The interior of the edifce was beautifully
decorated with American flags, draped with
| artistic effect around the windows, about
| the balcony and across the west end of the
church. while flowers, palms and tropical
pants, on the pulpit and within the chancel
| rail, were tastefully arranged in an elab-
crate display. The large choir, which had
| been drilled for this especial occasion, rem
! dered splendid music, in keeping with the
| spirit of the celebration, which was one of
| exultation at the fourishing condition of
| the century-old organization.
| Representative Gardner made short ad-
dress in assuming the duties OF presiding
officer, and congratulated the church on it's
| long term Of service. He said the church
had 100 years of splendid history back Of it,
| history teeming with great and growing
| influences for the betterment of the world.
| In Introducing DIR. Buckley. he spoke in
praise of his great power in Methodism and
| the esteem in which he is held by the de-
nomination generally.
DR.. Buckley gave happy address, max
| ing his discourse an answer to the ques-
| ton, rs the church worth the trouble?'
He considered the church from the moral,
social and intellectual view. THE church."
he declared. 'is the only place where and
| the only institution in which the principles
! Of morality are regularly set forth and
| taught at stated times" Morality. he said,
Is DdScu vi loNe, dIlu IL teaches us " IOE-
| give and to treat our brother according to
| the precepts Of Christ.
Rule to Observe.
Continuing, he said:
THE only sure way for a man to tell
| what he ought to do is to ask himself
| what he would wish some other man to do
| to him in his place. 1t is not question SO
much of just what Jesus would do under
| the circumstances, because he was never
| confronted with the circumstances which
| govern modern life. 1t is therefore a diff
cult undertaking to state what He would
| do"
| He spoke OF the value of the church as
| center of association. and touched upon
| the social opportunities it provided He
| declared that all the great educational in
| situations have been built by men who
got their inspiration from the churches.
| The church was a medium for the dis
| semination Of knowledge, said Dr. Buckley,
and the congregation would not tolerate
| a minister unless he were gramma teal
and logical. The preacher is also required
| to use Illustrations from science and must
| be familiar with good literature and keep
| up with the events of the times. People
| accept what a preacher says Of religious
| things If he shows a knowledge of other
! matters of which he talks.
DR.. Crawford's Address.
! DR.. Crawford spoke on what he charac-
| terized as the most striking facts in
| Christianity during the nineteenth century
Extraordinary missionary work. growing
| spirit Of philanthropy, large educational en-
terprises and organization of young peo-
| pies societies He briefly reviewed the
missionary work of the past century, and
| said that in all the history Of the Chris
| tan church there had never been such
| universal spirit Of philanthropy manifested
| as in the hundred years just past. The
| basis of this Spirit, he declared, is the
great doctrine Of brotherhood. He asserted
| that the church had been a great power
! in the great educational movements of our
| times and had been leader in advocating
| education for both sexes. That the young
! people were engaged in a good work was
| evidenced by their organizations in the
various denominations Dr. Crawford pre-
dicted that this work would go on. and
| that the people are only witnessing the
beginning of the work in all the lines men
| toned.
| At the conclusion of his address he took
| charge of the meeting, and the subscrip-
| tions for paying off the debt on the church
| were received.
The Morning Sermon.
| A large congregation was present at the
| morning service, and DR.. Buckley delivered
| a forceful sermon. He took his text from
ST. John, 1885, Jesus answered, Ny king
| dom is not of this world If My kingdom
were of this world, then would My servants
fight that 1 should not be delivered to the
| Jews
He said that in all the thirty-seven books
| of Shakespeare there was not such por
| tentious tradegy as is contained in the
| first four books of the New Testament
| He reviewed the biblical story of Christ
| before PLATE. and mentioned the situation
of the Jews in relation to the state. which
! was similar, he said, to the position occu-
| pied by the Beers in South Africa after
the compromise by Gladstone
I'VE cannot comprehend God" he said
| 81 sd hos o1o6 L ofe
that we are able to comprehend relations
to Him. If all who profess themselves as
Christians were Christians and if there
| were no hypocrites among them, then
Christ's kingdom would be on earth. Christ
affirmatively teaches there should be no
| connection between civil power and the
! kingdom of Christ
the difficulties arising in the Church of