The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-07
YEARS OF SUCCESS
DUFFY STREET BAPTIST CHURCHs
ELEVENTH ANNIVERSARY.
FORMER PASTOR PREACHED.
REV. DIR. THOMAS j.. sHIPMAN
SPOKE AT THREE SERVICES.


Especially Good-Nearly $2,7OO of
the Debt of $500 Owed by the
Church Raised at the Meetings.
Balance to Be Made Up by Sub
scription-Dr. ShiDman's Word OF
Love and Greeting to His Old
Charge-History of Eleven Years
of Success.
The Duffy Street Baptist Church cell
ebrated it's eleventh anniversary yes
terday Morning, afternoon and even
ing meetings were held.
1t was the intention to have had
present all the pastors of the church
since its organization. Rev. E. P. Jones
of greensboro, KY, and DR.. ]. D. Chap
man of Anderson, S. c., were unable
to come to Savannah at this time, but
DR.. Thomas J. Shipman of Roanoke,
Va, responded to the invitation and
preached the anniversary sermon at
the morning service and again at night.
The pulpit and choir stand of the
church were profusely decorated with
flowers, evergreens and ferns. The at
tendance at the morning service was
large, the church being well filed. At
night its seating capacity was taxed.
The singing throughout the day was
fine, the solo, abide With Me- merits
special note.
Rev. Robert vanDeventer. in intro
ducing DR.. Shipman at the morning
service, spoke of the pleasure afforded
a former pastor in being able to re-
turn and again address the people who
had sat under his preaching, among
whom and with whom he had worked.
1t was hardly necessary, said the pas
tor, to make such an Introduction to
the people by whom DR.. Shipman was
. so beloved.
DR.. Shipman said: "Your pastor has
given expression to the feelings which
fill my own heart This is truly
great privilege to return and see again
the faces which were once so familiar
and are yet so beloved" He also re-
ferred with regret to the fact that he
and Mr.. VanDeYenter only, of those
who had been pastors of the church,
were enabled to enjoy the privilege of
being present on this occasion.
DR.. Shipman announced as his text:
"Give unto the Lord the glory due His
name; bring an offering and come be-
fore Him; worship the Lord in the
beauty of holiness" l Chron. 1929.
The sermon was studied and eloquent
and the speakers appeals were touch
ing and heart-searching, the theme
being embraced in the word give"
Give unto the Lord the glory due his
name. Give ourselves by giving of
our substance, of our means and of
our service.
AT the conclusion of the sermon, the
81 - ~. I,
church, and stated it was desired that
the entire amount $500 should be ar
ranged for by subscriptions. Numer-
Gus subscriptions were made, aggre-
eating $2,105. At the night service
1891 was subscribed, making the total
for the day 1886. The balance is to
be raised by subscriptions among 9TH
err members of the church and it is
hoped and believed that the entire
debt will thus be wiped out.
At the close of the Bible School, a
service called 1.-THE Home Hour" was
held, at which a number of addresses
were made, reviewing the history and
work of the church.
Mr.. A. E. Meyer spoke from the his
torical standpoint of the church, re-
calling the steps taken by the First
Baptist Church as far back as 1867 to-
wards the establishment of a mission
and ultimately another Baptist
Church, which finally eliminated, by
various steps, in the purchase of the
present site on November Is, 1886. The
erection of the building was COM
menced in August, 1886, and it was
completed in March, 1887, at total
cost of $10,236.20. Weekly prayer
meetings were inaugurated, conducted
by Or. J. E. L. Holmes, and on Nov.
20, 1887. the Sunday school was organ
lied with a membership of sixteen Off
GERS and teachers, and sixty-seven ru-
pills. In April, 1888, Rev. w. S. Royal
was called and employed as an assists
ant to the pastor of the First Church.
Mr. Royal resigned in October, 1890,
and Rev. f. P. Jones was employed
in his place in the following month,
and the work was continued as a mis-
sion of the First Church.
Shortly after it was concluded best
and proper that it be organized into
regular church, and on April 5, 1891,
the organization was effected, with a
membership of 80, Rev. E. P. Jones be-
ing called as the first pastor of the
new church. Mr.. Jones resigned on
July 10, 1892, to accept an appointment
as missionary to Havana, Cuba. The
church then called Rev. Thomas j.
Shipman, who began his work as pas
tor in December. 1892. Mr.. Shipman
served as pastor for three years and
eight months, then accepting call to
the First Baptist Church of Roanoke,
Va, and being succeeded by DR.. ]. D.
Chapman.
On Sept 30, 1896, about two months
after DR.. Chapman began his pastor
ate, occurred a severe storm sweeping
ever the city and practically wrecking
the church, so that it had to be remod-
elled, which was done a a cost of So
500. This work was completed and the
first regular service held in the new
building on April 2, 1899. DIR. Chapman
resigned on Feb. 25, 1900. to accept a
call to Anderson, S. c., and the present
pastor, Rev. Robert Van Deventer, was
called to succeed him, coming here on
Sept. l, 1900
At the close of 1892 the membership
of the church was 139 and this mem
bership steadily grew by stages to AIS
last year, while the present member
ship is about $50, being an increase of
about rs during the past year. The
church on Feb. 2 last established the
f5erean Mission at No. All Montgom-
cry street. The mission now has a
membership in the Sunday-school of
about 80, and the prospects of its sue
cess are exceedingly bright.
Mr.. B. L. Bugg spoke interestingly
on the growth of the church in it's va
rious lines. Mr.. E.lgg was followed by
Messrs. Norton Frierson, ST., and J. E.
Mcmillan, who spoke of the occurrences
of the pastorates of Rev. e. P. Jones
and Dr. Chapman, and they were fol-
lowed by Or. Shipman, who spoke
most interestingly and feelingly of the
period covered by his work as pastor