The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-04-09
BIG DAY FOB BAPTIsTs OF SUMTER.
Dedication of the New Building of the
First Baptist Church.

Sunday was a great day for the
Baptists of Sumter, and indeed fol
the State. The handsome new build
ing-of the First Baptist Church was
formally set apart for worship and
dedicated to the cause OF the Lord.
Z Great crowds8of people from various
sections Of South Carolina were here,
nearly every pastor in the Santee
Baptist Association being present.
Several distinguished preachers from
other States we're here and took part
in the dedication.
& There were services in the First
Church yesterday: In the forenoon
the Rev. r. j. Willingham, d. D.,
the Corresponding Secretary Of the
Foreign Mission Board of the South
ern Baptist Convention. preached a
soul-stirring sermon from the text
found in the fifth verse Of the
twentieth Psalm.
There were more than 800 people in
the church in attendance upon this
service. In the afternoon there was a
mass meeting at which DIR. Willing
ham, DR.. Harvey Hatcher, DR.. r. @.
Connell, and others spoke. and at
the evening service the Rev. Dr..
Mcconnell preached from the words
of the thirteenth verse Of the
twentieth chapter of John. DIR. McCon-
nell is the Secretary of the Home Mis-
sion Board of the Southern Baptist
Convention The congregations at
each. of these services were enormous.
Thus the house Of God was formally
dedicated and will be used by the
congregation of the First Church
henceforth.
The new building is an imposing
structure and is one of the very finest
anywhere in the State. 1t is com
plete in every detail. In the basement
there is a furnance which heats
uniformly the entire house. There
is a kitchen, a dining room, a pantry,
and four class rooms in the basement.
On the first floor there is large
auditorium, a Sunday School room,
FIVE class rooms, and fades parlor,
toilet room, etc. There are u electric
lights in the building and system Of
electric bells is used by the Sunday
School Superintendent in calling the
classes from the class rooms back into
the main school hall.
The new church was in the minds
of the people long. ago. In 1897, DIR.
Brown, the pastor, asked his members
to contribute a little every Sunday to
"a fund for new edifce. From 80 to
100 people contributed each from five
to twenty-five cents a week. In Sep
TENDER, 1900, the church had In cash
and good pledges the sum of $1,000,
and a building committee was ap-
pointed. Ground was broken for the
building the same month. The total
cost of the house of worship was S15,
900. nearly all Of which has been paid.
$1,000 is now outstanding, but the
church owns sixty shares of building
and loan stock and has six years in
which to pay this remaining s4, 600.
The new structure is an ornament
to the city of Sumter and its erection
is due to the indefatigable work of
the Rev. G. C.. Brown, assisted, of
course. by the iberality and munifi-H
cence Of the contributors to the build
ing fund.
DR.. Brown became pastor Of the
Sumter Baptist Church on January l.
1879. At that time time there we're 80
members. During these 27 years it
has received by letter 26l, by restora-
ton u, by baptism 251; the church
has lost during the same period by:
death 1913, AZ have been expelled and
197 have been granted letters of dismis-
sion to join other Baptist churches.
These figures were given me by the
pastor this morning, and he says they.
are liable to the errors incident to the
ills and infrmities Of human nature.
Louis Bristow.