Evening star., 1902-03-04
BAPTIST PROGRESS
CONTINUATION OF CENTENNIAL
ANNIVERSARY EXERCISES.
Meeting Held Last Night at Calvary
Church-Addresses by Promi-
nent Divines.

A large audience gathered at Calvary
Baptist Church, sth and H streets north
west. last night, to commemorate the one
hundredth anniversary of the Baptist de-
nomination in the District of Columbia. w.
S. Shallenberger, second assistant postmas-
ter general, presided over the exercises and
introduced each Of the speakers.
The Invocation was given by DR.. A. j.
Huntington, and this was followed by an
anthem by the choir, after which Rev. E.
Hez Sven made a prayer Of Thanksgiving
fo- the century's blessings.
The general theme of the evening was "a
Century of Progress" and Rev. DR.. E. B.
Pollard of the First Baptist Church deliver
cd the first address on THE Era of Estab-
lishment." DR.. Pollard, in most interest
ing manner, made a review of the history
of the denomination in connection with the
growth of the capital. from the time when
Washington city was described by Thomas
Moore as a city in fancy. This was in
1867 and the seat of government had just
been removed from Philadelphia
The first Sunday in March, 1903, he said,
five men and one woman organized the first
Baptist church in the District. They met
in room at the treasury building, and
after the organization had been conSum-
mated meetings were held in different gov
ernment buildings, as there We're few
churches here at that time. The first
preacher for this cOngre cation was Rev.
William Parkinson. then chaplain in Con-
gress, but in 1907 Mr.. Obadiah Brown was
called to lock after the interests of the lit
tie congregation, and his coming marked an
epoch In its history.
In 1910 the second church was organized
at the Navy Yard and the two congrega-
tons continued to grow. One important
event in the progress of the church, said
DIR. Pollard, was the coming of Luther Rice,
who started the first campaign for world
wide missions and Christian education. AS
NH N h.
lished.
Factors in Development.
DIR. Pollard said he viewed with consider
able pride the fact that three great factors
in the development of the Baptist denomi-
nation in the United States originated i'll
Washington. These factors he character
ized the first Baptist foreign missionary;
the publication of the Baptist Star, as an
outgrowth of the educational interest here
awakened; and the Baptist Publication So
ciety. In 1921 the Columbian University
removed here from Philadelphia, and the
Baptist Publication Society was taken to
Philadelphia
The Baptist members in Washington at
the close of 1911 numbered 800 persons,
about fifty of whom were colored
Mr.. Shallenberger next introduced DR.. T.
c. Meador, pastor of the Fifth Church.
who spoke on THE Era of Enlargement"
He told Of the founding Of the third
church. now the E Street, and then of the
fourth church, recounting the burdens
borne and the adversities encountered in
the work as the church expanded DR..
Meador gave the history Of the church to
1873.
DR.. S. H. Greene Of Calvary concluded
the speaking with most interesting ac-
count of 'The Era Of Cooperation He
spoke of the wonderful increase in numbers
and size of the churches, and said In the
past twenty-five years the membership had
Increased from 1850 to 5,4O2, while the
value Of church property is now 100000
compared to $4,000 quarter of century
ago. He said the day OF small things Is
past, and the era Of magnificent opportunity
has come.
The meeting closed with benediction b.!
Rev c. c. Coleman. Observation-Disclosures
services will be held tonight at the First
Baptist Church. when addresses Will be
made bv representatives of other deuomi-
nations.