Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1903-09-04
CHURCH's CENTENNIAL.
tooth Anniversary of Baptist Church
in Grafton Celebrated Sunday and
Monday.

in Grafton Celebrated Sunday and
Monday.
The Chester Baptist church has the
honor of being the mother of four
churches which celebrated their Tooth an
niversary sunday ana Monday. They are
Grafton, CaVcndish, North Springfield
and Andovor but the churches I'm An
dover and Cavendish having no pastors
will hold no services.
The anniversary exercises began Sun
day morning with sermon by Rev. Ar
ton boy, son of G. S. White. There were
fully 1870 people present. Mr.. Whites
theme was The Mission Of the Church.
and he delivered an Impressive and in
structive sermon. At the evening service
praise service was led by Deacon f.. O.
Mcrriield. and an able sermon was
preached by Rev. NJ. l.. Rugg ID. D., of
Drbana, Ill. His text was Come and
See" " The Greetings of the Mother
Church % was the subject of an address
by Rev. Henry Crocker of Chester.
At all the exercises Monday the church
was well flied, many being present from
the surrounding towns 4 sermon, the
subject being The Mission of the
Church in the Coming Century was de-
lVered in the morning by Rev NJ l..
Rugg. At tho afternoon service Rev. c.
w. jackson of Bellows Falls led a praise
service AZ orislnal cehlehilldl poem WAS
read by Miss Nellie Kingsbury.
\ part on the program of much interest
to all was the address by Deacon Chill
son Fairbanks of Bellows Falls for many
years deacon, Sunday school teacher.
ana laltniul worker IN the church IN
GRAFTON
AT the evening exercise praise ser
vice was LED by Deacon +. .. Merrlheld
ana addresses were given by Rev. u. y.
Jones OF Fhlldaelphla, a former pastor
ana Nv. arthur - w hlte'
IN l'N, the rev. Aaron Leland upon the
urgent invitation OF 10 cltHehs OF Ohester'
none OF them Baptists. came mere ana pc
gan ms WORK Inc town hHu peeh se''led
Only ABOUT - years ana ileIe were dp-
proNluately only II" families IN II. NO
church hdu peeh organized ana there
were comparatively rev Chrisuans.
Al the emu "i hNe years the church
NUMBERED iilN, I'VE years later li- mem
bers, and in 1873 a great revival began
ana IN l"ur years $50 names were added 10
1 the church by baptism
MT Leland ldo'rs were arduous IN the
extreme. lie secured the country Tor
miles around seeking converts ana en-
/ cuuraelng CHRISTIANS.
Ihroush "a forest path he reached Ja-
/ malca' ~ miles away, ana organized Il
! church. At Londonderry he preached in
+ "a saw mill At CtNendish, North Spring
neld. and GRAFTON ne worked and gath
tIeu converts lht" the chester cuurch
/ Members IN these distant villages were
/ received AS branches OF the church here
/ ana were encouraged with the assurance
/ mat as soon AS their membership war
/ rauted they would be recognized as indie
! pendent churches.
Just II years after the organization OF
/ the chester church, August 81. lNuj an
/ ecclesiastical council was called ana
I with the happiest OF feelings. ioui
! churches We're set of from this church
/ 10 begin their independent life. reducing
I the membership of the mother churcf
/ from 253 to ~.
Since that eNentiul day when the ioui
/ churches were organized. the mother
/ church and her children nave been exert
Ing powerful influence Tor good through
/ a century. The church in Perkinsville is
/ a child of the North Springfield church
and the church In Ludlow of the CaVen'
I dish church.
The exercises at Grafton sunday ant
/ Mordar We're attended by large mum
/ Der of people from that and adJoininl
towns, and every possible thing was don'
TO make the visit Of those who were pres
| ent memorable one.
The anniversary hymn was written 10y
the Rev Martin l. Rugg' OF Iroana, III
a former member OF the Grafton church
Mr.. Rugg was born in that town and re
sided there until he was about 30 years
Ola. Inc hymn was sung ny the whol'