Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1903-09-04
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.
Grafton and No. Springfield Churches
Observe tooth Anniversary.

The Baptist churches In Grafton ant
North Springfield celebrated theil
Tooth anniversaries Sunday and Mon.
day with a large attendance at botf
places. At Grafton, Sunday Rev. Ar.
thur G. White Of Mason, Mich, preach
ed a sermon at 10:45, which was fol.
lowed by a service. In the evening
there was a praise service led by Dea-
con F. o. Merrifield, sermon by Rev
DR.. NJ. l.. Rugg of Urbana, H., and ar
address by Rev. Henry Crocker OF
Chester. Monday, early morning
prayer opened the day. At 1O:45 a
sermon was preached by Rev. M. L.
Rugg, d. D. of Urbana, Ill. Dinner
was served at noon, and in the after
noon. after a praise service, the his
tory of the church was given, a CEN
tennial poem was read and an address
was made by Deacon c. C. Fairbanks
of Bellows Falls. -
At the North Springfield church,
Sunday, Rev. r. G. Johnson preached
the morning discourse. At noon
there was a Sunday school session, fol y
lowed by a special celebration of the
Lords supper. The evening sermon
was by Rev. w. p. Bartlett. Monday
AFTERNOON there was a roll call of the
church, and addresses were given by
Rev. A. J. Chandler and Rev. d. O.
Parker. Monday evening there was
an address on Aaron Leland by the
Rev. Henry Crocker OF Chester; his
torical address by the Rev. s. H.
Archibald short addresses by the Rev.
r. G. Johnson, the Rev. l. w. Coombs,
and Fred G. Field.
The Chester church is the mother of
four churches in Grafton, Cavendish,
North Springfield, and Andover, but
the churches in Andover and Caven-
dish having no pastors have held no
centennial services
In 1887 the Rev. Aaron Leland, upon
the urgent invitation of 10 citizens
of Chester, none of them Baptists,
came there and began his work. The
town had been settled only about 20
years. and there were approximately
100 families in it. No church had
been organized and there were COM
paratively few Christians. Three
weeks after coming there Mr.. Leland
buried his young wife, and in loneli-
ness and sorrow took up his work. In
two years he had the satisfaction of
seeing a little Baptist church Of 10
members recognized by an ecclesias-
teal council called for that purpose.
Each year a few names were added to
the list of members. At the end of
five years it numbered so, five years
later l42 members, and in 1893 a great
revival began and in four years 1856
names were added to the church by
baptism.
Mr.. Lelands labors were arduous in
he extreme. Through a forest path |
ne reached Jamaica, 20 miles away, |
and organized church. At London
Jerry he preached in saw mill. At |
North Springfield, and |
Grafton he worked and gathered con- |
,erts into the Chester church. Mem
,ers in these distant villages were re-
,eived as branches of the church and
we're encouraged with the assurance
hat as soon as their membership war
anted they would be recognized as in
dependent churches. Just fourteen
ears after the organization of the
hester church August 81, 1903, an &C.
lesiastical council was called. and
With the happiest Of feelings four
hurches were set off from the Chester
hurch to begin their independent life.
the membership of the moth
r church from 253 to 10. The council
vas from the following churches and
MEMBERS: Alstead, n. H., National
hepard and Moses Hale; Jamaica, Ell
err Simon Coombs, Amos Knapp, and
amuel Kingsbury; Wallingford, Elder
Ienry Green and Deacon Coburn
'reson. Since that eventful day the
lother church and her children have
cen exerting powerful influence for ,
God through a century. The church in
erkinsville is child of North
church. and the church In
ludlow, of the Cavendsh church. ,
Some of the noble workers sent from ,
he society We're Erastus willard, mis- ,
onary to France: the Rev. j. A. Lea {
lit. president of Erving College, Illi- !
OILS; the Rev. Martin L. Rugg, of the ,
rgest church in urbana, Ill.,. Es- I
ridge w. w. Hate, chaplain in the !
ivil war, since then an evangelistic =
orker; Arthur White, in charge of ,
rye church in Saginaw, Mich; Miss :
lara Converse, missionary at Yoko-
ANA; Miss Nellie Green, missionary
nong the colored people at Chatta- :,
1oga, Tenn Mrs. Lewis Walker has 7
ing in the choir about sixty years, l.
I'd is a member to-day. She sang a
ing Sunday. At present there are h
members in the church. The pas q
r is the Rev. J. A. Swart. q
Last evening Sept. 3, was set for a
union at Chester, by the mother 4
urch, representatives from the n
urches of Grafton North SPRING :,
Id, Andover, Cavendish, Perkinsville
ID Ludlow taking part.
SOUTH WARDSBORo. d