Evening star., 1905-09-18
Growth Of the Christian
Church.
REV. FREDK. D. POWER
PREACHED AN ELOQUENT ANNI-
VERSARY SERMON.
A History Of the Increase Of This De-
nomination During the
Three Decades.


the thrtieth anniversary of his pastorate
at the Vermont Avenue Christian Church
yesterday. The anniversary sermon was
preached at the morning service and the
church was thronged with friends of the
popular pastor. Since 1876 he has been the
directing spirit Of the church. and during
that time the members of the Christian de-
nomination In the District have increased
to enormous proportions. The anniversary
sermon took the form of a short history OF
the church and it's work.
Three decades in the life of man, or
of church." said DR.. Power, 'in this age
of the world mark necessarily a significant
period. My wife says should quit keep
ing anniversaries. 1t may be so. She feels
1t, perhaps, more than do, as little boy
at the beach this summer handed me two
peaches and said Take one to your mud
der 1t does no good to battle against the
evidence Anniversaries come whether we
keep them or not. Standing this summer
In group of curious Hoosiers. after hav-
ing preached three sermons with the ther-
mometer at %, typical specimen OF
Hoosierdom of the lean, lank, long-drawn-
out variety that reminded me of an exten-
sion fire-ladder remarked: You stood up
under It purity we'll today for one of your
age. How old do you take him to be?'
asked one of the number. WALL said the
IfoOSleT, ey eng llle from tOp u DOltoHi, lac
is just a leetle over seventy!
The minister then gave a short history OF
the Christian denomination, and continued:
September T. 1875, the present pastorate
began. The history may be divided, into
three decades, the most important event in
the first being the erection of our new
house of worship the most important un-
dertaking of the second being the estab-
lishment of our 9th street church. and the
most important feature of the third our ex-
pansion In missions
when I came here found little frame
chapel. worth about 5000, and $50 people.
Then this spot seemed almost in the sub
urbs. Iowa Circle was a common. Nobody
thought 1t respectable to live beyond r
street. I picked blackberries where l now
live. We had 12s,O0O people in the District,
street cars and 7-cent fares. 1t was in
Grants second administration.
But what good people we had. We have
them now-ive times as many-but 1t
the Garfields. the Bradleys, Brisseys, Dun
gans, De Vans, Drownses, Fawsetts. Gar
retts, Haydens, Hazards, Hillmans,
Knowleses. Lipscombs, Moores, Parkers.
stiersos, shutmans. Spilmans, summys,
Stephensons, Tingles. Maj. Mobley. Tom
Hall, the SheItons. and the rest. Most OF
them have entered the higher life. We do
not mourn for them. We rejoice In their
victory and rest.
I'VE organized the first year mission
on the Bladensburg road, near where our
84th street church is now located We or
ganized an auxiliary, which has organized
a score of others and raised thousands for
missions. We organized the State Mission
ary Society, which has planted churches In
Maryland, Delaware and the District of
Columbia, and brought thousands to Christ.
We organized later the Bethany Beach In
stttution, which promises to be the sea-
side summer resort of the disciples all over
the land. -
I'm 1880 the movement for building this
house of worship took form. Gen. Gar
field was elected in 1880. Before this the
pastor appeared before the general con-
vention of the disciples and urged this
work. Then came the election ard the
assassination and all the sad experiences
of single summer in the history of the
republic"
DR.. Power spoke at length of President
Garfeld's connection with the church and
of the interest he took in its work and
members He referred to the death of one
Of the Garfield children and read letter
that he had received from the President,
then member of the Senate. DR. Power
reviewed briefly the days that followed the
shooting of MIR. Garfield by Guiteau and of
the funeral services held at the Capitol
after his death. Continuing his history of
the church, he concluded:
In 1876 was projected our Ninth Street
Church. A mission was opened In bust
ness college where the National Library
now stands, and then in Odd Fellows Hall
at 9th and d streets, and now there is a
congregation of LAO, and Sunday school
which is the second largest In the city.
Our third decade has been one of ex-
pansion. March, 1897. the H Street Church,
born In tent, was organized, and has
2J0 souls; Whitney Avenue in 1S99 and
there is a church of 200. Thirty fourth
Street has been the most rapid and vigor-
Gus of our missions Vienna was organ
lied as a mission in 1894 Fifteenth Street
our Christian Endeavor church, was started
last year. and Tuxedo is our baby
church
Thirty years ago little mission chapel
and $50 souls. Today eight churches $500
members, and S150o00 in church property!
Washington has doubled in population. Our
growth has been siXteen-fold.
ITO this church 1,522 souls have been
added, five ministers of. the gospel have
gone from US, s225, coo has been contribut-
ed to the work by people in very moderate
circumstances, 5000 religious services have
been held, and the pastor has preached
5OD sermons and made $4,000 calls
so much for figures; but there are great
er things than figures. This is a fragment
Hitherto the Lord hath helped us We
may trust Him for the untried future Let
US go on to perfection"