The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-11-17
SEMfCENTENN|AL Of THE salem Welsh CONGREGA.
T|0NL CHURCH, CAMBRIA, MINI.

ed church is a thing of the past, b..t
while it lasted was a cyclone of spirit
ual power and a bowling success in ev-
cry sense of the word. From the be-
ginning to the end the spirit of the liv.
ing God pervaded it's every move, and
men and women were sometimes moved
by turns to tears and to laughter at
the will of the masters of the assembly,
! and by the dint of their Godinspired
power
The morning of the ninth instant
opened under pleasant auspices. Nature
was beautified by her autumnal garb,
and the sun shone respondent; and the
festive throng-festive in spiritual
sense-were seen astir early vending
their way to the now somewhat con-
spicuous little church which stands on
| the bluff between the homes of David
E. Bowen and Evan l.. Harris. BY the
way, two of it's active workers. Ian
guage fails to tell or describe, or illus;
trate the interest taken in the celebra-
ton through the community, simply be-
cause it is one of the very first Welsh
churches planted in Minnesota. There
are now about dozen Welsh churches
in this settlement, but little Salem is
the first in this locality, and it is the
fifth of all Congregational churches of
any other nationality from the south
ern to the northern boundary of this
much esteemed state
The program of the day, which was
full one, containing work cut out Ter
all from the pastors to the ushers, from
the instrumentalist to the singer, and
all commenced upon their labor of love
and their spiritual exercises and enjoy
ments with holy energy and sanctified
determination. At ten o'clock the pas
tor, L. L. Griffith, led the venerable
deacon, David Pugh, a veteran Chris
ton warrior of four score years. to the
rostrum to take the chair for the EEL
iowship Meeting. The organ pealed
forth her oratory under the master
hand of the expert player, Professor
William Roberts, and then the voice of
praise swelled from the hearts and
voices of those who already had nearly
filled the place, and as the devotional
exercises proceeded, led by the Rev.
William b. Hubbard of Sherburn, Sec
rotary of Mankato conference, the audi
forum gradually filled until seating ac-
commodation was at premium.
Deacon Pugh rose, and in few well
chosen remarks in the Welsh language
set the program fairly on its way. The
first proceeding after the preliminary
exercises was the reading of correspond
ence by Deacon Thomas Hughes of
Mankato from various Welsh churches
in Iowa, Ohia, Wisconsin, Nebraska and
Pennsylvania containing congratula-
tions. 1t would absorb too much space
to insert them all in this report, but
a typical sample may not be out of
place. For instance the letter from Car
roll, Nebraska, written in the vernacular
but translated into English for the
benefit of the American: "The Con-
gregational church of Carroll, Neb., 20
our Sister church in Cambria, MINI.
Greeting: We acknowledge with
thankful hearts your kind invitation to
celebrate with you the jubilee of the
cause of Jesus Christ according to the
Congregational form amongst you, and
we regret it is not to be convenient to
send representative at this time on
account of the busy season and ott er
undertakings consequent to the incom-
ing of new pastor.
"But 10, a manifestation pure and
! simple of our brotherhood and affection
in the form of letter of greeting. We
contemplate you as a church reviewing
the past fifty years which have flown
into eternity, and that like Moses you
have recognized every step on the way
the will of the one who appeared to
him in the burning bush, and, doubt
less, you verify those scriptural aphor-
isms the Lord has done unto us great
| things, and hitherto has he sustained
| us.
"The world is passing by. There is
unrest in its firmness, and decay in its
stability, but things, there is upon the
earth, although unseen, some holy
mountains as foundation to every
good and all truth
''That is the foundation of the Con-
gregational church in Cambria, MINI
We trust it's foundations are upon the
holy mountains, one of the highest
ideals of God is spiritual church.
"We greet you at the termination OF
the first fifty years of your existence
firstly, because that you have lived in
the strength of the influence; of YOU
Spiritual life. Secondly, because you