The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-08-05
WILL BUY NEW SITE
CLAYTON STREET BAPTIsTs PLAN
 FOR NEW CHURCH.
Pastor Urges That Additional Room Is Needed, and Congregations Unani- mously Agrees to Purchase Lot
 AdjOining Property.

The Clayton Street Baptist Church, in an enthusiastic meeting last even inr, unanimously voted to purchase the property situated next to the church on Holt Street. and to retain 1t with the end in view of ultimately building a handsomer church edifce on this and the present church property. The sale
 on watch an option has of the property, on which an option has already been secured. will be consum- mated this week.
 The step on the par Of the church was taken as a means of demonstr3t- ing for the members the love and af- lection in which the churcn's pastor. Rev. J. w. O'Hara, is held. Yester- day marked the end of the third year Of his work in this city. as pastor of the Clayton Street Church. and the beginning of his fourth year.
 For the occasion the pastor had stat ed that his night address would be a summary of the church's accomplish ments during this time. and in response to the call for a large attendance of the church. who had seen 1t grow with the pastors work, turned out in full force to lend their aid on the annivsr- sary occasion.
 The subject taken by MT. O'Hara for his address was Possibilities to Be- lievers," his text being taken from Mark K, 23. The discourse of the pas- tor was divided into two divisions, the first being What Things Are Possible." and the second being Why These Things Are So.'
 Under the first head the pastor in A very eloquent appeal. mentioned the seemingly impossible accomplishments, stating lucidly and clearly why they were not what they seemed. but ra- ther decidedly possible. The division What Things Are : 1ssible." was sub headed by three answers, the first be- ing temporal enlargement" the sec ond being spiritual growth and in- crease in membership" and the last being that the seemingly impossible demand Is possible to believers in God"
 By the first of the clauses the pastor sought to prove that the congregation was in need of a new church. a tenn poral abiding place. Under the sec ond. he sAted what the church had donc in three years in growth and members. p. and spoke ratteringly of the help that had been accorded the pastor in the work.
 It was shown that during the past three years the church has had a won derful growth. The membership dur .ng trI ,imr md increased. the pas tor said from 1a0 to 363. 2l9 new mem- bers being received in the church. sev-
 
 During the three years. also, the pas tor paid 2.600 visits, distributed 10000 pages of tracts and preached 563 ser mons Contributions of the church's members were shown to have increased from s1.75o to $3.250. and mission col Jcctions from $335 to $SuO. The mem- bership In the Sunday School had dou- hlcd during the three years, and the need of this department for larger quarters was shown to be the princi- pal reason why new and larger quar- ters were needed.
 By the third of the subdivisions the pastor explained to his congregation that belief in God would accomplish in this direction what was seemingly impossible.
 The reasons that the aoove clauses were possible of accomplishment, the pastor said. were three. First. because 'believers pray much;' second, be-