Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-05-14
Three Notable Services Held al
The New Newport News Bap,
list Church.
DISTINGUISHED DIvIsES PRESENT
Eloquent Dedicatory Sermon Preach.
ed by Or. Hawthornc-Three For
mer Pastors and Several Prominent
Ministers of This City Participated
Excellent Music a Feature.


composed three large congregations
which gathered to attend the impress
svo and interesting services incident
to the dedication Of the newly recon-
structed Newport News Baptist
church Sunday. Probably this was
the most notable, rs well as the most
largely attended series of religious
gatherings ever held in the city.
Participating in the services were:
Rev. ], Il. Hawthorne, d. D., of Rich.
mond, the venerable and most dis
tlngulshed divine In the Southern
Baptist church; Rev. j. w. Porter d..
d., the pastor; Rev. G. c. Cox, Rev.
c. A. G. Thomas and Rev. NJ. l.. Wood,
all former pastors Of the church. and
prominent men of The nomination;
Rev. II. III. Pitt d. d., editor of the
Religious Herald, the leading Baptist
paper In Virginia; Roy. e. r. We'll
ford, pastor of the First Presbyterian
church; Rev. w. Asbury Christian,
pastor Of Trinity Methodist church;
Rev. A. A. Butler, pastor of the Cal
vary Baptist church; Rev. Il. G. Hub
'oiN, paolol vi lltc ocCOHu l1uDllSI
church, and Mayor S. r. Buxton
Sermon of Dedication.
DR.. Hawthorne's splendid dedicate.
ry sermon, beautifully eloquent gem
of pulpit oratory, will long be remem.
bered by those who were SO fortunate
as to hear It. This was delivered
in the morning, when the services of
dedication proper were held. Long
before the Sunday school was dis,
missed people had begun to file into
the main auditorium and be seated
and when the great partition divid.
Ing the room was lifted the Eody of
| the church was filled.
! The congregation occupied the au-
ditorium. the Sunday school room and
the gallery, filling every seat and
nearly every foot of space where
standing room could be found. The
evening service was attended by Il
congregation even larger, If possible,
than that which gathered in the morn.
Ing, and in the afternoon the audi
forum and gallery were packed and
many seats In the Sunday school
; room taken.
Cordial Greetings.
The afternoon service was particrl
, larly interesting. Cordial greetings
were extended by Mayor Buxton, for
/ the city; Rev. r. II. Pitt, d. D., for
the Baptists of Virginia: Rev. A. A.
Butler, for the other Baptist churches
OF the city. and Rev. T.. II. Wexford,
for the other denominations
In introducing Mr.. Wexford. DR..
Porter gracefully paid peculiarly an.
proprlate compliment to the First
. Presbyterian church and it's pastor,
mentioning the generous manner In
'whcih this church, on the very even.
Ing of the destruction OF the edifice,
which the new one replaces, rendered
the homeless congregation the use of
its home
At the evening service Rev. NJ L..
Wood made an Interesting address,
giving the history of the Newport
News Baptist church, from its foun.
dation in 1883 to tho present day.
showing the wonderful growth of the
organization as it has kept pace and
even gone ahead of Newport News.
In spite of tho city's rapid strides
forward. Rev. c. C. Cox preached a
splendid sermon.
Splendid Music.
Music was a feature of all the serv.
w. <tii iuCo iiiC ShGciltllCP OF
the programs from musical stand
point may be gained by a glance at
the following list of soloists: Mrs.
Crenshaw Morell, Mrs. Pattee. Mrs.
s. p. Marston. Miss Lucille Cooper,
Mrs. Rces Mr.. Frank Cunningham,
iof Richmond and Mr.. Wade Hobbs
Then there was the Old Songs Quar-
tet. composed of Mosdames pattee
and Marston and Messrs. Hobbs and
Moore, and the church choir
The new pipe organ. which like the
church itself and everything elsc i'm
1t. will be great Improvement upon
the old, was used, although it was
far from being Completed Only
about one fourth of the piTcs had
been placed, and these HAD moi been
touched by the tuner, but the organ,
list. Miss Ethel Cottrell. managed to
draw sweet and melodiois strains
from the unfinished Instrument. and
probably few in the immense conpre.
cations were aware of the fact the
only two stops We're being used and
that most of the pipes were badly out
Of tune.
Sunday was great day in New.
pert News in church circles; n great
day especially for thcfBaptis; Genomi.
nation. and day Which will mover
he forgotten by the congregation of
the Newport News baptist cnurch