Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-29
HALF A CENTURY OLD
Fiftieth Anniversary of Fifth
Baptist Church.
STORY OF ITS EARLY DAYS
Reading of Historical Paper by One
of the Officers.
ESTABLISHMENT OF A SCHOOL
Career of the Late Rev. DR.. c. C.
Meador-Sermon by Rev. DR..
Weston Bruner.

Weston Bruner.
! In the presence of large congregation
the fiftieth anniversary of the date of the
organization Of the Fifth Baptist Church
was celebrated last evening. The service
| was impressive. The choir under the d.
! rection of Mr.. William J. Palmer rendered
| special program including solos by Miss
| Pearl Grigsby, Mr.. Stanley, Mr.. Palmer
| and Mr.. Ross James, and duos by the
| Misses Grfgsby and by Messrs. Stanley
| and Powell. Fifty Years of Church Life
| was the subject of a paper read by Mr.. c.
| Clinton James, clerk Of the church. He
| told Of the efforts of several members of
| the Baptist churches of the seventh ward,
| known as the Island" to establish a mis-
| sion school to be held each Sunday after
noon. Later, the speaker added, school
| was started In the building known as
| Island Hail. Sunday, July 6, 1856. Ten
teachers, principally members of the E
Street and Navy Yard churches, and nifty
scholars were in attendance. c.. G. Meador,
| late a licentiate minister from Mount Her
| mon Church in Bedford county, Va, was
| the first preacher to conduct religious serv-
ices in the edifice.
The meetings continued for one year.
| when 1t was deemed important to know the
wishes of the members of the different
churches relative to the propriety of organ
ling a regular Baptist church, and q no
tice was sent to the four churches inviting
to a meeting such as could attend in order
that fair expression might be obtained.
After arrangements had been completed
for organizing the new church each of the
several Baptist churches was requested to
send the pastor and five delegates to sit in
council at the Island Hail. Sunday, July 20.
| 1856.
Recognition Service.
At that time a recognition service was
| held. participated in by Rev. Eugene Kin
caid, missionary to Burmah; Rev. Thomas
Jones Of Rockville, Rev. DR.. Btnney of Co.
| lumbar College and Rev. George W. Samp-
son Of the d Street Church, who gave the
members OF the new church the right hand
of fellowship
The constituent members Of the church
were DR.. Meador, Mr.. and Mrs. George NJ.
Kendall, Mr.. and Mrs James Fraser, Thos.
Norheet, James Scott I. g. Campbell, Rich
| ard Farmhouse, Angelina Brimmer, Precious
| Porch, s. F. Beacham and Julia Bryan, who
| is the only surviving member; F. A. Barn.
house, Ann Goodall Mary B. Taylor, Eliza
NJ. Hamlon, Mr.. and Mrs. J. D. F. Carlin,
Mrs. s. c. Scott and Priscilla Adams. From
| the date Of the organization to the year
| 1869 1t was known as the Island Baptist
| Church.
THE critical period Of the church's his
| tory" Mr.. James said was from 1851 to
| 1885. Monthly meetings Of the church
were held. and at nearly every meeting the
civil war was discussed in one form or an
other. The pastor and other members were
| frequently accused Of being southern SYM
pathizers. Attempts were made to exclude
members who had gone into seeded states.
| The pastor was Informed by one Of the
most influential members Of his church
| that unless he prayed for the Federal gov
eminent he would withdraw all his sup
n1nrs oePn n
| his resignation as pastor Of the church at
| the request of the deaoons. who were the
disturbing element on the war question, but
the church declined to receive it.. After
| this one brother attempted to solve the
| situation by offering resolution to i'm
| mediately exclude any member who dis
cussed politics in the church meeting, only
! to be met with the reply that he had better
| inform himself as to the difference between
| politics and patriotism. In 1853 Dr. Meador
was obliged to resort to secular employ
ment for support. In 1855 the church re-
ported that 1t was out Of debt, and did so
again in 1883.
1.-THE church has had many very interest
| ing REVEALS. In the revival Of 1867 ninety
seven we're baptized. in 1874 the meeting
lasted four months and 112 were baptized,
| in 1894 ffty-fve were baptized. and in
1905 seventy-three were baptized.
Work Of Discipline Committee.
Zone Of the busiest committees of the
church from the date Of its organization
down to about the year 1880 was the disc
pline committee. Members were required
| to give good reasons for absenting them
| selves from the church services and not in
| frequently called upon to answer specific
| charges, but only forty have been ex-
cluded in the last fifty years. The follow
| ing section of the constitution Is fair
| sample Of what was considered proper to
| regulate the conduct of the members:
| Visiting theaters, minstrel troupes patron
| gambling institutions, selling or drinking
| intoxicating liquors as beverage, fire.
quenting bathrooms or engaging in dancing
under any circumstances, playing at
| chance, masquerading, betting, using false
weights in business and refusing to pay
debts contracted shall be considered as an
| outward violation of the moral law. and
any. member perssting in these practices
shall be excluded from the church,
1.-THE church purchased its first piece Of
| real estate April 10, 1850, from the trustees
of the old school Baptist Church. called
| property, on D street between Az and 9th
streets southwest 500 of this amount said
to have been contributed by James Towles,
1.-THE Shiloh Church had erected a one
| story frame church about twenty years
prior to the time Of our purchase. This old
used until the new church INV was BUTT Wine hne
the new church was in the course Of con-
struction old Shiloh was moved to the rear
emu OF Inc lOt ana USED until the new
| church was ready for occupancy The lee
| ture room of the new church was occu-
pied in 1869, though in an unfinished state.
and was finished and dedicated in June
1870. The auditorium was not finished and
furnished until October g. 1873, on which
date it was dedicated
Cost Of New Church.
1.-THE cost of the new church was about
| 81, 400 April IS, 1885, the church purchased
| the property on which our mission Is now
| located, paying 81, 100 for the site and about
! S. 400 for the building, making total cost
of $500. June 10, 1891. the church bought
| the property on which the church we now
| occupy stands, paying $4,000 for the site,
| and the total property at the present time
is estimated to be worth $40, 600. on which
we have deed Of trust of $4,000.
THE location Of the Baltimore and Poto-
| mac Railroad Company's roundhouse In the
| west end of the square formerly occupied
| by our church was a great annoyance to
the church and resulted in four damage
| suits the church winning after the case
had gone to the Supreme Court Of the
| United States. The verdicts in these suits
amounted to $2O,117.35 The costs and at
| torneys' fees were $5,025. making a net re-
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