The Glenwood post., 1909-06-26
FIFTY YEARS
OF METHoD|SM
CELEBRATION AT DENVER OF
METHODIST WORK IN
COLORADO.
FIRST PASTOR COMING
REV. JACOB ADRiANcE, WHO IN
1859 PREACHED IN GOLDEN,
CENTRAL CITY, DENVER.

Denver.-The Methodist churches o.
Colorado are making preparations un-
der the direction of the Preachers Aid
society of the Colorado conference, to
celebrate the semi-centennial of Meth
odism in Colorado. Jacob Adriance,
the first Methodist pastor in Colorado
and in Denver, is still alive and is re-
siding at Fremont, Neb. He and his
wife will be brought to Denver and en-
tertained for month.
Saturday, July 3rd. at p. M, on the
very spot where he preached his first
sermon in Denver, exactly fifN years
before, and at the same hour, he will
again preach the same sermon from
the same text, namely John ILL.,, 16,
God so loved the world that he gave
His only begotten Son that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish but
have everlasting life"
Sunday morning, July 4th, all Meth
odist churches will have sermons COM
memorating the event. At 3 O'Clock in
the afternoon, July 4th. a great central
mass meeting will be held in the aud
itorium, presided over by Bishop War
ren. Governor Shafroth will represent
the state in an address of welcome and
representative of the city govern
ment will present the freedom of the
city. Among others, Rev. Jacob Adri-
ance, Rev. Dr. B. T. Vincent and Rev.
George Richardson, early pastors of
the old Lawrence street church, now
Trinity, and Peter Winnie, one of the
vices.
The aged minister, now in his sew
enty-fifth year, will be taken to Col
den, Central City and other fields of
his early labors to tell the people of a
new generation of the struggles and
triumphs of their fathers in the days
of long ago.
May 80, 1853, under appointment of
Bishop Levi Scott, the Rev. w. H.
Goode, who had organized the work
of the Methodist Episcopal church
west of the Missouri river five years
I before, accompanied by the Rev. John
Adriance, started from Iowa to spy out
/ the Rocky Mountain country. as pos
sible new spiritual province for the
church they represented.
Four weeks later, Tuesday, June
2sth, these two itinerants arrived in
Denver, one driving a four-mule team
bearing supplies, the other following
on a pony. They began operations by
putting up signs that there would be
! preaching in Pollock's hotel on Sun
day, July 3rd. Pursuant to this ap
pointment Mr.. Goode preached at II
a. m. on Eleventh street between Wa
zee and Market, and Mr.. Adriance at
3 p. m. at the same place. The results
of these sermons were the first fruits
gathered for Methodism in Denver
Henry Reitz and Alexander Carte.
uniting with the church.
These were the beginnings of the
work of the Methodist Episcopal
church. and, indeed, of any church, in
the territory subsequently named "Col
orado." and Jacob Adriance became
the first pastor of the Methodist Epis
copal church in the territory and in
the city of Denver.
The next day the preachers started
for the mountains, stopping at Golden
where they preached in a gambling
den, the gamblers yielding up Their
tent an hour for that purpose.
The principal mining operations OF
the district were then carried on al
Central City. Services were conducted
there July 10th, at 10 O'Clock, on the
street. The large congregation was
composed wholly of men, who gave
good attention. In the afternoon ar
old-fashioned Methodist "class meet
ing" was held on the side of the noun
tain, the results of which remain unto
this day. 1t is still talked about by the
old miners of that region. Thirty-five
members were received into the
church that afternoon, and the mex,
day the first quarterly conference was
organized.