Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-15
FREEOFDEBTFOR DIVINE USE
Emmanuel Baptist Church Dedicated
Sunday, with All-Day Service.
LAST $1,000 Is FREELY GIVEN
Bdinc Costing 100000 at Twenty
Fourth aud ~Pinckney Monument
TO Devotion and Life of
Healthy Congregation.

Heaithy congregation
NO by Might. nor by power, but by
my Spirit, saith the Lord
with these impressive words from holy
writ as the watchwords the new Emmanuel
Baptist church at Tweuty-fourth and Pink
ney streets was dedicated to the worship of
| Almighty God on Sunday. All day services
were held-in the morning, afternoon and
evening-and the beautiful edifice, costing
nearly 10000 was didicated free of debt
the last 81 600 being raised at the afternoon
meeting.
The obligatory services proper were held
in the afternoon. from 3 to 8 o'clock. This,
as were the other services were partici-
pated in by the pastors of several of the
Baptist churches of the city and suburbs.
Rev. George A. Campbell, pastor of the
Benson Baptist church, offered the invo-
cation; Rev. w. f. Rachel. pastor of the
German Baptist church, read the scripture
lesson; Rev, e. X. Curry, d. D., pastor
of the Calvary Baptist church, offered
prayer; Rev. J. w. Conley, ID. D., pastor of
the First Baptist church, delivered the
dedicatory sermon; Rev. George Van
Wrinkle, pastor of the South Omaha Baptist
church, offered the dedicatory prayer, and
Rev. Philetus II. Mcdowell, pastor of I'm
manuel Baptist church pronounced the
benediction.
Keep yourselves in the love of God"
a verse from the book of Jude, was the
text from which Dr.. Conley preached the
dedlcatory sermon.
THE text does not mean that we are
to keep ourselves so good that God will
Move us" said DR.. Conley, but it means
that we must keep ourselves in His love;
just as it does not mean that by keeping
In the sunshine we can keep the sun shin
ing. If we are to keep ourselves in the
love off God there are two or three things
against which we must guard ourselves.
One of these is the confused conception
that God is a force, a principal, an energy.
| When that theory takes root, that minute
we are without the pale of Gods love, for
the name of Father means personality,
a great, throbbing heart Of infinite love.
And it is for you and me to keep ourselves
in the love of God whereby lie stands out
as a living, breating personality.
How strength IL Received.
I'VE must keep ourselves in a receptive
attitude for the love of God and the gifts
of that divine love-forgiveness, strength
and peace. II we keep ourselves in this love
we will receive the forgiveness for the sake
of Christ, the peace which passeth all un-
Outstanding, and the strength which the
Almighty alone can give.
I'VE must keep ourselves in the assur-
ance of Gods love; our hearts open for the
gifts of His love, and ourselves in the spirit
of divine love. If we all do this, and If you
of Immanual church, especially, do this,
this new church will be to the r~edounding
glory OF God and the edifice we dedicate
today will be the center of religious
thought and teaching"
Rev. p. II. Mcdowell, pastor of the
| church, preached at the morning service
and Rev. B. F.. Fellman, pastor of the
Grace Baptist chutch preached in the even
ing. Rev. +. w. Foster, a former pastor of
I%mmanual, assisted at both the morning
and evening services. Special music was
furnished at all services and in the after
noon and evening the Patton orchestra
played.
The new Immanual Baptist church is a
brick scthructure, 5Ox7O feet. The seating
capacity of the main auditorium is 300, ex-
elusive of the gallery. The basement Is
fitted up for Sunday school purposes, the
average attendance of the Sunday school
being 200. Four years ago the church had
a membership of but 100 and an Indebted
ness of 81, 200 on the old church located at
Twenty-fourth and Binney streets. Today
the membership is $50, the Indebtedness
on the old church property has been can
celled, the new building dedicated free Of
all incumbrance, and the pastors salary
increased by $500 a year. In addition to
this the treasury contains sufficient funds
for frescoing the building, completing the
furnishings and paying the paving taxes.