The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1909-02-11

Tor the Methodist church while still
in the seminary and had filed several
appoi ntments in the New Jersey con
ference as a supply before coming to
Wisconsin. With his reception in the
Wisconsin conference, however, in Jan.
1880 his active work as minister be-
gan.
Mr.. Stevens stood out preseminent
among the ministers of the conference
land in his nearly twenty nine years of
labor in the conference he filled. many
important places. His first appoint
ment from the Wisconsin conference
was. to the church at Wausau where he
served "a part of a year and the fol
lowing year he was assigned to the
Plover Circuit near Stevens Point
which had five preaching points. He
lremained on the Plover Circuit for
three years and then served for three
years at the church in Berlin and after
year at Lake Mills he was sent to
the Algoma church at Oshkosh. He
later served four years at Evansville
and five years at Ft. Atkinson after
which he went to Lake Geneva for one
year. On account of his great ability
as an organizer and as preacher he
was then placed in charge of the James
willie district as presiding elder. He
gave up this work in 1901 when he
came to Kenosha to succeed the Rev
Samuel w. Naylor as pastor of the
local church. At the last session of
the annual conference he was urged to
accept the important post of general
superintendent of the Milwaukee dis
trict, but declared that he preferred
to remain as pastor of the church in
Kenosha. His long term as pastor Of
the Kenosha church is one that has
seldom been duplicated by Methodist
minister in any conference. He at
tended the general conference of the
church in San Francisco in 1904 and
last year he was elected as one of the
delegates of the Wisconsin conference
to the great general conference of his
church in Baltimore. He served on
some of the most important commit
tees of the conference.
His work for the Kenosha church
has been worthy of more than passing
note. He came to Kenosha when he
was in the very zenith of his career
and gave the best years of his life to
the work here. Under his wise man
agement as pastor, the church had
grown rapidly. When he came the
congregation was worshiping in an old
frame church and it was his first duty
to start the movement for new
church. He realized the fact that
many of the members Of the church
were people Of moderate means, but he
put his whole soul into the movement
and made the building Of the church
his one great duty outside of his work
as a pastor. He saw the elimination
Of his work only little over a year
ago when the church was dedicated
without debt. He has always been
thankful to the people of the city for
the manner in which they aided the
congregation in paying for the church
and he considered this as his last a,bli-
cation when he was slipping over the
border on Saturday afternoon.
Mr. Stevens has been one of the most
important men in the Wisconsin con-
ference for many years and his place
will be hard one to fill. It's most
important matters had been left in his
hands for decision and his Christian
counsel will be greatly missed when the
conference meets in Kenosha next
September.
The people of the congregation had
not recognized the serious condition Of
their pastor, but on last Sunday even
ing when it was found that he was too
i'll to be present at the services of the
church meeting of the Official Board
was. held and he was granted a three
months vacation in hopes that this
much needed rest would restore him.
The shock of the death of the minr
lister has been so great that the MEM
bers of the church have given no
thought to filing the pulpit made va
cant by death, but this will be. taken
|up at some future time.
Mr.. Stevens is survived by his, wi
| dow, Mrs. Katherine Stevens, two sons,
Warren Ell. Stevens and David Harri4
| son Stevens and one daughter, Mrs.
Anne M. Kirkland All of them are. In
Kenosha at the present time.
Mr.. Stevens was the ideal repEesen-
tative of the devoted Christian man
and his residence in Kenosha. has left
behind it an influence, not only on the
congregation which he so faithfully
served as a pastor, but on the people
Of the entire city. Many people who
never touched shoulders with him in
the work of the church have been led
to lead better lives by his example.
Coming to Kenosha more than seven
years ago almost stranger to the city
he soon won a place In the hearts of
the people which made him man re-
spected and beloved. The religious
nature was strongly developed in Mr..
Stevens, but this did not prevent his
displaying that warm sympathy with
men which was one of the most DrOmi