The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1910-06-30

ship reached total of 40.
Rev. c. e. Blodgett was invited to
| become the pastor in 1889. On Dec
IL OF that year the total number of
members was 1872 with 12S resident
members. During Mr.. Blodpett,s
ministry, 81 were added to tile church.
50 on confession of faith.
Mr.. Blodgett was followed by Rev.
Josiah A. Wood in the year 1892 and
in December of that year the silver
anniversary of the church was cele-
brated. That was a red letter day
for the church.
During all these years the Ladies
Aid Society did splendid service for
the church. The Society was organ
lied in Dec. 1868, and uninterruptedly
since then has been fruitful in all
good works. In 1883 the society be-
gan to work for the church parlors
ana in two years time the addition to
the church was built and all bills
paid The same kind of splendid
service was rendered by the society
when the present church was erected
in 1903 and 1904. Since the organic
alton of the church in 1867 to the
present time many hundreds of dol
lars have been contributed for the
maintenance of the church and work,
while the value of their energy and
loving sacrifice can not be appraised.
Along with this work, though with
out organic connection with it, must
be mentioned the Home and Foreign
missionary society. In 1880 the first
auxiliary for foreign missions was
organized. In 1882 Home Missions
| were added and since then the two
have been carried on together with
blessings for those who have interest
ed themselves in this work as well as
| for those to whom the Gospel has
been carried.
Almost from the first there has
been a society for socials and prayer
meetings among the young. This
Society raised money for various i'm
provements about the church and
was finally merged in the Y. P.
Society for Christian Endeavor In
the later eighties or ninties the G. E.
society enrolled 135 among it's mem
bership with about half that number
of active members. Its former men,
bers are scattered from ocean to
ocean, many of them engaged in
effective Christian work. While in
recent years the church has suffered
for the lack of children in the Sun
day School and young people in
Christian Endeavor Society, the work
among the young has been carefully
fostered and today we rejoice in an
efficient and faithful band of En-
deavorers.
From the beginning the Sunday
School has been exalted as the source
of the future growth and usefulness
of t he church. And while today we
do not have the constituency of 10 or
ID years ago, the Sunday School is
still looked upon as the hope of the
church.
One of the longest pastorates of
the church was that of G. Ernest
Smith, who ministered here from
1895 to 1902. In the early years of
his ministry this church had one of
the best G. E. societies to be found
anywhere.
After the departure of Rev. Smith
the church was pastorless until Oct.
l, 1904, when Rev. f. H. Oehler was
invited to become the first pastor to
occupy the pulpit of the newly COM
pleted church.
After Rev. Smith had resigned. the
Library Board secured a grant of
$4,000 for a building. Negotiations
then entered into resulted in the sale
of the lot to the board for So, 500 for a
library site. With this sum for a
nucleus subscription was started
which resulted in raising enough to
purchase the present site and erect
the building at a cost of $4,000.
When the bills were all in there was
deficit of $1,000. A loan of that
amount was obtained from the church
Building Society, the same to be paid
in annual installments of $4,000,
without interest. Five of these pay
ments were made, when j. A. Caugh-
rem came to the front and wiped the
slate clean.
About the time Rev. Smith resign
ed the Methodists decided to remodel
their church, and as we had no pas
tor in view an arrangement was made
for the two congregations to worship
in our house This arrangement was
carried out for some four months.
Then Rev. F. III. Oehler came as our
pastor, the new church was completed
and the work was taken up regularly
by our own pastor. Mr.. Oehler had
to gather up the scattered ends of
the work. This he did well, bringing
order out of chaos, and he has con-
tinued to strengthen us along all