The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-11-12
PARSONAGE DEBT
Is CLEARED UP
SPECIAL SERVICES I'M cENTEN-
NAL M. e. CHURCH ToMOR-
ROW AND MORTGAGE
WILL BE BURNED.

Special services will be held at the
Centennial NJ Il. church tomorrow, tile |
occasion being the public discharge of |
The parsonage debt and the burning of !
the mortgage. In the morning Rev |
III. II. Malinson, pastor of the M. T. |
church at Lake Linden, Will preach, |
while the evening sermon will be de-
livered by Rev. c. l. Adams of the
First NJ. e. church of Calumet. No
arrangements have as yet been made |
for an afternoon service. The even
ing service will commence at O'clock !
instead OF $3.50, the usual hour. At
uhis service the ceremony of burning
the mortgage will be performed and
the church will then be free of that
part of its debt which applies directly
to the parsonage.
Tho members give much credit to
the church and pastor, Rev. Isaac VIII
COZ for tie manner i'm which this
debt has been taken care of. Four
years ago the Centennial church held
it's services in an old building which
! had previously been used ais a school
house. There was but one small room
and no conveniences whatever. AS
| the church was rapidly growing 1t was
decided that proper edifice was nee
essary Subscriptions were taken, and
a contract made with w +. Milford
for the erection of a building which. al
though not of the largest-the audi
! forum having a seating capacity of
about two hundred-for beauty and
convenience has no superiors and few
equals in the copper country.
The structure. with equipment, cost
about $4,000, of which $4,000 was paid
within two years. 1t was then found
necessary to have a parsonage i'm con-
rcction with the church. the mining
company having too few houses for it's
own use to rent one for this purpose.
and 1t was impossible to rent a suit
able private house The proposal to
build a parsonage did not meet with
general approval with the church
membership, as was natural with the
debt on the church building not yet
entirely liouidated but as the parson-
age was q necessity 1t was finally de-
cided to proceed with it's erectnon.
A contract was made with Mr.. Milford
and the building commenced, when at
the general conference of the church.
Rev. Bickford was transferred from
! Centennial and Rev. Wilcox appointed.
Mr.. Wilcox came then to a compare
lively small charge with a church debt
of 81 800. and a parsonage i'm course OF
erection at cost of about $4,000, not
the most pleasing outlook. Nothing
daunted, however, he set to work with
the church board to clear the debt and
so energetically did he work that he
was often referred to as the financial
agent" rather than the pastor. 1t
was decided that for the time the debt
on the church building should be al
lowed to stand and all efforts directed
toward the paying of the parsonage,
and the plan adopted was the secur-
ing of 100 subscriptions of $1.O0 each
per month for a period of two years.
More imam IIle neCtSSdIy iiuiihp'i "NiN
secured within n few months hut this
was necessary i'm view of the fact that
the agreement provided for the cam
ceiling of the obligation In case the
subscriber removed from the commu-
nifty. There were a number of such
cases and i'm other instances subscribe
ers were unable to meet the obligation
regularly. However. a number OF sim
, gle subscriptions for various amounts
were made with the result that the
parsonage debt was cleared. OF
course the debt of 81 800 on the church
building still stands, hut 1t Is expect
ed that those who have not fully paid
the amounts subscribed for the par
sonage will do so as soon as they are
able so the money can lbe applied to
the church debt. refGuding the odd
amounts taken from the general fund
during the past two years to meet
these delinquent payments. A. plan for
the liquidating of the debt of $1,000
now standing will probably be taken
un at some future time.
Besides the payments made on the
parsonage ais above stated, 5000 was
raised I'm extra subscriptions for the
installing of n heating plant which