The Ocala evening star., 1911-04-04

The Congregation Must Build q Par
sOnage or Lose q Valuable Lot


Among the notices that were given
out before the sermon was one urg-
ing the congregation TO turn out in
force on Wednesday evening next as
there was to be very important bus
mess meeting held after the prayer
meeting.
Before the pastor began his dis
course he stated the object of the
meeting, to wit. that over years ago
Saint Fannie (for if there ever was a
human being entitled to sainthood il is
Mrs Fannie r. Gary) had donated TO
the Ocala Baptist church valuable
lot on Oklawaha ave. with the stipu-
lation that church building or a par
sonage was to be erected thereon
within the period of ) years and as
there was but some 10 months left of
that time il behooved the members of
the church to be up and doing other
wise the lot-now worth several thou
sand dollars would revert to the Gary
estate
In urging the matter pastor Gabby
gave notice that no member of the
church could disclaim any response
bility for the churches action by stay
ing away from the meeting-that they
had 'all been duly notified and that il
the meeting decided contrary to their
belief il would be their fault for not
attending the meeting and taking an
active part in the same.
He said he realized that the church
was face 10 face with several under
takings-requiring the utmost zeal
labor and sacrifice-but after all.
nothing of any value ws ever accom-
plished without some strenuous effort,
and the greater the effort required. the
greater was their pleasure when the
work was complete-among the work
ahead of them was the Southern Bap-
tist Association which meets in Jack
sonville May 15-another event was
the coming of the Rev. l. B. Warren
who will commence evangelistic work
in the church on May 1st. Then there
was the making up Of the amount
promised for the mission work and the
much needed new church building-so
taking it all together it looks as
though the members Of the church had
| their work cut out for them for some
| time
| There was quite a goodly number in
the congregation, and we heard a
reason given for the front seats not
being occupied-which was that the
prevailing fashion of skirts was so
limited that the wearers found il im-
possible to walk so far.
| There was large number of art
works in straw and it would appear as
tho Easter coming so late this year
| the wearers have become impatient
and had come out some two weeks in
advance of the proper time. however
| there's plenty of time in two weeks
for dame fashion to make a radical
change and in that event the dear vo-
taries can come again.
The pastor took for his text John
20-21 and around that verse he preach :
ed one of the most logical. interesting
and eloquent sermons on the cause of
missions that We have heard for some
time-he said in part that Christ's in
structions was to go into all the world
and preach the gospel-not to go to
the Jews-or to the Americans but to
the whole world-that there was no
inspiration in people saying they did
not believe in missions, because we
were expected to obey orders-and the
qualifications of a soldier were more
highly valued for obedience than for
ability to shoot. Speaking Of the work
in China and the terrible famine now
raging there he said it was estimated
that one dollar would support a China
man till such time they could
gather a new crop and support them
} selves-and if one dollar could save a
d, human life, of how much greater value
was the saving of a human soul. OF
the feeble efforts put forth by many
processing Christians along mission
airy lines-he said it was like a man
with bent pin for a hook fishing In
la washtub. while the boundless sea
lalive with it's millions of fish rolled al
his feet.
Among the many beautiful illustra-
tions used by the speaker was the cap
ture of Fort Ticonderoga by Ethan AL
len in 1775-how Allen demanded the
surrender of the fort in the name OF
Almighty God and the Continental
lCongress-and when the Christian meT
and women of the day demand of the
heather a full surrender in the name
of the Most High the whole work OF
the missionary will be accomplished
and the whole world will have the gos.
pei preached to them.