Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1911-12-11
st. Martins Church Celebrates
Unique Occasion in Church
HiStOry-The Impres.
Sive Program.
BURNS MORTGAGE NOTES.
All The Dtbi OF Church Goes up in Smoke
Through Muniiicence of Deceased
M mbeF Mrs. Zimmermsn's Be-
quest Imposing Cere.
monies.

| One OF the mo sL Impressive cere-
monies ever witnessed in this city was
held yesterday afternoon at the Luth-
eran Church on Francis street, when
the Free From Debt festival was
celebrated.
Promptly at o'clock the organist.
Mr.. Holden started with the Postlude.
which was Immediately followed by
the Invocation, after which the con-
gregation sang "Gott Water, Aller
Dinge Grund'' (God Father. Founder
of All Things) which was sung as only
the Germans can sing their old melo-
dious chorals.
Rev. w. II. Alderman, of St. Johns
Lutheran Church, offered very beau
tiful and imp essive prayer in Ger
man, which " as followed by a choir
song, 'Lobet den Herrn," which was
splendidly rendered Then followed the
real ceremony, that Of burning the
mortgage papers, while the congre-
cation sang one of the most heauti-
full of the many splendid old German
chorals, Lobe den Herren, den
maechtigen Koenig der Ehrin,"
praise the Lord, the King Almighty
The mortgage papers were placed
upon a round silver tray, aud Mr..
William Heller, the Oldest living trus-
tee of the church, lighted the papers.
and in a few minutes, perhaps sec
onds, the entire debt of st. Martins
Evangelical Lutheran Church had, so
to say. "gone up in smoke" And all
through the generosity of one of the
no r hal of
church flock, Mrs. Hermine thinner
mann, who willed the money to the
church for the purpose of paying off
this mortgage.
As Rev. Aufderhaar's duties recall
ed him to Baltimore, he then made
his address, Rev. Menzel speaking
later. His text was Mark, :3, "And
they come unto him, bringing one
sick of the palsey, which was borne
of four" His theme was Service. p"
First of all, he brought the greet
ings and congratulations of his con-
gregation, and how they all rejoiced
with their sister church in its great
happiness, the freedom from debt.
He told how it was necessary for all
of US to serve, and serve cheerfully.
He remarked how terribly that poor
sick man would have felt had those
four men that carried him to Christ
complained and grumbled at the task;
how, when they got to the house, they
found it crowded so that they could
not even get to the door, he would
have felt had they told him they had
done their duty, they had brought him
that he could not be gotten in; how
it would have been, had one of the
men suddenly let go of his end of
the pallet, etc.
he told how it was necessary for
all of US to cooperate, that it was
through this means alone that any,
thing worth while could be accom-
plished. And that. even though the
Indebtedness of the church was now
paid, it was just as necessary to work
and hold together as before. He said
that, as it was necessary for four to
bring this man to Christ, so it was
necessary for US to cooperate to
bring men to Christ. AS each of
these men had his own particular
corner TO bear, so each and every per-
son, even unto the children, has his
corner to bear, AMI if he drops his cor
ner, it is as bad as though one Of those
bearers had suddenly dropped his cor
ner of the pallet on which the sick
man was lying.
Solo, Il Will Extol Thee, My God,
o King" aria from Molique's "Abra-
ham, was sung by Miss Elisabeth
S. Shaefer.
Rev Paul A. Menzel, of Concordia
Church, Washington, D. c., delivered
the German sermon. His text was
Ezekiel 81, the latter part of verse
&c And l will place them and null
tiply them, and will set my sanctuary
in the midst of them for evermore. :"
Rev. Menzel remarked that when he
came to this congregation many years
ago, the church was about fourteen
years old, and there was still talk of
how so small band had had the cour-
age to do the work that they did: !:
even at that late date, it astounded
them that they should have taken upon
| themselves such a debt, and how,
| from year to year, as the payments
on this debt became due, and there
as nothing to meet them with, the
Lord had provided, miraculously one
might say. At one time wife of one
of the officers at the Naval Academy
became interested in the little group
that as fighting so valiantly for their
own place of worship. and knowing
German, and being interested, she
wrote to a wealthy relative, asking
| her to send donation, and a check
for $3.50 arrived; not thinking it
1 enough, she wrote again, and a check
for SIPS was received. Not yet
contented. she gave a musical end
more than $500 was realized. 1t
was in this way. slow probably but
sure, that little by little the debt has
at last been entirely liquidated, first
through the generosity of one and