New-York tribune., 1912-04-04
DR.. WOELFK|N MAY Be
FIFTH AVENUE PASTOR
Report That Rochester Theologi-
cal Seminary Man Will Sue
Ceed DR.. Aked.
OFTEN PREACHED FOR THEM
Congregation of Baptist Church
Meets To- morrow to Consider
Name Suggested by
Committee.

The pulpit committee of the Fifth Ave-
nue. Baptist Church will meet the con-
gregation tomorrow evening 10 report
on its choice of a successor TO the Rev.
DR.. Charles F. Aked, who resigned a
year ago 70 accept a call from the First
Congregational Church of San Fran
cisco II the name submitted is ac-
ceptable to the congregation an official
call will Immediately be extended 10 the
person in question. 1t was reported last
night that the call would go TO the Rev.
DR.. Cornelius Woelfkin. OF the Rochester
Theological Seminary, who has filled the
pulpit of the church a number of times
since the departure of DR.. Aked.
Favorable action on the part Of the
congregation will he equivalent to the
engagement of the new pastor, for Ed
gar l.. Marston, chairman Of the pulpit
committee. said last night that the man
whose name was 10 he acted upon had
already expressed his willingness to ac-
cept n call should It be extended 10 him.
Such being the case, a public announce
ment Of Dr. Akeds successor is looked
for at the morning service on Easter.
II is said I, At the new pastor VIII take
up his duties soon after that
Mr. Marston refused last night to con-
firm the report that DR.. Woefkin was
the man selected, saying 1t would hardly
be polite to report to the public before
making the announcement to his own
congregation. He refrained on the other
hand. from denying that DR.. Woelfku
had been approached on the subject and
contented himself with pointing out that
no official call could be given until the
congregation had lent its approval
Several Of the prominent members Of
the congregation approached in the mat
fer expressed no surprise that the selec-
ton had rested upon the Rochester
clergyman. While they professed com
plete ignorance Of the deliberations Of
their committee. none Of them was able
10 name n more likely candidate for the
office than he.
RumCr has associated the name Of Dr.
Woelfkin with the Fifth Avenue pas
tcrate since the fall, when he came TO
this city as the guest Of John d. Rocke-
feller. jr., and preached at several ser
vices i'm the church. 1t was impediate~
lv annarent that he had made a marked
irnpression on the congregation, and
while a number Of other clergymen filled
the pulpit from time to time his name
continued to remain uppermost IN the
minds of the influential members OF the
coperegaticn. After his first visit IN
October he was asked 10 FIJI the pulpit
during the entire month Of November.
Refore accepting the chair OF homi-
letics at Rochester Or. Woelfkin was
nastor of the Greene Avenue Baptst
church. Brooklyn. Besides mis- work IN
the pulpit he is well known throughout
the religious world az a theologian,
writer and lecturer on religious topics.
Whom his name was first mentioned in
relation to the Fifth avenue church II
was said the seminary would not let him
go without a struggle.
The pulpit of the Fifth Avenue Bap-
fist Church was left vacant last spring
bv the resignation of DR.. Aked after
four wears Of strenuous work there. He
came here from Pembroke Chapel, Liver
pool. where mis- sermons had stirred the
English Baptists for sixteen years. Two
reasons were given for his sudden de-
parture from the great field which he
had looked forward TO i'm New York.
The first was liis disappointment at the
failure of his congregation to provide
him with a larger church, and the sec
ond was falling health. He preached
his first sermon in his present church
! last Easter.