Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1912-09-21
FREE FROM DEBT ARE
COLLEGE AVE. BAPT|STS
Joyous Services Attendant Upon
Burning Of Mortgage Notes.
SERMON BY DR.. DODD.
my Church. His Theme-The Church
is Christ's and He Was the Archi-
terf a

AGS(CAt0y was q 0I011 N%y ~ W.
lege Avenue Baptist Church and las
evenings services were "a fitting eli
max :of a most happy occasion. tn,
chief and most important feature oi
which was the burning of the mort
gage notes and the entire cancella
tion of an indebtedness on the church
of $3.50, and this, too, the earnest
work of handful of people who com
prise the congregation
Preliminary services consisted OF
prayer, the singing of several appro'
pirate hymns by che congregation, anc
a few addresses by visiting clergy
men. The minister, Rev. Thomas C.
Bird, was master of ceremonies. H.
had not intended, or expected to be,
but the unavoidable absence of the
three clergymen who had been assign
ed this duty, thrust it upon the minis
ter.
1t goes without saying that Pastor
Bird, modest man that he is, was
equal to the occasion, and filled the
requirements of master of ceremonies
with grace and dignity. The church,
beautiful edifice, whose design
and architecture are admired by all
visitors as we'll as townspeople, needs
no decoration to enhance its beauty,
its symmetry its harmony of color,
but added to these were many beauti-
full fall flowers, golden rod, autumn
leaves, red geIaniums, bear rtiful
SALIVA and others were placed around
ths altar, the choir loft and at other
advantageous places in the handsome
church that added to it's unadorned at
tractiveness.
DR.. Wallace, of the Baptists Min
isterial Union, extended greeting and
Fluctuations from that organization,
and congratulated the congregation
on its glorious achievement of wiping
out the church debt. DR.. Dodd, pas
tor of Eutaw Place Baptist Church,
Baltimore, the largest and most infiu-
entail Baptist congregation in Balti-
more, as well as the wealthiest, read q
number of kilograms, letters and mes
sa yes from those who had been in
vited to he present at this joyous
event. but who were unavoidably
prevented.
Among the letters were two from
Mr.. and Mrs. George f. Merrill,
charter members of the congregation.
1t was practically with Mr. Merrill
the College Avenue Baptist Church
had its inception, and it is to his
good taste and his keen foresight
and knowledge of architectural design
and construction that this beautiful
and imposing church edifice owes its
harmonious whole.
Aside from the eloquent sermon
preached by DR.. Dodd, the feature OF
last nights service was the burning
of the mortgage notes. This pleas
ant duty fell to Brother Louis H.
Rehn, the oldest member of the
congregation, and one of tne dea-
cons. The pastor said that Deacons
Rehn, Cole and Hill had gone to
the Annapolis Savings Institution
yesterday morning and paid off the
last indebtedness on the church. and
Deacon REIN, by reason of his pri-
ority in the congregation would burn
the mortgage notes.
This was done while the coDgre-
CATION sang praise God from Whom
all Blessings Flow" Deacon Rein
placed the notes one by one, describ.
ing them, into q unique silver vase,
and set fire to them. The vase was
of peculiar design and construction,
and the pastor asked the owner OF
the vase to tell its history. Mrs. F. L.
Bausum, to whom this valuable piece
of silver belongs, came forward and
told its history.
Mrs. Bausum said it was present.
ed to her father, the Rev. e. C. Lord,
in 1878. He was American Consul tt
China and he did some good service
for the Southern Presbyterians, who
had a mission there DR.. Groves,
head of the Southern Presbyterian
Mission, desired to remember Mrs.
Bausum's father with some gift, a:
did the Presbyterians, but the United
States Government would not per.
NIT the acceptance of money on ths
part of their official representa-
tives, so DIR. Graves and the South.
ern Presbyterians, in 1872, settled
upon this handsome vase, that resti
on a design Of bamboo, and hal
leaves of bamboo in silver.
At the death of Mrs. Bausum'i
| father the silver was divided among
the four children, and for this piece
they drew lots. The lucky one wen
to Mrs. Bausum, who seemed to b
the fitting child to own the values
vase, as she had been with her fathe
when the box that bore it was opene,
and had experienced with him tn
keen JOY of the receipt of this hand
some and unique present. Mrs. Bau
sum said she had never put il to
use that had given more joy or pleas
ure than the burning of the C0Ileg
Avenue Baptist Church mortgag,
notes last night.
The sermon wac preached by DR.
Dodd, the pastor of the Eutaw Plac
Baptist Church, Baltimore. DIR. bod
took for his text the Gospel of ST
Matthew, 18th chapter, 18th to got
verses. His theme was the church
literally, My Church. and was cor
[ tanned in the eighteenth gverse,