The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1913-12-26
ADDRESS OF MRS. NELLIE sEAY
Prepared to Have Been Delivered at
the Mortgage Burning of the First
Baptist Church.

shrdlu cmwfyp hrdiu mfwyp mfwyf
Rev. Ellington, Dear Brother and
Pastor Of the First Baptist Church,
Eighth, Avenue, and My Dear Dea-
cons, Trustees, Members and
Friends, as well:
AS | look over this vast congregal
ton ! see men and women from all
the high ranks and walks of our
great city, We have all gathered
here to take part in this great cele-
bration and to rejoice for God has
has done for us. And it is quite fit
ting that we rejoice ourselves on
this occasion. Let us now roll back
the curtain that separates the past
from the present, and let us look a
little way in the past and see the
condition of the church and we can
better enjoy the condition of the
present when we come up to 1t.
Rev. Ellington, when you first
came to this church you found us in
the midst of revival. was bend
ing her and there trying as best I
could to show how freely Jesus
would forgive sin. AS looked to-
ward the asst door l saw a stranger
and Brother Ford enter the door
with Brother Hightower in the rear.
They walked leisurely to the COM
mittee room and when they had re-
lleved him of his luggage he came
in to the meeting. | think | was
the first one to shake hands with
him After a short talk urged him
no stay with us and not to leave us.
Now you will ask me why | was urg-
ing stranger to stay, for this was
the first time | had ever seen him.
1 VIII answer you that it was because
we had had four ministers before
him and they had all left us. They
were all line men and, as we believe
true men of God for we have never
called bad minister. Now Won
want to know why they left us L
Will say to you that the membership
was too small the church unfinished
and the debt hanging over them too
large and they felt they could not
pull to the shore. They went away
and left the place vacant. Whent
Rev. Ellington took the church our
Sunday-school room was not finished
We had wooden steps at our 'front.'
entrance and in the auditorium room
we had two straight stoves which
never gave satisfaction, and in the
choir stand a small organ to peal
forth its anthem. He also found a
small congregation and a large debt.
of several thousand dollars hanging
over them and an ever-increasing ex-
pense.
We will now draw the curtain on
the past, but the half has not been
told. We will now look at the pres
ent condition of our beautiful church.
In the first place our Sunday-school
room has been beautified and finish
ed, the wooden steps have been TAX
en- away and replaced with white
stone steps; the two straight stoves
nave given place to two large fur
naces to heat the church. In the
place of the little organ in the choir
stand we have large beautiful pipe
organ with its twenty-six golden
pipes, like twenty-six golden teeth
golden teeth, to greet the people as
they enter the church and to cheer
them as they sit in their pews and
near the gospel from the preacher
and 1t fell upon the hearts of MANY
like the sound of the hammer on
Calvary so that many have been
added to the church and the small
has been added TO from
time to time until it has been
swollen into hundreds to helm us ON
to victory and the large debt of sew.
eral thousand dollars which hung over
the few has been wiped out and J
hold in my hand the proof which
shows that the officers have 2ald the
last dollar There is nothing left "a
us from the past but the ever-in-
creasing expenses which We will
have with us as long as we have n
church Now, when we trace our
preacher to the National Bpptiyt
Publishing House to be the associate
OF our own dear associate, DR.. BOYD.
there to WELD his pen to go not ouly
America, but across the
waters among the heather. Rev.
Ellington the church is a witness
that you have solved your problem
well. We love our pastor as a true
follower of God, and we esteem him
very highly for his works sake AMI
/ think I speak the sentimost of Inc
church when I say he has become to
us one of the leading lights, not only
of this church aud Nashville and the
state Of Tann0seon b,,l =..l,,,,o A, .