Middletown transcript., 1914-06-20
2O9TH ANNIVERSARY
Services to Be Held in The Old
Edifice Tomorrow
BISHOP KINSMAN PRESENT

Edifice Tomorrow
BISHOP KTNSMAN PRESENT
The two hundred and ninth anniver-
sary service of St. Anne's Episcopal
Church, this town, will be held Sunday
with morning and afternoon services.
The morning sermon will be preached
by the Rt. Rev. Frederick ]. Kinsman,
bishop of Delaware, and the afternoon
speaker will be E. J.. Cattell of Phil
adelphia.
The musical program will be in charge
of the choir of the parish augmented
by John w. Vandersloot, bass, and
Charles w. Deane, tenor, of Philadel-
phia. An interesting sketch OF the
history of St. Anne's pa~ish has been
prepared by the Rev. William J. Will
kie and it has been published in pam
phlet form. The order of service is as
follows:
Morning service, O.3O-Bass solo
selected, John W. Vandersloot; hymn,
"Holy, Holy, Holy, lord God Al
mighty" Venite, TIE Deum, Benedic-
tus, hymn, 81 Love Thy Kingdom
Lord" sermon, the r. Rev. Freder-
lex J. Kinsman, D. D bishop; tenor
solo (offertory), selected, Charles w.
Deans; receiving of the aims, anthem
by the choir; hymn, 80 God, Our Help
in Ages Past;" benediction.
Afternoon service, p. m-Duet, Sc
lected, John W. Vandersloot, Charles
W. Deans; hymn, "Cone Thou AL
mighty King" magniflc 1t, nunc dimi-
tbs; hymn, "Guide Me, 0 Thou Great
Jehovah;" address, E. ]. Cattell; bass
solo (offertory), selected, John w.
Vandersloot, receiving of the aims, an
them by the choir, hymn, For All the
Saints Who From Their Labors Rest, T"
benediction.
The sketch, as prepared by the rec
tor, shows that the first document re-
ferring to the history of the parish
bears the date of Septe nber l, 1704.
1t reads as follows: Whereas, Richard
Cantwell and William Dyre, with sew
eral others, inhabitants upon and near
Appoquinimink Creek, in the county of
New Castle, have requested US (the
Commissioners of Property that we
would grant them a convenient piece
of ground for erecting chapel for the
use and behalf of themselves and the
other members of the Church of Eng
land.
On the land thus secured was erected
in the following year 1705 the first St.
Anne's Church, Appoquinimink. 1t
was doubtless a small and simple wood
en- building, but for sixty years served
its purpose. According TO the rector S
sketch when the vestibule on the south
side of the present church was built,
about the middle of the nineteenth cen
tury, it is said that the workmen came
unexpectedly upon the foundations Of
the first structure and that they used
these in part as the basis of that addi-
ton to the edifce. The first regular
pastor was the Rev Thomas Jenkins
who had just been ordained in the
Welch diocese of st. David's. He died
on July 80, 1909, and while his grave is
not marked, it is believed to be near
the church. In the yeai 1746 there be-
gan pastorate the longest in the his
tory of the church, that of the Rev.
Philip Reading. His labors closed in
the troublous days of the Revolutionary
War,
Like many other clergymen who had
come from across the sea, he felt him
self bound by his oath to use the prayer
book of the Church of England in its
entirety, including prayers for the king.
This led to situation which rendered
the continuance of public services i'm
possible.
After the war the parish resumed its
activities. The Rev. John Bissett
was rector from 1871 to 1894. 1t was
in part due to his initiative that the
first convention of the diocese of Della
ware was called to meet in Dover, De-
cember 3, 1871.
The early part of the nineteenth cen
tury was a time of great depression,
and the parish was unable to hold week
ly services. The history is then traced
down to the present and mention is
made of alterations to the church
which resulted in its conservation for
the. first time on November IL, 1847.
On April 4, 1872, the new church was
consecrated.