The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-05-13
OLDEST IN NEW ENGLAND
Bedding Methodist Church Ob- served 18th. Anniversay
 Sunday
(special to the Farmer.)

Bedding, May 13-Organized Tn
 17s9 by Jesse Lee, the pioneer mission
 ary sent from England by John Wes- ley, the Center Methodist church was the first of that faith to be established in New England and the celebraIlon on Sunday last of its 125ths annivers- ary was an occasion of much Inter est. The infant church had the town hall as it's first place of worship, ana built in 1911 a church edifce which was later converted into the house now owned by Mrs. Woolsey Randle- The present church was built in 1SSI- Within the last few months the inter for has been entirely renovated and cost of about $500, the funds being supplied by the Ladies' Aid society The. parlors in the basement had pre- Iviously undergone a like renovation and other Improvements. For sun day's exercises the auditorium hao been further decorated with pro fusion of palms and lowering plants loaned from the greenhouses of Sen ator [. o. Peck The last previous renovation of the church's interior took
 place eighteen years ago during the pastorate of the late Rev Pillsbury. l In the musical part of Sundays pro- gram the regular choir of the church was assisted by the choir of the Cen l ter Congregational church with Mrs tJ. Arthur Sherwood of Faston as or
 
 by Rev. H. o. Gilman, the pastor and
 Rev. H. e. Judd of Bethel, a former lpastor. The sermon was by Rev. MT. Goodenough of New Rochelle. the district superintendent, his subject be- ing the destruction of Jericho's walls by the blasts from Israers trumpeters and the lessons deduced the dynamic power of faith and the importance of taking a. bold and unequivocaI stand for righteousness. | During his remarks, MT. Gilman produced and read an interesting his Etorical document, this being letter
 written by Jesse Lee in the second Iyear of the churchs life to Aaron Sanford, the church's first member In it Mir. Lee explained the circurn- stances which prevented his coming from New York to Redding to make Ihfs annual visitatio The letter has Ibeen framed and Is now in the pos Esession of Miss Jessica Sanford, a de- | scendant of the person to whom 1t was written There was read by Mir. records as set down by Jesse Lee and tcon1prisirig entries sof several births and baptisn1s. The only other speaker was ex-Con-s gressman E J. Hill, who was seated with the congregation and responded l to a request from MT Gilman to say a few words. MT. Hi1I said he had lbfen introduced as , native Of Red- ding and while this statement was technically true it reminded him of ] a story couple Of Rockland, Me, went on an extended sea voyage for their wedding trip and brought back with them on their return a year Tor two later their infant son. The ifather promptly repaired to the regis l Iter's office to. have the chf1d,s birth placed on record and directed that 1t
 be recorded as having occurred in Rockland- .But,' objected the regis
 ter you tell me that the child was
 born at sea ''s s The father replied that thts made no difference as the home l of the parents was in Rockland And so the official obIfgIngly credited the
 youngster to RockIand, appendsng to the entry as an explanatory note,
 ssburn at sea-'' Mir. Hill said his case was not precisely similar because while his parents were residents Of l Maine at the timel of his birth the event occurred while they were tern- porarfly in this town
 The collection taken up during the services realized $36 and win be ap-
 piled toward repainting the outside Of f the scfriiYyTl7s