The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-07-11
DIR BROWNS FAREWELL.
Retiring Pastor Addresses Letter to
Former Congregation.

To the Members of the First Baptist
Church OF Sumter
My Brethren end Sisters
In other days, when l had thoughts
about leaving Sumter. was always
confronted by the question. "IIow can
say goOd-bye?" and now that the
parting hour has come, / find myself
but poorly able to utter the last
word. But the decree has gone forth
and we must part, YOU to go your way
and l mine. until the mists fall in
lifes evening, and we pass silently be-
hind the curtain which wells the vast
unknown.
! l am glad to have spent my life
among you, and that my labors have
not been altogether Improbable.
When came to you, was but a boy,
and the church was small and weak.
Those who heard by earliest preach
ing have largely passed away, and
are at rest in the bosom Of God. I
love to remember them as having
passed into rest that cannot now be
broken.
] leave you now fully equipped to do
a great work, II you will get your own
consent to labor together in unity of
spirit. I hope no one who loves me
will feel called upon to fight my bat
ties for me when I am gone. 1t
would be far better to let me pass out
OF your life entirely than to have you
treasure my name and memory. and
out Of your own devotion to me to
gather material for perpetuating dis
union Of any kind among you.
/ will not forget you-not you who
are living and not the holy dead who
have gone away from your hearts and
homes, and whom I trust / helped
into glory by the gospel 1 was allowed
to preach them. Especially shall
keep In mind the memory Of the dear
souls who made our weekly prayer
meeting pride of our church and an
object Of favorable comment over the
whole State. In the days to come,
when 1 ask after your welfare, my
questioning will revolve around the
prayer meeting in which we spent so
many blessed hours together. We
have never been nearer to each other
nor nearer to God than during the
sweet hours Of prayer.
During the few days past, i have
avoided meeting the church members
as far as could do so. I have found
myself too weak to hear the words so
many had to say. and hence I ran
from them. There Is not one among
you towards whom l cherish any sort
Of bitterness, while the great ma
jority OF you are to me as fathers and
mothers, sisters and brothers. and tu
them cannot say bood-bye because
my courage fails me. Knowing that to-
day You are to celebrate the Lords
Supper. l have purposely avoided be-
ing present. I do not believe could
60 through the service. Hence we
shall not together again drink of the
fruit OF the vine until we drink 1t anew
in the kingdom Of God. II coxld.
would lift the last one Of you in
my arms. and place you at the feet Of
Jesus. and say. "These are they whom,
thou has given me-" / wish 1 could
add. land l have lost none" But we
shall meet again. After 1 have settled
in my new home, and launched my
new work, 1 will come back to visit
you, and to look upon the faces which
are about all I have ever known. and
which are photographed upon my
mind forever So then, till all the
shadows are past and the new light
has come, farewell! farewell!
c. c. Brown.