Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-19
AT FIRST METHODIST.

AT FIRST METHODIST.
Forgetting the things which are
| oehlno, and stretching forward to the
thlngs which are before" Phil. 3:13
was the theme on which Rev. ]. L.
| vance OF the United PRESBYTERIAN
churcn spoke last evening in address
ing the congregation of the First
Methodist church. He said:
Inc churches of the three cities
nave been asked to give their services
! today memorial character and thus
make them the initial exercises of this
historical celebration. This proposed
| feature OF the anniversary program is
IN httlng recognition of the fact that
religion has been potent factor in the
| development of this community as in
| deed 1t has been of all American life
And If anyone at first thinks that nv
text has been chosen at cross purposes
with this occasion let it be considere,l
| that remembrance of the past is chief
! ly valuable as a guide and incentive
+! for the future. Deliberate and pur
| poseful forgetting is not an oblitera-
/ Ing but submerging of recollections
History and experience are thought
fully recalled and Intentionally dis
| missed from the mind when the end is
| served, that we may not unwisely live
IN tunes and things gone by but NAV
turn with forward looking vision to-
wards hopeful ambitious aggressive
and superior future. With churches as
with individuals what we have al
ready done is less important than what
! we are now doing and still aim to do
! Our denomination has a venerable his
! tory although it did not exist under
its present name when Fort Armstrong
was founded. 1t is only about half a
| century since our church was formed
and it came into being by the union OF
two bodies of Presbyterians from
/ Scotland, Familiarity known as Gov
! enanters and SeCeders. Loyalty and
/ charity are amongst our chief aim.
! Our church did not flow from a single
I fountain but several springs united
their tiny rills at different points on
/ the way to form her stream. Her
earlier antecedents were the heroes
and martyrs of reformation times in
/ Scotland. and her immediate forbears
were the God-fearing patriots o.
America. This Fort Armstrong con-
memoratiOn must sound the note OF
! patriotism and partial bravery in hon
/ or of the hearts courageous and the
/ deeds of valor of the pioneers of this
/ middle west. And the ancestry of our
| church also were of this same type OF
men. The stock of citizens who event
ually entered the United Presbyterian
church had been in American from
! its earliest settlement.
! The little nucleus that gathered in
Rock Island in 1854 was housed for
| the first few months in an old sem
| mary building which then stood in the
/ Services were held there and in tbs
court house continuously for a few
months until their first modest church
| building was erected on the present
| church site at cost of 1900, about
January, 1855. There were but y
! members to begin with, but in less
than % years they sold that first
building for $3.50 and replaced it witt
| the present structure completed aDou'
1875 at a cost of 10000, The original
/ church building was made over ano
still serves for church uses standing
at Fifth avenue and Eleventh street
! The present building, after 40 years OF
usefulness, is certainly entitled to be
relieved and succeeded by modernly
equipped attractive church adapted &c
present day methods and needs. Bui
our original home in the discarded
seminary building suggests the histor.
ic relation of our denomination to the
cause of higher and religious educa'
ton. No church has stood for moro
thorough training and equipment Of
her candidates for the ministry MOI
made greater sacrifices for the liberia
education of her youth in the rank ant
I file of her membership.