Evening journal., 1916-03-06
west Church admits
254 NEW members
Record Surpassed But Once
In History of Presbyterian
Churches of This Country
BIG CONGREGATIONS
HEAR TWO SERMONS

All records of Wilmington churches
for the admission of new members, in
one day were broken at West Pres
byterian Church yesterday. The num-
Der admitted into membership on con-
fessiOn of faith was 254, and by let
ter Is. The tabernacle evangelistic
campaign was responsible for this
great day at West.
In addition to this. the names OF
nine Italians were read who will
unite with the Italian chapel of the
West Church at Seventh and DUPONT
street on next Sunday morning, at
.he service conducted by the Rev.
A. Dassori.
Such service would have been be-
,Yond conception one year ago, but
with the list of converts CLEANED from
the tabernacle services and the religi-
Gus fervor which has become para
mount in church circles throughout
The city as a result of the campaign
he opportunity was afforded to West
Presbyterian Church, to the Rev. u.
Franklin Smiley and his corps of as
sistants to set a record which has
been surpassed by only one church in
he history of the Presbyterian
churches in the United States.
incidentally, Wilmington had
share in the establishing of the other
record which came at the close Of
the Rev. William BILLY" Sunday cam
paign in Syracuse, n. Y, when the
Rev. Murray Howland, son of the late
Charles NJ. Rowland, of this city. who
was born and reared in Wilmington,
admitted over 800 persons into mem
bership in the Smith Presbyterian
Church Of Syracuse. OF this number,
242 came in on confession OF faith,
the balance uniting through letters
and yesterday the West Presbyterian
Church fell three short of the record
figure on public confession.
DR.. Smiley and the session OF the
local church anticipated the outcome
of yesterdays service and during the
past two weeks four regular prepara-
tory services were held on Wednesday
and Friday evenings and several spe-
cial session meetings were called TO
examine and pass on candidates for
admission who were unable to attend
the evening sessions.
Dr.. Smiley has visited personally,
all of the persons admitted into mem
bership at the communion service OF
Yesterday.
Miss Alice H. Sheppard, assistant
10 the pastor. has ably assisted DR..
Smiley in the visitation work. So
great. however, have been the num-
her Of names submitted to the ses-
sion as persons desiring TO enter into
membership with the church that al
Yesterdays service the pastor an
nounced that he had recommended
10 the session and that he will hold
special communion service again
in connection with the morning ser
vice on Easter Sunday. April %, when
those persons remaining on the list
and future prospects will unite with
tho church
The service Of yesterday was most
impressive and the church was
crowded.
At the suggestion OF DR.. Smiley. a
radical change was made in the plac-
ing OF "The Lords Table" Previously
Il has stood on the raised platform
in front OF the pulpit stand, but yes
terday the pulpit stand was removed
and the table was placed on the pull
pit floor. behind which the pastor and
the elders were seated. During the
distribution OF the elements, the ell
ders OF the church stood in front OF
the table receiving the elements from
the hand of the pastor following the
blessing thereof.
The great number OF persons ad-
mtted into membership and the at
tendance of members Of the church
the largest at any communion ever
celebrated in the history Of Wesl
church made necessary a long service
The service opened at the usua
hour. 1890 o'clock. and continued
without interruption until 1.3(
o'clock The signing OF communion
cards the welcoming of new mem
bers with a baptismal ceremony fOl
fOrty-One new members. and the dis
tribntion of the elements occupied
over two hours and a quarter Fol
the accommodation of the member.
who desired to remain for the after
noon Sunday school meeting. tei
vas served in the secretary's room.
During the service DR.. Smiley re-
fcrred TO the death Of Warren JEFF
ferris and II. II. Robinson, a member
" the church. who died on Saturday
I'm speaking of the death OF Mr. JEFF
ferris the pastor announced that i'm /;
recent visit made at the home
Of the sick man he had mad,
confession of his faith and was pre-
pairing to come into the church mem
bership roll az this service. and tina
death had called him off before th'
opportunity was offered, but tina
through this death three men haC
lad been moved and the decision
made to unite with the church.
West Presbyterian Church has hat
he largest active membership roll o
any church in Delaware for man
years, but the addition OF yesterda
sends it near the top rank with tn
argest churches OF that denomination
IN the United States. The presen
membership totals between seventeel
and eighteen hundred