The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-09-17
LEAVES THURSDAY FOR NEW
PASToRATE AT ST. MATTHEW'S
CHURCH, TOLEDO, o.
Presented With Beautiful and Useful
Present by Flock-Farewell
Was Unusually Sad.

| was unusually odo'
God be with you till We meet again.
Till we meet, till We meet.
TIL we meet at Jesus feet,
TIL we meet, till we meet.
God be with you till We meet again.
Hundreds with tear dimmed eyes
sang the old hymn that has come
down from ages, and As its last lines,
God be with you till we meet again.
died away, 1t brought to close the
relationship Of the Rev. DR.. A. L.
BenZe and his beloved congregation
whom they had learned to love
a. a minister, man, friend. and broth
err. It was with the deepest emotion
that DR.. Benze babe farewell to his
CONGREGATION and scores OF friends
from other congregations who gain
cred last night in Zion Lutheran
church to bid farewell to him and MS
family. who will leave Wheeling next
Thursday for Toledo, Ohio, where Or.
Benze has accepted A call from ST.
Matthew's English Evangelical Luth-
Gran church.
The CONGREGATION went with Or.
Renzo and at the close OF the service
he and his wife and little daughter
stood in the vestibUle OF the church
and shook hands for forty minutes
in bidding the members or MS tioch
and friends goodbye. Old members
of the congregation declared mat IL
was the saddest assembly that ever
I.garhered in the edi7ice. At the close
Of the services, Henry Beneke. an Of
ficer of the church. in behalf OF the
congregation. presented DR.. benze
with n beautiful set Of silver knives
and forks. DR.. BCnze was too filled
with emotion to speak coherentlE IN
expressing his appreciation.
Church Literally Crowded.
With every foot OF seating space DC
cunlcd and with scores Of chairs nlaceu
in the rear Of the pcws. the hundreoa o.
transformers and friends or Dr l'eh""
assembled to pay him fna! trihMte As
pastor of Zion church for the past II
years The interior of the chlncc was
beautifully and artistically decorated III
tho rtcld of the harvest season. consist
inr Of cranes, corn, shocks Of wheat ana
c.hcr nroduct OF the land. in COM
,ncmoration Of the harvest home los
tiyaI. The chancel was hederkcd III
flowers, while large American h"E
rested on the right of the pulpit proper.
| In his farewell discourse DR.. Bcn|c re-
frrrcd TO the harvest season dccoratl"hS.
saying that it was just ut this per'no
when the church was decorated III thS
| Sone manner II years ago. that ne was
installed as pastor Of Zion church. Inc
| vested choir. Of more than dozeH
| voices. under the direction of Prof. Hcr-
man Arhcnz gave special program
DR.. Rcnzc prcfaced hrs discourse with
a brief message % farewell Following
his sermon hc again told his conEre6a-
ton goodbye and moved by tho break
ing Of the tics that hind" he. with deep
emotion. badn final ndi"u 10 his people.
and they w"pt with him.
One Of His Saddest Missions
He nnrrrd his evening sermon by
stating that at the morning services ne
! had performed ore Of tho saddest MIS-
| sinns Of his life in administering the
Lords Sacrament tho last tim" as pas
tor of Zion church. ''On the other
hand" said Dr. Bcnze. my heart was
! uadc glad during the morning when 3nN
little children-God bless thcm-Gath-
cred about me and shook my hand. tcll-
| ing me gond-byc. That was one or the
most inSl,irinG incidents of my life. Tor
T knew that Zion church would continue
| TO prosper; that Gods work would go on
with this coming generation TO support
and continue in the great work that
their forcfathers instituted here mi
! taking up the cross.
Jesus Last Passover
/ Or. Benzc read the evening lesson from
the St. Luke 1864. His text was.
i"pror 70 herewith until I come" He
told Of the last passover administered
nv Christ before his crucifXion and His
hcsccchng the people tn pray until he !
should come again on the last and final
rday: that he would return but that they
, must pray and not lose faith. He APP
pcalcd to his congregation to pray and ;
/ to assist their new pastor; that the Sab
bath school and Luther league should
he continued In the same way while
! Zion is without a minister He be-
scechcd his people to keep up the same
enthusiastic spirit Of Zion church. +
which had hccn established more than
n century ago by their forefathers. |
This is not a dead church. 1t Is a live
church. and you must keep 1t alive" he
said. ,
! Dr. Rcnzc In enumerating the CONNER |
! cIul progress TINT had been made since !
he became II resident Of this city. said !!
| that all tho buildings OF any consc- !
qucnce in Wheeling had been construct |
cd in the past decade. including the 7.
! NJ. c. A.. Christian church. public IL !
! DrITS, nlpD SCHOOL, 81. JOHH
post Office. Baltimore and Ohio station. |
"I3ut old Zion has stood amidst all these !
now buildings with Its finger still !
pointing upward to the throne Of God |!
with the same strength and fidelity as I
| II has for these many score OF years: :.
It s the same old substantial edifIcc our !
forefnthcrs buildcd and in which they !
worshircd.' i
Baptisms and Deaths.
! In speaking VT the work he had done !!
as a pastor Or. Benze said that during !!
the past eight years he had baptized !
more than 200 infants. and II had been :
his sad duty to ofhciAte at about the
same number Of funerals. II have stood .
at the grave of more than 800 persons ;
nf this community and Offered prayer /
"a they were consigned to earth.
There ARE no two leaves Identical !
~ alike" he said. and Of the millions :
Of puple in this world there are no two =,
persons endowed with tho same mental
tiles hat every one Is given certain .
kind of tnlent. but nil should use tho
talents given them for the work and
praise Of God. There arc all kinds OF
people in this world. the happy. the sad.
the distressed, the Joyful. the ignorant
and the wise. hut all should serve God
and use the mind given him for the up
building nj His kingdom.
In closing his discourse. DR.. Benze
stood leaning against the pulpit looking