Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-11-30
THANKSGIVING DAY
union SERVICE
Churches Unite In Hymns Of Praise
And Thankfulness
DR.. BELLS SERMON
Congregations OF Six Local Churches
Unite In Worship AT College
Ave. Baptist Church.

/ N-.~-- A-1AhS6tfAA6 StiNlSto u COn-
gregations Of the First and Maryland
Avenue Methodist Episcopal, the
First Presbyterian, ST. Martins Evan.
gelical Lutheran. Trinity Methodist
| Episcopal Church South, and College
Avenue Baptist Church were held
yesterday morning in the latter
church, the pastor, Rev DR. John S
Sewers, presiding.
/ Pastors Of the churches represent
ed were present, save one, who is said
to be indisposed A large congrega-
! tion of worshippers filled the church
The invocation was by the Rev. DR..
Fielding, pastor OF Trinity Methodist
Episcopal Church, South DR.. Bur-
gan, Of the First Methodist Episcopal
Church, read, in lieu Of the Presi-
dents Proclamation, "A Call to
Prayer" by the War Council, and a
feature of the service was the singing
of DR.. Elihu S. Riley's ode, Lord,
God of Host, Our Leader Be-
The offering was for the Annapolis
Health and Social Welfare Associa-
tion. During the offertory a sailor
from the Reina Mercedes, at the Naval
Academy, sang with much reverence
and effect God viii BE Merciful .
He has rich musical voice and sings
with feeling and expression.
Prior to the sermon, Dr. Burgan
announced a meeting on Sunday after
noon, December 8, at 8 o'clock, in the
Republic Theatre for Patriotism and
Prohibition at which the orator will
be former Governor Hanley of Indi-
ana. At this meeting letter to the
people of Annapolis from Secretary
Daniels of the Navy will be read.
The Rev. II. r. Carl Haas, pastor of
st. Martins Evangelical Lutheran
Church, offered prayer. In announc-
ing the preacher Of the occasion CDR.
George Scott Bell, pastor of the First
Presbyterian Church DR.. Sewers said
it is with sadness the community is
soon to part with DR.. Bell, by whose
going this city will lose "a good citi-
zen faithful minister of Jesus
Christ, Christian man, courteous
gentleman, and a co-laborer in all our
work.
DR. Sewers said he was glad DR..
Bell was not going far away-to Balti-
more-and he hoped to have him
with us frequently from time to time ;"
DR.. Bell said. previous to announc-
ing his text, that he was filling the
place of DR.. McKenney, pastor of the
Maryland Avenue Methodist Episcopal
Church, whose turn in rotation it was
to rightfully preach the Union
Thanksgiving sermon. but the Minis
terial Association had invited him, as
it was his last Thanksgiving here as
pastor of the Presbyterian Church
DR.. Bell said in his long tenure as
pastor here he had preached four,
probably five, of the sermons on
Thanksgiving Day. He chose for his
text Psalm ZOE, verse 4, Enter into
His Gates with Thanksgiving. 3
Be Thankful Unto Him and Bless His
Name"
There are hymns of confession,
faith, and trust, said the preacher, but
look through the hymn book and you
will see how few hymns there are Of
thanksgiving. When we call to God
in prayer we think we should pros
trate ourselves, but We could do bet
ter praying by thanksgiving. said the
minister.
The keynote of the Bible is thanks
giving. In the first place we should
thank Got for "0ur Country" The
saddest thing is man without a
country. He told Hale's story OF the
naval officer-a man without coun-
try-never permitted to land on these
shores, destined to pass his life at sea,
never again to set foot upon his native
land.
"0ur Country he said, means
Home, Country, Friends, 1t means
protection from within"
The three sweetest words are Home,
Mother, Heaven. Our country means
home. II means protection for the
home
God works in mysterious way,
the preacher said, and by way of IL
lustration, he told of the flock of birds
that guided the ships Nina, Pinta and
Santa Marie, of Columbus. when he
set out on his voyage to discover
America, and they followed the flock
of birds and landed at San Salvador
lHoly Saviour But this land was
not intended to be the country Of
Spaniards. The English we're to be
the colonists of this land, and they
| locked here and settled in Virginia
the English. Irish and Scotch Then
another colony settled on the rugged
/ coast of Massachusetts,, and the cap
tain lost his temper because he had
lost his reckoning and not landed on
Virginia soil instead OF Massachusetts
The preacher told of the French
Hugnenots and the Dutch settling New
York and New Jersey. The Germans,
Quakers, Scotch-Irish settling Penn
sylvania. All these were to make up