The Colorado statesman., 1918-04-27
PROGRESS OF THE PEOPLES
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH UN-
DER THE LEADERSHIP OF REV.
j. A. THOS-HAZELl FOR THE
PAST NINE YEARS, BY MISS G..
M. STRIPLIN.

IVT E have gathered here tonight
w my friends, the object of our
coming together has a dual
meaning. We have adopted this
method of securing funds for the pro-
noting of our work here. And fur
ther to show in our feeble way our
appreciation to Rev. ThosH HAZEL for
his most helpful and wise leadership.
We are not able to appreciate fully
his true worth neither to the commun-
ity or to the church. Rev. Thos-Ha-
zell came to the Peoples Church
quite nine years ago. He found here
church very much run down, the
membership greatly depleted. With
the assistance and kindness of one of
the White Presbyters he was enabled
to get around to see those members
who had strayed away the result was
that they returned to the church, the
membership at this time being only
Is communicates. Rev. Thos-Hazell
was not long in finding out the
church work in Denver was uphill
work and different indeed to what he
had been accustomed to in other
places, and If there were to be a Col
ored Presbyterian Church in Denver
that it meant much hard labor and
wise ways and means for the devel-
opment of the work. He was handi-
capped from the very beginning, as
he found quite a large debt on the
church property with a few, poor,
though hard working parishioners to
assume this obligation of 100000. On
the other hand he did not have the
cooperation and | might add the good
will and sympathy of some of the sis
ter churches, for what mattered
whether there was a Colored Presby-
terian Church in Denver or not. He
soon found this out and learned to
stand alone. Being man well fitted
for his life's work in every respect
these discouraging features of the
work did not deter him. No obstacle
seemed too great for him to over
come. So we see him through all
these years working with might and
main. AS a result we have seen the
Peoples Church grow from mere
handful to a membership of 139. 1t
is not necessarily quantity so much
we need as quality. Many found the
standard of Presbyterianism was too
high for them and wisely and kindly
took French leave. To the ordinary
minister these obstacles would have
Dten very ulSCOuil hot oo, III"
ever, with Rev. Thos-Hazell. His
motto seemingly was, 81 can do all
things through Christ which strength
eneth me-" Therefore what had he
to fear? Under his leadership the
church has grown from a state of in
significance to that of Importance in
the lives and hearts of the citizens of
Denver. The Peoples Church has
become force to contend with in
the community life of the Queen City
of the Plains and beyond the limits
of the City and County of Denver.
The first step the Presbyter took was
to indoctrinate the membership into
the principles of Presbyterianism the
majority of the members being of
other denominational persuasion.
Through his pulpit discourses we
learn that preaching is teaching.
Those of us who had been accus-
toned to more emotional mode of
worship he has endeavored to show
that God is an intelligent Being Who
is not deaf, neither is He thousand
miles off. but He is ever present to
interpret even sincere sigh and that
this God knows our thoughts be they
uttered or uneXpressed. Again he
has shown us that the money which
we pay into the church is an act of