The Washington times., 1919-10-25
Church OBSERVES
50TH anniversary

The Church Of the Reformation,
founded fifty years ago when horse
cars ran past the east front of the
Capitol and B. & o. engines past the
west front, is celebrating it's golden
anniversary and also the paying off
of its debt upon extensive improve
ments made five years ago in its Sun
day school room.
The exercises which began Thurs
day evening will continue until next
Tuesday evening when the mortgage
representing the debt incurred for
the $4,000 addition will be burned.
Last evening Congressman William
ID. Upshaw of Georgia was the prin-
cipal speaker, and there was COM
munity singing and other special
music. On Thursday evening the
celebration began with an anniver-
sary sermon by the Rev. DR.. John
Weidley. pastor of the church and
the distribution of illustrated souve-
mir histories of the congregation
Major Raymond w. Pullman, su-
perintendent of police, who was the
former superintendent of the Sunday
school, and stephen e. Kramer, as
sistant superintendent of schools. will
be the speakers at the Sunday School
exercises tomorrow.
The Rev. DIR. Ezra X. Bell, Of Bal
timore, who was a close friend of tho
late Rev. DR.. William e. Parsop, pas
tor of the church for twenty-seyen
years, and one of the best-known
preachers in Washington in his day,
will be the speaker at the church
service tomorrow.
On Monday evening the women OF
the church will have a jubilee festival.
when addresses will be made by Miss
Mary f. Markley. associate secretary
of the board of education, United
Lutheran Church in America, and Mrs.
Susan Piper and Miss Clara Hickman,
representing societies of the church.
The celebration will reach a climax
on Tuesday evening, when the burn
ing of the mortgage with reminis-
cences by pioneer members of the
church and greetings from clergymen
of other Washington churches.
Founded During Civil War.
The Lutheran Church of the
Reformation had its beginning in a
barracks used by Union troops during
the civil war, which was converted
into a meeting house and stood on
First street southeast, diagonaIly
across the corner from where the
House office building now stands. The
congregation was founded with the
help Of the Rev. DR.. John G. Butler,
at that time pastor of ST. Paurs. later
pastor of Luther Memorial Church,
and for number of years chaplain
| of the Senate.
Among it's early members were
| many prominent men of Capitol Hill.
including /. c. Slater. who was at
| torney for the Southern railroad; Da-
vid Yount, Alexander Douglas, and
c. Il. Lewis, who are still living, ana
Mrs. Sarah Utermehle, who later gave
! the thirty-acre site at Winthrop
| Heights, ID. c., where the National
Lutheran Home for the Aged now
| stands.
In 1881 the work was started upon
the new building at Pennsylvania ave-
nue. and Second street southeast
| where the enlarged church home now
stands. The Rev. DR.. William E. Par.
| church, went to Japan for seven years
as a teacher in the Imperial College
OF Tokyo. He was decorated by the
| Emperor of japan for his service,
there. He returned to the pastorate
of the Church of the Reformation in
1879. and continued in that capacity
until his death in 1905.
The church is nearest in location
to the National Capitol, and during
its early years, when many IegisIa-
tors lived on Capitol Hill, they were
attendants at the church. William
jennings Bryan went there while a
member of Congress. and occasionally
preached at the evening services.
Upon the death OF DR.. Parson the
Rev. John Weidley, the present pa
stor, was called from Pittsburgh
Pa, and during his pastorate many
improvements have been made to the
church auditorium and an addition to
the Sunday school room built at a
cost OF $4,000.
After DR.. Weidley came to Wash
ington the original debt of the church
was paid off and by that time the
Sunday school, under the leadership
OF Major Raymond w. Pullman. be-
came so large that it needed addi-
tional quarters. These were added in
1913, and the payment for the i'm
provements will leave the church
again free from debt upon it's golden
anniversary