Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-01
Inspiration for the Name of This Little House of Worshp-A Few
Remarks the Use of Words-Wen There Claim to Being
'Hsonc"-Pastors of Other Days and Their Good Work.

Men and women have travelled to
and from church along this road every
: Sunday for perhaps Considerably more
than a hundred years. Homes have
been built along the road sold at
foreclosure Sale; burned down. been
: unroofed by wind and struck bylight-
ming. No doubt some great. crimes
d. have been committed. on this road.
Nearly every thing that can !. happen
on a road1has happened on this, road
Therefore, the Georgetown-Rockvi
. pike is historic. =: 80. - =.
And now ito return to the slittie
frame church on the< shady ridge, to
stray from: it no more Till, this mar
. ratfve comes to it's end Last Sunday;
the Rambler quoted part of the adj,
dress on'the history of athe, Presby :,
terrain Church in, Montgomery county,
which, the .Rev.: Parke Roindexter;
Flour4oy delivered at Rockville. and
, Bethesda ION the. first, Sabbath of
April. $780," He said that from all
the evidence that could be found his
impression was that the Rev, James
Hunt was the first pastor Of the first.
church, near Offutt's Cross Roads. and
that that church had its beginning
about the year 1851. He said that
'as, so few particulars can be.
gathered concerning the membership
Of the church in these early days for
want Of the records, + will dwell
more upon, the lives and characters.
: of its pastors" ~ :. Il &c. ).
80 - -. X ~. -. 20. ~
After the death Of Mr.. Hunt. in
June, 1898, there came to the church
a preacher named Adam Freeman.
The inference is that he, preached
there but a short time, and no par
ticulars can be, found. concerning in
cidents during his ministry" DR..
Flournoy says that following Free
man came the Rev. Conrad Specie.
He seems to have concluded his nin-'
istry at the Cabin John or Potomac
church about 1906. He then returned
to Virginia.. continued preaching for
a number of years, and DR.. Flournoy
remarks There he is remembered by
many of the older people as
preacher of great power" 49, 81
Following Mr.. Specie came the Rev..
Samuel Martin, whose pastorate ended
in 1914, and no facts concerning his
ministry at Cabin John have been up.
turned by any Of the investigators
into the history of the church. The.
fifth pastor at Cabin John was the:
Rev. Joshua T. Russell, Of whom Dr.
Flournoy said in 1880: Some of
the oldest members Of the church still:
remember him as q man Of unusual
oratorical powers" 1t was during the
pastorate Of Mr.. Russell that the
recorded history of the church be-
gins. The records Of the church from
that year have been preserved. The
records Tor all the preceding years
: have never come to light. and no man
knows when or how they were lost.
In the record book, under date Of.
December II, 1918. is this: Whereas,
the session is fully persuaded of the
Importance Of family worship and OF
the duty OF each member Of the
church to maintain family worship,
and whereas. they have reason to fear
that this duty IL too much neglected
by members Of the church. therefore,
Resolved. That two members Of the
session be appointed as q committee
to inquire Of all male members Of this
church who are heads OF families
whether this duty is regularly at
tended to in their. families, and that
they report to the session the result
of. their Inquiries at the next meet
ing" Under date Of January 2, 1919,
the committee reported that they.
found only one member Of the con-
gregation who neglected family wor-
ship, and another who occasionally
neglected it.. The record notes that
the session 'conversed with the lat
ter and received encouragement that
he would in future be constant in the
discharge Of this duty" The record
also contains the entry that "a COM
mittee was appointed to converse
with the neglector and endeavor to
persuade him to maintain family
prayer in the future"
In 1920 a committee was appointed
by the session Ito consult with
gentlemen in the neighborhood now
occupied by Bethesda congregation as
to the propriety Of erecting a meeting
house in the neighborhood Of Mr.. Nc