The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-06-12
L0CALCHURCH'S
HISTORY TOLD
GATHERING
presbyterians of Bismarck
Celebrating 5lst Anniversary
of Church Founding
FOUNDED HERE IN 1873
Four Members Inducted Into
Church at Its Final For
NAL Organization

The growth of the Presbyterian
church in Bismarck was reviewed
in Historical Night exercises at
the church last night. The program
opened the celebration of the fifty
first anniversary week Of the church,
which was founded in June, 1873.
Rev. Postlethwaite sketched rise
/ and growth of the Presbyterian
church in the world, telling of it's
early history and gradual develop
ment through the English Isles, the
foundation and growth in America,
and explained the nature and work
of the different boards of the church.
There are four main divisions of
sponsibility, he explained: /.
direction of work in the United
States; 2 foreign missionaries; 3.
board of education which supervises
Presbyterian colleges; a. board Of
ministerial relief which attempts to
provide for aged ministers and de:
pendants.
l.. F. Crawford. acting curator of
the State Historical Society, speak
ing on the Synod of North Dakota,
traced its development, and explain
ed the division of the state into
Presbyterys, one of which is the Bis
| marck Presbytery. The Bismarck
church, when first founded was un-
der the direction of the Presbytery
of St. Paul and the Synod of Mime
sofa, which had been set off from
the Synod of Iowa in 1860.
Tells Of History
j. l.. Bell, speaking on "The Local
Church and It's Pastors" spoke of
having examined the records of the
church, both the minutes Of the board
of elders and trustees from which
the history of the local church can
be secured. He told of the organza-
tion of the church in 1873, and the
love and admiration of old timers for
Rev. /. O. Sloan, the first pastor.
At the first service at which the
informal organization was completed,
June Is, 1878, four members were
received, among them Col. c. A.
LOunsberry, founder and for many
years editor of The Bismarck Tri-
bune. At the first communion SER
vice in the spring of 1874 among the
new members was II. F. Douglas who
is well known business man of
Minneapolis at the present time, and
an occasional visitor in Bismarck.
Mr.. Douglas is much interested in
the celebration, and sent generous
check to Rev. Postlethwaite to help
defray the expenses. Among others
taken in the church at the time, Mr..
Bell said, was Nathan Dunkelberg,
who was a we'll known figure on Bis
marck streets until few years ago,
when he went to California, dying
in a soldiers home in 1920. There
also was Mrs. William Pye. well
known among old timers who died in
August, 1928, at the home of her son,
8. M. Pye, formerly Bismarck bust
ness man, in Los Angeles.
Pastors Well Educated
u Mr.. Bell spoke briefly of the work
,of successors to Rev. Sloan, and
from recollections of old timers and
records told of the building of the
main part of the church, started in
1884, completed in 1892 under Rev.
Jas. M. Anderson.
Mr.. Bell in closing emphasized the
fact that all the pastors of the church
were men Of education, many of them
graduates of Princeton Theological
Seminary or of Union Theological
Seminary in New York, and some
had also studied in Scotland and
England.
The program last night included
musical numbers.
= This afternoon women's meeting
is being held in the church. Fri
day night there will be an organ re-
cital.
On Sunday, known as Anniversary
Sunday" there will be specially ar
ranged programs, both morning and
evening.