Evening star., 1926-03-21
METHODIST CHURCH.
DEDICATION TODAY.
Bishop Gambler of Atlanta to
Conduct Mount Vernon
Place Exercises.

SeNentyfiNe years ago coura
geous band numbering about 25 or 81
tthe exact number is not a matter
OF accurate record) decided to buy &
church property as "A home for tneii
religious activities and a committee
OF their members entered into "A con-
tract for the purchase of church
then standing for $500
Today this group, swelled now to
total in excess of 5000. a thousand
of whom have become members in
the past two years. meets to dedi-
cate, free of debt. a beautiful marble
structure at Ninth street and Massa-
chuSettS avenue, valued at more than
100000, that stands as monument
10 the courage of the original few
and as the representative church of
all Southern Methodism.
Ceremony at III O'Clock.
The dedication ceremony will be
held this morning at IL O'Clock with
Rev. DR.. W. A. Lambeth. pastor, pre-
siding and with Bishop Warren A.
Candler of Atlanta, Ga, who head
ed the committee of the General Con-
ference of the Southern Methodist
Church. which authorized the erec-
ton of the church. preaching and
conducting the dedicatory exercises.
The origin of this church dates
back prior to 1850. but just how far
back no one knows. The first Off
cial record of the church was the
establishing of the congregation as
a station of the Virginia Conference
In 1850. On June % 1851. the trus-
tees of a church known then as the
Central Presbyterian Church. entered
into an agreement to sell church
then standing on Eighth street be-
tween III and | streets, now the site
OF Hebrew temple, to Charles a.
Davis. Henry +. Zimmerman, Alpheus
Edwards, Jackson Edmonston. Josiah
Melvin, Butler Baker, James 7.
trump, William 5. Clay and Francis
Fucker trustees of the METHODIST
Episcopal Church South of the City
of Washington" for $500.
The Methodists encountered finan-
cial difficulties and it was not until
July /. 1857, that the deed was finally
obtained. AT the same time title
was acquired to a lot next door which
was purchased from Charles l.. Colt
man and wife for Sl,40.
On Februaev g. 1863 the property
was decided - Joseph II. Henline,
Emanual Gut IAN and Moses Seigel as
trustees for t'e Hebrew Congregation
and the Meth~dists moved to a small
frame building on + street between
Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets. In
the same year a new church was built
on NJ street between Ninth and Tenth
streets and used by the congregation
until 1869. AS a result of the Civil
War the church remained independ-
ent until 1866, the second year of the
pastorate of Rev. DR.. W. V. Tudor,
at which time it became a member of
the Alexa andria district of the Balti-
more Annual Conference.
The church continued to grow un-
der DR.. Tudor until the 80 members
had increased to 200 in 1869, at which
time the congregation moved once
more to a. large building erected at
the corner of Mount Vernon place
and Ninth street. 1t was at this time
that the church received it's name of
Mount Vernon Place" Methodist
Episcopal Church South the name
being given by DR.. Tudor
The proposal for the building of a |
representative church In this city |
was first broached at Nashville. Tenn, |
at the general conference held in 1858,
but was allowed to lie unnoticed until |
1905, when a committee was named by |
the Baltimore Annual Conference to |
consider the question of changing the /
Mount Vernon Plare Church into a |
representative church. The commit |
lee reported in favor of the plan and |
The report was adopted in 1906 and |
sent to the General Conference at Bir- |
Ala. The General Confer
ence named comittee which decided /
in favor of the proposal and negotia-