The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1927-01-13
Congregational Church to
Celebrate Anniversary
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week. At this time there was no
Protestant church building within
60 miles so in the spring of that
same year the Congregational
church organization began building
on Main street. The structure was
finished and dedicated in Novem-
Der of that year and was the first
Protestant church building west of
st. Cloud. This old building still
exists and is. occupied by S. G.
Bjone on thefhorth side of Third
street. 1t was sold by the church
in 1875 when the Congregational
and Presbyterian congregations
united and the Presbyterian
church building became the prop
erty of the Congregationalists.
This building was renovated and
enlarged from time to time and
was occupied until the year 1904
when the present brick and gran
lite church was built and dedicat-
ed.
These two early church buildings
were situated on Main street one
on the site now occupied by the
Masonic Temple and the other OPP
posite on the site occupied by the
Public Library. The second
church building abandoned in
1904, was used as an exhibit
building ON the Stearns- county
fair grounds, but was wrecked a
few years ago.
The second pastor was Rev.
Alpheus j. Pike who came in
1868 and gave the church a not
able ministry lasting nine years
He was a man of splendid ability
who gave nine of the best years of
his life to the work here and left
an impression which is felt to this
day.
The third pastor was Rev. I. l..
Cory who after serving the church
as a student pastor was called to
the church and ordained in 1879.
He was an Oberlin graduate,
young, and with fine personality
and gave to the church an i'm
portant ministry lasting four
years. 1t is one of the delights of
the present anniversary that after
nearly fifty years absence Rev. l.
l.. Cory is to be with the church at
this time and will speak on Thurs
day evening Jan. 20 and preach
at the morning service Sunday Jan.
23rd.
The next pastor was Rev. J. B.
Drew who was with the church
for three years. His ministry was
not an outstanding one but he
worthily maintained the best ira
ditions of the church for scholarly
attachments and lasting pastoral
work.
Rev. R. S. Cross who passed
away only last year leaving a
splendid name as a minister in all
the churches he served succeeded
Rev. Drew. His family are near
ly, all in Christian work, one an
outstanding minister of the Con-
gregational church and a daugh-
ter a nationally known missionary
serving in China. His youngest
daughter is Mrs. Jas. Burnquist,
wife of the former Governor of
the State of Minnesota.
Rev. Charles E. Blodgett was
called to the church in 1889 and
after three years of splendid work
was called to a larger field and
was succeeded by Rev. Josiah A.
Wood during whose pastorate the
Silver Anniversary of the church
was celebrated. ,
Another outstanding pastorate
was that which followed; Rev. G..
Ernest Smith was called in 1895
and labored for seven years doing
much work in building up the
membership.
A brief gap between pastors oc-
ours here, during which time the
church was served at intervals by
the State Superintendent and 9TH
er ministers but in 1904 perma-
nent pastor was called in the per-
son of Rev. f. H. Oehler who stay
ed with the church for seven years