Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-19
COLUMBIA BAPTIST
MODERATOR NAMED
Or. S. ]. Porter Is Elected at
Opening Business Session
of Convention.

Rev. DR.. Samuel JudSon Porter, pas
tor Of the First Baptist Church, was
I elected moderator of the Columbia
Association of Baptist Churches this
morning at the opening business session
Of the fifty-first annual convention held
in the Fifth Baptist Church at SOC E
street southwest.
| DR.. Porter, who served as vice mod
orator of the association during the
! past term. succeeds z. H. DeGroot, jr.,
who held the presiding ONCE for three
| terms.
w. w. Everett, a layman of Calvary
Baptist Church, was named vice mod
orator. s. G. Nottingham Of the Ma
| tional Memorial Church, clerk; z. B.
| Shaver of the Metropolitan Church, as
Sistant clerk, and George B. Bryan of
Calvary Baptist Church, treasurer, we're
reelected The new term is Noting
hams tenth as clerk of the association.
Shaver and Bryan will be serving their
fourth terms.
Session Attended by 500.
The session this morning opened with
nearly 500 members of the 81 churches
comprising the association attending.
Following devotion by Rev. G. r. Fergu-
son, letter of welcome from the Fifth
Baptist Church and the annual reports
of the various churches were read. Rev.
Homer j. Councillor, assistant pastor of
the Calvary Church, led in prayer.
The annual report of the association
set the total membership of the 81
churches at 1925, an increas We of $50
members over the total of the previous
year. Calvary leads with 3.001 men,
bers. followed by Fifth with 1,419, Met
ropolitan with l.448 and National Me-
mroial with 1,143.
The churches expended $608, 690.56
for benevolent purposes during the past
year and $246,136.60 in the improve
ment of church property. The valua-
ton Of the property owned by the
churches of the association was set in
the report at $3,086, 800.
The Sunday school membership now
totals 1916, according to the report,
with Calvary in the lead with 1923.
Fifth is second with 1882 Sunday
school pupils and Metropolitan third
with /, 457. The average attendance per
Sunday last year was 7,21S.
S,421 in Mission Units.
The report of the Baptist Young Peo-
pies Union showed a membership of
l.471 in that branch of the association,
including $40 seniors, 265 Intermediates
and 1856 juniors.
The association has 5,421 members
in its various missionary units, the re-
port reveals.
An invitation to the association to
hold its flfty-third annual convention
in the Grace Baptist Church next year
was contained in the report OF that
church. The Grace Church has been
host to three conventions, the last OF
which was In 1924.
The remainder of the morning ses-
sion today vase devoted to the hearing
of reports of the committee on the or
der of exercises which was made by
Rev. DR.. John e. Briggs, pastor OF the
church; the disposal of miscellaneous
business and the report of the advisory
committee by Rev. Henry j. Smith Of
closed with a benediction by Rev. VIII
liam A. Emmens.
An afternoon session Is being held
today. DIR. John L. Hill, q member |
of the Baptist Sunday school board |
at Nashville, Tenn, will be the prin- |
cipal speaker at a session tonight be-
ginning at o'clock. Others on the |
program will be T. Edgar Petty, Rev. |
j. z. Davis and Rev. v. P. Robertson.
The convention opened last night
with Rev. John Ball, pastor of the
Metropolitan Church, delivering the an
nual sermon upon the subject of the
Gross Of Christ" Rev. NJ. G. Marseg-
liza, pastor of the italian Baptist
Church, gave the invocation, and Rev.
w. j. Hubbard. pastor of the Fountain
Memorial Church, pronounced the bene-
diction. Rev. c. p. Ryland, pastor of
Kendall Church, read the scripture les
son and Rev. E. o. Clark, pastor of the |
Chevy Chase Baptist Church, offered
the night prayer.