The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1930-11-07

we are celebrating today the
18th anniversary of the first
Methodist church in this town.
l consider it a great privilege
to be here to join with you in
this event. trust that the
next Is years will be richer in
memories and more fruitful in
additions to the church than
the past Is years have been, al
though the past record has
been an enviable one.
The historical account I am
about to give has come mainly
from the church record and
from two scrap books, one kept
by w. w. Carter, a former
member of this church, and the
other kept by Ella Brown, of
Sylmar. l will endeavor in this
account to trace the history Of
Methodism from it's earliest be-
ginnings here in Rising Sun.
The Rev. George Whitefeld,
who was known in his early
ministry as the ''boy parson"
and later as the rowing evan
gelist," visited America seven
times and preached his last SER
mon at Exeter, N. H., in ITO.
We are told that during one of
his visits to this country he
preached about one quarter of
a mile west of Rising Sun to
10000 people. This might
seem to be impossible if it were
not for the fact that he was
compelled to ride in a closed
carriage to prevent curious
crowds from gathering about
him in the streets, to hear him
speak.
His fame preceded him
everywhere. He was a voice
crying in the wilderness ''pre-
pare We the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight" So
powerful was his voice that it
was often heard a mile distant.
On one occasion while preach
ing in the open air, he was
heard, we are told, by a laborer
a mile and a half away, who,
supposing God had spoken
from heaven, fell under cCnvic-
ton and found peace in believ-
ing. No wonder 10000 or even
more of the early settlers gath
cred from all the region round
about to hear one of the great
founders of Methodism.
Organized religious worship
in this section of the United
States, of course, originated
with the Quakers. These
sturdy pioneers for nearly a
century predominated in the
moral instruction of large Sec
tions of northern Maryland
and southeastern Pennsylva-
mia. With the exception of an
occasional sermon by a passing
itinerant, the Society of
Friends in their West Noting
ham Meeting House, furnished
this community for a long time
all the religious instruction
they received. There were also
services held, at West Noting
ham Presbyterian Church, two
miles distant, but they were
not we'll attended by the peo-
pie of this town. might say
in passing, however, that the
hardy Scoth-Irish with their
'Presbyterianism not only left
a monument in the shape of
their splendid church at West
Nottingham, but in the fine CO.
educational academy they
maintain there, the influence
of both of which has been far
reaching In Church and State.
When the Methodists began
to teach and to preach in these
parts they soon entered the
town where they have remain
ed to this day. The early
Methodists, however, were not
so highly favored as to wor-
ship in comfortable and heauti-
full churches, but they met in
old stores, blacksmith and
i wheel wright shops, school
houses and private dwellings.
The first religious meetings
held by them in the town were
about the year 1880, and
in an old blacksmith shop
owned by Mrs. Sarah Lang
don. Here Rev. Jacob Gruber
and the Rev. Enoch McGrady
preached to those who gather
ed together to hear them.
| L