USA > Kentucky > Jefferson County > Louisville > After thirty-five years, 1865-1900; a history of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, Louisville, Kentucky. Dedication souvenir > Part 6
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As a rule, the Sunday-school is first on the ground, and a Church is the outgrowth of some little mission planted in a churchless district ; then, again, as in the present instance, the. Sunday-school is the result of the formation of a church. The Sunday-school of what is now Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church was organized April 30, 1865, and was known as Market Street Methodist Episcopal Sunday-school. At the first quarterly Conference, held one week later, the school was reported as in progress of organization but no officers yet elected. At the second Quarterly Conference, held July 31, 1865, H. H. Munroe, the first superintendent, made the fol- lowing report :
Number of officers in the school 5
Male teachers 4
Female teachers 5
-
Total number of officers and teachers 14
Number of male scholars 61
Number of female scholars 57
Total number of scholars 118
Grand total 132
Average attendance for the quarter 5)
They were more fortunate than most mission schools, in
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that they possessed a library of 215 volumes. The Superin- tendent spoke truly and prophetically when he said, "Our school is not large but we think the foundation is laid that will result in great good to the Church and neighborhood." The school flourished during the first year of its existence, Brother Munroe reported to the fourth Quarterly Conference, January 29, 1866, an enrollment of 175, with an average at- tendance of 70. He commended officers and teachers for reg- ular attendance, stating that there were no absences, except in cases of sickness, and these were rare.
A Sunday-school entertainment was given during this quar- ter, to which an admission was charged. It must have been well attended, as the school record shows that with the pro- ceeds they were able to liquidate several little debts, buy pres- ents for the children, and subscribe for papers for teachers and scholars. The next quarter shows a fine increase in attend- ance the average for the quarter reaching 100, double what it had been nine months before. The school was now thorough- ly organized and began its second year under most auspicious conditions, having a large primary department and a promis- ing Bible class, composed of young men. About this time the experiment was tried of holding two sessions, one in the morn- ing, the other in the afternoon. The latter session was occu- pied with singing and speaking, but owing to lack of interest this was soon abandoned. The collections of the regular school had increased until they averaged $1.60 per Sunday. Through the summer of 1866 there was a falling off in attend- ance, due to sickness, absence from the city, and interruptions caused by repairs on the church. An addition was made at this time to the library, at a cost of $51 to the school, and by a dona- tion of $20. from the Sunday-school Union. Later in the year a class for Bible study was organized for the benefit of teach- ers and adult members of the school, which met Sunday after- noons at two o'clock, and was conducted by the pastor. This class had thirty members enrolled, and soon became intensely interesting to those connected with it. During the winter of 1866 and 1867 a glorious revival swept over the school. More than twenty of the scholars were happily converted to God,
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and nearly all the members of the pastor's Bible class became members of the church.
The spring of 1867 found the school in an exceedingly prosperous condition. The pastor gave in the attendance for three months as follows; January, 71; February, 89; March, 91, with eighteen regularly appointed teachers. The amount of money received from all sources during this quarter was $31.73; expenses, $30.00. Balance in treasury, $1.73.
. The enthusiasm continued. Officers and teachers rendered cheerful, faithful service. The average attendance of scholars exceeded that of any previous year. The pastor speaks in highest praise of a Sunday-school exhibition held in the fall of this year, which netted the school $150.
In 1869 Brother O. Deshler was appointed superintendent to succeed Brother Munroe, who had served the school in this capacity since its organization. He resigned that he might give his undivided time and attention to the mission work of. the church. It seemed that pioneer work had a strong claim on Brother Munroe's heart; he had worked faithfully to per- fect the parent school, and cheerfully turned it over to others in order that he might go into a new field and lend his efforts toward the establishment of a new church. Brother Mun- roe had been working along this line on his own responsi- bility, but he desired the official sanction of the Church that the work might become a distinctive part of our Methodismn. His work was endorsed, and the mission that he established in the western part of the city became the Wesley Chapel of to- day.
In the spring of 1870 Dr. J. McKendree Reiley, who was the newly appointed pastor, found two flourishing schools within the boundary of his charge, numbering about three hundred scholars, with three well organized Bible classes. The school seems to have labored under numerous difficulties, as Dr. Reiley says in his report, "The Sunday-school is in as good condition as could be expected, considering all the cir- cumstances." What these circumstances were we are unable to say, but we feel sure that they did not arise from any lack of loyalty or diligence on the part of officers or teachers, as in
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the same report he commends these highly for their earnest, faithful service. Brother Munroe reports the "Munroe Mis- sion," as the new school was called, fully organized with a fine corps of officers and teachers, and a splendid outlook from every point of view. During the same year the Market street school organized into a missionary society, the collec- tions the first month amounting to 58 cents, the second month 35 cents. Throughout the year of 1871 both the Market street school and Munroe Mission enjoyed a fair degree of prosperity. An anniversary service was held jointly, in which the members of both schools took an enthusiastic interest. It was most successful, and was instrumental in bringing the schools into close sympathy with each other.
Brother Munroe, not content with the great work he was accomplishing in the city, reports the establishment of a new school near Vevay, Indiana, and in the latest report from this school we learn that the average attendance was about one hundred and ten. About this time Brother Richard James was appointed superintendent of the parent school, succeeding Brother Deshler, who had held the office very acceptably for two years.
Another addition was made to the library of 135 interest- ing books, costing, at discount prices, $108. The collections for the year amounted to $116.18. Whether this included col- lections for missions the secretary does not state. Munroe Mission was reported as in a thriving condition with respect to attendance, but a strong plea was made for more teachers to supply new classes that could be formed. A number of children had pledged themselves to give their hearts to Jesus, and three had made a public profession of saving faith in Christ. Thus the work in this direction was beginning to yield fruit.
At the next Quarterly Conference, held June 4, 1872, Bro- ther Munroe reported the organization of a Mission Class num- bering fourteen, all of whom were probationers, and most of them members of the Sunday-school. Prayer and class meet- ings were held each week. Another branch of the mission work was the Sewing Society, which mnet weekly, its first
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object being to earn money with which to help build a chapel in the western part of the city. Many of the people who attend- ed the mission services regularly were desirous of greater relig- ious privileges than they could enjoy without an organized church, and to this end they were hopefully bending all their energies.
About this time the Market street church, obeying the scriptural injunction, enlarged her borders, lengthened her cords, and strengthened her stakes by moving into more com- modious quarters at Third and Guthrie streets, where the name "Trinity" was assumed. The purchase of Calvary Church property secured what was then considered a modern, well-equiped Sunday-school room. With a consecrated corps of officers and teachers they determined to make the school one of the highest type. This spirit of progressiveness has obtained throughout the history of the organization. At first it suffered some from the change, but soon recovered and began . to grow steadily in membership and influence.
At the meeting of the third Quarterly Conference of this year Brother Richard James offered his resignation as super- intendent, which was accepted, and the place filled tempora- rily until the meeting of the first Quarterly Conference 1873, when Brother Abraham Gunther was approved for the office. It is interesting to note that permanent quarters had been secured for the Munroe Mission at the corner of Seventeenth and Main streets. The first service was held there July 7, 1872. This year we have the first missionary report from the Sunday-school for the year. It amounted to $7.10. The year 1873 was an uneventful one in the history of the school, the one item worthy of note being the growing interest taken in the missionary cause. The collections this year amounted to $50.60, or $43.50 imore than the previous year. At the close of 1874 the interest had abated, but had not entirely died out. Collections reached the sum of $30.65.
From 1874 to 1876 very meager reports are given as to the condition of the Sunday-school, except the reorganization of the Sunday-school Missionary Society. This was done May 2, 1875, by Dr. Chadwick, who was then pastor of the church.
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The reorganized society was called the Juvenile Missionary Society. Each class was given a name by which it was called when the monthly collections were taken. This custom obtained until 1893, when, for some reason it was abandoned. We append the names of these classes for the benefit of those who were not in the school at that time ;
Senior Bible Class, Bible Students,
Hopefuls,
Young Reformers, Workers for God,
Daniel's Band,
Earnest Workers,
Helping Hands,
Truth Seekers,
Busy Bees, Lovers of the Bible, Bereans,
Armor Bearers,
Faithfuls,
True Disciples.
Little Gleaners,
Life Boats,
The improvement brought about by the reorganization was apparent from the beginning, as the missionary collection for the first month was $10, and for that conference year $116.62. This society is the same as we have now, except that the word Juvenile has been dropped.
In the summer of 1876 a new mission school was organ- ized on Hancock street, and was called the Hancock Street Methodist Episcopal Sunday-school. The prospects of this school were bright; five of its members joined Trinity Church and several others contemplated so doing.
The years of 1876-77 were reported to have been very prosperous, both schools increasing in number and interest. In the summer of 1877 there was a slight decrease in the attendance at Hancock street, due, it was said to the organi- zation of another school in that vicinity, and at the Quarterly Conference held in October, 1877, the pastor reports the dis- continuation of this school. Dr. Chadwick, in his last report to the fourth Quarterly Conference, February, 1878, speaks in glowing terms of the Sunday-school, and bears sincere testi- mony to the fidelity of its officers and teachers. At this meet- ing we find the next report of the school as a missionary soci- ety. The amount this time was something to be proud of, as it reached the sum of $151. We note that while the sehool
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had not increased greatly in numbers, it had trebled the amount of its yearly missionary collection in five years.
From 1878 to 1880 nothing of interest is recorded of the Sunday-school. The only item of importance is that but $100 is reported for missions in 1879, no cause being given for a decrease of $50 since the last report. During 1881 Mrs. Speed, with her customary generosity, made a valuable con- tribution to the library which, when added to the books they already possessed, gave the school a library of 325 volumes. This year there was a slight increase in missionary collections, the amount raised being $108.50.
The reports from 1881 to 1885 show considerable enthusi- asm in the work of the school, but no material increase in the number in attendance. No incident worthy of special men- tion is recorded.
At the close of the school year of 1885 the collections for missions amounted to $108, fifty cents less than it was in 1881.
As we follow the history of our church from its organiza- tion to the present time, we find that it has always been dom- inated by a spirit of missionary enterprise. The Munroe Mis- sion had developed into a church, and for some time had been located near the corner of Nineteenth and Main streets, and the Hancock Street Mission had been discontinued. The Church now began to turn its attention to new fields for the exercise of its missionary zeal, and to this end a committee was appointed in 1887 to inquire into the advisableness of establishing a mission in South Louisville. The report of this committee is not recorded, and no mission was opened at that time in that suburb. Providence gave to their successors the honor of establishing the work in that field, and how faithfully they fulfilled the trust imposed upon them will be seen by a further perusal of these pages. The missionary contribution this year from the school was only $97.14, being $10.84 less than the year previous.
At the close of the year Brother Gunther who had served as superintendent for fourteen years, resigned, and the office was filled by Bro. J. B. Senior. Brother Gunther's long and
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faithful services are worthy of special notice, and the com- pilers of this work deem it a fitting tribute to his worth that his picture, together with that of H. H. Munroe, the first superintendent, stand at the head of "Sunday-School Rem- iniscences." Brother Senior filled the position of superin- tendent until the second Quarterly Conference held January 15, 1889, when he resigned, and Prof. E. H. Mark was elected to fill the vacancy.
About this time Mrs. Weishart who was then a member of the church, started an Industrial Class in the north-eastern part of the city, and the records show that the Sunday-school assisted her in this work to some extent, as the receipts of a Sunday-school entertainment were ordered to be given to this class. It seems that the Industrial feature was soon aban- doned, and the class became a part of the Sunday-school and remained under Mrs. Weishart's care for some years.
Professor Mark resigned the superintendency of the school June 1889, and from that time until October of the same year the position was filled by assistant superintendents Bryson and J. C. Klein; at this time Brother C. C. Stoll was elected.
In 1890 the school enjoyed a season of great prosperity by the addition of sixty-seven new scholars in three weeks, or an increase of sixty per cent, giving an attendance of one hundred and fifty-eight on March 16th, the largest in ten years.
On June 8th, 1890, the first "Children's Day" programn was given of which we have any record; the collection that day was $16.98 from the school and $1.33 from the congregation mak- ing a total of $18.33. On the same day in 1891 this collection amounted to $11.50.
On September 6th, of this year, we note the largest mission- ary collection outside of an Easter collection on record to date. The amount was $31.75.
May 22, 1892, a "Loyal Temperance Legion" was organ- ized in connection with the school and many members of the school signed the pledge.
In 1892 and .1893 no record is given of the observance of "Children's Day" although if the writer's memory is not at
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fault this day was observed, and the regular collection taken for the cause of education each year.
The Loyal Temperance Legion, in 1893, reached a mem- bership of seventy-two or about three-fourths of the average attendance of the school. At the close of this year, Brother Stoll, who had served as superintendent for four years resigned, and the vacancy was filled by Brother C. B. Nordeman.
In March 1894, the school through the efforts of Mrs. W. M. Danner, secured the services of Mrs. S. E. DeBruler, a trained kindergarten teacher, to take charge of the primary department of the school, Mrs. Danner who had long been in charge of the class, acting as her assistant. This was the means of increasing the interest in this department, and almost doubling the attendance.
In October of this year, a Normal Class was formed and the Hamil Course was adopted for study. Several of the scholars and a few of the teachers entered this class, but only . two took the full course and graduated, These are both mem- bers of the Committee on Historical Research.
On June 10, 1894, "Children's Day" was celebrated on a more elaborate scale than ever before, and the collection amounted to $35.88.
March 24, 1895, the primary department had grown so large it was deemed advisable to divide it; giving to Mrs. DeBruler as a kindergarten class all the children from two to six years of age, and leaving in the primary department children from seven to ten. Mrs. J. F. Richardson was given charge of these, and was their teacher until ill health compelled her to give up the work. During this year an effort was made to grade the school, but owing to the lack of modern facilities was only partially successful.
In the fall of 1895, a mission school was organized in South Louisville, a more extended notice of which will be given in another department of this work. It will suffice to say, here, that through the consecrated efforts of many of our workers this school is now making history for itself. The experiment was also tried of running a subscription kinder- garten in connection with the school.
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The territory adjacent to the church was canvassed and a small class of pupils secured, but after running the kinder- garten about three months it was evident that it would be necessary to close it, as the locality seemed better adapted to a free rather than a subscription kindergarten. It was with deepest regret that the committee in charge gave up the project.
In 1896, Brother Nordeman, under whose leadership the school had prospered for three, years resigned, and Brother J. B. Senior was again elected superintendent. Nothing of especial interest transpired during this year except the good average attendance of officers, teachers and scholars. At the close of this year Brother D. A. Stoll became the school's superintendent.
In the spring of 1898, the school lost the valuable services of Brother W. M. Danner and his estimable wife. They had been untiring in their devotion to the school during the time of their residence among us, and they left, us not to pass into retirement, but to enter a larger field of usefulness at Denver, Colorado. Brother Nordeman was again chosen superintend- ent in October, 1898.
The school was now entering upon one of the most im- portant periods of her existence. For a year the trustees had been examining plans and getting estimates on a new church edifice. At last their plans were perfected, and temporary quarters for the school and congregation were secured.
The last session of the Sunday-school was held September 25, 1898, in the old building which for twenty-six years had been the home of Trinity Sunday-school. This session was solemn, yet joyous. Only one person was still a member of this school who had come with it from Market street, and that was Sister Speed. But what influence the school has had on the hearts and lives of young men and women eternity alone can tell. All looked forward with eager anticipation to the time when a new and modern building should occupy the ground, and newly equipped, they should go forth wielding the sword of the spirit, conquering for Christ.
The close of the year 1899 found the school still in tempo- rary quarters and with no prospect of getting into their new
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home by Christmas, as they had so earnestly desired to do, or even by Easter, which distant date had been set as the outside limit of time.
The building in use was not conducive to the best Sunday- school work, still the year 1900 has been one of the most prosperous of the school's existence. At the beginning of the year Brother Nordeman was again chosen superintendent. The school has been strictly graded, the average attendance has exceeded that of any previous year; the collections for the general school have been good, and the missionary collcc- tion, which had been growing steadily for some years, reached its highest point with the close of this year, the amount raised being $250.
So with the history of thirty-five years of trials and tri- umphs behind us we turn our eyes hopefully toward the future.
Simultaneously with the publication of this work the school will enter its new home, where it will be equiped with everything necessary to properly conduct a modern Sunday- school.
What will its future be? Will the experiences of the past help in the achievement of greater victories in the future? Will our school measure up to future responsibilities as it has to those in the past ?
These are questions which must be answered Sabbath by Sabbath by those who have the interest of the school at heart, and recorded by future historians. As for us, our work is completed, but we pray that the Father who has showered such abundant blessings upon our school in the past may guide and direct its management in the future, that it may be even more efficient than ever before in the promulgation of Gospel truths.
To the school of the future we would say, may "the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever."
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CHAPTER II.
EPWORTH LEAGUE NO. 277.
CLARA J. MCLAUGHLIN.
I N THE year 1888, when Dr. Isaac Crook, was sent to us, the time was ripe for the young people to be organized for special work, there being quite a large number in the church.
At that time we had no denominational society in our church, and a "Young Peoples Society of Christian Endeavor," was organized with Brother C. B. Nordeman as President.
Whatever growth, strength or character, the Epworth League of Trinity may possess today, is largely, if not wholly, due to the nursing and mothering of the young people by that ideal pastor's wife, Mrs. E. C. Crook.
When in May 1889 the Methodist Episcopal Church organ- ized the "Epworth League" for its young people, it was Mr. Henry Crook who first proposed, that we become an "Epworth League of Christian Endeavor," thus making Brother Norde- man the first Epworth League President in Kentucky. Throughout the church an effort was being made, to have the young people adopt the Epworth League as their denomina- tional society, and Brother Nordeinan, as a loyal churchman, advocated changing our society of Christian Endeavor to an Epworth League, thereby obtaining the honor of being the first "Epworth Leaguer" in Kentucky, as Trinity Chapter was the first chapter organized in Kentucky, holding charter No. 277, the first granted in the State.
This transition from Christian Endeavor to Epworth League, which occured in the summer of 1891, just before the close of Dr. Crook's pastorate, was the educative work of months, Brother C. C. Stoll being the next convert. Tracts were distributed on "Church Loyalty," and "Denominational Young People's Societies." Arguments and solicitation were brought to bear, and on a memorable night the vote of some
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forty or more young people was taken, and the Epworth League was adopted as our organization by a majority of one vote.
The sea was not calm, the breakers were near, fears were entertained as to whether our bark just launched would miss the reefs and weather the storm. Dr. Crook and onr newly elected president, C. G. Norris, were skillful pilots, and made constantly for the open sea, and in the multitude of devotional services our differences were allayed, and finally forgotten.
As the members of Trinity League, we will always be thankful, that Dr. Crook and his excellent wife, were ever sent to Trinity Church, for certainly no couple were better qualified for the work than they. As everyone seems specially fitted for some place in the world, so, Dr. and Mrs. Crook proved their special adaptability for working with young people. Many of us can look back, and remember the many words of counsel and advice, which we received from them, both as a society and as individuals. For, while the offices were filled by the young people it would have been almost impossible for some of them to have filled them successfully had there not been a power behind the throne, always ready to give the required assistance.
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