USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > North Adams > Addresses and papers presented at the Diamond Jubilee, 1827-1902, May 11-14 (First Congregational Church of North Adams) > Part 14
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At the very first, when there was but one man who apprehended Him and made confession of his faith, Christ declared that that carried with it the principle of fraternity, the gerin of community. When Peter cried out "Thou art the Christ," our Lord saw in that confession of faith, the beginning of the structure of His church. "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build My church." The object of faith is social-a Triune God; the inward motives of faith are social also. Instead, then, of imagining that each individual man in his faith, in his religious character stands and acts alone, and has afterwards for reasons of ex- pediency to unite himself with other believers into a church ; instead of its being a matter of indifference or personal choice whether the believing soul shall be joined to the church, the very nature of faith requires it; and that faith is open to grave suspicion which does not seek immediately the ordained fellowship of the church. There, in that or- dained system, in that society prepared for it with all its ministries and correlated duties, the new-born soul is enabled to realize and train and practice those social char- acteristics which belong to its essential construction, it be- gins to exercise those relationships that are vital to its growth. In submitting to this form of combination it is not taking up some strange or artificial agency, rather it is coming to itself, discovering its own character, realizing its
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own natural possibilities, it is fulfilling its own inherent necessities, it is calling out its gifts, testing its powers, securing its growth. And while we cannot say that there is no true faith that is not incorporated into a church, we must believe that those who hold themselves aloof miss something of their complete development, something lies dormant and unused. I believe that this instinct of church- fellowship has always been strong in this church, whose anniversary we are now celebrating. I remember well in the five or six busy years that I spent here, the natural and unquestioning way in which those who accepted Christ as the Master of their lives came into the church. They came, not grudgingly, but as a matter of course, not asking, "why must I join the church ?" but came, cheerfully and eagerly, like children coming home. It always seemed to me one of the surest signs of the healthiness and gen- uineness of the spiritual work here.
I have preferred thus to call attention to the radical or fundamental plan of fellowship, rather than to methods for maintaining it. These latter are all suggested by the com- prehensive figures under which the church is represented in the New Testament.
It is a "household "-an establishment or organized kingdom of work, in which there are varied activities, all united under a system and moving under a fixed law and an orderly plan. And fellowship here is to be secured by trained and masterful skill, each doing his own allotted task and cooperating harmoniously with the rest for the accom- plishment of the great common purpose.
Or it is a "family" in which kinship makes its claim, and where each soul has its place and worth in the simple fact that it belongs there. And fellowship here means
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consideration, care and sympathy ; and that to be a Chris- tian brother or sister shall be claim enough, imperative and conclusive, and that all shall be made to feel at home.
Or it is a "body " organized and knit into unity to be the harmonious agent of the indwelling spirit. And fellow- ship here is secured by such closeness of union and inter- communication that one heart shall beat within, and that if one member suffer all suffer with it, and such that Christ may make Himself known and find clear expression through it.
Or, once more, it is a "temple" symmetrical and beauti- ful, in which each stone has its place numbered and fitted and laid in course according to the architect's plan, a sacred and purified building of which it can be said "God is there." And fellowship there is exhibited by submitting to such shaping and polishing in individual experience that each living stone can find place and contribute its share to the grace and symmetry of the whole. The Persians have a proverb "A stone fit for a wall is not left to lie in the road- way," and the soul that has been shaped by grace is not to lie unused, it must find its niche in the uprising temple, itself supported by the courses that have been built before, and in turn furnishing support for those that are to follow.
This anniversary, I said, ought to deepen this sense of fellowship. What continuity of life there has been here! How the faith and the patience and fidelity and self-sacrifice of seventy-five years ago and of each succeeding year has made this church what it now is! These reminiscences in which we have indulged have revealed to us the family to which we belong, the stock into which we have been grafted, the courses of the temple upon which we have been built. This review ought to inspire us with greater honor
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for this church of Christ-the gathering together and en- hancing of the separate and individual gifts and graces of the single lives that here have been evolved and developed. These pastors whose names you have been repeating have no more made the church than the church has made them, and all these others whose memories you bear in grateful remembrance are holding you in grateful love. What testimonies have come from those long absent of the en- during hold upon their affections this communion has made! A church of Christ ! what earthly organization, what society or club or fraternity can compare with it? This fellowship which takes hold of our very being, calls out our best powers, puts into exercise our highest aspirations and deep- est sympathies, unites us in the best work, holds us together in unselfish devotion to one and the same Lord and Master, animates us with one sanctifying spirit and trains us to dwell and work together in the Father's house of many mansions ! It is this fellowship that explains the joy of these services.
And this service of communion with which we com- plete the series, what is it but the recognition of our fellowship with Christ and with each other? I rejoice with you that you have made this a part of your regular church order and growth, and not as is too often on such occasions an irregular piece of acting, a kind of dress- parade or a representation before the world of how the service is conducted. You meet tonight not to profess that you ought to be in union and fellowship, but to pledge your- selves anew to your Master and to welcome to this con- tinued history those who are to perpetuate it for the next generation.
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And those who come tonight to acknowledge their fam- ily relation, to take the place that has waited for them in the temple, will they not always remember this occasion, and will you not always remember them? And shall they not be fully received, not as those who have simply "de- clared their intention," but as full citizens and sons, and have their place and duty at once assigned? And shall they not at once feel the recognition and welcome, and take their place not as strangers but as children ?
Young friends, you have been absent for a while, now you have come home-take the joy and freedom and loving service of your Father's and our Father's house ?
And now, dear friends of this dear old church, let us set our faces towards the future with courage and faith augmented by the memory of the past and by this fresh accession to our numbers. We prize the names of those who have gone before just in proportion as they gave them- selves unselfishly to the good of man and the glory of God. If it was good for them to encounter difficulty, to bear bur- dens, to work faithfully, it will be good for us. If it was good for them to sow that which they should not reap, it must be good for us to keep right on sowing-others are to come after us. We are the heirs of a great and precious heritage, and "to whom much has been given of them will much be required."
APPENDIX
APPENDIX A
THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE ANNIVERSARY. CONGRE- GATIONAL CHURCH 1827-1902
The First Congregational church of North Adams, Massachusetts, will celebrate its seventy-fifth anniversary from May 11th to May 15th.
The anniversary sermon will be preached Sunday morning, May IIth, by Rev. Dr. Theodore T. Munger. In the evening the pastor, Rev. William L. Tenney, will re- view the history of the church.
Tuesday and Wednesday will be given up to short sketches of church work and tributes to former inembers. One session will be devoted to woman's work.
Tuesday afternoon a supper will be served in the chap- el to invited guests, and a reunion will be held in the par- lors.
Tuesday evening an address will be given by Rev. Dr. Washington Gladden.
Wednesday evening there will be an address by Rev. Dr. Lewellyn Pratt, and our anniversary will close with the celebration of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
We hope to welcome many who have occupied our pulpit at different times,-President Henry Hopkins, Dr. John Bascom, Dr. Addison T. Ballard, Rev. George A. Jackson, President Alfred T. Perry and Rev. Dr. Lyndon Crawford.
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As one of our friends you are most cordially invited. If it will be possible for you to attend, kindly notify the chairman of the committee.
JENNIE PAUL GOODRICH,
GEORGE W. CHASE, HARRIET A. BENTON, Committee on Invitation. -
APPENDIX B
LIST OF ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEES
General Committee-Deacon M. C. Jewett, Deacon A. McDougall, Deacon G. W. Chase. Deacon James E. Hunter, Mr. Edwin Bond, Mr. C. H. Cutting, Mr. Thomas Sykes, Mr. E. B. Penniman, Mr. Daniel Barber, Mr. J. Q. Erwin, Mr. W. H. Bixby, Mrs. Sarah P. Porter, Mrs. Elizabeth Harrison, Mrs. Lettie Warren, Mrs. Fannie Dibble, Mrs. W. B. Parmelee, Mrs. J. A. Rice, Mrs. F. P. Pearson, Mrs. Mary H. Williams, Mrs. J. C. Goodrich, Miss Annie B. Jackson, Mrs. Mary C. Coyle.
Finance Committee-Mr. T. W. Sykes, Mr. J. E. Hunter, Mr. D. J. Barber, Mr. E. B. Penniman, Mr. James McGowan.
Nominating Committee-Mrs. J. P. Goodrich, Mrs. Lettie Warren, Mrs. Fannie Dibble, Deacon J. E. Hunter.
Committee on Invitation-Mrs. Jennie Paul Goodriclì, Mr. George W. Chase, Miss Harriet Benton, Mr. C. Q. Richmond.
Program Committee-Rev. W. L. Tenney, Mrs. C. H. Cutting, Mrs. G. W. Chase.
Printing Committee-Mr. Herbert Wetherbee, Miss Harriet Benton, Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Hunter.
Entertainment Committee-Deacon D. A. Anderson, Deacon George French, Mrs. John A. Rice, Mrs. F. P.
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Pearson, Mr. and Mrs. John Bond, Mrs. W. W. Richmond, Mr. C. Q. Richmond, Mr. E. A. Bond, Mrs. Lettie Warren.
Reception Committee-Mr. J. E. Hunter, Mr. W. W. Butler, Mr. C. H. Cutting, Mr. T. W. Sykes, Mrs. C. H. Williams, Mrs. Shepherd Thayer, Mrs. John P. Coyle, Miss Nellie Perry, Miss Anna Jackson.
Picture Committee-Mrs. D. A. Anderson, Mrs. Anna D. Baker, Mrs. Elizabeth T. Wright, Mr. L. M. Barnes, Mr. A. F. Davenport.
Floral Committee-Miss Jennie Whitney, Mrs. D. J. Burbank.
Ushers-Mr. A. Hunter, Mr. E. Barnard, Mr. J. Q. Erwin.
Refreshment Committee-All the Ladies' Aid Society.
APPENDIX C
WATCHWORDS FOR THE ANNIVERSARY MEMBERS, WHO CAME INTO THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE CHURCH MAY 14TH, 1902.
From a sermon preached by Rev. John W. Yeomans, our first pastor, June 22, 1828, in the school house, corner of Main and Eagle streets,-selected by his daughter, Mrs. Louisa Yeomans Boyd : "We can know nothing of things spiritual but what we learn of Him. It belongs therefore to us to receive His testimony with implicit confidence. We must not expect any spiritual light from inquiries pur- sued by our own reason without the help of Christ. The Kingdom of God consists in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, in believing, the pious state of the soul towards God as revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ. "
From Rev. Addison Ballard, D. D., acting pastor from May I, 1865 to April 1, 1866: "Try to make the world
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better and you will be made better and happier by the world. " I. Sam. 3:10-" Speak, for thy servant heareth. " Jer. 3:4-" My Father, Thou art the guide of my youth." Matt. 6. 6 .- " Pray to thy Father which is in secret. "
From Rev. Washington Gladden, D. D., pastor of the church from April 1, 1866, to March 23, 1871: “ Read in the new version, 2. Cor. IV; 5, and remember that the grace of God comes into your lives not to find lodgment there, but to be multiplied and distributed. Every good gift of God, light, hope, comfort, courage, is given you to be multiplied. You are multipliers of God's grace. That is your business in the world. "
From Rev. Lewellyn Pratt, D. D., pastor of the church from Dec. 7, 1871, to Sept. 1, 1876: " The last beatitude," Revelation, 22:14. " Blessed are they that do his com- mandments, that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city."
From Rev. Theodore T. Munger, D. D., pastor of the church from Dec. 11, 1877, to Nov. 4, 1885. * The com- munion address in " Lamps and Paths " entitled " Vows as- sumed" from which these sentences are taken: "Never doubt the wisdom of what you now do, if you are consciously honest in it. What you are doing is right and wise. It is a step taken towards God ; it is putting your hand in the hand of your Eternal Friend. There can be no mistake in such an act. "
From your present pastor, William L. Tenney : "Keep Jesus Christ at the very center of your intellect, your af- fections, your will. Never be afraid to trust His Spirit, wherever leads the way." John 12:32. "While ye have the light, believe in the light, that ye may become sons of light. "
*A copy of "Lamps and Paths " was presented to each " Anniversary Member " by Dr. Munger.
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From the loved pastor whose grave is among us,- Rev. John Patterson Coyle, D. D. "Young people, it is not a Godless nor a Christless fulness of life you are enjoying. It is the fulness of God and it was made and is being in- creased continually by the Christ. I bid you make the most of it, not imagining that the Christ life is lean and meagre, or chiefly represented by touch-nots. "
Names of those received into the church. By letter- Louis C. Chase, Mrs. Edith M. Chase, Freelove Clark, Mrs. Helen L. Gallup. On profession of faith-Ethel Beer, Mabel Beer, George B. Chase, Florence L. Ford, Clarence W. Gallup, Francis E. Hardenbergh, Harry Hayden, Ster- ling Higley, Daisy L. Kerr, Jessie Kerr, John McIntosh, James McGowan, Agnes M. Malcolm, Thomas C. Mal- colin, Joseph L. Malcolm, Cecilia Parkhurst, Clara J. Parkhurst, Norman Parkhurst, John H. Rice, Annie H. Squires, Ada M. Squires, Harriet Stroud, Helen Bernice Sweeney, Parker G. Tenney, Raymond Tufts, J. Crichton Taylor, Margaret C. Taylor, Christine C. Taylor.
APPENDIX D
LIST OF SUNDAY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS* 1848-1849, Deacon David C. Rogers. 1849-1851, Deacon Robert W. B. McLellan. 1852-1853, Deacon Henry Chickering. 1854, Deacon J. E. Marshall.
1855-Probably until 1862, Deacon Samuel Gaylord.
1862-1867, No record of the superintendents. +1867-1875, Deacon George B. Perry.
* We find no record in the Church Book until January 11, 1849, when it appears that Deacon Rogers, " Supt. of the Sabbath School," made a report. It is probable that the pastors acted as superintendents for at least part of the time before this date.
+ The name of the superintendent does not appear on the records during all this period, but the fact that Deacon Perry's name appears first upon the Sunday School committee warrants the belief that he was superintendent.
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1876, Mr. H. M. Harrington. 1877-1882, Deacon George W. Chase. 1883-1884, Deacon George B. Perry. 1885, Mr. F. Demond. 1885, Mr. W. W. Butler. 1886, Mr. H. B. Potter. 1887, Mr. F. S. Smith.
1888-1889, Deacon George B. Perry.
1890-1893, Mr. Franklin B. Whitney. 1894, Mr. R. L. Chase.
1895, Mr. Edwin Barnard.
1896, Mr. H. E. Wetherbee. 1897, Mr. R. A. Thompson. 1898-1900, Deacon George W. Chase. 1901, Lyman R. Allen. 1902, W. S. Garland.
APPENDIX E
OUTLINE OF DEDICATION OF THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH .*
"Showers early in the morning, later a beautiful day," says a diary. Rev. Addison Ballard was supplying in our pulpit though he lived at Williamstown. Rev. Ezekiel Russell and Dr. Robert Crawford, former pastors, were in the pulpit. The 1073 hymn in "Sabbath Hymn Book" was read by Mr. Russell, Mr. Ballard reading 29th chapter Ist Chronicles and 21st chapter Revelation. The invocation prayer, Rev. Calvin Durfee of Williamstown. Hymn 1038, Mr. Edwin Rogers led a chorus of eighteen members in a beautiful anthem; Mr. Chas. Darling was at the organ. Mr. Russell preached the dedicatory sermon texts Lev. *Contributed by Mrs. J. P. Goodrich.
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19th chapter 30th verse and Psalm 96th, 6th verse. Mr. Ballard read letters and gave public thanks to the donors in that inimitable way of his. Dr. Crawford followed in the dedicatory prayer. The choir sang the 100th Psalm in anthem. Benediction by Dr. Russell.
In the evening a sermon by Dr. Crawford, 8th Psalm was read, 1074 and 989 hymns were sung, followed by com- munion.
Some of our neighbor guests were Hon. H. L. Dawes, Henry Chickering, formerly members of this parish, Rev. J. E. Walton, Wm. C. Plunkett, President Mark Hopkins, Professors Hopkins, Bascom, Perry and Griffin.
APPENDIX F
FAVORITE HYMNS OF SOME OF OUR OLDER SISTERS*
Am I a Soldier of the Cross, Mrs. Deacon Gould, Mrs. David Rogers.
Oh Could I Speak the Matchless Worth, Mrs. Deacon Mc- Lellan.
Nearer My God to Thee, Mrs. Maria Gould.
O for a Closer Walk with God, Mrs. Levi Stearns, Mrs. John Orr.
Rise My Soul and Stretch Thy Wings, Mrs. Sarah R. Pen- niman.
Watchman Tell Us of the Night, Mrs. Louisa Loomis.
There is a Land of Pure Delight, Mrs. E. Russell.
Rock of Ages Cleft for Me, Mrs. Jacob Chase, Mrs. H. L. Dawes, Mrs. James Marshall, Mrs. Susan Blackinton, Mrs. Charles Butler, Mrs. Martha Potter.
My God How Endless is Thy Love, Mrs. Henry Chicker- ing, Mrs. Albert Paine.
*Nearly this entire list was found in memoranda of Mrs. J. T. Robinson.
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I'm a Pilgrim and I'm a Stranger, Mrs. Deacon Munn, Mrs. Dr. Hawkes, Mrs. Thomas Holbrook.
Sweet the Moments Rich in Blessing, Mrs. F. Robinson.
My Faith Looks Up to Thee, Mrs. Dr. Crawford, Mrs. W. W. Freeman.
How Gentle God's Commands, Mrs. A. P. Butler.
Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone, Mrs. Albert Brown, Mrs. Edwin Thayer.
Jerusalem My Happy Home, Mrs. Levi Randall.
Jesus Lover of My Soul, Mrs. John Doane, Miss Rhoda Streeter, Mrs. Wmn. Erwin.
O Worship the King All Glorious Above, Mrs. Janette Elliot Keeler.
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Miss Amelia Mc- Lellan.
How Firm a Foundation, Mrs. Truman Paul, Mrs. J. T. Robinson, Mrs. J. B. Jackson.
Blest Be the Tie that Binds, Mrs. Win. Martin.
Come Holy Spirit Heavenly Dove, Mrs. Eliza Babbitt.
Jesus Thy Name I Love, Mrs. T. T. Munger.
One Sweetly Solemn Thought, Mrs. Harriet R. Merriam. Father Whate'er of Earthly Bliss, Mrs. Elizabeth Cone. Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, Mrs. James Flagg. Jesus Savior, Pilot Me, Mrs. A. Richardson.
My Jesus as Thou Wilt, Mrs. E. Rogers.
APPENDIX G
It should be noted in this volume that the beautiful individual communion service presented to the church by Mr. John Parkhill of Fitchburg was first used at the com- munion season on the first Sunday of the new year-1903.
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Doctor Gladden's address was lost in the mails and it was deemed necessary to print an abstract. Before the final binding of this volume, however, the manuscript was recovered and the complete address was inserted in place of the abstract. While this has disturbed the numbering of the pages, it will save our readers from the disappointment of not having the whole of this inspiring address.
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