USA > Michigan > Washtenaw County > Ann Arbor > A history of St. Andrew's Church, Ann Arbor, Michigan > Part 4
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sweeping through the whole country at the time. Bishop Gillespie, speaking in 1869, had some wise and weighty words to offer on this subject of sudden conversions, and took occasion to point out that at that date, only two years after, only one quarter of those confirmed in 1857-58 remained in connection with the parish.
On the fifth of April, 1861, Mr. Lumsden sent in his resignation to take effect at once. In taking the matter into consider- ation, the vestry "Resolved, that the Rev- erend Mr. Lumsden ·be invited to con- tinue with the Parish as its minister till the first of July next," and that in ac- cepting his resignation they " are actuated solely by the desire to calm the existing difficulties in the Parish," and tender to Mr. Lumsden assurances of the most friendly feeling. Bishop Gillespie, whose able guidance we miss shortly after the beginning of his own rectorate, reports the statistics of that of his predecessor as follows : baptisms, adults, 64, infants, 71; confirmations, 120 ; marriages, 47; burials,
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48; increase of communicants from 98 to 119. No data exist from which the amount of contributions can be accurately determined. The bishop says, apropos of Mr. Lumsden's removal: "Since my visita- tion the rector, after seven years of labor- ious and active duties, has resigned the church of this parish. To him we are indebted for the neat church edifice, and the many evidences of taste in and around the building, and I hope also, for the addi- tion of many to the fold of Christ. If he leaves the diocese, I hope he will find a large field of usefulness in which his labors will be appreciated and blessed."
CHAPTER III.
THE ADVENT OF DR. GILLESPIE AND THE NEW CHURCH. 1861-1875.
T HE Reverend George D. Gillespie took charge of the parish 10 Oc- tober, 1861. In the interval be- tween the rectorates, we have one parochial report from Mr. J. M. Wheeler, then senior warden, but it contains nothing worthy of note except the fact that the church had been painted inside and out, at a cost of $175. Bishop Gillespie, with becoming modesty, says very little of his own long and important rectorate. Ex- tending over a period of nearly fourteen years, it is, with the exception of Mr. Tat- lock's, the longest in the history of the parish. To be sure, his historical address was delivered in 1869, in the middle of his term; but it was not published till 1886, over ten years after he had left Ann Arbor, to become bishop of western Michigan. He
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REV. GEORGE D. GILLESPIE
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does, however, mention a few of the changes in which he had a hand. The great achieve- ment of his term was the building of the present church edifice. Aside from that, we learn that the old building was twice enlarged between 1861 and 1869 ; these im- provements involved an expenditure of about $700, and consisted in removing the organ from between the doors, improving the chancel and building the porch. New chancel chairs were purchased at a cost of $53.50, the Sunday school raised $51.35 for a font, furnaces costing $270 were put in, and in 1863 a floating debt of $600 was paid.
The details of the bishop's rectorate are chiefly to be gathered from the minutes of the Vestry Book, from various newspaper cuttings, from printed circulars, and from the annual reports to the convention. Mr. Gillespie was rector at Palmyra, New York, when the call to Ann Arbor came 28 Au- gust, 1861, at a salary of $1,000. On the second of September he wrote the following letter to Mr. Millen, which is quoted for the
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light which it throws on the character of the man who was to serve St. Andrew's so long and faithfully.
"Yours of August 28," he says, "reached me thirtieth, via Syracuse. In reply to the resolutions of the Wardens and Vestry- men of St. Andrew's Church, Ann Arbor, inviting me to the rectorship, I was grat- ified with the confidence implied in making a unanimous call without personal ac- quaintance.
"I deem it, however, due to the Parish and myself that I should not give an an- swer until I have visited the Parish and conferred with the vestry. I propose, there- fore, to visit you this week and remain over next Tuesday. My present plans will bring me to Ann Arbor on Friday."
The visit was mutually satisfactory, and, after his return to Palmyra, Mr. Gillespie accepted the charge in a letter which is transcribed in full from the vestry minutes.
"After earnest consideration, and acting I trust under Divine direction, I have deter- mined to accept the call tendered me to the charge as rector of the parish under your care. In accepting your call, I am severing
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very tender ties and relinquishing a posi- tion which I have held with happiness and blessing.
"My motive in assuming the charge of your parish is, through the blessing of God, of bringing the parish to favorable comparison with the size of the population and to the position the church should hold in regard to the educational institution of your city. I need scarcely remind you how much depends upon 'unity of spirit and bond of peace,' with the healthy coop- eration of the parishioners.
"My relatives residing in New York City, it will be necessary for me to be absent for a month during the summer .. .
"Allow me to suggest the propriety of the vestry discharging any parish indebt- edness, to give the better opportunity for future exertions."
Acting on this recommendation, a three- year note was executed, 7 April, 1863, for $500 at 7 per cent., in order to pay the existing indebtedness !
Having already touched on the various undertakings of this period it may be well to treat some of them at more length. 15 October, 1862, it was reported that $334.25
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had already been expended for removing the organ and repairing the church. An account prepared for the Gospel Messenger some months later describes in detail what had been done:
"Important improvements," we are told, " have been made in this church within the last six months. The organ, originally placed between the doors at the entrance of the church, has been removed to the north side of the chancel. The opposite side has been made partly to correspond: in place of the organ pipes, tablets, with the creed, etc., in gilt letters on a dark blue ground, have been set up. Connecting the two is an arch with tracery, there being no separate ceiling for the chancel. The north and south sides are formed by the organ and vestry room. The space formerly occupied by the organ is now filled with nine new pews. A new pulpit (from a plan by C. W. H.), chairs, and a font of Nova Scotia stone, the latter a gift of the chil- dren of the parish, have been placed in the chancel. The entire cost of the improve-
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ments is about five hundred dollars ; it is rare that so much in the way of utility and appearance are secured at so small an ex- penditure."
At the annual Easter meeting, the rec- tor's salary was increased from $1000 to $1300, and, at the same time, the assessment on pews was raised. The reasons for the latter step were the growth of contingent expenses, and the fact that the pew rents of St. Andrew's were as low if not lower than those of any church in the city. The annual assessments on the pews at this time ranged from $40 to $50; but about one third were assessed at the maximum figure, and only a very few were under $20. At about this time, also, we learn from the by-laws that the qualifications for voting were made higher than ever before. Hence- forth they were: any male person over 21 years of age and a stated attendant on church services who, for six months preced- ing the election, had owned or rented a pew or slip or half of one and paid all assess- ments, or any such person who has contrib-
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uted, by writing or subscription, $10 during the year previous. Two years later, in 1866, the rector's salary was raised to $1500.
Meantime, the question of a new edifice had again come to the front. The rector, in his report to the convention for 1865, put the case strongly ; pointing out the in- crease in the regular congregation and the student attendance, he urged that a better church was " due to the age of the parish, the character of the place, and the size of the congregation ; and," he added, "the other congregations of the city are pro- viding themselves with new and large churches." The bishop also alluded to the matter in his annual address. This time the project was destined to succeed. The first step was to settle upon a suitable lot. For some reason or another, the vestry seemed to regard Huron Street as a more eligible site, and 28 January, 1866, steps were taken to purchase the premises be- tween Dr. Douglas' and Miss Fasquelle's for $3750, and 3 February it was deter-
Ann Arbor, Michigan.
mined to appoint a committee to see if they could not sell the land south of the church for not less than $3000. But on the sixth' of March, when the question was submitted to the congregation, is was lost by a vote of 32 to 10. Accordingly, the new edifice was built on the original lot south of the old church.
After deciding upon a site, efforts were at once made to raise money for building, and by 1 June, 1867, as we learn from an itemized list in the Vestry Book, $18,505 had been subscribed. Having estimated that a church such as they desired would cost $30,000, it was decided to build only the nave for the present, at a cost of $20,000. The subscriptions were to be pay- able in six, fifteen, and twenty-four months, respectively. On the second of July, the vestry definitely resolved to lay the founda- tion during the summer or fall, provided that assurances could be secured from the architect and responsible builders that a nave of suitable accommodations could be built for $20,000. Meantime, the rector
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having received a call, $5,192.00 additional was subscribed on condition that he with- draw his resignation. At the same meeting at which this proposition was announced, the finances were put under the charge of Mr. J. M. Wheeler. The rector, Dr. Douglas, Messrs. Wheeler, C. H. Millen, and D. H. Henning were made a building committee, and it was resolved to accept the plans and specifications of G. W. Lloyd, of Detroit. A scheme for the collection of subscriptions was arranged as follows: 25 per cent. of each was to be paid on 1 No- vember, 1867; 15 per cent. on 1 April, 1868 ; 10 per cent. on 1 July, 1868 ; 25 per cent. on 1 October, 1868, and the balance on 1 July, 1869.
Building was soon begun, and the corner- stone was laid on Monday, 15 June, 1868, at 1.30 P. M. In the absence of the bishop, who had gone to the western part of the state, after the annual convention at Kala- mazoo, the rector officiated. A clipping from the American Churchman, pasted in the Vestry Book, gives a full description of
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the ceremony. The procession, starting from the old church, on the site of the present rectory, consisted of the children of the parish, the master mason and carpen- ter, the two eldest surviving members of the parish bearing the hammer, the vestry, the wardens carrying the box, the choir, and the reverend clergy. The services at the stone were conducted by the Reverend G. P. Williams, LL.D., the Reverend V. Spalding, of St. James, Dexter, and the rector. The senior warden, Mr. J. M. Wheeler, read the list of deposits, which were as follows: the names of the officers of the parish, of the master builders, and of the architect ; the charter of the church ; the report of the treasurer of the parish (presented Easter, 1868) ; the diocesan journal for 1868; the Manual and Annals of the Diocese; the Church Almanac for 1868; the journal of the general conven- tion held 1865 ; recent church papers ; re- port of the public schools for 1868; the city directory of Ann Arbor, with the names of the parishioners marked; a catalogue of
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the University of Michigan for 1868; Ann Arbor papers; Detroit papers, with the proceedings of the late convention, a brief historical notice of Ann Arbor prepared by Mr. Edward Clark; a parcel of coins and specimens of fractional currency ; and a prayer book.
On concluding the services proper to laying the cornerstone with singing Gloria in Excelsis, the congregation returned to the church, where addresses were delivered by Reverend B. H. Paddock, of Christ Church, Detroit; Reverend T. C. Pitkin, St. Paul's, Detroit ; and Reverend J. J. McCook, St. John's, Detroit. Services were closed with hymn 241, from Hymns Ancient and Modern, and prayer by Rev- erend G. E. Peters, St. Peter's, Detroit. The church and scaffolding about the stone were decorated with flowers. The stone was given by the Sunday school, and a small block of marble was inserted above it in- scribed with the verse Luke, VIII., 16, as the rector said, " in token that we here erect a church as for ourselves, for our children,
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and to be a sign and token, so long as these walls shall stand, that St. Andrew's Church is for the instruction, the worship, the edifi- cation of children, and that all its ministra- tions and privileges are for all ages, for all sorts and conditions of men, without any difference or inequality."
At the time of the laying of the corner- stone, the subscriptions had reached $25,- 000, of which $5,351.75 had been paid in. In his annual report for June, 1869, the rector announces that the new church will be ready in a few months. The entire cost, by this time swelled to $30,000, had been provided for, and, moreover, practically the whole amount had been raised in the parish, although three Detroit churches, Christ's Church, St. John's, and St. Paul's, contrib- uted, $750, $200, and $198, respectively, for student pews, to be rent free. The church was finally consecrated 10 Novem- ber, 1869, by Bishop McCoskry, whose cer- tificate to that effect may be found pasted in the pages of the Vestry Book.
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The following account of the ceremony is quoted from a contemporary paper :
The consecration services of the new church were held on Wednesday morning, November 10th. The clergy entered in procession, preceded by the Bishops of Michigan and Illinois, and followed by the Vestry, repeating the appointed Psalm.
The instrument of donation was read by the Senior Warden, Mr. J. M. Wheeler, the sentence of consecration by the Rector. After the consecration services, morning prayer was conducted by the Rev. T. C. Pitkin, D.D., the Rev. J. T. Magrath, the Rev. John A. Wilson, the Rev. G. P. Schetky, D.D., and the Rev. Samuel Marks, a rector more than thirty years since. The Bishop of Michigan read the antecom- munion service, the Bishop of Illinois read- ing the epistle. The sermon was preached by Bishop Whitehouse-"And the house was filled with the odor of the ointment." It was a discourse of remarkable depth of thought, most happily expressed, bringing out the great doctrine of the indwelling of God Triune in the house of His worship and in the hearts of believers.
After the sermon, the offertory sentences were read by Rev. A. Bush. £ The com-
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munion service was read by the Bishop of Michigan, who was assisted by the Bishop of Illinois, Dean Armstrong, and others of the clergy, in the distribution of the ele- ments to a large number of communicants.
The musical portions of the service were rendered by a choir at the organ, with clergymen in the chancel, and children in the gallery.
The Psalter and Te Deum ("Rose of Sharon ") were sung antiphonally. In the antecommunion service, hymn 215-Addi- tional Hymns-was sung after the offer- tory.
Flowers were placed in the font, and a floral cross on the altar.
The following clergymen, besides those mentioned, were present, about half of whom were seated in the chancel : .
Rev. J. H. Rylance, D.D., of Chicago ; Rev. J. W. Brown, of Philadelphia ; Rev. Mr. Armstrong, Rural Dean, of Lambton, C. W .; Rev. Doctors Fitch, of Detroit, Foster, of Kalamazoo, Tustin, of Grand Rapids, Williams, of Ann Arbor; Rev. Messrs. Bancroft, of Hastings, Beckwith, of Big Rapids, Barker, of Paw Paw, Frisbie, of Niles, Fleetwood, of Adrian, Hunter, A. M. Lewis, A. C. Lewis, Web- ster, and Worthington, of Detroit, Huson,
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of Jonesville, James, of Tecumseh, Leech, of Saginaw City, Gillespie, and Lovejoy, of Ann Arbor, Moffett, of Marshall, Prich- ard, of Grand Haven, Spalding, of Dexter, Smythe, of Hudson, Tillinghast, of East Saginaw, G. W. Wilson, of Port Huron.
After the services, a collation was had, at the house of Professor Douglas, for the clergy and vestry, with guests from abroad. This generous hospitality was followed with impromptu speeches by the bishops of Michigan and Illinois, Dean Armstrong, Rev. S. Marks, Dr. Rylance, and Governor Baldwin.
In the evening, the rector's house was open to receive the congregation and guests, clerical and lay.
The semi-annual missionary meeting opened on Wednesday evening, with a dis- course of rare power and eloquence by Dr. Rylance, of Chicago.
On Thursday morning, the clergy, by in- vitation, attended the chapel services of the University. Remarks were made by Bishop McCoskry and Dr. Pitkin.
At the church, an informal missionary meeting was held, and resumed at 3 o'clock. At 4 o'clock the children were assembled and addressed by the Rev. Messrs. Fleet- wood, Schetky and Magrath.
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The meeting closed with an evening ser- vice, at which addresses were delivered by the Rev. Messrs. Worthington, Pitkin, Armstrong, Tustin, the bishop and the rector.
Thus closed a series of services of rare interest to the members of St. Andrew's parish.
The same paper furnishes an excellent description of the new church :
The style is early English. The mate- rial is selected field boulders, split and laid in courses, each course varying from ten to fourteen inches, according to height. These are generally granite, and beauti- fully varied in hue. No material offers a finer wall. Sandstone is used about the doors and for the coping. For the window openings the boulders are beveled.
The outside measurements are 101 x 57 feet, the buttresses projecting two feet beyond the walls.
The front has a broad, double-leaved door, highly finished, with tracery work over it, within a deeply grooved and mould- ed stone arch. Above the door is a tall, triplet, lancet window separated by narrow piers. The pointed gable is surmounted by a stone Greek cross. This stands at the
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height of 58 feet. Beneath this is a quatre- foil window with blinds. On each side of the door is a small lancet window for light in the vestibule.
The aisle walls, 17 feet 6 inches high, are broken by a north and south entrance of two-leaved doors, and twelve windows on each side, in couplets. Four of them are in a low gable, and are designed for me- morials. On the east end, a permanent arch is filled in with brick, with a view to the future erection of a chancel. A similar arrangement is made for a future organ chamber.
The roof is laid in diamonds, of different colored slate, surmounted with an ornamen- tal ridge.
The interior consists of a nave and aisles. The clear story, of wood, is supported on columns, painted and sanded, six on each side, and has in each bay four quatre-foil windows, two feet in diameter. Instead of a chancel proper, the eastern bay is thus used. The organ chamber and the robing- room are separated by ornamental screens, that for the organ being open work.
There is a small gallery over the ves- tibule.
The number of pews (without the gal- lery), including open and choir seats, is
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156. These are of different lengths and with plated numbers. The edifice will seat about 750.
The ceilings are frescoed in panels. The walls are tinted a French gray. Over the chancel arch is the following sentence : " Mine house shall be called a house of prayer for all people." Under the arch is an illuminated Greek cross.
The stained glass, furnished by Fried- ricks, of Brooklyn, N. Y., is in geometric figures. Over the altar is a triplet, with a figure of St. Andrew in the center light, and the sheaf of wheat and bunch of grapes, with other emblems, in each side opening. At present only two memorial windows have been put in, the designs for which were furnished by Mr. D. M. Dewey, of Rochester, N. Y.
The gas fixtures are a corona, blue and gilt, on each column, with nine jets in groups of three, and lilies in the chancel. The desk, pulpit, altar, chancel rail, and all the wood work, combine butternut and walnut, the former prevailing. The wood work is simply oiled. The rafters are pine, stained and oiled.
The carpets, purchased of Mr. J. C. Ringwalt, of Cincinnati, are green and black; and the cushions, furnished by the
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Cincinnati Elastic Sponge Company, are green terry.
The architect is Mr. Gordon W. Lloyd, of Detroit, who is doing so much for church architecture in the west.
The work has been under the general direction of Professor S. H. Douglas, chairman of the building committee, who has freely given his time and experience. Mr. James Morwick, carpenter and joiner, has had immediate charge since the foun- dation was laid, and to his careful super- vision, honorable dealing, and strict econ- omy, the vestry bears cheerful testimony.
The whole cost has been about $29,200. This includes all furniture, except the organ, font, chancel chairs, and one fur- nace, taken from the former edifice. Of this sum, all, but $1,800 on furniture, has been paid, or secured by reliable subscrip- tions. The Sunday school has provided the chancel furniture, front doors and cor- nerstone; the Ladies' Society has provided the carpets.
The pews are not sold, but leased and rented.
St. Andrew's Church, Ann Arbor, was organized in 1828. The first edifice was consecrated November 18, 1839. This building having been enlarged, a consecra-
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tion service took place May 18, 1856. The old church will be retained as a chapel and Sunday school room.
The final report of the building commit- tee was submitted 30 April, 1870, and may be found in the Vestry Book under that date. Its main features were embodied by the rector in his annual report to the con- vention for this year. The entire cost of the church, including furniture, interest and insurance, was $30,249.81. The col- lections from all sources, including the pledge of the ladies, amounted to $27,- 137.48. During the course of construc- tion, it had been found necessary to raise a temporary loan of $3,900, but at the time of this report the indebtedness, not provided for by the ladies or reliable sub- scriptions, had been reduced to $1800. The ladies, who had undertaken to furnish the carpets and cushions, costing $2011.83, had already paid $1427.64. The Sunday school had expended $506.59, mainly on the chancel. Except an organ concert, which yielded $223.75, the whole sum had
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been raised by direct donations, and all but $1099, including the subscriptions from Detroit for students' pews, had been subscribed within the parish. A list of subscribers contained in the report of the building committee, which was made to the congregation under date of 30 December, 1869, will be found in Appendix V .; in a few cases the amount subscribed had not been fully paid at the time of the report.
Of the 156 pews which, as has been re- marked, were leased, not sold, 102 were oc- cupied and yielded $2866. Expenses were constantly increasing ; among other things, the rector's salary had been increased to $2000, and the deficit at Easter was $150. The old church was retained temporarily as a chapel. The total value of the church property at this time is estimated by the rector at $40,000.
In the midst of striking evidences of growth on the material side, we get some indications from Mr. Gillespie that the spiritual condition of his charge were not so satisfactory to him; for in his annual
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report for 1869 he makes this statement : " While not disposed to speak discour- agingly of the field assigned him, the rec- tor must state, in justice to himself, that his plans looking toward the perfection of parochial life are hindered by the lack of interest and cooperation on the part of some of his people." But those who have had the privilege of knowing Dr. Gillespie personally, and those who have worked through the parish records and read his numberless exhortations, urging his parish- ioners to closer attention to spiritual things and to more earnest participation in the services of the church, will realize that the ideal of one of his strenuous ambition and intense spirituality would be beyond measure high. Running through his par- ish register one meets numberless instances of his constant alertness to discover and dis- cipline the unworthy. Examples like this
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