USA > Missouri > Encyclopedia of the history of Missouri, a compendium of history and biography for ready reference, Vol. II > Part 19
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The Swedish Church was adopted in 1879, not reported in the Year Swedish Church. Book till 1886, when it had forty members ; Rev. Gus- tavus Holmquist, pastor, beginning in 1885; Solomon Arnquist, 1891 ; Andrew G. John- son, 1894; followed by N. J. Lind, ordained pastor November 4, 1897, by a council. Hav- ing paid rent for a hall on Locust and Eleventh Streets, in 1892 its liberal members, led by Mr. Johansen, purchased land on Hickory and Armstrong Streets, and by the aid of the City Missionary Society its good brick edifice, with church rooms above and two dwellings below, was erected, dedicated
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CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN ST. LOUIS.
December 20, 1894. This church among the people of Gustavus Adolphus deserves the sympathy of all.
In 1881 we find the next outbranching of our tree, and then on both sides, north and south.
In 1880 an appeal for help came to Pilgrim Church at its prayer meet- Compton Hill Church. ing from some who had been trying in vain to make a Sunday school and Presbyterian Church live on High, or Twenty-third and Clark Streets; and earnest and liberal mem- bers took hold of the enterprise as a Sabbath school. At the solicitation of Rev. Dr. Good- ell, Rev. George C. Adams, of Alton, Illinois, came as pastor, and in July, 1881, a church was organized with thirty-seven members, as the "Fifth Congregational," and Rev. Mr. Adams was installed October IIth of that year. The property was purchased and sal- ary guaranteed by pastor and members of Pilgrim Church, and the Fifth Congrega- tional Church soon came to self-support, and soon began talking about removal to a better locality, for by 1887 a change had come over the vicinity by progress of business, and a more promising field opened south of the rail- roads, not well supplied with churches and rapidly growing with families, giving pros- pect eventually of a much stronger church in that vicinity. Therefore, under lead of their pastor, they sold their property and bought a lot, and by help of Pilgrim Church built a chapel at the corner of Lafayette and Comp- ton Avenues, and took the name of Compton Hill Congregational Church, retaining the date of their organization in 1881. Their beautiful and convenient edifice was com- pleted in 1894, and their increasing congrega- tions, Sunday school and varied societies have responded to the attractive privileges. Rev. Dr. Adams, after fifteen years of remarkably strong and successful work, yielded to an urgent call from the First Congregational Church in San Francisco, and was dismissed October 22, 1896, to go to his new charge. He had greatly endeared himself to his peo- ple, to the denomination and to the city. Rev. Dan'1 M. Fisk, D. D., was called from the First Church, Toledo, Ohio, and was wel- comed with enthusiasm early in 1897. Some conveniences were added to their house of worship for the meeting with them that year of the General Association of Missouri, and
the work began auspiciously with a new pastor. Compton Hill Congregational Church occupies a good position, and is at the center of a large and growing population.
Also in 1881 another enterprise was begun. A chapel built by the
Hyde Park Church. Presbyterians for a work
that had been given up was purchased, moved, finished and dedicated July roth, and a church was organized July 25th of that year with twenty-one members, taking its name from the adjoining park as the "Hyde Park Congregational Church." Rev. A. K. Wray was first pastor, 1882; he was followed by Robt. M. Higgins, 1887; Wm. M. Jones, Ph. D., 1891, who still re- mains. The first church edifice was built of wood; it was sold in 1894, and a fine brick building, commenced immediately, was in process of building when financial difficulties prevented its completion. With noble faith and liberal efforts, the Hyde Park people per- severed in finishing the commodious first story. They have received an appropriation from the Congregational Church Building Society sufficient to remove embarrassments and give into their possession a fine building in an important district; and, although the building is not yet complete, its future is secured. Their Sabbath school is one of the largest in the city. It has 450 members, and averages 290 in attendance.
Again, a Sunday school had been started in a neighborhood where Memorial Church. little religious interest was found, in Cheltenham, then a suburb, by Mr. Hobart Brinsmade and Mr. A. W. Benedict, and this led to a church of twenty-six members, organized August 20, 1882, which, after the death of Dr. Goodell, was named "Memorial Church," in honor of his memory. Its pastors have been, Revs. Charles W. Drake, 1882; Horace B. Knight, 1884; Francis C. Woodward, 1886; Elias F. Swab, 1888; Henry Tudor, 1890; Edward Eells, 1891; Christopher H. Bente, 1892 to 1896, a longer pastorate than any preceding. He was followed in 1897 by Frank Foster. This is both a needy and a growing field, in- cluding in its area a large manufacturing population and a residence section south of Forest Park.
Thus in two years three churches were added to the number already existing.
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CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN ST. LOUIS.
Again, in the onward movement, a mis- sion Sunday school with Union Church. preaching services had been begun, and was sus- tained by Mr. S. B. Kellogg, at Third and Biddle Streets, and here "Union Church" was organized in 1883, removing several times, till, in 1890, it found an abiding place on Tenth Street, near Cass Avenue, in a brick building erected by the City Missionary Soci- ety, on a lot purchased for it. The church, with two dwellings on the same lot, are valued at $16,000. The pastors have been, Revs. Edmund R. Colman, 1885; David Q. . Travis (Lic.), 1886; Dana W. Bartlett, 1887; Wm. D. Jones, 1891 ; Harry L. Forbes, 1893 ; S. T. Mckinney, 1897, with occasional preaching by others. This is the most east- erly and strictly downtown of our churches, in a denseley settled section. It is earnestly working, although amid embarrassments, and doing strictly missionary work.
The Olive Branch Church likewise resulted from a Sabbath school on the south side, in a neglected neighborhood, conducted by Mr. H. Brinsmade and others. For a time the Sabbath school numbered several hundred members. The church was organized in 1884. A chapel, by liberal gifts, had been built on Sidney Street, and it was dedicated May 26, 1885. It was dedicated with a debt, but that debt was afterward paid and a subsequent en- largement of the chapel made. The first pas- tor was Rev. Edmund T. Colman, followed by Rev. Irl R. Hicks, 1885; John B. John- ston, 1888; Charles A. Wight, 1890; Edgar H. Libby, 1893, who ministered here until May, 1898, working faithfully among a great population of varied nationalities.
Thus two churches were added in two years in the downtown districts at long distances from each other.
The year 1885 was marked by the addition of two other churches in the northern portion of the city, different in language, and hence both much needed.
The first German Congregational Church was organized June 25, 1885. For its use a small building was erected on Garfield and Spring Avenues. This building was com- pleted early in 1886, and did well for a time; later on, and for greater needs, a fine church was erected in 1897, and dedicated December 12th of that year. Marcellus Herberg com- menced work in this new organization as pas-
tor in 1885; George Horst, in 1887. Mr. Horst died by injury from a runaway horse in 1894, August 7th. Martin Krey, the pres- ent pastor, was installed February 7, 1895. For the purchase of land and the original building $3,679 was obtained from the Con- gregational Union; Pilgrim Church reports $1,050 given; probably this was reckoned in the aid through the Union. The present church was erected by subscriptions from members and friends. It has a useful work before it, and strongly appeals to us as the only distinctive representative of our denomi- nation among the German population in the city, although many of the Germans, it is true, are in our other English-speaking churches.
Again, a Sunday school was commenced July 7, 1870, in a wooden chapel near the fair grounds, led by M. Trumbell, D. N. Brown and J. A. Parker, chiefly under the care of Pilgrim and Third Churches. In 1885 a com- modious brick church, costing $5,347.60, was erected on Barrett and Thompson Avenues by liberal gifts-$3,000 of it given by Mrs. Goodell and presented to The Church of the Redeemer at its formation, and at the dedica- tion of the house, October 19, 1885. Silas L. Smith, 1885; George M. Sanborne, 1887; George S. Ricker, 1889; Elmer E. Willey, 1890; Edward F. Wheeler, 1893, its present devoted pastor, have followed each other in succession. The church was aided in fur- nishing its chapel and in other expenses in 1885, Pilgrim Church giving $833.41 ; but of late years it has been self-supporting, a fact largely due to the unwearied efforts and the Christian self-denial of its pastor. It has a large Sunday school, especially of young chil- dren, and is doing a great educational and missionary work in the midst of a large popu- lation. The possibilities of the church and school are far beyond their present enrolled membership.
Now comes an epoch in Congregational work and church exten- Congregational City Missionary Society. sion in St. Louis. Thus far the churches had been organized by persons de- siring to form them, or as a result of the effort of individuals working in Sunday schools, or by pastors and churches, espe- cially Pilgrim Church and its pastors. aiding and bringing forward new enterprises, a method of procedure in which it is easy to
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CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN ST. LOUIS.
see that the care of starting churches, or erecting buildings, or supporting pastors until self-support was reached, had rested of the unorganized liberality of churches and indi- vidnal givers. True, the American Home Missionary Society had helped support the missionary pastors and the superintendents of that society, as, for example, in the case of Rev. E. B. Turner, with a residence at Han- nibal, and Revs. West, Harwood and Doe, who resided in St. Louis, while they super- vised the work of the whole State; and the Congregational Union had aided three churches and stood ready to help as facts of need were presented and churches grew. But there was need of more thorough organiza- tion among the now twelve Congregational Churches of the city to overlook the whole field, to explore destitute portions of our extending city, to determine the need for church extension and church building, to ad- vise with and aid feeble churches, to take the oversight of buildings, of property, of funds raised for the work, by an organiza- tion and an agency nearer and more efficient than any established in New York, or man- aged by the New York society, could possi- bly be. Several mission churches had already been formed and more were in prospect from prospering mission Sunday schools. To meet, therefore, the growing demand felt by all parties for a closer relation between the increasing needs and an efficient superin- tendency on the ground, the Congregational City Missionary Society was incorporated May 12, 1887. The organization of the soci- ety was brought about largely through the influence of Rev. Dr. Stimson, pastor of Pil- grim Church, and it has been an efficient agency in starting or counseling or aiding churches ever since, and it has stimulated and received liberal contributions from all, or nearly all, the churches of our order, and from many generous givers, though its means have never equaled its wants, and some of the most promising opportunities for church extension in the city have been lost through lack of funds to meet the pressing demands of the hour.
The first work of the city society was pur- chasing the building on Twenty-third and Clark Streets, abandoned by the Fifth Church when it moved to Compton Hill, and resuming services in it as a People's Taber- nacle, under the care of Superintendent Rev.
Wm. Johnson, who organized there a church in 1887 with eighty-six members, all joining by letter. He was followed by John M. P. Metcalf, 1888; John D. Nutting, 1890, and Rev. Mr. Johnson himself returning in 1893, where he has labored constantly since with success. The People's Tabernacle is sur- rounded by a numerous population, engaged in manufacturing, railroad work, etc. It stands with little or no competition from other churches, and is doing a great evan- gelistic work. While the building is old, the land upon which it stands is valuable.
We come now to the Aubert Place Church, Aubert Place, in the central-western portion of the city. This church was organized in 1890 with twenty-five members, thirteen chiefly from the First Church, by letter, and twelve on confession. The Rev. E. E. Braith- wait was ordained pastor in November, 1890. . The first church, which they were assisted in building, was of wood; this in a few years proved inadequate, and they prepared for a larger and more costly stone and brick church with enthusiastic self-denial, moving the wooden structure to another portion of their lot. After removal the old structure was burned in January, 1895, with furniture, library and all its contents. This was, of course, a blow, but services were held in a German church until they could furnish the spacious basement of their new building, which they did, and moved into it in the spring. A proposition was made to unite with the Third Church, which union was brought about in the autumn of that same year, and their pastor, Rev. E. E. Braitlı- wait, was dismissed September 19, 1895, after five years of faithful labor. After union the church took the name of "The Fountain Park Congregational Church," and has for its present pastor, as we have already noted under the Third Church, Rev. Harry C. Vrooman.
Again, in 1890, the Old Orchard Church, really a daughter of the Webster Groves Church, was organized. Its pastors have been: Revs. F. W. Burrows, 1891; A. I. Bradley, 1894, and F. W. Hemenway, 1897, who, with health impaired, has just resigned. After worshiping in a hall, it built a con- venient church in 1898.
In 1891 two more new churches were or- ganized, one in the northwest, and the other the southwest, part of the city, and they
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CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN ST. LOUIS.
were well named Hope and Immanuel. A Sunday school under varied auspices, chiefly those of Plymouth Church, had been carried on north of Easton Avenue, in the western border of the growing city, and the City Missionary Society took charge of the en- terprise, erected a building, and April 26, 1891, organized a church of twenty-six mem- bers, with Rev. J. P. O'Brien in charge, who was installed by council June 25, 1891, and regretfully dismissed also by council May 26, 1898, after seven years of fruitful labor, to accept a call to Kansas City, Missouri, to take the place of Rev. C. L. Kloss in the Tabernacle Church. Hope Church has a large Sunday school crowding its accommo- dations, and it appeals for a new and larger building, that it may come to full self-sup- port. It is, indeed, a hopeful, promising field.
The organization of the Immanuel Church was as follows: A Sunday school had been started in 1890, under charge of Deacon Isaac Green, of the Third Church, in the southwestern part of the city. Several pas- tors visited the field, saw the need and pros- pects, and as a result Immanuel Church, January 27, 1891, was formed to supply the wants of a growing community in Harlem Place and Lindenwood and vicinity. It occu- pied a building erected by the City Mission- ary Society for $1,500. The church had twenty-nine members, coming to join it from several denominations. Rev. J. P. O'Brien was pastor for a time, followed by Revs. Edgar L. Morse, 1892, and Wm. N. Bessey, 1894. Though the growth of that immedi- ate vicinity has not been as rapid as was expected, yet the church has done, and is doing, excellent work, and continues to in- crease. It has a good field almost entirely to itself and a loved pastor.
In 1890 the City Missionary Society, see- ing that many families were moving into a central portion of the west end, not then supplied with churches, purchased a lot on Delmar and Newstead Avenues, and in 1891 erected a brick chapel upon it, which was dedicated December 6th of that year, and a Sunday school was commenced the next Sabbath, Deacon H. Brinsmade being super- intendent. Rev. J. L. Sewall was called by the City Missionary Society January 25, 1892, to take charge of the work, and remained till September 26, 1893. The church was organized April 28. 1892, and recognized by
council June 3d of that year, with seventy- one members, forty-three coming by letter from Pilgrim Church, fifteen from other churches and thirteen on confession of faith in Christ. June 29, 1892, the church bought the property from the City Missionary Society, paying $8,927, assumed an encumbrance of $5,260, paid up all which had been expended on their field and declared self-support, be- coming also liberal contributors to that and other societies, their contributions being the third in aggregate amounts given by any of our churches, and by far the largest in av- erage per member of any church in the city and State. In December the church called Rev. C. S. Sargent, D. D., of Massachusetts, to their pastorate; he entered on his work in January, 1894, and was installed March Ist. Dr. Sargent has labored faithfully and successfully in this field, but the opportu- nity before the church has always been lim- ited by the fact that its chapel has not been sufficient to meet the demands of the field. This condition of things is more than ever emphasized at this time by the fact that Central Church is now surrounded by other churches, who have sold costly properties farther east and erected new buildings in the vicinity of, and surrounding, Central Church. And yet this church has an impor- tant strategic position for reaching desirable families, who would not attend any other of our churches. The numerous additions of late have been largely of persons from other places, many of them not formerly Congregationalists, and who would not be so now if this church were not where it is.
In Maplewood, just at the western limits of the city, a Sunday school was formed under the care of the City Missionary Soci- ety, December 27, 1891, first, in a private house; it then moved to an unfinished shop in the neighborhood. In connection with this school also was formed a branch at Ellendale, near the other. The Ellendale enterprise failed; the other was very suc- cessful, so that a church of thirty-two mem- bers, formerly of eleven different denomi- nations, was organized April 2, 1893, taking the name of the Congregational Church of the Covenant. This church was ministered to by Rev. A. L. Love, superintendent of the City Missionary Society, by whose efforts a neat church building with many conveniences was erected, costing in all about $6,000. It
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CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN ST. LOUIS.
was dedicated March 13, 1896. Mr. Love's work, of course, was only temporary, and the church soon felt the need of a perma- nent pastor, and they called Rev. T. T. Hol- way, who was ordained pastor May 14th. The church is in a growing section, and has promise of substantial increase under its faithful young pastor. It has won to itself those who made efforts to organize another Christian Church near them, and thus proves itself a union church.
The year 1894 is memorable for the addi- tion of two churches, as 1866, 1869, 1881, 1885 and 1891 had also been memorable years.
The first of these is what is known as Reber Place Church. Some distance from any ,church, in the southwestern section of the city, a Sunday school, under care of P. W. Allen and Lewis E. Snow, had been gath- ered, and sometimes worship had been held several years near old Manchester Road, under the name of the Manchester Road Mission. After a revival, in which were many conversions, and in which George E. Thomas, of Aubert Place, was a successful spiritual leader, there were gathered into a church eighty-three members, sixty-four on confes- sion and nineteen by letter, February 25, 1894, the organization being called, from its locality, Reber Place Church. The City Mis- sionary Society erected a building capable of use for a Sunday school and Sabbath worship, but so made as to be available sub- sequently for residences. Rev. E. L. Morse, of Immanuel Church, had charge for a sea- son, but as a special pastor was needed all the time, and both churches wished services at the same hour, a call was, therefore, ex- tended to Rev. Firth Stringer, and he was installed June 22, 1894. His work has pros- pered; he has seen a good development in numbers in both the church and Sunday school, and growth both in Christian work and in spirituality. The promise of increased financial ability is also good, and the mem- bers of the church are now looking hopefully toward a larger building on a more favor- able lot.
The Bethlehem Bohemian Mission has been conducted since 1891 under the City Missionary Society by Rev. E. Wrbitzky and Miss Belcahm, visitor. The new mission absorbed what had been called Bethany Mis- sion, commenced in 1888 to work, and with
success, among the Bohemians. But the Bethany Mission was in a location not the best for that purpose. Its headquarters were in a hall; it was supported by the City Mis- sionary Society, who paid for the hall, a con- siderable expense, and also for the work of the visitor, Miss Tilson. After four and a half years this seemed to be too expensive a method of conducting the Bohemian work, and the Bethany and the Bohemian Missions were united. March 20, 1894, a church of seventeen members was formed; the chapel of another church was hired for the Sunday school and for worship, till, by a free lease of land and liberal gifts, a good brick church was erected on Allen Avenue and Thirteenth Streets, and dedicated, free of debt, May 16, 1897. The history of the building of this house is of the deepest interest, and the mission has a work for both Bohemians and Americans, especially for the young. The Sunday school has two departments, one Bo- hemian and the other in English.
The churches had now in forty-two years reached just a full score, but several were having hard struggles financially on account of depression of business.
In 1895, as we have seen, the Third Church sold their buildings and desirable lot on Grand and Page Avenues for $35,000, paid debt of $13,000 and joined with Aubert Place Church, who had a capacious lot, good foun- dations and basement, in which they were worshiping, and with united resources fur- nished an ample and convenient church for worship and all church uses. We have noted, too, that the union movement took the name of "Fountain Park Church," and they dedi- cated their house of worship November 29, 1896. But by this union the number of churches was reduced to nineteen, the total membership of the churches and Sunday- school members diminished; but the abil- ity for giving and ease of support increased. The pastors of the two churches combined removed to other fields, and Rev. Harry C. Vrooman was installed over the united church, January 30, 1896. This field has a well-nigh unlimited opportunity.
The expenditures of the City Missionary Society had for several years exceeded its income, and though generous offers were made by its friends and reduction of sala- ries was submitted to by its missionaries, and no new work in the city was permitted,
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CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN ST. LOUIS.
yet its debts became so heavy that the dis- pensing with the services of a superintend- ent became unavoidable. Rev. A. L. Love, therefore, resigned his office in the autumn of 1896, after having built an edifice costing $900 at Valley Park, some twenty miles west of the city for a Sunday school at a needy community, and organized there in 1896 a church of six members, all by letter, with the expectation of more to join them. Thus the city work reached into the country by send- ing ministerial supplies. The superintend- ent, however, took charge of building and finished the church for the Bohemians as his last work before leaving the city.
This brings us to our present condition and the summing up the growth of Congregation- alism. In less than forty-six years-less than a single full ministry of one reaching ripe age-it has grown from one church of twenty-five members, with 130 in Sunday school, to nineteen churches, with 3,590 (last year's report), all maintaining Sunday schools with 4,387 attendants; all maintain- ing prayer meetings, ladies' societies of varied kinds, and various other forms of work for the kingdom of Christ. This is really a remarkable growth. Add to this facts like these-the total value of church property in 1895 was $461,000, with debts, $59,900, leaving value above encum- brances $401,100. Since that the Bohemian, costing about $7,500, and the German main church buildings have been erected, and Fountain Park's attractive church, costing $26,000.
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