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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 03283 0884
Go 974. 702 Ut3g
Grace Church seventy-fifth anniversary, 1838-1913
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RACE
HURCH
UTICA, N. Y.
Seventy-fifth Anniversary 1838-1913
Allen County Public Library 900 Webster Street PO Box 2270 Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2270
Grare Church
GRACE CHURCH
Seuenty-fifth Anniversary 1838-1913
UTICA, N. Y.
Press of Bondenom Printing On. Atira, N U.
Commemoration of the
Seuenty-fifth Anniversary
of the Organization of
Brare Church Atira, N. U.
Trinity Sunday, May 18, 1913
SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
TRINITY SUNDAY, MAY 18, 1913
HOLY EUCHARIST, 7:30 A. M.
The Rector was celebrant, assisted by Mr. Knapp
HOLY EUCHARIST, 11 O'CLOCK
Processional Hymn 491-"The Church's One Foundation" .Wesley
Introit Hymn 493-"O, 'Twas a Joyful Sound to Hear" Parker
Anthem Gaul
Kyrie Gloria Tibi Credo
in E Flat. .Eyre
Great and marvellous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty ; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of Saints !- Rev. xv. 3.
To Thee all angels cry aloud, the Heavens and all the Powers therein. To Thee Cherubin and Seraphin continually do cry, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts !- Te Deum.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or the earth and the world were made, Thou art from everlasting .- Ps. xc. 2.
Alleluia ! Amen.
Sermon by the Rt. Rev. Charles Tyler Olmsted, D. D., LL. D., D. C. L., Bishop of the Diocese
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GRACE CHURCH
Offertory Hymn 418-"O God, Our Help in Ages Past" Croft Sursum Corda - Sanctus
Agnus Dei
in E Flat Eyre
Gloria in Excelsis
Recessional Hymn 412-"The King of Love My Shepherd Is" .Dykes
At this service the Bishop was celebrant, the Rector read the Gospel and the Assistant the Epistle.
Choral Evensong, 7:30 P. M.
Processional Hymn 383-"Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Al-
mighty !" . Dykes
Magnificat in A Flat. Mann Nunc Dimittis
Anthem-Festival Te Deum in B Flat.
Stanford
Sermon by the Rev. William W. Bellinger, D. D., L. H. D., Vicar of St. Agnes' Chapel, New York City
Offertory Hymn 18-"All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night". . Baker Recessional Hymn 311-"Ancient of Days, Who Sittest, Throned
in Glory" Jeffery
At the service the Assistant sang the choral service, the lesson was read by the Rev. D. D. Waugh, a former Assistant, and the Bishop sang the closing collects and gave the benediction.
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SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
MONDAY, MAY 19th Choral Evensong, 7:30 P. M.
Processional Hymn 520-"Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart !" Messiter
Magnificat in D. Garrett
Anthem Haydn
The heavens are telling the glory of God, The wonder of His work displays the firmament. The day that is coming speaks it the day : The night that is gone to following night. In all the lands resounds the word, Never unperceived, ever understood. -Psalms xix., 1, 2, 3.
Address by Mr. Charles A. Talcott, A. M., Senior Warden.
Address by the Rev. Edward H. Coley, D. D., Rector of Calvary Church, Utica
Hymn 387-"Round the Lord in Glory Seated" . Cobb
Address by the Rev. Octavius Applegate, D. D., Rector
Offertory Hymn 383-"Holy, Holy, Holy ! Lord God Almighty !" .... Dykes Recessional Hymn 490-"Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken" .... Haydn
At this service the Assistant sang the choral service, the lesson was read by the Rev. William Cooke, a former Assistant, and the Bishop sang the closing collects and gave benediction.
After this service a reception was held in the Parish House and Men's Club, and the following received: The Bishop of the Diocese, Miss Mar- tina E. Brandegee, Dr. and Mrs. Bellinger, the Rector and Mrs. Apple- gate and the Rev. Mr. Knapp.
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Rt. Rru. Charles Tyler Olmsted, D.D., L.D.D., D.O.D. 1884 Fifth Rertor 1899
GRACE CHURCH
Sermon Preached on the Morning of Trinity Sunday by the Rt. Rev. Charles Tyler Olmsted, D. D., LL. D., D. C. L., Bishop of Central New York
"Now it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought?"-Num. XXIII., 23.
One of our English poets has well said: "'Tis greatly wise to talk with our past hours, and ask them what report they bore to Heaven; and how they might have borne more welcome news ;" and I suppose that, in a measure, this is as true of corporations as of individuals-of parishes, as of every single member of the Church-because it ought to be only business corporations that "have no souls." and even they are beginning to find in these days that they are expected to have them. I do not mean to imply by this, however, that in recounting the history of Grace Church for the past seventy-five years, we are going to call public attention to the possible short-comings of the parish during that period. Public repentance of that kind is not customary on such occasions of rejoicing and thanksgiving-the purpose is rather to call atten- tion to "what God hath wrought" by His servants as the years rolled by, and to express our gratitude to Him for the good examples of those connected with the parish, who, "having finished their course in faith, do now rest from their labors." And yet, it certainly would be "greatly wise," as we are considering the "past hours,". to take note quietly in our own minds, if perchance we should discover any mistake, anything left undone, or unpro-' vided, when, if it had been different, it would have been better for the Church-just as we do so often, when reflecting upon our own individual lives.
Grace Church, Utica, was, from the first, quite a flourishing off-shoot, or colony, from the Mother Church of the city, Trinity, in the spring of 1838. It was not, as I understand it, the result of any quarrel in that old parish, but a peaceable movement of some twenty or more families, who, with the consent of the Rector, the Rev. Dr. Proal, wished to have a Church in this part of the growing city, where Grace Church is situated. Their first service was held in an upper room of the house, No. 215 Genesee
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3 1833 03283 0884
SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
Street, in the month of April, and was conducted by the Rev. Stephen McHugh, Rector of St. Paul's Church, Holland Patent, and on Monday, May 21st, a meeting was held, at which the Parish of Grace Church was duly incorporated by the election of the following vestry, viz .: Dr. P. B. Peckham and Mr. Ziba Lyon, Wardens, and Messrs. James Watson Williams, John E. Hinman, Isaiah Tiffany, Charles S. Wilson, Eli Maynard, Alex- ander S. Johnson, James M. Stocking and James M. Lewis, Vestrymen. It happened that the Rev. John C. Rudd, D. D., was at that time living in Utica, carrying on a school for boys, and also editing The Gospel Messenger, which was then a general Church newspaper-and he was of great assistance to the new Parish, and conducted services until a Rector was secured. They were also assisted in that way by the Rev. Clement M. Butler, so well known in the City of New York in those days, who was temporarily residing here. In August, 1838, the vestry extended a call to the Rev. Charles H. Halsey, but he declined, and it was not until the spring of 1839 that they secured the Rev. Albert Clark Patterson, as first Rector of the Parish. Almost imme- diately after Mr. Patterson came, they took up quite actively the building of a Church, for up to that time they were still worship- ing in the upper room. A lot on the corner of Columbia Street and Broadway was leased for ten years, and a wooden structure was put up, which was known as Grace Church, and was used for about twenty-one years. At first there were sixty pews in that building-but in less than two years it had to be enlarged and thirty-two more pews were added, to accommodate the increasing congregation. The subject of a larger and more permanent Church, in a more desirable location, was talked of as early as 1847, and in 1851 a few subscriptions were obtained, and plans were secured from the elder Upjohn, after which, in general out- line, the present building was eventually erected. But it proved to be a slow and difficult undertaking.
Mr. Alfred Munson subscribed $15,000, of which $10,000 was used for the purchase of this lot on which the Church now stands, and Mr. E. A. Graham, I believe, gave $10,000-but there were few others able to give so largely, and, as the plans called for quite an expensive building, while the money came in slowly, the work did not progress very rapidly. A Building Committee was
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Reu. Albert O. Hatterom 1839 First Rertor 1843
GRACE CHURCH
appointed, consisting of the Rector and Messrs. James Watson Williams, E. A. Graham, David Wager, George R. Perkins and George H. Wiley-which gentlemen were, I believe, all members of the vestry at that time. The new Church was begun in 1856, and on July 10th of that year the corner-stone was laid by the Bishop of Western New York, the Rt. Rev. Dr. De Lancey, who had Episcopal jurisdiction over all this part of the State at that time, the Diocese of Central New York not having been set off until twelve years later, in 1868. The Church was not opened, however, until May 20th, 1860, the 22nd anniversary of the or- ganization of the Parish. In order to reduce the cost and, as some thought, to make it possible to have the new Church at all, the plans were somewhat modified in the actual construction-the Chancel being reduced in size, and the pews differently arranged to make them more profitable-all of which had to do with cer- tain changes which, as we shall see, were afterwards made in the Church. But, while all this was going on, there had been changes also in the rectorship. Mr. Patterson's health had given out in 1843, and he was compelled to resign, and was succeeded by the Rev. George Leeds, D. D., from Salem, Mass .- a man who be- came quite prominent in the Church afterwards as the Rector of large Parishes in Philadelphia and Baltimore, and as a candidate for the Episcopate in Central New York in 1868, when the Dio- cese of Western New York was divided. Mrs. Leeds died while they were here and was buried on Forest Hill, and it was his custom to come to Utica every year, as long as he lived, to visit her grave; and when he died in 1885 he was laid by her side. Dr. Leeds remained in charge here about ten years, and was greatly beloved by the people, but finding that the Parish was bent upon having the new Church, and not feeling himself quite equal to the undertaking, he resigned in 1853, and the next year he was succeeded by the Rev. John J. Brandegee, D. D., of whom it may be truly said, that he gave his life for the building and paying for this Church. And indeed he did have a strenuous time of it. I have been told that there was a point in the proceedings when the partly-finished structure came near being sold under the hammer for the interest on the mortgage. Dr. Brandegee's health was so precarious that he was compelled to seek another climate-during the winter months-but, in spite of that, he exerted himself so
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SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
vigorously that at last he succeeded in raising enough money to finish the Church and to pay off the mortgage. He offered that money to God on the altar on Easter Day, 1864, and on the following Sunday was dead. That statue on the wall of the north transept was erected to his memory-but certainly it may, in one sense of the words, be as truly said of him here in Grace Church, as it is said in St. Paul's Cathedral, London, of Sir Christopher Wren, the architect: "Li monumentum quaeris, circumspice"- "if you ask for his monument, look about you."
In the autumn of 1864, the Rev. Edwin M. Van Deusen, D. D., of St. Peter's Church, Pittsburgh, Pa., accepted a call to Grace Church, and his rectorship proved to be the longest of any up to this time, continuing, as it did, for nearly twenty years. The new Church was consecrated by Bishop De Lancey during the vacancy in the rectorship that summer, and when the new Rector came it was possible for the Parish to give attention to other things besides its own equipment, and to reach out beyond its own im- mediate borders. Through the gift of a piece of property on Co- lumbia Street by Mr. Truman K. Butler, a parishioner, St. Luke's Home for Aged Women was started, to which was added shortly afterwards St. Luke's Hospital, and also St. Luke's Church, to which latter Dr. Van Deusen himself contributed largely, and made the Church a memorial of his daughter, Mrs. Gazzam. It was in his time also that the mission work in East Utica was undertaken-not by the Rector and Vestry, but by some of the ladies of Grace Church under the leadership of Mrs. Brandegee. At first it was known as the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, and has since grown into the self-supporting Parish of the Holy Cross. One of the important events of this rectorship was the introduc- tion of the Vested Choir, which took place in 1882. It was, I think, the first of its kind in this Diocese, and those of you who are familiar with the conditions then existing, and the terrible apprehensions which were apt to arise on the appearance of any innovation, will understand why there might have been some op- position to it at first. The change from the quartet choir up in the gallery, to the procession of vested choristers marching in with hymns, was quite startling to some good people, who did not hesitate to lift up their voices against it. But that soon passed away, and now all of our Churches in Utica have such choirs.
12
GRACE CHURCH
For about two years a man from New York served as organist and choirmaster, but on May 1st, 1884, Mr. John Francis Day assumed that position, and for twenty-five years he carried on the work most successfully, resigning at the completion of that period on May 1st, 1909, and was succeeded by Mr. Garretson, who still has charge.
Dr. Van Deusen's health began to fail in 1883, and in February of the following year he resigned and went to live with his son in Maryland, remaining there until his death in 1891.
In April, 1884, the man who now addresses you was called from Trinity Chapel, New York, to take up this work, and he entered upon his duties Whitsunday, June 1st. Before his ar- rival the Vestry had accepted the generous offer of Mrs. James Watson Williams to make certain additions to the Church, such as a steam heating plant, rooms for sacristy, Rector's study, etc., and the rearrangement of the pews to accord with the original plan of the architect. Some ten years earlier, during Dr. Van Deusen's time, Mrs. Williams had built the stone spire above the tower, which had been left unfinished, and now she began these other improvements and restorations, which continued on from time to time for several years.
Part of the work was done in the autumn of 1884 and the spring of '85, the congregation worshiping in the Chapel while the Church was being altered. Again in '88, by the same benefactor, the new Choir Room was built, with the corridor extending from the Transept to the Chapel - and again in 1890 the old Chan- cel was taken down and the present enlarged and beautified one put up in its place. It was at that time also that the new double organ was given by the congregation, at a cost of $10,000. Cham- bers were provided for it on both sides of the Chancel, and the first service in the new structure was held on Christmas Day, the work having occupied the whole time since Easter. In the autumn of that year, 1890, the Rector, with his assistant, the Rev. William Cooke, now Archdeacon of the Diocese, and with the help of the Chapter of St. Andrew's Brotherhood, then existing in the Parish, began a mission work in the southern part of the city, which afterwards developed into the Parish of St. Andrew's- and this, you will observe, is the third self-supporting Parish in Utica which owes its existence to Grace Church.
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SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
There was at this time, also, a considerable increase in the organized work of the parishioners themselves. The Altar So- ciety, Woman's Auxiliary, and Ladies' Volunteer Choir were, I believe, started in Dr. Van Deusen's time, and they are still flourishing to this day. Then came the Employment Society and Brotherhood of St. Andrew, which are now, I think, discontinued, while the Girls' Friendly Society and the Ladies' Aid Society are still carrying on their good work among you-the former having been started with Mrs. Arthur B. Johnson as Branch Secretary, and the latter with Mrs. James S. Lynch as President, of whose efficiency in both cases we cannot speak too highly.
In the spring of 1899 the then Rector, having been here fifteen years, was called to other work, which he felt it his duty to accept, and in the following October the Rev. W. W. Bellinger, D. D., at that time Rector of St. Mary's Church, Brooklyn, accepted this position, and maintained it most successfully for nine years. It is unbecoming, of course, to speak of living persons on such occasions in terms either of praise or dispraise, but we may say that, besides Dr. Bellinger's other gifts, you will seldom find a pastor more attentive to his people, particularly in time of sick- ness. In the fall of 1908 he accepted a call to be Vicar of St. Agnes' Chapel, Trinity Parish, New York, and the following spring the Rev. Octavius Applegate, D. D., of Kingston, N. Y., took his place, and he still abides among you at the close of your 75th year. Since Dr. Applegate's coming a successful Men's
Club has been organized in the Parish, for the accommodation of which a very well equipped house, adjoining the Parish Rooms, has been donated by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas R. Proctor and Mr. and Mrs. Frederick T. Proctor. May the Good Lord abundantly bless the labors of your Rector and his assistant, and may you, dear friends, stand by them, with one heart and one mind, uphold- ing their hands, striving together for the truth of the Gospel and for the prosperity and success of this grand Parish.
Of the Laymen who have been prominent in Grace Church, and have now gone to their rest, besides those whose names have been already given, we may mention the Hon. Hiram Denio, the Hon. Ward Hunt, the Hon. Samuel Beardsley, the Hon. Timothy Pitkin, the Hon. Charles Doolittle, Mr. Charles P. Kirkland, Dr. C. B. Coventry, Dr. S. G. Wolcott, the Hon. Julius A. Spencer, Mr.
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Reu. George Areds, D.D. 1843 Serand Rertor 1853
GRACE CHURCH
J. H. Edmonds, Mr. Hawley E. Heath, Mr. Stephen Thorn, Mr. Benjamin F. Ray, Mr. Simon V. Oley, Mr. George R. Thomas, Mr. William B. Jackson, Mr. James F. Mann, Mr. William M. White, Dr. William H. Watson and others too numerous to recall at this time. There were also many fine women, some of them wives of these gentlemen, whose names are well worthy of honorable mention, but I will not attempt to enumerate them, lest haply some one might be overlooked, and thereby an undeserved and unintentional injury be done. We all know how much the success of every. Parish in these days is due to the "devout women, not a few," who so willingly bestow their time and their strength, and their money, if they have it, to the prosecution of those lines of work in which the men are not so much in the habit of taking an interest, and Grace Church has by no means been lacking in them, though their names do not stand so promi- nently on the records as perhaps they should. And in this connec- tion it is only right to say, that such workers, while they may not be able to do so much as some others in a financial way, yet their personal service, so freely and generously given, is really beyond price - it cannot be calculated in figures, and though we may have no list of their names here on earth, we know that they are written in Heaven, and will surely be found in the Lamb's Book of Life.
And now let me close with the expression of my most heartfelt congratulations to the Clergy, the Vestry and the people of this Parish, on the attainment of your 75th anniversary, and the record of good work which it shows-with my fatherly benediction on you all, personally and as a congregation, and my earnest wish that you may go forward to the accomplishment of even greater things, working together with one heart and one mind, with self- denial and devotion, for the benefit of mankind and for the glory of Almighty God and the extension of His Kingdom, to whom, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, be ascribed all thanks, might, majesty, dominion and praise henceforth and forever more. Amen !
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SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
Sermon Preached on the Evening of Trinity Sunday by the Rev. William W. Bellinger, D. D., L. H. D., Vicar of St. Agnes' Chapel, Trinity Parish, New York City-Formerly Rector of Grace Church
A WORTHY SANCTUARY OF GOD
Psalm 84:1
To return to a City which you love, to a Church in the pointing of whose stones are sealed many sacred memories, is rather enough of an undertaking for one day, apart from anything else. I may, therefore, be pardoned, if I do not permit myself to begin to say what my own feelings are on an occasion of this character- other than I have already stated.
Our text is the first verse of the 84th Psalm: "How amiable are Thy Tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts !"
So self-evident is the appositeness of this text to the occasion, that we have no excuse whatsoever for consuming any time in proving such to be the case. We may consequently pass at once across the threshold and proceed to our subject.
Seventy-five years are not very long history. When we com- pare them with the ancient Churches, Cathedrals and Minsters, whose life runs back over five hundred, one thousand or more years, then certainly three-quarters of a single century is not a very long time. Yet seventy-five of the best years of the best ages that the world has ever known need not blush to stand boldly forth in the presence of ten centuries of less significance and demand attention. That is what we think is the situation here to-night. Really we are not greatly concerned with the fact that this Church was or- ganized seven and a half decades ago, but we are profoundly and acutely interested in asking-not how old are we, but-are we alive? Are we proceeding with alertness and alacrity ? Is senility to be perceived anywhere upon the life of the Church itself? Or is that life stamped with the symptoms of disease and with the
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Reu. John J. Brandeger, D.D. 1854 Third Rertar 1864
GRACE CHURCH
decay of vital functions ? Such an anniversary as this, offers a vantage point for reflection upon this subject, and it is to that that I ask your kindly attention this evening; and I do so be- cause it is the best use that I can make of this occasion. Why so? Why do I think that it is the best use that I can make of this occasion ?
Well, first of all, because the Church, as an institution, is not by some people as greatly esteemed as once it was. It does not tower so high in the minds of some thoughtful persons as formerly it did. Frequently to-day we hear language concerning it which at any rate portrays the feelings of those who utter it. Some such words as these are quite familiar to all of us: The Church is both antiquated and tuberculous.
Then there are those who talk with more love concerning the Church, but the language which they use to describe their affec- tion is saturated with, and reminds us of the phraseology of the lamentations of Jeremiah: it expresses itself in wails and in tears. The Church is visionless; the Church is powerless. Its influence once so vast, once so wide-spread, is now a memory- a fragrant but funereal memory. There used to be giants in the days gone by, when you and I were boys and girls. There were great preachers then, but now none such is to be found.
Then again there are other circles of people who minimize the Church under the plausible pretext of philanthropic service. There are so many wrongs to be righted ; there are so many hungry peo- ple to be fed ; there are so many naked to be clothed ; there are so many sick to be ministered unto. Why, it is the climax of folly and senselessness, to spend so much time and so much money upon an institution whose message dates back from two thousand to ten thousand or more years.
Thus it goes, and the Church is held up as an object of scorn and contumely, a thing to be sneered at.
Many such complaints reach you as well as me. Some an- nounce that the Creeds of the Church are outworn and its Gospel meaningless. Its mechanism is out of date and fossilized.
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SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
Others proclaim: "No; the Creeds are all right. The trouble is that the Church does not believe its own Creeds. The machin- ery is thoroughly satisfactory, but it only works on quarter time. The Gospel is true, but its messengers are faithless."
Now what are we to say to all of these things? What reply will we make to them? The best possible answer is a living ex- ample of a Church over which seven and a half decades have passed and which yet has upon it the bloom of perpetual youth. Yes; this is the best possible answer.
Such I believe this Grace Church, Utica, to be. And it is my priceless privilege to-night to be with you and to join in your re- joicing and commemoration of this anniversary-this day of larger hope, of greater experience and stronger life.
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