USA > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia County > Philadelphia > History of the Parish of the Holy Apostles, Philadelphia : 1868-1918 > Part 10
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Rev. Thomas G. Brown, Minister-in-Charge, on November 13, 1907, asked permission to leave his work and go to Africa as a missionary, but his health prevented him from taking up that work. On the advice of his physician he accepted a charge in Denver, Colorado, his resig- nation taking effect on February 14, 1909. The
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Sunday-school under his guidance had grown to 362 members.
On March 3, 1909, the Rev. John R. Logan, of Charlestown, W. Va., was asked to take charge of the work. Mr. Logan entered upon his ministry in May, 1909, coming from St. Philip's Church, Charlestown, W. Va., where he had been Minister-in-Charge. Born in Danville, Va., October 26, 1876, he received his educa- tion in the public schools of Danville and Roa- noke, Va., Biddle University, Charlotte, N. C., and in 1905 he graduated from the Bishop Payne Divinity School, Petersburg, Va.
On April 14, 1909, Mr. George C. Thomas presented $12,000 as an endowment to the chapel, thus enabling the vestry to relieve the Southwest Convocation of all responsibility for the further care of the work.
Before Mr. Logan could get into the work Mr. George C. Thomas had entered into rest, and the Rev. Nathaniel S. Thomas had gone to Wyo- ming. But the work had received an excellent start, and the new vicar was full of energy and unsparing of himself, and it continued to grow, and, receiving the hearty sympathy and support of the new rector, the Rev. Wilson R. Stearly, it was soon thought wise to build again, this time in the shape of a chapel. Mr. Walter H. Thomas was commissioned to draw up the plans. The
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plans needed revision and this took time, and be- fore they were again ready there was another change in rectors of the parish, and it was not until August 30, 1913, while Rev. Wm. T. Capers was rector, that ground was broken. Farewell services in the old frame building, crowded with many tender memories, were held on Sunday, August 31st, when 126 persons received the Holy Communion.
On Sunday, November 21, 1913, the Rt. Rev. Samuel David Ferguson, D. D., Missionary Bishop of Liberia, West Africa, the only negro bishop in the Protestant Episcopal Church, vis- ited the chapel and preached to a large congre- gation.
The financial report for this year showed that $2724.15 had been received from all sources, an increase of $394.41 over the previous year.
April 19, 1914, was a red-letter day for the chapel, the corner-stone for the new chapel building being laid by Bishop Rhinelander, with the Knights of Pythias as a bodyguard, a choir of forty voices, and a congregation which filled the intersecting streets.
Bishop Rhinelander was again at the chapel when it was dedicated on October 18, 1914, when the congregation crowded the build- ing, many being compelled to stand. "The most joyous day in the history of the chapel, which is
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REV. JOHN R. LOGAN
HI
NEW CHAPEL, ST. SIMON THE CYRENIAN
now comfortably housed in a beautiful sanc- tuary and with a parish house with every needed equipment," as the vicar said. An attendance of 402 scholars on this day showed that the Sun- day-school entered into the joy of the occasion.
The work continued to grow rapidly, the new chapel building being well filled on Sun- days, while the Parish Building was full of ac- tivities during nearly every evening in the week. By May 1, 1915, the communicant list had grown to 550.
Quite naturally it came about that a pipe organ must be installed, and through the efforts of the members of the chapel, aided by the Car- negie Fund, a good instrument was erected and dedicated on November 17, 1916.
There is a fine feeling between the vicar and his flock. Truly he is their shepherd and they know his voice, and other sheep are constantly coming in. This is particularly noticeable in the Sunday-school, which on January 1, 1917, num- bered seven hundred and forty-two, while there were five hundred and forty-six communicants.
In the December, 1917, issue of the "Monthly Message," in writing an article about the work of St. Simon's, the vicar said among other things :-
"The new chapel is used exclusively for ad- ministering of the Sacraments and other services of
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a religious and devotional character. The parish-house shelters our activities of mind and body building among our young people; and the meeting place of our sixteen guilds and organizations ; our kindergarten school with its enrollment of 150, with an average of 90 daily; the Sunday-school with its departments, of Cradle Roll, Primary, Junior, and Senior Schools with an enroll- ment of more than 500, with 48 officers and teachers; our gymnasium with its eight different groups meet- ing both afternoons and evenings for helpful recreation under proper instruction and direction; our weekly clinic for mothers and babies, where under physicians and trained nurses the mothers are taught in the proper physical development of their infants, the Red Cross with their three groups of workers meeting weekly, making surgical dressings, sewing and knitting for the needs of the war.
Through the services of the chapel and the ac- tivities of the parish-house we are reaching, we feel helpfully, a large number of our people in this part of the city. Our opportunities are legion and we are striv- ing to meet them as best we can. There has been a marked increase in the population during the past few years in the neighborhood of the chapel. Seven years ago there was only one family within a radius of a square that belonged to this chapel, while to-day there are 22 families in the same radius. The people are responding to the Church's call, because she has so much to offer in the way of moral and Christian char- acter building.
During the past seven years there have been 443 baptisms, 377 persons prepared and presented for con- firmation, an average of 54 yearly, presenting one year the remarkable number of 118. The membership in
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INTERIOR OF THE NEW CHAPEL, ST. SIMON THE CYRENIAN
the same period of years going from 181 to 578. This has not been an overnight growth, but a sure and steady one. To be sure we have some in this number who are slackers-this would be most exceptional if not so, when it comes to faithfulness and loyalty to the Church, and, too, quite a number of our communicants are young people in school, yet regardless of this our yearly chapel offerings have increased fourfold, and our Sun- day-school has given $2,881.02 for General Missions, going from $251.45 in 1911, to $518.82 in 1917. All of this has been said, not in the sense of boasting or sing- ing one's praises, but to state the facts in connection with the growth and development of the chapel among our people in this part of the Lord's vineyard. Yet there is so much more to be done, and so many more people to be reached. We have a fine lot of young boys and girls in our chapel, growing into manhood and womanhood, and it is our aim and ambition to train and develop them into useful members of the Christian Church, and give them the right vision of Christian service.
Our parish building is far too small for our present needs, and should be enlarged to give us more room to properly and adequately do our work. (Since the above was written, the house adjoining the chapel, 2122 Reed Street, has been given by Mrs. George C. Thomas to the parish for the work of the chapel, which will give it more room for its activities, and will relieve some of the congestion in our Sunday-school. For this gift the chapel is profoundly grateful to Mrs. Thomas whose interest in its work has been constant and helpful.) The work is entirely too much for one man to do prop- erly and well; all of the services, preaching, calling- save that done by volunteers-funerals and other serv-
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ices, plus the oversight of the many activities of the chapel. We are sadly in need of an assistant, but have not been able, for lack of funds, to secure one. With the proper assistance St. Simon's Chapel could be made not only second to none among our people in this Diocese, but in the Church at large."
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Chapel of the Mediator
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MEafter- H. Charras. Archifret . : s:s"!
CHAPEL OF THE MEDIATOR, (GEORGE C. THOMAS MEMORIAL)
CHAPEL OF THE MEDIATOR 51ST AND SPRUCE STREETS
(George C. Thomas Memorial)
The history of the Chapel of the Mediator reads like some of Charles Dickens' plots. You begin at one place and with one set of characters, drop the thread suddenly and pick it up in an- other place and with another group of people, and then repeat the operation until you wonder where the story is going to lead, when, presto! the localities and individuals all suddenly appear to have an intimate relation with each other, and all are necessary to the tale. So in like manner we must examine the history of three institu- tions before we obtain a clear sense of the his- tory of the Chapel of the Mediator.
The earliest story is that of the Church of the Mediator, Nineteenth and Lombard Streets.
The next that of the Church of the Recon- ciliation, Fifty-first and Spruce Streets.
The last is that of the Chapel of the Medi- ator (of the Parish of the Holy Apostles), at Fifty-first and Spruce Streets.
On the corner-stone of the new chapel of the Mediator there are three dates, 1849-1905-1916.
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They are symbolic, for this third corner stone is really the inheritor of two other corner-stone symbolisms.
I THE CHURCH OF THE MEDIATOR 19TH AND LOMBARD STREETS
Mr. Lemuel Coffin with certain members of St. Andrew's and Epiphany churches associated themselves late in the year 1846 or early in 1847 for the purpose of beginning a new church work in South Philadelphia.
In the office of a lumber yard, at the corner of Seventeenth and Spruce Streets, a Sunday- school was started which, beginning with twelve scholars, in a few weeks numbered more than a hundred.
On February 17, 1847, the Rev. Samuel A. Clark, of the Diocese of Massachusetts, was in- vited to take charge of the work.
Evening services were held, the vestrymen bringing "candles in their pockets" to light the room. (Probably these are the only candles the "old Mediator" ever countenanced !) There was nothing unusual about the use of candles then, because although "inflammable gas" was on ex- hibition in Philadelphia as early as 1796, it was not until 1836 that the first gas works for public service was erected at Schuylkill Front Street and Market Street; in 1847 it was far from being
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OLD CHURCH OF THE MEDIATOR
generally used. Two months later a large room at Twentieth and Hand (now Addison) streets was secured and here, for about two months, Mr. Clark preached and administered the Sacra- ments, and then retired from the field. For seven months following no services were held, and then were resumed by the Rev. John A. Vaughan, D.D., on January 23, 1848.
In the Journal of the Diocesan Convention of 1848, Bishop Potter said in his address:
"The Rev. John A. Vaughn, D.D., has taken tem- porary charge of a mission, established some time since, in the southwestern part of this city, which seems to promise much good."
Dr. Vaughan himself stated substantially in his Report to the Convention :-
"In January I took charge of an infant parish, organized previously as the Church of the Mediator, in the southwest part of the city. Here I found a flourish- ing Sunday-school of more than one hundred scholars (then in existence one year), and since continued with increasing interest. An evening service had been sus- tained for a few weeks, nearly a year before, but had ceased when the pastor, Rev. S. A. Clark, retired from the diocese. An afternoon service was commenced on the 23rd of January, and has been continued without interruption."
In May, 1848, at a meeting held in the vestry room of St. Luke's Church, a charter of incor- poration of the Church of the Mediator having
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been obtained, Dr. Vaughan was elected rector. His nephew, Mr. Harold Goodwin, says of him :-
"For the last twenty-five years of his life, Dr. Vaughan held no permanent cure, but gave his services freely to the founding and building up of Sunday- schools and mission churches in different parts of the city, being also Professor of Pastoral Care in the Divinity School. He contributed time, labor and his own money, and raised other moneys among his friends, to build the Church of the Mediator at Nineteenth and Lombard Streets."
At his death, his friends placed a marble tablet to his memory in the east wall of the church, bearing the following inscription :
SACRED TO THE MEMORY of the REV. JOHN A. VAUGHAN, D.D., FIRST RECTOR OF THIS CHURCH, Born Oct. 13, 1795 Died June 5, 1865 "He was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost, and of faith."-Act xi : 24. Virtute Vixit-Memoria Vivit- Gloria Vivet
With great zeal Dr. Vaughan set himself to the task of building up the new church. In less than five months he had secured a plot of ground
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at Nineteenth and Lombard Streets, at a cost of $2,400, $2,000 of which he advanced as a loan, without interest, and which he subsequently gave to the parish. Upon this plot there was erected a Sunday-school building, which was first occupied in February, 1849. Plans were quickly laid for a church, with Mr. Edward Gardiner as architect. On July 30, 1849, the corner stone was laid by the Rt. Rev. Alonzo Potter, D.D., Bishop of the Diocese.
At a vestry meeting held November 4th, 1850, it was-
"Resolved, That the salary of the rector shall be $2.50 weekly, to date from the first of last October, and that the sum of $35.00 be given him for extra serv- ices prior to that time."
Dr. Vaughan fortunately had other sources of income.
On April 5, 1851, the church was conse- crated by Bishop Potter. On May 5th Dr. Vaughan resigned as rector.
Of him one of his successors in the rectorship of the Mediator said :- "He had the hard labor of breaking up the fallow ground, preparing the soil and sowing the seed. To others he left the easier, pleasanter work of gathering in the harvest. He dug the foundation and reared the pile, and left to others the sweet labor of filling the temple with the fragrant incense of holy prayer and praise. He planted the vineyard and left
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it to others to gather the hanging clusters. He pre- ferred the labor and toil to the recompense."
He was succeeded in the rectorship by the Rev. William W. Arnett, D.D., on July 1, 1851, who continued in his office until February, 1853. Rev. G. Lewis Platt, S.T.D., took charge of the parish the following May and served until De- cember, 1855. Rev. William W. Spear, D.D., accepted a call in June, 1856, and remained until July 1st, 1859.
On February 27, 1860, the Rev. Samuel E. Appleton, D.D., rector of St. Paul's Church, Col- umbia, Pa., was elected rector, continued as such for forty-one years, and was rector emeritus after that until his death. To him more than any other, under God, was due, perhaps, the suc- cess of the Church of the Mediator. To him certainly is to be attributed the upbuilding of the congregation in love and devotion. He was a devoted pastor and shepherd, greatly beloved by his people.
One of his former parishioners, Mr. James Flood, Jr., said recently to the writer :-
"The people of the Mediator still feel themselves bound, one to the other, in the common bond of their old pastor's love."
And another, Dr. J. J. Nelson, added :-
"Though living far away from the neighborhood of the church, I sometimes go to sit in my old pew, in
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REV. SAMUEL E. APPLETON, D.D.
the old church, to dwell in thought upon the old scenes and to feel afresh the influence of my old pastor upon me."
Mr. Francis A. Lewis says :-
"My father was warden and superintendent of the Sunday-school during almost all the years of Dr. Apple- ton's rectorship. They worked hand in hand and saw each other almost every day. In fact the Church of the Mediator was the chief interest in both of their lives.
"Dr. Appleton's strong points were his devotion to his work and his interest in and sympathy with his people. He spent almost all his time in going in and out among them. He knew every member of his large congregation by name, and in all my years in the parish I never heard any man, woman or child speak of him other than in terms of appreciation."
The Church of the Mediator was, in fact, one of those sometimes-found churches able to build "a spiritual temple, fitly framed together." It was a power unto personality in lasting ways. Ancient history the story of such a church can never be, for the term church so obviously ap- plied more to the people than to the building that it became a corporate life. The people of that unity bear certain marks of it even now. A cer- tain kindliness and sense of humor even in re- ligion; a quiet enthusiasm for evangelical Pro- testantism; a simplicity and wholesomeness of interests that is unspoilable. Each and all are somewhat the projection of the personality of
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Dr. Appleton, whose spirit is in only less degree the birthright of the Church of the Holy Apostles.
To Dr. Appleton the new Mediator owes much. (There should surely be some outstand- ing memorial to him in the new church!) Among other debts it gladly acknowledges largely in his name the contribution to its present life of Mr. N. B. Clarke, the organist, choirmaster and un- failing friend. Brought to this country from England to be the leader of the music at the old Mediator, "Father" Clarke's life is the main channel of perpetuated personality for Dr. Appleton. He is the incarnation of so much of the Mediator spirit (both former and latter) that he has become a portion of its spiritual power, too!
Dr. Appleton resigned the rectorship on No- vember 4, 1901. The neighborhood had been changing for a long time, colored people coming in, whereupon the white people sought other places of residence.
The Rev. Charles A. Ricksecker succeeded to the rectorship on November 21, 1901. The at- tachments formed in the long rectorship of Dr. Appleton, together with his singular sweetness of spirit, had held the parish together more than was realized. Lacking these ties, it was difficult for the new rector to keep the people together,
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and finally it was decided to sell and move else- where.
A meeting of the pew and seat-renters was called by the vestry on April 17, 1905, to con- sider an offer made by St. Mark's Church to pur- chase the Church of the Mediator for $40,000. A vote resulted in 29 ballots being cast in approval of the sale and 32 against. The vestry, at a meet- ing held April 11, 1905, however, over-rode the wishes of the majority, on the ground that the minority represented the supporting strength of the parish, and agreed to sell the property to St. Mark's, reserving the right to remove all memo- rials, movable furniture, books, etc. After the sale of the property the congregation continued to worship at Nineteenth and Lombard Streets until Whit-Sunday, 1905.
In June, 1905, the vestry of the Mediator arranged with Bishop Mackay-Smith to take over St. Anna's Mission, at Fifty-sixth and Mar- ket Streets, with the understanding that they would be permitted to locate anywhere within a radius of four squares of that location. Mr. Ricksecker began services at St. Anna's in June, 1905, the name being changed to the Church of the Mediator. The vestry, in July, 1905, pur- chased a site for a new church at the southeast corner of Fifty-eighth and Chestnut Streets at a cost of $17,000.
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Opposition to the location of the Church of the Mediator on the new site developed on the part of a neighboring parish.
Bishop Whitaker had been in Europe when the coadjutor had given permission to the vestry to take over St. Anna's, which the Dio- cesan did not oppose, but did support the neigh- boring parish in its opposition to the new site selected at Fifty-eighth and Chestnut Streets. He advised that the Church of the Mediator be kept at Fifty-sixth and Market Streets, which the vestry refused to do, and immediately stopped holding services there. For a time thereafter the Church of the Mediator was, like Noah's dove, without place whereon to rest its foot.
II CHURCH OF THE RECONCILIATION 51ST AND SPRUCE STREETS
In April, 1904, the Convocation of West Phil- adelphia decided to begin work on a plot of ground at Fifty-first and Spruce Streets, pur- chased out of a fund for such purposes, provided work could begin without expense to the convo- cation. The Bishop and the Dean of the Con- vocation brought the matter to the attention of the Rev. H. McKnight Moore, who assumed charge of the new work and the responsibility for a suitable building.
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CHURCH OF THE RECONCILIATION
If the Chapel of the Mediator finds itself now strategically located for its future work, the far-sightedness and spontaneous action of Mr. Moore is to be accredited.
Mr. Moore himself gave the money for the new frame building, which was begun at once and finished in five weeks, June 29, 1904. In the meantime, at the suggestion of Bishop Whitaker, students of the Divinity School had made a can- vass 'of the neighborhood to determine how many church people lived in the vicinity. This canvass was conducted under the leadership of Mr. Charles E. Betticher, a student in the school, who later was ordained in the church which was built to answer the need the canvass of the stu- dents had established.
On the morning of June 30, 1904, the new church was opened for worship with a celebra- tion of the Holy Communion, with Mr. Moore as celebrant and forty-one persons present. In the evening of the same day the building was for- mally taken possession of by the Convocation of West Philadelphia. At that service the build- ing was full. The Dean of the Convocation pre- sided in the absence of the Bishop. The choir of St. Mary's Church furnished the music, and there were about twenty clergy present. The Rev. H. L. Duhring, D.D., made the principal address. On the Sunday morning following the
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1
regular services and life of the new mission be- gan. The Sunday-school was started September 18, 1904, with forty-five scholars and officers in attendance.
In October, 1905, the parish was formally organized as the Church of the Reconciliation, and admitted to union with the Convention.
During the less than three years of inde- pendent life which the parish had, Mr. Moore reported that one hundred and two persons were baptized, forty-four confirmed, two ordained to the sacred ministry in the Church, and two can- didates presented by him for ordination. The Sunday-school had grown to number two hun- dred and sixty-five, crowding the building to the doors. The various branches of parish and dio- cesan activity were well under way, and the income for the last year was over $5,000. Mr. Moore gave of himself and his means generously in the upbuilding of the work. Years later, when he came to lay down the work, the loyalty of the people to him was of the staunchest and most affectionate kind. The Bishop of the Diocese at his visitation to the Chapel of the Mediator, the year after Mr. Moore's leaving, said substan- tially, that whatever later success came was at- tributable to the wise foundations laid by Mr. Moore and to the spiritual influence of his char- acter upon the lives of his people.
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REV. H. MCKNIGHT MOORE
When a tragic accident befell him, his death but accentuated the loyalty his many friends held for him. For those who loved him (and they were many) the "Upper Room" of the Parish House still holds his presence and always will.
With the names of Dr. Appleton and Mr. Thomas his is one of abiding influence in the synthesis of the parish life. As time reveals the possibilities at the Chapel of the Mediator, the sense of affectionate indebtedness to him increases. He built more greatly than he knew.
III CHAPEL OF THE MEDIATOR 51ST AND SPRUCE STREETS
The order of events in the union of the Church of the Mediator and the Church of the Reconciliation to form the Chapel of the Medi- ator of the Parish of the Holy Apostles is as follows :-
First. At a meeting of the vestry of the Church of the Holy Apostles held May 13, 1905, the following motion was passed :-
"Whereas-The property of the Church of the Mediator at Nineteenth and Lombard Streets has been sold, and it is proposed to erect a new church building in a distant portion of the city; and
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"Whereas-The former rector of that parish, the Rev. Samuel E. Appleton, D.D., was, with the late Phillips Brooks, the Bishop of Massachusetts, one of the founders of the Parish of the Holy Apostles; and
"Whereas-The example and influence of Dr. Appleton in this section of the city have been an important factor in building up and maintaining the spirit which has ever animated the members of the Holy Apostles ; therefore,
"Resolved-That the vestry of the Church of the Holy Apostles hereby authorize the rector and wardens to tender to Dr. and Mrs. Appleton a cordial welcome to this parish, and that Dr. Appleton be earnestly re- quested to accept the position of associate rector, under such agreement as the rector and wardens in consulta- tion with him may determine."
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