:4
vol. vm.
PETERSBURG. YA., FBIDJLy. NOVEMBER 7,1884.
111 ■
NUMBER 45
CORRESPONDENCE I
I ROM THE MINISTERS AND
MEMBERS OF THE A. M. E.
zion commmoMm
ALL PARTS OF THE
LNITEH STATES.
TO THE STAR OF ZION
THE PROSPERITY OF THE CHURCH.
ANNUAL ADDRESS
R EV.A. HILL,
Presiding Elder of Charlotte district,
of the A M E Z Church, Deliv
er ered at the District Confer
ence held at Rutherford
ton, N C, October 1,
1884.
Hon Fathers and Dearly Beloved
Brethren :
We have great cause to bless and,
thank God for the continued, prosper-!
ity enjoyed by our church. Great and j
manifold have been the blessings of
God upon the movements of Metho
dism in all the lands in which it has
been planted, and let us pray for the
continued success until it shall have
extended its blessed influence over the
whole world.
In, December, 1882,1 was transfer
red by Bishop Hood from the N C
conference to the C N C conference,
and assigned to the Charlotte district.
From that time onward my observa
tion of it has been closer than that of
a general on a battle field. I have had*
ai eye to every department of the
work, and endeavored, so far as I was
able, to enhance it; and I rejoice te
know that my disinterested labors
have not been in vain, as it is shown
by our increased numerical strength,
and increased wealth, and these should
stimulate us all to renewed zeal in the
great cause we represent. j
There has- been during that epoch
about six hundred conversions, and
many accessions to the church.
By the untiring efforts of Rev. R S
Rives, a parsonage has been erected
and completed in Charlotte, worth
about fifteen hundred dollars. It is
certainly gratifying to the connection
to have such an addition to their
church convenience, and it will be a
standing monument to its benefactor.
The church site, purchased by Bro
Hurdle, at our mission work in the
above named city, is another proof of
our advancement; also, the parson
age at Lincolnton and this place.
It is with great pleasure that I re
mind you that our schoob of learning
have had divine recognition by the
presence and influence of the Holy
Spirit. /. *
Glorious revivals of religion Have
taken place within their halls, under
the guidance of Christian educators,
and I hereby commend to you for con
j stant prayer Zion Wesley Institute,
and all other educational institutions,
that God's blessings may be richly and
abundantly poured out upon them.
* What the rich treasury b to the
poor man, the labratory of healing
- •' .. .. . , -• • *'
medicine is to thesj'cjt man, the armo
ry of every. kind of weapon is to the
warrior, and the feast to the famishing
man, such is the word of God to the
Christian. Therefore, I importunate
ly recommend daily reading of that
Book of all Books—The Bible—and
strict adherence to its teachings, ahd
the way to make this the more enjoy
able and useful to us and our posteri
ty, is to pay strict attention to the ed
ucation of our children, and never
lose and opportunity to have them at
a good school. And while on this
subject of Schools, I cannot pass with
out calling your attention to the effi
ciency of good Sunday schools. I
consider them as nurseries of the
church, and they should be closely
looked after and assiduouly nurtured,
and ecumenically cared for, It has
been said by an eminent writer that
oversight of the literature of children
and youth, is of great importance.—
Also a jealous watchfulness over their
companions. Yet we fear that many
parents know very little about the
character of the reading of their chil
dren, and allow unchallenged, loose,
and even libentious literature the free
dom of their homes, which literature
poisons the thought, perverts the im
agination, and depraves the hearts and
lives of the children, and encourages
a latitudinarianism which must weak
en the future power of the church.—
We should provide them freely of the
choicest publications at our command.
It has been well said that money spent
thus is money saved with purity re
tained and integrity added.
Our Publishing House, No. 183
Bleecker street, New York city, will
supply this demand. Yet we would
recommend in connection with
ours Rev D L Moody and Sankey’s
Gospel hymns and sacred songs.
Sweet Sabbath School,
The place dear to me,
Wherever through lire I roam,
My heart will often turn to thee,
My childhood’s Sabbath home.
You are here to vindicate the cause
of a church which covers not only the
widespread territories of our own coun
try; but which extends into distant
parts oi the globe, which numbers its
communicants by the hundreds of
thousands, and the members of its
congregations millions. A church
which has for nearly a century pre
served its peculiar organization and
its itinerant ministry, and which unites
simplicity of service with facilities for
the highest culture, which calls into
active exercise the talents of its hum*
blest members, and blends into one
ness of doctrine, usage and discipline*
peeple of many nationalities and rar
ces. Thus we are bound together with
bonds stronger than'chains of iron or
ropes of steel, more precious than
links of gold or cordis of silver, en
twining around the heart, and binding
each to the other, and the one to the
whole, forming a grand army of visi
ble workers reaching from the sedgy
lakes in the North to the warm waters
of the Southern gulf, where triumphant
march shall be from the ice fields of
Maine to the golden sands of Califor
nia in America. And woe to the men
orset of men Srhb from their contigu
ity to satan continue to stood in the
way of the church,; for'Hades will
prove their exeunep.
In my hunibie opinion the African
Methodist I|pigcQj$l Zion Church,
was never in a'more promising condi
tion than it la today... It is a historic
fact that Methodwn: has-been an over
flow from its origin; Its evangelist
havje gone into various parts of the
world preaching the Gospel of Christ
wit!
hav
beet
amo
ffiigb
stream in the Ecclesiastical i
all Christians, , ho matter of
id . its banners
stories have
condition*. I;
the great gulf
But
aide*
nomination, sure oneha Christ, and the
different , denominations or churches
remind me of the grand derisions of a
vast army, while each is moving for
ward under the direction < of its Own
officers, all are alike^under the sutler
vision and direction of the great cap
tain of our salvation, and we are bat
tling side by side in the same great
cause, and against ths same great en
emy, and participating and rejoicing
together in the same triumphs.
And now dearly beloved brethren,
my earnest prayer is that God May
bless you and keep you, and cause the
light of His countenance to shine
upon you, and make you instrumental
in spreading the redeemer’s kingdom
until the final shout of victory shall
be heard among all nations. Livebn
the field of battle; be earnest in the
fight; stand forth with manly cour
age, and struggle for the right; watch
on the field of battle; the foe is eveiy
where; his fiery darts fiy thickly like
lightning through the air. 'Pray on
the field of battle j God works with
those who pray : die on the field Of
battle, *tis noble thus to die; God
smiles on valiant soldiers—their re
cords is on high.
Hark II imagine that I hear the
clang of broken chains ascend, and
see dark millions leap to new born
life. Come let us renew our journey
and pursue it with the help of God,
with renewed vigor, and never stand
still until the master appear.
New Albany, In.,)
October 16, 1884. j ■ ,
Mr. Editor: ,
Please allow me space in the col*
umn of your valuable paper to say
something about our beloved Zion in
this part of the Master’s vineyard. I
took charge of this chnrch on the sec
ond Sunday in September, and I am
pleased to say that the outlook is fair
for better times. We held our first
quarterly meeting last Sundaj, Octo
ber 12th, rnd I can say we had agood
time, .and the power of the Lord was
felt in our midst. Elder E. H. Curry,
of Louisville, Ky., was to have
preached the sacramental sermon, but
he did not get oyer in time, so Rev. R.
T. Anderson, of Jeffersonville, Ind.,
preached at the hour set apart for the
Lord’s supper, and he preached a good
sermon. May the Lord blees this
young divine, and may he live long to
preach the gospel of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ. On • Monday
night we had a love feast long to be
remembered by the members of the
church. Our collection amounted to
♦31 70.
Mr. Editor, I want to say something
about the good people pf New Albany:
Saturday night last about 10 o'clock,
I heard some friend? singing at my
door,
“A charge to keep I have,
A God to glory.”
I was called to the door by aknock
and on opening the doer -in came, a
number of goodpeople, most of; them
being mei?$eft of tfceehuickL Hay.
God bless them,alii ■ many
of the good things of lifefiHf theirpas
utor, and , his family. Andaiay .ithe
great Hoad /of the Church keep and
preserve them until HSshall saythey'
have done; enough, eorae up higher.
ff:r;N> - ', IX W. SSMBCTMAK, ■ ‘'J
Pastor.
uuc I U
...» letter i
paper, my father_
I have had the pleasu
eading the$3£fWnd |am'
W ****:, we: eontoct.^
the many glowing reports that
hate come up from other parts of the
Country where Zion’s borders extend,I
thought I would favor your readers
with a report from our section; viz :
Fort: Lawn, 8. 0.
Near Fort Lawn S the Union Cir
i eu it, consisting of Union and Mount
Zion churches. This is one of the
largest circuits in the South Carolina
, conference. At the last aunual con
ference Rt. Rev. Thomas H. Lomax,
assigned Rev. G. W. Clinton to this
circuit. He came to it: immediately
after the conference* and began to ac
quaint himself with-the people, and
the condition of the work. We are
»orry to say that he found the work in
ra very unfavorable condition. You
may imagine that it wps quite taxing
upon a young man of 25 to meet con
fusion, disunion and other impedi
ments on entering upon his work. But
he came with hia heart in the work
and bent his whole soul and all his
energies in the work. He took charge
of the public school at Union church,
leading the little children and young
men and women on in . the path of in
tellectual culture, and preaching to the
edification of all from the pulpit. He
soon won a place in>the hearts of all
by his winning manners and earnest
pulpit efforts, which were always pre
sented in a manner to benefit all his
hearers, whether learned or unlearned.
Though everything seemed odd at first,
and inviting as the season changed
from chilly winter to balmy spring,
the church seemed; to catch the spirit
of the season and; lay aside its wintry
garb and take on the warmth and
vigor of the spring. Under the pas
torate of the Bey. Q, W, Clinton, the
circuit has enjoyed one of if not the
most successful years of prospei ity
since its first organisation- The spirit
ual prosperity of the- church has sur
passed the. expectation of all. At
Union church during a revival of two
or three weeks continuance, 84 per
sons united with the church, and 37
professed saving iaith in Christ. On
the last night of the meeting a glori
ous love feast was held after a stirring
sermon by the pastor from the words
selected from Nehemiah 3-8 : “The
bread wall." He discussed the sub
ject for the benefit of the young Chris
tians, showing to them that having se
cured religion, and united with the
church* they had a broad wall about
tjiem, and he told them the benefits of
this broad wall, and how they might
beep within its bounds. It was enjoy
ed ,<by all present We have never
witnessed a deeper interest m religion
here or anywhere else. Men.Women
ancL children were making* the same
cryand experiencing the same happy
change. Husbands and wives all came
into the arrays during this meeting,—•
Immediately after the meeting, associ
ated by his,board of trustees, he began
the con8tru(^foi^of;| neat three room
ed parsonage tipbir a piece of land
about one quarter.of a mile from Fort
■JM
seen nearing its roof in one ^
fully worth five hundred dollars. He
knew lininginthe pattsdnage. Mt,
■£& chnrdi, of which I Mn a werotor,
W.made, much in^ruvaweut.j£e
aides taking herrfiese intthe'cbnstriic*
m
tion of the parsonage, she has made
spiritual progress too. Thirty-three
have united with the church and
have professed’religion “
| {I cannot enumerate all the improve
ments that have been made. ,
Rev. Q W Clinton is dearly loved
by'his whole congregation, for whom
he has been an intellectual light, a
spiritual guide, and a moral example
during the present yean. He has duly
enlightened the people on the general
fund subject, and urges upon them to
pay it all. He has collected the whole
amount from some, and has the prom
ise of all who are really able to pay
it.
We feel that with such pastors and
men of his culture and energy,'Zion
will soon hold the front rank of color
ed Methodism in South Carolina. He
is contemplating and asking the coop
eration of the trusteeaof the oldUnion
to build a suitable house of worship.
I am in favor of all such men as Rev
G W Clinton.
He has organized the Ladies Home
and Foreign Missionary Society in
each of his churches.
The members of this circuit want
Rev G W Clinton or a man of his
standing in knowledge.
His pastoral influence has been
great. ;
Now with these words, I close.
Yours for Zion, .<
James H Mcmullen
BISHOP T. H. LOMAX’S VISIT
TO HULL SWAMP.
On Tuesday night, October 7th,
pursuant to an appointment by our
pastor, Bishop T H Lomax met with
us in our lovely Zion, and preached a
powerful and awakening sermon from
the 9th verse of the 2nd chapter of
Hebrews. This was the Bishop’s first
visit among us, nevertheless, he will
always be remembered. After preach
ing the Bishop entertained the Congre
gation for awhile with some very in
teresting remarks.
1st. He spoke in praiseworthy
terms of our pastor* .
2nd. He gave the choir very unex
pected applause for their harmonious
music.
He then spoke in behalf-of onr
church. Said we were about a great
work. He also gave instructions con
cerning the connection in general of
the Z W Institute and of the different
schools. .*
After the close of our beloved
Bishop’s reinarks, our pastor came for
ward and called for a collection for
the Bishop, which would go in the di
rection of general funds, Ac. To our
great surprise at the commencement oil
the collection in came our friend and.
elder A B. Singer, of Beaufort, ac
eomp&nied by rrot. .LewisKandolpb,
of Newborn, the principal teacher of
the Washburn Seminary HighSchool
at Beaufort, and a host of other
friends; and relatives too numerous to
mention at this juncture. They all
responded to the call of our pastor
very liberally, and there was raised
for our Bishop the handsome little
sum of $6 50, fefir vdneh many thanks
was. tendered fay him.! > ift -
The doxology was then announced ]
by the Bishop and was sung by the
choir. Behedietibh by4 ®Mer Singer.
Yours forthe Btfiit ihlrope of success
for Zion*s greaS^roA everywhere. 1
)■ $* ,..i*: ;•<I!ifs l 'j, s. Bafct.
Wtldwooa, Ns'C, Oefc'tt. |
A WORD FROM THE GULF COAST.
i
Key West, Pla.
Mr Editor:
Walking up one of the principal
streets of Key -West-«ur' ears were
suddenly sainted bythe sound of some
earnest divine sowing the seed of eter
nal truth. We inquired and.was in
formed that it was Elder E. Hunter,
of the Mount Zion church. In a very
few moments we found ourselves seat
ed within its consecrated walls, sur
rounded by a most beautiful con
gregation ; and the young giant stood
on the wall proclaiming : "Whomso
ever will may come and partake with
out money and without price.” It was
a grand season to the hungrv souls.
The holy ghost seemed to overshadow
the congregation, and you could have
heard the good old Methodist amen,
glory to God and the Lamb bursting
forth all over the church. At the con
clusion of the sermon we had a soul
cheering prayer offered up by one of
the brothers which was setting fire to
every heart. As we arose from our
knees the choir burst forth in one of
its delightful strains. The house could
not stand it—burst out the door and
leaped through the windows bounded
away out on the gulf until the angels
caught the sound and wafted it home
to the high courts of glory. Thus
ended one of the most delightful ser*
vices we have ever witnessed. Elder
Hunter is small in statue but a Samp
son in the pulpit, a number one church
manager, a great Christian.
His Trustee Board is composed of
some of the businessmen of the island,
of which Mr. Roane Dupont is the
chairman, which renders the Elder
great assistance in managing the finan
cial and other affairs of the church.
He has a very fine Sufiday school with
over twenty teachers—young ladies
and gentlemen. The number of schol
ars is between three and four hun
dred ; average attendance 150. The
little David is moving onward toward
the annual conference. He expects to
get in at. the seventh hour.
A preacher must have faith in God,
To travel life’s tedious road.
Must not notice the storm of life,
But push for the city of light.
When attacked by satan’e agent,
Must fly to the arms of Jegus,
Seek protection from danger
Until the battle is ended.
After the storm is over,
the clouds have all disappeared,
You may make a new start for glory, «
You with the saints in heaven may
appear.
And when in the port of glory,
And the storm of life is oe’r,
You may sit down in heaven
With your brethren that has gone be
. fore.
By Rev. W. B.
NOTICE TO SALEMEN.
Notice.
Mr. Editor:
Cape Fair District Conference will
meet on the 21st of October at Zion
chapel, Sampson county, 12 miles
from Magnolia. All the local preach
ers are requested to bring the sum of
$1 without fh.il; all the delegates must
be there to represent the district fully.
All the superintendents of the Sabbath
Schools will attend to represent the
schools in the district. All the local
preachers will not fail to bring their
license. Bev. E. H. Hill,
1 , Presiding Elder.