: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 , 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*: ;•