| 12 |
- Sixty-one Years of Orfordville Methodism
- The celebration of the sixty-first
anniversary, the "Home-Coming of Orfordville
- Methodism!" What do the words
signify? Is there not a hidden meaning? Do they suggest thoughts
that lie to deep for words? As we sat and listened and thought
and prayed during the gracious services of Saturday evening and
all of Sunday, Sept. 7 and 8, 1907. What feelings! What impulses
to higher and better living! What inspiration to larger and more
Christlike undertakings! What outpourings and manifestations
of the power and presence of God. Who can describe these? Are
you an artist? Are you a poet? Can you paint thought and feelings?
Can you put into words and lines the things that come and go
when God's presence is felt and experienced in the human heart?
- Were you there Saturday evening? Did
you hear those words of welcome and the
- sweet, soft, beautiful strains of music
and song? Did you not worship God through these? Were you not
moved by that rousing gospel sermon by Rev. LUGG? Under
the quietness, the enthusiasm did you not really feel that, as
the text affirmed, "There was joy among the angels of God
over one sinner that repented more than over the Ninety and Nine
who need no experience?" Did not the desire come to your
heart to give your life in deeper consecration and thereby set
the joy bells and songs of heaven going? And then the social
hum; the refreshments served by the Epworth League, the splendid
visits, the hearty hand shakes, those meetings of friend with
friend, the renewed acquaintances, the reunions, faces looking
into faces, heart meeting heart, those letters from afar, the
messages they sent, how they cheered our hearts, revived our
memories and brought us to our feet to tell of some past event,
some reminiscent! 'Twas indeed wonderful and profound. And then
the Sunday morning service. The children met in Sunday School
as usual and with superintendent and teachers in place they studied
together the regular lesson. The old-fashioned love feast at
10:15 was conducted by Rev. W. D. COX of Milwaukee. Under
his energetic and inspiring leadership what a refreshing hour
was spent. It was a feast indeed. Then our Veteran Preacher,
Rev. Thomas POTTER preached the sermon. And what a clear,
logical and forceful presentation of the text. "And he shall
turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart
of the children to their fathers," Malachai 4:6. How appropriate
the text and sermon. The heart of the fathers turned to the children
when they sacrificed and suffered to establish our church and
now the heart of the children turn to the fathers in this celebrating
and reviewing their past achievements. How our hearts were stirred
by the grand old preacher as he presented his theme and when
the invitation to the Lord's supper was presented by Brother
LUGG our hearts were prepared and our wills broken to
kneel at the altar and confess our Savior in partaking of his
broken body and His shed blood.
- The lunch our took us to the basement
of the church where a super-abundance of food
- was prepared and every person of the
immense crowd was well filled and enough food left to feed nearly
as large a crowd for supper.
- At 2:30 came the "Old Folks"
service. What can be put into words about the "Old
- Folks" service? How we were moved
to hear the old folks sing! What worship! What a spiritual feast!
What an outpouring of God's power! Mrs. Ellen STRANG of
Footville, Wis., was at the piano, and special solos were rendered
by Mrs. E. A. DOMER, Holland, Mich., and by Mrs. Mattie
GANEY of Rockford, Ill. During this service Rev. C. Wesley
BOAG, the pastor, read the little booklet he had prepared:
"The history of Orfordville Methodism." Here we were
carried back to the year of 1840 and let through the early settlement,
growth and development of Orfordville Methodism. Of course much
intense interest was aroused and an enthusiasm was created to
make the future of Orfordville Methodism as powerful and distinct
as it had been in the past. A recess was then given for rest
and refreshment. Supper was served and a social hour spent. At
7:15 the Epworth League devotional meeting was held, conducted
by Mrs. Inez SMILEY of Orfordville. The subject "Receiving
the Word" was well presented and many visitors and home
folks spoke a word for Christ and the word that had made them
free. At 8 o'clock came the crowning closing services by Rev.
W. D. COX of Milwaukee, chairman of the Wis. State Prohibition
Party. The text chosen is found in 2 Cor. 5, 17. "Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new." The subject
was "The New Birth" and was presented as only a subject
like this can be presented by a preacher like Rev. COX.
Did you ever hear him speak when he did not stir you? How his
magnetism thrilled us! How his energy and deep religious convictions
moved us! How he pled for God and the betterment of our own lives!
After the sermon what did we do? What could we do? All we could
do was to thank God and with humble hearts sing our benediction
to each other: "God be with you till we meet again,"
and our services ended. Ended and yet not ended. The inspiration
remains, the desire to live better remains. The determination
to do more for God and be more loyal to Orfordville is still
in our hearts. When we gathered at the depot platform Monday
morning to go to our homes, our hearts were strangely moved.
It needed but a spark to start the flame. When the train came
into sight and the whistle blew, the flame burst forth:
-
- We'll never say good-bye
in heaven,
- We'll never say good-bye,
- For in that land of joy and
song,
- We'll never say good-bye.
-
- No parting words shall ere
be spoken,
- In yonder home so fair,
- But songs of joy, and peace,
and gladness,
- We'll sing for ever there.
-
- The church was simply thronged at ever
one of the services, even to standing room.
- Miss Cora SMILEY had in charge
all of the music. The Banner Orchestra consisting of James WADE,
Chris STAVN, Carl OLSON, Lester STRANG,
Floyd and Miss Cora SMILEY; a double quartet consisting
of Dolly STRANG, Mayme KELLEY, Mrs. S. C. DUNN,
Iva LETZER, L. E. BARNUM, H. C. SHENK, Ira
INMAN and Floyd SMILEY; the regular Children's
Chorus Choir, a duet by Charley SMILEY and Evelyn DUNN,
and a solo by Mrs. Inez SMILEY were of special interest
and furnished the music for the various services.
- The "Home-Coming" in every
particular detail was most successful. Splendid attain-
- ments were reached financially. The
church, pastor and people are to be congratulated in their successes.
- One very interesting feature of the
"homecoming" celebration was the reading of the
- eighteen letters received from former
pastors and members of the church in response to invitations
to attend. These letters show a loving remembrance of former
days and people at Orfordville and an interest in the welfare
and progress of the church. The following are a few excerpts
from some of them:
-
- EXCERPTS FROM LETTERS
-
- Rev. J. M. JUDY, Georgetown,
Ill.:
- "I congratulate you in your purpose
to honor Christ and his church by your celebration
- that should be repeated in hundreds
of historic churches in our country. No people whom God has honored
can afford to break with the past. Permanent progress calls for
a candid recognition of the work that has already been done for
it is an essential part of the whole. Today you stand upon a
foundation that six decades of faithful men and women of this
church have helped you to put there. Today you enjoy what they
have handed down to you. You share the fruits of their labor.
God will honor you for what you are doing here today. It is a
step in the right direction. Orfordville Methodism is stronger
than it has ever been before and proof of this lies in the fact
that you are exalting here before the world. You are proclaiming
your right to the future by recalling and honoring your past.
By doing this you are setting a worthy example to others to link
the best of the past with the best that they may do in time to
come."
-
- Rev. J. M. WOODWARD, Fort Atkinson,
Wis.:
- "The event has a peculiar interest
to me, as the old church has had a peculiar interest to
- me since the two memorable years of
my pastorate there. It was my pleasure to first occupy with my
family the good home erected at that time for the pastors and
it was my blessed privilege to witness the Divine Presence in
one of the most gracious revivals ever witnessed in that section."
-
- Rev. John REYNOLDS, Sheboygan,
Wis.:
- "Please extend to the church my
regrets for being unable to be present at your Jubilee
- and assure them that kindness to us
while we were among them and since we have left has been a great
blessing to us and has done us as great a service as we were
ever able to do for them."
-
- Many of the other letters contain very
interesting parts. They speak of years spent in
- service here. They are pleased to be
remembered and regret being unable to be present. They mention
the names of many they remembered and say it means much like
a memorial service. They speak of continued interest in the progress
and welfare of the church and are an inspiration for future service.
- Several more very interesting letters
are in hand, ready to publish, but time and space
- forbid their appearance until next
week.
- [Editor.]
|
