The Year At St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

Anotheryear, dear friends, oí joint labor and coiumou experience in the Master?s service has come to a close, and today its history lies beioreus. If we would read this history wisely, we suall read it Immbly; for while it is titted to encourage us. it should not fat] also to admonisli us. It is a solemn and impressive fact tliat these annual records must ever begin with a roll of the dead. Everj ■ year tliere are vacant places in our ranks which the year before vvere tilled. Every year there are those of our number to whom the Advent sunr mons comes for the last time. On the llth of January, Mr. William F. Pardon was strickeu down in early niaiinooü. iiiougli he liad ïiot been long in our midst. those of us who knew Kin had learned to esteem hiin highly. and readily discerned in him the stiong and noble character which had won for him the regard and admuation of his life-long friends. On the22nd of February, Mr. Charles H. Richruond was called to his rest after a loujr life of many labors. Mr. Richmond liad been a resident of this community for more than a generation, and during all that time he was an active and zealous meniber of this church and parish. He had held many positions of responsibility and honor entrusted to him by his business and political associates, and during almost his eiitire connection with this parish he was a member of its vestry. In all these positions and relations, as well as in his more private life, Mr. Richmond was ever found to_be a man of the strictest integrity and uprightness. He knew no way to gain his ends but the way of trutta and honesty. He was a devoted and loyal churchman, and those who were associated with him in the work will never forget the services wliich he rendered in connection with the erection of the severa] buildings which are now the property of the parish. At the time of his death, he was senior warden of the parish, registrar of the diocese, president of one of our city banks, and one of the state commissioners to the Col urn Wan Exhibition. The community placed f uil confidence in him, and his pure and spotlesslife proved the wisdom of that eonh'dence. On the 31st of May, Miss Inez Francés ïaylor exchanged the hopes of earth for the realization of heaven. Miss Taylor was a young lady of strong aud earnest charactev, a joy in her home, and an honor to the churcli; and slie has left behind her a sweet and precious memory whicli shall ever be cherished by her many friends who mourn her loss. On tlie 24th of June, the cotnniunity was deeply moVed by the sudden death, through accident, of Mrs. Julia E. Sea bolt. In the vigor and f uil health of early womunhood, she was taken f rom us as in a moment. Mis. Seabolt was a lady of great strength and beauty of character. (niet and domestie in her disposition, her charras shone most brightly in her owu home. She had in a pre-eminent degree the graces of the Curistian woman. fcShe wasgentle and kind, charitable and generóos, ever thoughtful of others and unmindfoi of hersell. She was aloya! and devoted member of the church, and we miss her sadly f rom our midst. The following facts, taken from the parish register and f rom the books of the treasurer, are those which I n porteil to hite (lioc-esan cpnvention i June. As the financia] year oL th parisli mus from Easter to Easter, i.s well-nigh impossible toobtain an ex act flnancial statement for the chiuc year, which runs from Advent to A vent. A Bummary of such facts as ar recorded in the parish register can, o course, easily be made for the yea ending at Advent; but it is more satis factory to present a report which re lates in all its parts to the same twelv months. Since the date of tftis report, a cor siderable number of families and individuals have removed from the parisli, but tlie number received during the siiiiie time issomewhatfíreater; ko tha the facts whicli I am about to giv may safely be taken as a moderate estímate of our present condition. Number of baptisms duriug the yeai infant 20. adult25, total 4o. Whole number of baptised persons iu the par ish, 901. Conflrmed during the year, '- Wliole number of conñrmed persons ii the parish, 600. Communicants: Last reported 503 admitted in the parish 92, reeeivec frotn other parishes 70, total added 162 died 10, removed from the parish 54 total lost 64, present number 601. This statement of baptized and con firmad persons and of comraunicantfe comprises only those who are resident oembers of the parish. If we were to follow what I understand to be the cus tom of some other of the religious bodies of the city, by adding the students o the University who are communicants of our church, we should have to place our number of communicants as something over 850. Congregation: Number of families and parts of families 340, number o: souls included in these families 1,063 mimber of students of the University who worship in this church, not otheiwise included, about 300, total numbei of souls in the consrregation 1363. Number of public services, on Sun dajs 156, on holy 44, on other days 114, total number 314. Celebrations of the Iloly communion, on Sundays 50, on holy days 27, in private 12, tota number 89. Number of 14. ííumbei of burials 20. 1'] XANCI AL STATEMENT. UKCEIPTS. Casbon niiml as ty last report: Gf'uerul ainount ï-'l'i 67 Iinirovemcnt i'und Ui'i 93 Snnday school endowuientaeroant 17 13 Si -idny school offeringrs acc'nt 7 Tu I... hes' Aid Society ll.s lt Chanoel Society 7 42 $ Ifeg 01 Few reuts .J.ims ri Interest trom investments 1U2 50 Offeuory: at Holy C'ommu'ion. 18" 80 at all other services. 194 89 : Suiidny school offerings 92 13 Special contributions tor Cholr outins-.... '.tí :;: Glfta 1,100 Oü SubscnptiOQS tor inissioiis 874 45 Throujrh Ladies Aid Society. .. !HX) 17 Through Clmncel Society 17 58 Throuifh Woman's Auxiliary. 168 40 Throug'h Junior Auxiliary (il '.'ö Total receipts 8,0fc 60 DISBUKSEMENT5. Por Paroehial objects: Ourrent expenses ?;,:!ii") ü.'i Repairs and improvemeuts.. 12S 5n Maintainint? Suuday school.. 112 35 Communion alnis IS7 M) Choir outing 92 27 Chancel window Bi.0 ou Parish endowment fund 500 00 Ladies' Aid Society 108 62 Chancel Society 25 (0 Fund for missions and charities 47 60 Woman'a Christiau Union 15 47 $5,182 85 DIOCBSAN OBJECTS: Diocesan assessmont $ fO 00 Diocesan Missions lincludiuif $litii) i'or missions at Gecldcs, Fosters and County Home), 611 58 Agred and inflrni clergry fund. 4Ü 00 Fund tor candidatos íor Holv Miuisti-y 25 00 $ 72ü üü GENEHAL OHJECTS; Domestie missions Y 'Li BE Foreigrn uiissions 84 5i Mission to the Jews 5 00 Mission tot'olored Penple 30 00 Mission to Deaf Mutes 10 (Kt Pruyer Rook Society 5(0 liishop Giüespie's Work 5 00 ' ;;ïl tó Total disbursements $B,:J80 86 CASH ON MAND. General account ï 4fl7 il Improi'ement account 2j4 0,'i Suuday school endowment aocount 19 77 Christmas Festival Fund 16 00 Suuday school ottering acc't.. 'J 83 Fund lor missions and charities 9 96 Ladies' Aid Society 909 71 Woinan's Au.xiliary 9 84 Junior Auxiliary (i 50 1.T81 74 8,0ia 60 A year ago today, in presenting, in the name of its donors, the beautiful window which adonis our chancel, I suggested that the time had come when we could properly take up the work o renovatingtlie interior of the churclu Today that work is all but completecí, and in ten days time, we trust, will be entirely done. ít would be most pleasant to me to say uovv what certainly must be saia ín testimony or the courage and zeal and cordial umuiimity witli whicli this important imdertaking has been carried through; but t will be more fitting to speak of the work and of tlie generosity and devoted labor whicli abve accomplished it at'ter the work lias been completely flnished. lleserving, tlien, this subject lor another occasion, and reserving with it, as the ehief part of it. the work oí the Ladies" Aid Society, let me here acknowledge the services of my many helpers in otlier labora and undertakings. 1 wish first publiclyto tliank the oflicers and teachers of the parish and (nission Sunday schools for the work which they are doing. There is do work of greater importauce than that of training the children of the chureh. If tliis be ngglected or indifl'erently performed, all our other achievements will have bilt little valué; aud tbis labor demanda au order of talent and a degree of consecration proportionate to the sacredness of its character. I lionor the devoted and effjcient teachers of the Sunday school. I count their services bevond price, I esteem thern for their (idelity and self-denial. I prize them for their work and for their example. I wish in the next place to testify Co the invaluable help which is given me by the Brotherhood of St. Andrew and tlie Society of Women Wolkers. They make easy of accomplishment wliat without them would be impossible. These are laborers who help the ministry to make the chutch what ('luist intended it to be, not a corporation, not a social club, but a Christian brotherhood, from which all distinctions are excluded but the one of belonging to Christ. I thank them for their willing response to my invitation to the work, and I thank them for the fidelity and devotion with which they are performing it. Next I desire to express my sense of obligation to the Woman's Auxihary and to theJuniorAuxiliary for the work which they are doing in the cause of missions. If we are not interested in missions, we are not entitled to the name of Christian. If we are iiot willing to make personal sacrifice for the spread of Chrisfs kingdom in the world, we have not learned the first principie of Iris religión. If our interest is only parochial, only for building or beautifying our own church ediflce and rendering the services wittain it more pleasing to our taste, if we are heedless of the welfare of the struggling missionary, and indifferent to the needs of men dying through want of the gospel light, we may be worthy of membership in a society of ethical culture, but it is hard to see what relation we bear to the church of Christ, whose first law is self-sacrifice, #nd first commaud, to preach the Gospel throughout the world. And, therefore, lam most grateful for the work of these two societies in the cause of missions, grateful not only for the service which they are rendering to that cause, but grateful also for the service which they are rendering to us, in helping to keep alive in our midst the missionary spirit, wluch is the Gospel spirit, which is the life and soul of our religión. A iid in this connection, and flnafly, I wish to tliank tlie subscribers to the fund for missions and charities, through whose generous offerings our Suuday school and parochial missions are maintained and the obügations of the parisL to diocesan, domestic, and foreign missions are met. I thank these subscribers, oüe and all, men, women, and children, for nobly maintaining this fund. I am encouraged and cheered by this proof of a large, intelligent, and living grasp of the Gospel's meaning. For many of you, ny friends, if not for all of you, itcosts ome sacrilice to make these offerings; Hit that it is which inakes them a lessing to you no less than to those vlio receive them. With all our goodly possessions in laterial things, with all ourgrowth in umbers, with all our zeal in parochial ictivity, for which God be praised, we ave also to be more deeply' thankful jat there is among us, manifesting tself in diverse vvays, the spirit of true eligion, the hope of love, the courage f faith, and the power of consecration. lay that spirit, that hope and courage nd power grow and ever grow in all ur hearts. ; Chas. II. Kline, the member of the otise of representativas f rom this disrict, contenipltÉiiitrocIucing two mportant ■ nieasure'in the next legisiture. One will be for the restoration f capital punisnment for the crime of mrder; the other a bilí looking to the jetterment of our public road .system. fame stands waiting for the man who has the courage to fight through to success the road.proposition.- Courier. The University Magazine's bill of f are for November consists of articles on the Uuiversity of Pennsylvania, the College of the City of New York, and the Ohio University, together with biographies of a number of prominent American universitty men. There is also an article on "Alpha Delta Phi at Michigan University," by B. T. Bourland, class of '89. now instructor in French. connected with which is given a group picture of the fiaternity and picture of the fraternit.y house. The flr.st masquerade ball of the season will be given at the rink ou Wednesday evening. December 7, under the avispices of the Ann Arbor cornet band". There will be a band parade at scven o'clock, anda grand maich at 8:30. The music in tlie rink will be iurnished by the Minnis orchestra. Ladiesintending tomask will be admitted free; ts spectators, lor 25 cents. Gentlemen will be chaiged 50 cents. The eostumes will be iurnished by Mis. Emiua Ruehl, of Detroit, who will be at the Franklin house during the day.