THE sui/rii ("111 i{(;i[. 41 



tion. During the last four years there liave been various other 

 groups, or circles, of children, as the Andrew and I'liilip Cir- 

 cle, Children of the Cross, and Young Pilgrim Band, that liave 

 met the pastor at the parsonage or at the chapel, and receive in- 

 struction for a time, and have then been merged in other socie- 

 ties or circles. 



GROWTH OF THE CHURCH. 



The history of the Church for these fifty years has been 

 marked by few periods of powerful revival or great decline. 

 The special seasons of unusual religious interest and of largest 

 accessions were in 1843, 1847, 1866, 1869, 1872, 1876, and 

 1886. The growth for the most part has been steady, healthful, 

 and continuous, indicating the abiding presence of the power of 

 the Holy Spirit in the regular and constant work of the Church. 

 During a few of these years the Church has suifered a loss in 

 aggregate membership, but the greatest losses have been in the 

 years w^hen there were the largest number of dismissions to 

 churches in other places. 



During the half century of the history of the Church, there 

 have been many changes. Only nine of the one hundred and 

 twenty original members are now connected with the Church. 

 Two only of the four pastors are living, one still ministering to 

 the Church, and the other a pastor in another state. Not one of 

 the deacons for the first third of this period is living. The first 

 twenty members of the standing committee, who served so faith- 

 fully the first dozen years, have all passed to their reward. 



The Church has been signally blessed in having never been 

 without a settled pastor for a year at any one time since its organ- 

 ization, and never for a continuous period of six months without 

 either an installed pastor, or one who had accepted a call to 

 settle. The whole number of members added to the Church 

 since its organization is seventeen hundred and sixty-five; the 

 number removed by letters of dismission, or by death and dis- 

 cipline, nine hundred and eighty-five, and the net gain in 

 membership, seven hundred and eighty. The number of mem- 

 bers December 22, 1892, is nine hundred. 



The following table gives the additions and dismissions, with 

 gain or loss for each year: 



