A History of Nebraska Methodism

and the thirty-eight reported by Hilton have increased to four hundred.
   Omaha extended rapidly toward the north during the eighties, and presented an inviting field to Methodism, which was promptly entered, and in 1887, Trinity Church began its eventful career. The church is located in the addition known as Koontz Place, in which no lot was sold to any one that did not agree to build a house worth $2,000.
   T. B. Hilton was the first man to preach in that vicinity with a view to establishing a Church, but remained but a short time, when J. R. Ensign, who had something of a reputation as a financier, was employed to solicit subscriptions. But a failure to secure a guarantee of $1,200 salary caused him soon to retire, not being the kind of man needed. A. H. Henry was transferred from Castellar appointment in the south part of the city, where there was little promise, to this much more promising field. Trinity thus had the somewhat novel experience of having three pastors before there was any Church organized.
   But Henry was an energetic, bright young man and soon found the following persons who were on the 13th of November, 1887, organized into a class and took the name of Trinity Church: M. M. Hamlin and wife and three children, Ed. A. Parmelee and wife, Mrs. Norah H. Lemon, C. W. Cain and wife, and Stella Cain; J. J. McLain and wife, J. J. Toms and wife, L. A. Harmon and wife, O. T. Smith and wife, H. H. Miller, Mrs. F. B. Brayton, J. H. Cornes, C. D. Simms and wife, Elizabeth Hamilton, Edward Bell, wife, and family; Mrs. Willett, Mary Willett; Kittie Snow and Kate Elsas.

   Encouraged by a generous subscription of $500 from Rev. John P. Roe, the amount deemed needed to make it safe to do so, was secured, and a good substantial church was built at a cost of $17,000, and dedicated by Bishop Newman.
   Succeeding A. H. Henry was J. W. Robinson, and he and his successor, W. K. Beans, added to the Church till the membership had increased to 269. F. H. Sanderson follows W. K. Beans, and remains five years, reporting at Conference in 1898, 228 members. Thus in its first ten years it grew into a strong Church numerically, but when Jesse W. Jennings, who had been appointed to Trinity, reached his field, he found a discouraged people almost ready to give up the struggle and acknowledge that they were bankrupt. Trinity was one of those enterprises that had the misfortune to start out at the wrong end of the boom, and before they could get their finances in good shape, the boom burst and made it difficult to collect old subscriptions, or secure new ones. But Brother Jennings is something of a genius in church finances, and after a year of determined effort, he, with the heroic co-operation of the membership and friends, succeeded in raising the debt and saving the property. After two years he was placed in charge of the Omaha District, and is followed at Trinity by H. H. Millard, who after a year became presiding elder of the Grand Island District, and D. K. Tindal goes to Trinity, and was followed by J. R. Smith, who is now pastor. The Church has progressed under these faithful, strong men till now the membership is 385.
   Walnut Hill Church first appeared in the Minutes in 1891, as "Wesley Chapel," and is left to be supplied. The
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Church was organized January 4, 1891. The first members were Mr. and Mrs. F. L. Cotton, Miss Mattie Mason, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Johnson, Miss Eunice Standardt, Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Stonecypher. The charge was temporarily served by John P. Roe, John Dale, and others, and D. F. Rodabaugh held a revival meting of two weeks. Fortunately, just at this juncture, T. C. Webster, who had, as before mentioned, been compelled to relinquish his work on the Chadron District on account of ill health, was available, and was appointed to this infant Church in June, 1891.
Happily at this time the Hanscom Park Church, having outgrown their first building, and were under the necessity of erecting a larger one, generously donated their old church to the struggling society, and it was moved and served a second time as a place in which to shelter and nurse an infant Church into maturity of power and influence.
T. C. Webster was reappointed at the next Conference and remained two years. He found seventeen members and left one hundred and ten. He found not a penny worth of property, and left a property valued at $6,000. T. C. Clendenning and J. E. Moore followed in succession, serving one year each, and the membership increased to 159. C. N. Dawson is next in succession, and remained five years, and the membership increased to 305. A. Luce and George H. Main, who is the present pastor, round out the list of pastors who have made Walnut Hill Church, as it is now called, one of the most influential in the city. A fine parsonage has been added to its property, and it is rapidly becoming one of the most desirable charges in the city and has a fine field for future growth.

   While some of the efforts have been abortive, as was the case with Castellar Street and Newman Church on St. Mary's Avenue, others have amply justified their existence by supplying the religious needs of growing suburbs. Among these are Leffler Memorial, in South Omaha, with W. D. Stambaugh, pastor; Southwest Church, with R. M. Henderson pastor; West Omaha (now McCabe), T. S. Watson, pastor; Monmouth Park is now Hirst Memorial, named in honor of Rev. A. C. Hirst, former pastor of First Church. William Esplin is pushing the work here. Benson is served by the faithful, efficient Englishman, John Crews. The last three named are full of promise. Hirst Memorial has a new church, and Benson a new parsonage, and both are facing a more hopeful future.
   Thus the number of churches have multiplied with the growth of the city. By some law of human nature the needs of the individual and of society are best served by dividing them into groups. When our Lord would feed the five thousand he had them divided into companies, "by hundreds and fifties." (Mark vi, 40.) So it has been found that the average Church in a city can not reach effectively more than about ten thousand of the population, or extend its influence much beyond the radius of one-half mile from the Church. This would require in Omaha ten Methodist churches to supply efficiently the religious needs of the city. Methodism has nine, not counting those in South Omaha. This seems about the right number, and they are all so located as not to be crowding each other.
   The old mother church has sometimes looked on these new enterprises at the beginning with some misgivings,

fearing it would merely weaken her without strengthening the general cause of Methodism in the city. The outcome, however, has proved that her fears were groundless, and that she is buttressed on all sides by strong, vigorous Churches, and much more is being done for Christ and His kingdom in the city of Omaha than could have been done by a single Church. There are now three other Churches with a larger membership and better property than she had in 1880, and one other with as many members. In the meanwhile she herself has increased her membership from 240 in 1880, to 670 in 1903, and the value of her property from $12,000 to $100,000.
   This progress has been achieved by a succession of aggressive and able pastors, beginning with J. B. Maxfield in 1880, who was placed on the Omaha District in 1881. Following Maxfield were J. W. Stewart, Charles W. Savidge, R. N. McKaig, T. M. House, P. S. Merrill, Frank Crane, John McQuoid, A. C. Hirst, and the present pastor, E. Combie Smith.
   During this period there has been no time until recently that nearly all these Churches have not been burdened with heavy debts, some to the verge of bankruptcy. Now, under the co-operation of presiding elders, pastors, and laymen, they are all free from debt, or the debts are amply provided for. It may be truthfully said that at no time in the last fifty years has Omaha Methodism stood so high or been so fully equipped and ready to assume in aggressive attitude as now.
   With a total membership, including South Omaha, of 2,789 (Minutes of 1903), she faces a more hopeful future than ever before, and will doubtless achieve larger

results along spiritual lines, being unhampered by the burden of debt.
Lincoln Methodism has made even greater progress than Omaha. The Minutes for I880 gives one church, valued at $3,500, and parsonage, $2,500, and a membership of 411. But Trinity Church was even then in its incipiency, in the form of an appointment in South Lincoln as a part of the Lincoln Circuit. The city was rapidly extending southward, and when that energetic and persistent man, A. L. Folden, was appointed to Lincoln Circuit in 1878, the first Quarterly Conference of St. Paul's Church held that year, voted to request Brother Folden to take up an appointment in South Lincoln, and appointed a committee to assist him in finding a suitable place in which to hold services. The details of his subsequent struggles are given elsewhere, and it will suffice to say that an organization was effected and in 1880-81 a small frame building was erected at Twelfth and A Streets, at a cost of $1,260. This marks the beginning of Trinity Church. The little society continued a part of Lincoln Circuit until 1883, when it became a separate charge with fifty-three members. Following Brother Folden were P. S. Mather, two years; J. Marsh, three years; and C. H. Gilmore, one year. Under these faithful men the society increased to ninety-four members in 1887. Then H. T. Davis became pastor and continued three years. At the commencement of his pastorate the little church building was donated to what was known as Bethel, a mile west on B Street. We see the law mentioned in connection with Omaha, asserts itself in the development of our work in Lincoln, and Trinity is located about a mile from St. Paul's, and finds plenty of room