For the Church

A MILLION INVESTED IN CHURCI
PROPERTY.

The Magnificent Houses of Worship That
Have been Erected in Atlanta – A Cool Million Devoted to
the Cause of the Maker – What the
Colored People Have Done, etc.

Atlanta is a city of churches. A man may come from the uttermost ends of the earth and he will find a place at which he can worship.

See—

There are

Baptist churches.
Methodist churches.
Presbyterian churches,
Episcopalian churches.
Catholic churches.
Northern Methodists.
Methodist Protestants.
Congregationalists.
Piedmont Congregationalists.
A Church of Christ
A Jewish church.
A German Lutheran church.
An Unitarian church.
A Primitive Baptist.
A Spiritualist
And until lately
An Universalist.

This does not include the various sorts of negro religions that go it after a free for all fashion.  There are in the city, in all, fifty-two churches accounted for, some of them exceedingly handsome and possessing very valuable properties.

For Instance the most valuable may be set down as follows:

• St. Philip’s Episcopal ……………………..$100,000
• Church Immaculate Conception ………$100,000
• First Methodist………………..……………….$95,000
• Trinity Methodist……………………………..$65,000
• First Baptist …………………………………….$60,000
• Presbyterian…………………….……….….$60,000
• Hebrew Benevolent ……………………….. .$55,000
• Central Presbyterian…………………………$42,000
• Second Baptist……………………..………$45,000
• St. Luke’s Episcopal………………….………$25,000

Making a total of……………………………………. $647,000

This includes the church property entire, such as buildings, furniture and houses for the pastors, where they have them, but in the case of the church of the Immaculate Conception the church owns a very valuable convent property which is not included in the estimated value of the church property given above.

These churches pay salaries to their pastors as follows:

• St. Philip’s Episcopal, $2,500 and a rectory.
• First Methodist, $3,000 and a parsonage.
• Trinity Methodist, $2,500 and a parsonage.
• First Baptist, $2,500 salary.
• First Presbyterian, $3,000.
• Hebrew Benevolent Congregation, $1,800.
• Central Presbyterian, $3,000.
• Second Baptist, $8,000.
• St Luke’s Episcopal, $1,800.

Making a total of $23,100 per year for the salaries of the nine pastors. The priests serve for their actual expenses and receive no salaries.

Notes About the other Churches

The other churches may be counted as follows:

• The Central Baptist on the corner of Fair and Peters, has church property valued at $3,500, and allows a salary of $1,000 per year.
• The Third Baptist with Dr. Hornady pastor has property to the value of $15,000 and pays its pastor $900 per year.
• The Fifth Baptist church was built by Hon John II, James, and presented to the congregation in fee simple a few months ago when they enlarged it. It is worth about $4,000 and pays its pastor, Rev. V. C. Norcross,. $720 per year.
• Evans Chapel, Methodist, has property to the value of $6,000 and pays its pastor, Rev. J. T. Gibson, $1,000 per year.
• Payne’s chapel, Methodist, has property to the value of $3,500, and pays its pastor, Rev. I. M. Bowden, $900.
• Pierce’s chapel is valued at $800 and is a mission of Trinity, and is served by Dr. Kendall.
• The Sixth Methodist has property to the value of $5,000, and pays its pastor, Rev. R. J. Bigham, $720 per year.
• St. Paul’s, Methodist, has property valued at three or four thousand, and pays its pastor, Rev. W. D. Heath. $800.
• Grace church, Methodist, on the Boulevard, has a property to the value of $1,500 and is under the  charge of Rev. W . A. Dodge. The missions of the Methodist churches in the city are under the charge of Rev. Mr. Dodge, Rev. Mr. White and the Rev. Mr. Crumley.
• The Mariette street Methodist church is under the chance of Rev. John A. Thurman. It has property to the value of $15,000 and pays its pastor $1,000.
• The First Methodist Protestant church, at the corner of Garnett and Forsyth streets, has property to the value of $10,500 and pays its pastor, Rev. Dr. Middleton, $1,200.
• The Hunter street church of Christ has property to the value of $27,590, and pays its pastor, Dr. Thomas. $1,000 per year.
• The Piedmont Congregationalist church has property to the value of $2,500, and spends $2,500 per year in its work.  $1.200 of which is paid to the pastor, Rev. J. H. Parker.
• The German Lutheran church at the junction of Whitehall and Forsyth is worth $5,000, but at present has no pastor.
• The Third Presbyterian church has property to the value of several thousand dollars and pays its pastor $1,200.
• The church of Our Father (Unitarian) has very handsome property valued at eight or ten thousand dollars. It is presided over by Rev. George L. Chaney, a gentleman of great zeal, who gives his time to the cause of God without money and without price.
• The Spiritualists have abandoned their ball and hold regular meetings at the houses of the members. Miss Zaida Brown lectures on Sunday night at 7:30 o’clock at the residence of her father, 44 Plum street. Mrs. C. C. Fan Dunzee lectures to-day at her residence, 58 Cone street.  She will lecture to-day at 2:30pm at her home.
• The Primitive Baptists have a church on the Boulevard that is worth nearly three thousand dollars.  It is against their custom to pay their pastor any salary.

THE COLORED CHURCHES

Some of the colored churches are quite valuable.  Notably:
Big Bethel, Methodist………….…$18,000
Allen’s Temple, Methodist……..$13,000
Loyd Street Methodist…………….$15,000
Friendship, Baptist……………..…$10,000
First Congregationalist…………..$8,000
Shiloh. Methodist…………………..$6,000
Mount Pleasant, Baptist………… $6,000
Making a total of …………..…….$76,000

Thus it will be seen that the eight largest colored churches foot up quite a snug sum. The entire list of colored churches will foot up a total value of about a hundred thousand dollars, which added to the aggregate of the white churches will make a total of not less than a million as the amount invested in churches and church property In the city.

The salaries of the pastors of the above named churches are as follows:

• Bethel, Rev. W. J. Gaines, pastor, salary $1,200
• Alien’s Temple, Rev. John G. Yeiser pastor, salary $1,000;
• Loyd street Methodist, Rev. C. 0. Fisher: pastor salary about $809;
• Friendship Baptist, Rev Ed ward Carter pastor, salary $720;
• First Congregationalist, Rev. Is. Kent pastor, salary $1,000:
• Shiloh Methodist, Rev. D. B. Brookins pastor, salary $800
• Mt. Pleasant Baptist, Rev. W. H. Tilman pastor salary $800 per year.

The other colored churches may be mentioned as follows:

• Antioch Baptist, Rev. Anthony Willams pastor, salary about $100, value of church property $2,000.
• Bethlehem Baptist church, Rev A. DeLamata pastor salary about $300, value of church property $800.
• Macedonia Baptist, Rev J. M. Jones pastor salary $25 per month, valuation of church property $4,000.
• Mt. Zion Baptist, Rev W. R. Clemmons pastor salary $400, value of church property $1,500.
• Pleasant Grove Baptist, Rev. Charles O. Jones pastor, salary $35 per month, value of church property $1,500.
• Providence Baptist church Rev. George W. Martin pastor, salary $300, value of church property $1,600.
• Zion Bill Baptist church Rev. Robert Grant pastor, salary $400 value of church property about $700.
• Colored church of America, pastor, Rev. Stinson, value of church property $3,000.
• St. Paul’s African church, Rev. J T. Bellsaw pastor, salary $800, value of property $3,000.

All of which is right interesting despite the numberless figures.

The Atlanta Constitution (Atlanta, Georgia) ·  Sun, Feb 10, 1884 ·  Page 3

Copyright © 2013 Newspapers.com. All Rights Reserved.