Page 193 - Cornelius Hedges Story

For This And Succeeding Generations Gardiner 180

We know by early experience of the church that even when Paul
planted, it needed an Apollos to water. Especially in an arid county
like Montana, morally as physically, the watering was full as essential
as the planting. Rev. James R. Russel, now of Butte, accompanied
Mr. Jackson, when the First Presbyterian Church of Helena was
organized June 15, 1872, Mr. Russel was left in charge to nourish
and water it. I was not personally present at the organization in 1872,
and will leave to others who were, to speak of what transpired. I
was at the time one of the trustees of the Methodist Church and
had a bible class in their Sunday School, as I had ever since 1865,
though my church connection was in the East, and remained there
for a year or two more after the organization of this church. My
denominational feelings were never strong, and as I now recall my
sentiments of that distant date, I doubted the wisdom of trying to
sustain another separate church organization. My family went east
within a few days after the organization and remained away a year,
and my duties as Superintendent of Public Instruction kept me away
much of the time.

At the organization, or soon after, Brothers A. T. Williams and
J. E. Pyle were chosen elders, and through the kindness of our
Methodist brethren the use of their church was granted for the services
of completing the organization, June 16, 1872, by Rev. Sheldon
Jackson preaching a sermon, ordaining the elders, and holding
communion service. Therefore, according to church canons, the
First Presbyterian Church was an organized entity. But its members
were few, a very little leaven in a very large lump, with no place of
meeting and dependent upon the Home Mission Board for the main
support of a minister. There were no Pentecostal outpourings at the
time as when the apostle Peter preached in Jerusalem and thousands
were converted in a day. Nor was the general inquiry, ''What shall I
do to be saved?" but, "How can I make my pile and get back to God's
country," as the country east of the Mississippi was then generally
called.

Meetings were sometimes held in the Rodney street school house,
which stood on ground now occupied by Mr. Reinig's residence. I
find in my diary a memorandum that on August 15, 1872, there was
a meeting of the Presbyterian church committee at my office, when it
was voted to buy a lot for a church and Lockey's corner was chosen,
at a price of $400. The site is now occupied by the Chessman Block
on Ewing Street, corner of Sixth Avenue.