CENTENNIAL HISTORY
time to time helped us by your words and deeds of Christian fellowship, and by exchanging pulpits with our pastors, bringing to us messages of salvation, eminently designed for the saving of souls, and which we trust have not been without good results. Many times during the years that are past we have received courtesies at your hands, and now in our church life we have reached a very important milestone along the highway of time, and we are heartily glad that so many of you have assembled with us this morning to assist us again, and rejoice with us in the proper celebration of this event. And to those of our former membership, those who have sat at the Lord's Table with us, who have associated themselves with other churches by letter of recommendation from us, we affectionately welcome you back to the church of your first love. We are heartily glad to greet you on this centennial occasion. We remember many rich seasons in our spiritual life while you with us, and we trust there may be a mutual blessing for were us because of this reunion. And to those of our former residents, who went away from us many years ago, thirty, forty, fifty years or more, you that were boys and girls together, we certainly give you the glad hand. Many whom you once knew are not here now, they have gone to that land whence travelers do not return, but we who are left here are deeply moved by your presence, and thrice welcome you. We used to meet in this old church, not however, in its present dress, we met on the play ground, we met at the little red school house, an institution which has passed away, we met at the old academy across the way, which is also gone, and for you all we have a very kindly welcome back to the scenes of your early years. No doubt you may recall memories of some of the places mentioned, these early impressions, how strong and abiding they are, and in this connection I am constrained to repeat a line of a familiar poem, "How dear to my heart are the scenes of my childhood." It is my earnest desire that you may