Phineas F. Bresee - A Prince In Israel - Media Sabda Org

Phineas F. Bresee
A PRINCE IN ISRAEL
By E. A. Girvin
CHAPTER 21
New Church Building -- Choice of a Site -- An Offering Taken -- The Thousand Golden Eagles
-- The Laying of the Cornerstone -- The March From the Old to the New Building -- The
Dedication and Great Table Offering -- Assistant Pastors -- The Publishing Interests
As the work grew, the old tabernacle became more and more inadequate, and the need of a larger
place of worship began to be keenly realized. Dr. Bresee thus described the situation:
A New Church Building
"It began to be felt that greater permanency ought to be given to the local work, in Los Angeles,
by the securing of property and the building of a suitable home church. One morning, as I was about
to commence preaching, Colonel Blanton Duncan arose, and asked if he might be permitted to say
a word. I assented, and he said that in the olden times, when there were special answers to prayer,
it was customary that some thank-offering be made; that two or three weeks previous he had asked
the church to pray for his wife, who was very ill, and that there had been such manifest answers to
the prayers of the church in her behalf, that it seemed appropriate to him to make a thanksgiving
offering. He said that he thought the time had come when we should secure for ourselves lots, and
begin the building of a permanent church home. Hence, he desired, as a thank offering for the
blessing of God thus received, to make a gift for that purpose, to be the beginning of a church
building fund. He then handed me a bank bond for $500. Some other friends added smaller offerings,
until the fund amounted to about $1,000. A committee was then appointed to try and find a suitable
location."
The thought which the brethren had in mind when choosing the location of the old tabernacle, was
still maintained. In Dr. Bresee's words: "We felt that the location should not be far removed; that we
should be not distant from the center of the city; that we should be toward the poorer people. and
within reach by car lines of the whole city. The ground was carefully canvassed within what seemed
to be the proper radius for a site, and no suitable place was found. Brother McKee, being one of the
committee, met Brother Jaynes, whose residence had long been situated on the corner of Wall and
Sixth streets, and told him that in his opinion, he, Brother Jaynes, had held that corner, and paid
taxes on it all these years, for the use of the Church of the Nazarene; that he felt the force of the
provision that whatever your feet press shall be yours; and that he had gone around the property in
the name of the Lord, claiming it for our work. Brother Jaynes replied that it was not for sale, but
that, if the church needed it, and would appoint a competent committee to estimate its value, the
church should have the property at the price thus fixed. This proposition was acted upon, a
competent committee appointed, the valuation fixed at $7,500, the property purchased at that price,
and the $1,000 which had been secured for the building fund, paid on account of the purchase price."