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

Phineas F. Bresee
A PRINCE IN ISRAEL
By E. A. Girvin
CHAPTER 15
The Church Paper -- An Appeal -- "The Nazarene" -- "The Nazarene Messenger" -- Dr.
Bresee As an Editor -- The Formative Period -- Excerpts From My Diary -- Organization of
Other Churches
The Church Paper
During the first two years of the life and work of the Church of the Nazarene, in Los Angeles, it
had no regular paper. Occasionally a little leaflet was published, containing a few items of church
news, but, unfortunately, only one of these, so far as I know, has been preserved. It was not until
January, 1898, that the regular publication of a church paper was commenced. It was called "The
Nazarene," and was a four-page paper, with three broad columns on each page, the size of the pages
being about ten inches in width by fifteen inches in length. It was published monthly in different
forms, Dr. Bresee and Dr. J. P. Widney being the editors. In August, 1898, it was changed to an
eight-page paper, with two columns to each page, the pages being about eight inches wide and
twelve inches long. The place of publication was 526 South Los Angeles street, and the subscription
price fifty cents per year. Dr. Bresee became the sole editor of the paper, in October, 1898, Dr.
Widney at that time withdrawing from the Church of the Nazarene. In July, 1899, the paper was
changed to an eight-page weekly, with Dr. Bresee as the editor, and J. P. Coleman and E. H.
Catterlin, as the associate editors.
The Nazarene
In the issue of July, 1898, I find the following appeal, under the heading "Our Church Paper":
"We would urge upon our people a more general subscription to our church paper, THE
NAZARENE. The paper is published with a double object; first, that our people may know regularly
the condition and the progress of our own work, and have in their homes a publication devoted to
the spread of Christian holiness here in our city; and second, that the paper with this information may
be carried by our workers into the homes of the people whom we are trying to reach and lead to God.
It is true there are many papers devoted to kindred topics that are published over the land, but they
can not do the local work here any more than the great New York dailies or weeklies could do the
local work of Los Angeles, or take the place of our home paper.
"The Nazarene, at first published occasionally and irregularly, as the needs of the work seemed
to demand, is now issued as a monthly. Fifteen hundred copies of each issue have been circulated
and put into the homes of the people in the parts of the city where our work chiefly lies. A portion
goes to our struggling churches elsewhere. Only eternity will reveal the good done and the souls that
have been touched and influenced. While many of our people are subscribers to the paper, we need
two hundred new names to put it upon a self supporting basis. The subscription price is fifty cents
a year. The Rev. J. P. Coleman contributes his time as business agent. Subscriptions made to him