him a safe lodging and he
shall rest in peace to the last. Thank God who gave him to us, to
know and to love, that we might be lifted by him to find God and
Jesus through him.
He wrote a little prayer, and in closing I am going to read it
and ask you to join with me in making it our own. Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, I am trying to do right and be right and help
others to be right. Give me my daily bread. I am Thy child; Thy
little, weak child. Give me Thy strength; Thy patience; Thy
wisdom; Thy love--that with confidence and with joy I may do the
work Thou hast given me to do in my home and among men. Amen.[3]
The charter of Frank Nelson's future is set forth in the impression he
made at the General Theological Seminary, and in the zest and
enlargement of vision which characterized his five years under Dr.
Rainsford at St. George's. When the opportunity presented itself to
create in Christ Church, Cincinnati, Ohio a work similar to that of St.
George's, he displayed a characteristically wise judgment in making his
decision. Henceforth he was to live "in the upper story" of that
decision, conceiving of his work as a mission to the city, and pursuing
it with a fidelity and a diligence that ranked him as an unusual servant
of God.
FOOTNOTES:
[2] For these stories I am indebted to the Rev. J. Howard Melish, D.D.
whose forthright denunciations of political corruption in Cincinnati
were further "shots heard 'round" the city.
[3] _The Churchman_, January 1st, 1934.
_Reclaiming A Church
To Meet A New Age_
"_By the grace of God, and the loyalty of the
members of Christ Church I was enabled to
carry on the work when Alexis Stein had to
give it up._"
--_Frank H. Nelson_
2
The surging currents of city life had left old Christ Church in a back
eddy, and certain leaders including the senior warden advocated selling
the property or turning it over to the Diocese for a mission. The
population, as in many another American city, was shifting from the
downtown district, and many believed that the parish had seen its best
days. In those late nineties, parishioners of wealth and prominence were
moving to the suburbs; the older, conservative members still attended
the morning service, but the young people either attached themselves to
churches nearer their residences or were drifting away from church
affiliations altogether.
Christ Church was established in 1817
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