-
Title
-
Owen, George W.
-
extracted text
-
re
REVEREND GEORGE WASHINGTON OHEN
Served at Leesville :
Sept . 9 ' 1873 to Se pt . 8 , 1874 .
Born a t Salem, Asht abula county , Ohio, Sept .
- ' 1827 .
L1.
Bec ame Class Lea der and Exhorter a t 1 8 years of a ge .
c ame to Mich i gan about 1 850 , sto pping at Marine City fo r a time , but
l ate r moved to Al gonac , which became
-the
fami l y home.
Harri ed Mi ss Joanna E . Folke r t s , Novembe r, 1 852 , havi ng t h r ee sons
and one daughter.
Re ceived on Detroit Conference on trial , 1858 . In full connection
and ordained a de a con , 1860 .
Or dai ned El der , 1862 .
Re l ieved from active dut y , t aking a supernu.mary status ,l88 0 .
Died in De troit : Apri l 17, 1888 , of pneumonia .
Survived by a loya l wife and f our children , a l l of whom were grown ,
the sudden shock of hi s pas s i n g was ea sed by the knowledg e that , though
he served a c t ively only 22 years , he had followed in t he footsteps of
the traster in a very lit era l s e nse .
At t he a ge of thi rty , six years
af te r h i s marriage, he left t he ca r pen ter trade to go into t h e ministry .
In those days , t he aftermath of the war between the s tates ,
t hat decision meant courage to endure ha rdsh i p as a true soldier of
Jesus Chri s t .
His parti n g praye r , sha red by sev e r a l of his fr i en ds who we re a t
h i s bedsi de , was :
"Lord, rec eive thi s departing spirit unto the re st
which t hou hast pre pared for them t hat love thee . 11
gt.cu.
w.
QD.CJ.1l.:!)C
'illi.t Qj)nr.cu.
no\', George
Owen \VIIS homi it Snlcn~ASTiliLintln county, Ohio,
·: Septemher 4, 1827, mu.l tllctl in the cily of Detroit, April 17, 1tl8tl, in the
·: sixty-first ycnr of his ngc.
Hi~ Jlnrentll were connected with the Mcth011is t Episcopal Church, his
fnther Iii ling the po~i tion of clnss-lcntler, and such wns the ~wcct Uhristinn inllucncc o f his fnmily life thnt his son Georg~. in his early youth,
bccnme n loving disciple of Christ nntl a mcmhur of the churc:h in whosu
scr.vico he spent the hest ycnrs of his life as n 1;1inistcr o f the Gospel.
.. At the ngc of ci;;htccn he oflicinted ns elns.~-lentlcr nncl exhorter. ln
· 1852 he cnmc to ~lichignn, nn1l in 1853 wns unil~d iu marringe with i\liss
.Tottnnn E. J.'olkerL~. of Al;..:onnc, who, for ucnrly thirty-six yenrs, was
·. t!Jc 'ucnr companion of his joys nnd sorrows , I ii~ true 111111 fnilhfnl help.. meet nmid the clmnges 111111 duties of life, 111111 who still lin:.~ 10 lllUIII'II
his dcpnrt11ro lL~ n goutl hnsluuulruul tcntlcr fnther, while fro111 the loneliness of witlvwhood she looks throu~,;h the evening shallows iulo lhe
light 1:elcstinl fnr hcyOJul the trinls of this r'norlnl pil;..:rimn:-:1:
ll er lu·st
enrthly heritn:;o cor npris1:s the four c hlhli·en whvn1 11 guucl pruvlcl<·llt:<:
hrL~ pre.~ervc1l tn ministea· to her support na'111 comfort.
.
In 1858, nt tho ngc of thirty, llruthcaj'(Jwcn wns rc1:eh·ut1 on triul i11
the Detroit Aun11nl Conference, n11ll wns sent to Forestville circuit. I lis
'.
I
: snu~cqucn t n(l(lOIIItmenl.ll were ns follow.'l: In 1Sii!'l-GO, Cul11mhns; ISGI-2,
. Onkvillo ; 1803-·1, :'llcdinn; 1805-0, Dnnsdlle; JtlO'i-8, Arnu11la; H:lO!l-71,
. · lindley; 1872, Clnrl\ston; 1873, T.cusvillc; 187-1-!i, Dcnrburn; 1870-7,
· )1oynl Onlt; nml in 1878-!l, 'Vynmlottc. IIi~ netive ministry llms com.. · priscd the pcriOll of twenty -two ycnrll.
, ·' · llrothcr Owen's relig ious life nut! chnrneter were true 111111 gcnniuc.
·. lie wns thoroughly IICII'IIIi ntetl with the unture, ev id ence.~ n111l fl'lliL~ of
: ; expcrimcnlnl Christinnity. ·Of the exercise~ of penitence, pmycr nnd
j,; fuilh, of the workin;,;-s of the Holy S pirit IIJIOII th e lmman heart, he
. could spcnk in the dialect of n tr11e evnngclism. lie thus h:ul the first
: nud most importnul qunliOcntion f or prcnching the Gospel to his fellow!· men . .
~----~-------------------~
1888.
·.H>
'l'Hm'l'\"-Tuum· SESsioN,
DE'morr ANNUAL CoNI•'EtmNOE1
sion of impulse. But the sincerity of his convictions, the purity of his
intentions, the goodness of his hcnrt, and his enrnestncss or purpose in
nil life's pursuits nnd duties, ever commnnued the respect nml confldcucc
.
of the Church und the community.
lie wns 'n good minister of Jesus Christ. : Lnying no clnim to high .;
intcllcctunl qualificnlions ns connected with superior cducntionnl ndvnn · :.
tngcs, he nevertheless so wielded the tmths of tho Gospel ns to bring .·.
sinners to Christ. llis revival successc~ in the ministry were probnlJly.
commcusuratc with his abilities nml opportunities. Under fnvornblc .·
circumstances, when the occasion nnu the.hour nf!orucu unusunl spirit-_: :
ual stimulu~, his prcnching would rise ton high level of power nnu . pro- ··;
ducc lasting rcsulls. Ilis miuistcrinllifc nnd history, while not cht\ruc.'·:
tcri1.etl hy rcmnrknblc exhibitions of tnlent nml power, muy lJo rcgunlcd' ;..
hy his brethren ns exemplifying the Chri~tinn virtues in consistent rcln-/1:
tions to the vnried intcresl'! of the Church n_1iu h.umanlty. . , , ,. , • .~;.:
T o this general view of I3rother Owen's chnrncter null history, It Olny1 1;:
he aclt!etllhal he by no means neglected to cultivntc his mind by stuuy ;;:.
ami rending appropriate to the duties of his cnlling, null to give suitnblc_;:
atLcntion to what is most needful for the growth of the soul iu the know· '
ledge of Christ. Ilia lilJrnry shows thnt his thoughts hnd cousidcrnblc· ·
mn;;e in tile fields of gcnernl knowletlgc, while theology nuu prncticnl , ',
rcli,.;iou were the main sulJjects thnt commnnded !1is nttcntion . . lie WIIS : ·
intelligent, a.'! every minister shoultl be, iu ;11ntter~ pertnluiug to tho life ·,
nml business of the community nnu the gcnernl nf!uirs of the nntlon.:·· .
A.s to the maintenance ~f his habits of piety nnd dnily cmnm~nion with
Got! t while suiTerin"'
at times from grent meutnl depression connected :
b
with nervous prostration, he knew whnt .lmportnncc to nttnch to the · ·
means of gmce that !Jring tl1c soul into alliance with thc .wisdOpl nn~. :·
power of God. 'l'he exercises of fnith nnd supplicntlon supportc;,d . ~.~~-·:·
strength in weakness, nml gnvc him ~orlitu'uc in triulnud nflliction •. .,." :': ;::
During the Jnst eight ycnrs o( his life, his unmc being on the hst ,of .
retired ministers in the Conference, he spent whnt henltb nnu strength,:.
were n!Ionlctl him l>y Providence in proviuing fo1· thc.wan~ of _his ,fnm~; ;:
ily, without in t!JC len.'IL neglecting hill d~tics to tho Church, very wi~_-, '.'
lin~-:ly giving what nsshtnnce he could to his brethren _In tbo .. ml_ulstrY:, ;·.
especially in rcvivnl services, in which he hnd nlwnys been _ciDcle~t, Ll,lll~- ·:
maintaining to the lnst his interest in his ;\ln.'ltcr's cnusc. It would .u?.::·
too much to sn.y that these ycnrs were thc,lmppicst of his lifc, ,f?r.u ~r~e :~.
minister is nlwnys in his best estnte when uctively employeu inthe,csse~tl~l.: ;·
work of his holy calling. llut hroltcn henllh. Is frequently .c,onnectc~. ;·:
·
1 •
1
f
·
uuntcu UJiuls- ' ·
with discouragements m the c osmg t nys o ~ur supernn .
_ ., . .,. ,: ;-~
tci·s. Brother Owen's sensibilities werC: h~lly nlivc to. oll_th.c..f.l.ln~gf.: :~~
1
'
"
: ·.,·'11 ···:
i.'
nud circu~nstm~c~s thnt contri1J;1ted to the discomfort and infelicity iucident ~o Jus pos1llon, !Jut hu ~lid not rclnx his grasp on the strength nut!
J>romlsc.~ or Oou.
llls Divine Mn>~ter upheld nud swctniuetl him tn the
· :, ~nd, nud In h ie lnst moments, pe1·fectly cousciou~ WI t he clenr li"ht of
i;,ctcrnl.ty ~tr~med UpOil him through the shadOW Of tlcnth, he )JI'~IIthcd
• .out Ius hfc 111 fervent prnycr to his Fnther iu IIcnven to receive him into
·. t!mt rest thnt remnineth for the people or Ootl, passing so <Jnietly, so
:sweetly .to the lnnd of the lllesscu thnt
.,.
: ~;
· :;·· .
" Night tlows fnlluoL 1n0ro gently to tho ont'LII,
Nor wcnry, worn out. wlnt.l~ oxph·u 80 sof L. u
.:j]·;:: •~·~IllS to de11art aml be
:;:i;r·. :.. · · ·
. ;i:~::;:
.1'
toil" Ghrist ~~far better.
·
•
~.c1.r. '<W.t.c.sl.cu ~ht!)~ut.ot:n.
.);i·;: Wesley IIngllllorn was lJ~m nt South Lyon, lllich.
A.)ll'il 7 1 1:1:1~ und
., d1ed
· June
· 0, 1888, in the Glsl
' yenr of
' his ' ' l"C
!'"
... nt
. Pus.~d eun, Cnl'f
I or111n,
•·.: T!Ie sunple story of his religious nntl ministerinl life is so succinctly··~~~
:.; Ulilns.qumlngly told by llimself ns to seem to merit n plnce in our 11111 ;11 •11
.':.S
.. Ill •.
Illite.~
. .. co_nvcr tct1 nl Mcventcen , I begnn ul once, in n :spcmse tu lhc
'
, •.
. :. ~mls promptmgs, to seck nn education, with the ministry iu view
. · ,W• •ithout
conunuuienLing
the fncL to till"
one• 'rhc cl 1\lrC1I, 1lll\\'CVCr look'
.. . •
.
•
J
;;:: co~nl 1.nnee of this stntc of . miml in me, the yenr foll owing, mul lie~nsctl
me.,to c.xhort, thus st.nrtiug me. publicly on my chosen life· work. J•'u 1·
':~r
,. nuout
. .. SIX yearll I stnl'"'l
e<> eu I111r11 tlllt Icr some cmlnu·rnssment!l in the
~: ·f..;:·
· : schools
,
.
d
.nt Milford
, . • A 1111 A r bor uml Evanston,
not being
permitted to
:··i fgrn untc because of poor henllh. IInving left school ns 1111111'' of 111 •
···,...
., Arlends supposed t u.·10 0 r cousumptiou, I wus ur"c<i hy' Drs. Pilchc
" 1· 'IIIli)
0
the
·
'
,_ rno
, . 1d. to .cuter
.
. ilincrnney, I'•vc or dJC.
:My reply wns, ''J'he ConferWill not reeeiVO .a sick IIIIIII. • • '!''·uen, • snal
· Llwy, 'alircsponsilrility
l>ILrt ccnscs.' '!'he thought reconciled me to the experiment nut!
. J>rnyecl for the privilege of ten or fifteen years in this 'holy
which from the time of my conversion wns the one suprc111c ami
thought ~f my nights nml clays. 'J'hc J.onl g11 , .0 111e
. unbroken ye11rB of moHt full nntl tlcli .. htful t:lupiHynwut in
.- pubhc mlu_lstry, which never for n single du/iost it~ 11ublimc chnnn
cupon
.. , me
. • nutl which nt no till tc .w on11
t I 1ln\'C cxchnni{Ctl for a monarch's
crown.
I cnn
. not tlcfluit0 1Y sum up the number of conversions no r
•··
"
or much goo
· d necomplished otherwise
. <luring 'those
muc
,...1I 1.css the
, liLLie
.
.onc_;cnrs, null shnlllJc content to wnit until the hool;s are open
renll . ct during these yenfs I mny any I hnvc often been rca~<surctl
g
Y.str~nrheuetl uy tlw cvitlcnces of fruit. 0 f the ycm·s of my
mny not fm~hcr speak thnn to sny they have been
!.\
°
Owen, George W.