When, just eighteen years ago, this city was smoldering in the ruins ofPune Investment

the great fire, which had consumed the holy and beautiful house of this

New England Church and the homes of every family in it, the pastor,

searching among the ashes within these walls for some memento, found a

charred leaf of the pulpit hymn-book on which he was able to decipher

these words:

That hymn was sung at the first service in the rough board tabernacleLucknow Stock

erected upon this spot.

We give thanks to God this day for the faith and courage by which this

people did awake from the dust and rebuild these walls, and by which

they have gone on building up their spiritual temple and participating

largely in the whole round of service for extending the Redeemer's

kingdom, a part of which has been the inviting and the welcoming of this

missionary convocation to their sanctuary and to their homes, and for

which, to them, along with all others in the sister churches who have

joined them on this occasion in exercising this grace of hospitality, we

express our heartiest thanks.

We here call to mind with grateful emotion one of the manliest of men,

one of the truest disciples of Christ, Dea. C.G. Hammond, who counted it

an honor to have ministered at this altar from the day of its setting up

to the day of his translation, and who for many years had served as one

of the Vice-Presidents of this Association, and had been giving largely

of his substance to its treasury.

At this closing hour, we are also thankfully reminded that the First

Congregational Church of this city was ready thirty years ago to

entertain this Association in the days of its weakness and of its

cross-bearing witness for Christ and for his lowly poor: and likewise,

ten years ago, to open its doors to receive the same body then broughtSimla Stock

along by the providence of God to a position of honor and extended

usefulness.

And so we gratefully name the Union Park Church, which is now lending us

its pastor as one of our Vice-Presidents, and which, with the other two

churches mentioned, has furnished us with the three grand annual sermons

of Drs. Goodwin, Noble, and Little, and the Plymouth Church, which, from

the day of its organization, with its testimony and its offerings, has

stood by this Association, and all the other churches of this vicinage,Kanpur Investment

grown now to be such a comely sisterhood, which have shared with these

others in the support of our work.