CHAPTER XIII.
LEAVES AUGUSTA—GOES TO NEW YORK.
In the month of June, 1899, a unanimous call was extended to Dr. Walker to become Pastor of the Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, 161 W. 53d St., New York City. Soon after, by invitation, he visited New York to confer with the officers of the church with regard to the work. The meeting between the pastor-elect and the officers was satisfactory in every way, and the former signified his intention of accepting the call. Returning to Augusta, he presented his resignation as pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church, to take effect on the 1st day of October, 1899, on which date he proposed to enter upon work in New York City.
It is putting the matter mildly to say that the members of the Tabernacle Church and the people of Augusta were in a frenzy. Mass meetings were held, protest after protest was filed by various civic and benevolent organizations, the newspapers rebelled, the Tabernacle Baptist Church voted to add $50.00 per month to his salary, the whole city was literally stirred in an effort to get him to reconsider his acceptance of the New York invitation and withdraw the resignation he had tendered as Pastor of Tabernacle Church. These efforts were unavailing, because Dr. Walker said that he felt moved of the Spirit to go to New York. As a compliment to the pastor, the Tabernacle Baptist Church refused to accept his resignation, and passed resolutions to the effect that he be left free to go to New York if he desired, but stipulating expressly that he could return at any date to the pastorate of the Tabernacle Church, which he had founded, and of which he had been the able, successful and beloved leader for 14 years. With this understanding, the Rev. Silas X. Floyd was unanimously elected as Pastor of the Tabernacle Baptist Church, and installed as Pastor on Tuesday night, Sept. 26, 1899.
TABERNACLE BAPTIST CHURCH, AUGUSTA, FOUNDED BY DR. CHARLES T. WALKER.
The following account of Dr. Walker’s last Sunday night with his Augusta church is taken from the Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle of Sept. 25, 1899:
“Last night Dr. C. T. Walker preached his farewell sermon at Tabernacle Baptist Church. The church was packed to overflowing. A Chronicle reporter called soon after the service commenced, and found great crowds going away, unable to gain admission.
“The service commenced by singing, ‘Come, ye disconsolate,’ the hymn being read by the Rev. Silas X. Floyd, A. M., pastor-elect of Tabernacle Church. Prayer was offered by Bishop R. S. Williams, of the C. M. E. Church.
“Dr. Walker used for a text Acts 20:32, ‘And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.”
“In his opening remarks, the speaker referred to the fact that in the 20th chapter of Acts the apostle Paul was delivering his farewell message to the elders of Ephesus. Concerning himself, the apostle had been desirous all along of two things. One was that he might be faithful, and the other was that he might finish well. The apostle commended the Ephesians to God—to God’s providence, to God’s protection, to God’s word. He commended them in this way for their edification and for their glorification.