Show gyp 4 a 1 OLDEST IN TilE WEST Coeaennlst CIhlIoa of Ih Now hasten ha-sten III Ilaelas cutr The oldest Haptlst church In Illinois or In the West U at New Design III It wa built In 1798 and Its centennial was duly celebrated by tho baptists of he slate quite recently In the summer sum-mer of 1787 James flmllh a Dlptlit preacher from Lincoln county ICy visited New Design and praaehed to the people Ills labor were successful and several of the pioneer II protein to bo converted Amongst them were Joseph Ogle James lemon their wires T0 u and other connection On May 1 > + Smith was taken prisoner by a party r r of Klcknpoo Indian and carried off captive h In his absence meeting were held 11 conducted by Rhadrach Hand who woe he first Governor of Illinois At one of thesa meeting a stranger came In whoso dress Indicated that be was In I advance of tho hunting uhlrt and Indian In-dian moccasins nt the settlers Tho stranger was Itev Joseph Dodge from 4 i Kentucky on his way to visit a Brother residing Sto Genevieve lie t 1 spent several day preaching In tho leltlemcnt and upon his departure John baptized James Imon and wife John 4 ilbbon and Isaac Hnochi who were s lie first person baptised In the territory terri-tory For the next two years they were without a preacher but continued to hold regular meetings In the spring of 1798 Eider David Hadgley of Virginia Vir-ginia made them a visit llcforo Ie departed l on May 30 be bnptlzcd IS persona Elder Hadgley and Joseph Chance ot V IIU1LT IN 1790 Kentucky organlte tho church with Will called New Design |