The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1869-03-04

Il Mr.. Waring thought coutrovers
S sometimes necessary. He related
b case where, by manifesting willing
J. ness to meet o popular error, st, q
J errorist was confounded an 4 Il
{ truth was made to triumph.
d The time having expired, the not
, cos were given, and after prayer b
f Rev. Clapp, the session clio sed.
e The Convention united n praye
service for thirty minutes.
r The topic: "How can the Christia
activities Of the entire membcrshi
5 of any particular church be best Oh
, ganized and DEVELOPER
( Mr.. Reynolds, of Peoria, opene,
: the discussion. He said, the way t
| develope the Christian activities i
, to have them thoroughly organized
lie was connected with churcl
: which had been organized twenty
, one months ago, in perfectly barrer
t field. 1t was formed out of mission
t school. At first there were only two
| members-himself and his wife
t Now they have 12l members. Wher
: it was organized he proposed they
, have working church. He pro
posed to put to every applican,
: for membership the question, s'What
, do you intend to do?" He explained
their plaI of organization They
had committee on prayer meetings
everything connected with prayer
meetings was entrusted to that com
mittee. They have eight or ten
prayer meetings week. They have
prayer meeting before m ,rning
preaching, and one after Sabbath
school, and another after preaching
at night; then they have Wednesday
night prayer meetings, and besides
two or three neighbour BOD prayer
meetingsa week. He explained how
these neighborhood prayer meetings
were carried on: This committee
enquired for some place for the meet
ing, and then visited in the vicinity
to invite the people to come. Then
they had a committee of Introduc-
ton; they sat near the entrance, and
nobody went to that church, and
came away without somebody taking
them by the hand, enquiring their
name and residence, and inviting
them to the church again. This COM
mittee was provided with blank
books to take down the names and
residences of the visitors, to report
them to the pastors. Then they
have committee on Socials and a
committee on Tracts. However,
they prefer to use paper--the Heav-
emily Tidings-which they distribute.
The part of the city where the, church
man OF this committee Is authorized
to employ some person to visit in
each district and distribute these
papers. Then they had out door SER
vices conducted not by the pastor,
but by some layman. Thus they set
all to work, and he had never found
one who could not. do something.
In answer to- question, he said,
These committees were appointed by
the officers of the church, and for
o year. They held general Mis-
sionary meeting once month, when
all these committees reported, and it
was most interesting.
Mr.. Beaman, OF Croton, related
how, during his illness upon one oc
casion, the officers OF his church were
led into practical work for Christ.
Mr.. Burnell referred to the case OF
minister who had taken u three
weeks tour to visit his members in
the pineries, and who, by his course,
had multiplied his influence in his
church very greatly.
Mr.. Van Emmons narrated his ex-
perience in the church of which he is
pastor, at Summit, Van Buren CO.
Two years ago they had a member
ship of eighteen; now thoy number
one hundred and seventy. He had
used his members, young and old,
and he found he could make use of
them all. They had not organized
committees, but himself and the
church session was constantly en-.
gagged in setting the rest to work
He always enquiries of persons when
before his church session, Are you
willing to do your duty, if you know
it?' They will all say 81 will
Then he asked, care you willing to
pray in public prayer meeting ?"-
Some of them would not be ready to
answer that directly, and SO he asked
them, Will you do your best, God
helping your" They would all
agree to that, and then he did not
wait very long until he gave them an
opportunity. He related where he
met five unconverted young men who
had gathered for meeting, and he
proposed to them to hold prayer
meeting, and three out of the five en-
gagged with him in prayer.
/ Mr. Eel asked how much Mr.. Bea-
man had relied upon protracted meet
ings,?
| Mr.. b. replied, they had two such
meetings.
| H. P. Graves, Esq, was appointed
Railroad Secretary.
| The topic: The Importance and
best method of organizing and pros
ecuting systematic visitation" was
taken up.
Rev. Mr.. DeForest opened the dis
cussion: The early diffusion OF the
gospel, he said, was effected by Wis
itation. 1t was necessary for the ac-
complishment of the work of the
ministry, and for the prosperity OF
the church, that visitation should be
organized aud carried on.
Mr.. Bross said, in every western
town there are great many tran
sient people Snd new comers that can
, only be reached by visitation. There
was another class of persons who
, had been members of so ne christian
church, but had grown neglectfu
and abandoned the church. If these
are to be reached it must be by sys
tematic visitation. If all wo'd unite
: in this ii would not be long befor,
{ everyone could be reached.
a Mr.. Datton said, all were agree,
as to the desirahleness of the thing
! the question was, How was it 10 b,
: done?
Mr. Burnell gave some very inter
esting practical examples.
Mr.. Ensign told what they did il
J. the church To which he belonged :
Q They made schedule OF work to b
: done, and tried to interest every pei