The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-07-24
"PLACE OF THE YOUNG MEMS
oHRIsTIANAssOCIATIONIN IN CHURCH

WORK.H
ny A. r. FLINDT, GENERAL sECRETARYs
In order to more intelligently handle
this subject we have asked ourselves two
questions, and in attempting to answer
them we hope to convince even the most
skeptical that the Association not only
has place in church work, but that it
is one of great importance.
l. HAS the Young Mems Christian
Association place in Church work ?''
2. "What is its place ?'
HAS the Young Mems Christian Asso-
citation place in church work ?'' Were
it not for the thought that we might be
considered as begging the question, we
would be inclined to answer off-hand;
Yes, and without fear of contradiction,
but however, let us look into the matter,
and present the facts as we find them.
The first and most convincing, we be-
lieve, is that the Association found its
origin and motive power in the Church
of God; for those who conceived its plan,
and fostered it, and promoted it, were
without exception members of the
church. The church as an organized
body of believers cannot be separated
from her members, and whenever the
members of the church are found en-
gagged in the work of saving souls,
whether as individual Christians, or as a
voluntary association of individual
Christians, it is nothing more than the
church at work. Again, the member
ship of the Young Mems Christian AssO-
ciations is made up of two great classes,
active and associate, the former, the con-
trolling one, as they alone have the right
to vote, is composed of young men MEM
bers in good standing of evangelical
churches. The Young Mems Christian
Association is not misnomer. Let me
repeat that that part of the membership
which controls the affairs of the Asso-
ciatiOn is composed of young men, men,
bers in good standing of churches de-
noted as evangelical. They, and they
alone, have the power to elect the officers
and directors, who supervise the i'm
mediate workings of the Association,
and they also must be members in good
standing of such churches.
Having shown the church, and the
Young Mems Christian Association to be
of one, and the same family, no one will
for moment deny to any one member
of that family, right to participate in
what interests the family as a whole-a
house divided against itself would fall.
Let us then pass on to the next ques-
ton:
"What is its place ?n 1t. has been
question of serious import to the pastors
of the various churches, not only how to
induce nOn-Christian young men, who
have not been in the habit of attending
church or Sunday School, to come to the
various services, but how to retain those,
who, you may say, have been brought up
in the church. Whether it is that the
Old-time methods of Christian effort have
lost their power, or that the average SER
mon of to-day is preached over the heads
of young men, it is not for us to decide,
but the fact remains that the young men
are conspicuous in the church by their
- absence. As we go through the streets
and see the crowds of young men that
a congregate on the corners, and as we
e visit the billiard halls and saloons, we
3 find them not alone, but in two's, three's,
C and in larger numbers. 1t opens our
!, eyes at once, and shows us clearly, what
! has been lost sight of to certain ex-
J. tent, that young men are companionable,
+, and are most strongly attracted by
d young men. Have the "Children of
. Light lacked wisdom in graphing with
I this subject? We believe not. The
I Spirit of God has opened the eyes of men
t of foresight, and they have been led to
g see that vacuum existed, niche had
: been left empty, and the Young Mems
Christian Association born of necessity
sprung into existence. The few Christ
ian young men scattered here and there
among the various churches, almost lost
S to view, owing to the smallness of their
: numbers, have been gathered together
Y through the combined efforts of all the
d churches, through the agency of the
d Young Mems Christian Association, and
70 have been organized, and now present to
). the gaze of young men, solid body,
Ia, in, tc natura a hp1u
II emblematic of purity, strength, success.
, As a SNOWFALL when rolled along gincreases
s in diameter, and power to attract to it
l. self larger number of particles with
Il each revolution, so this combination of
e Christian young men has been able to
e gather to itself each year other young
II men; new ideas have been expressed,
E. and put in practice; methods of work up
: to the times have been introduced, and
e, thus, as often seen in business life,
TO combining of forces has proved success
re full where individual effort has failed.
n The Young Mems Christian Association
le has proved a veritable loadstone in its
lie power to attract Christian and nom
a Christian young men to it, and through
W it many of the latter have been drawn
RS into the church.
lg The Association has been often termed
&c the 'advance guard" of the church in
rs reaching out for young men, and hold
20 ing this position it has been able to do
of work, and adopt variety of measures
Of to catch young men which as yet the in
1t dividual church has not deemed it wise
IL to use, so that it has special advantages
We for reaching the young men who are on
Id the rim of society. 1t is among this
to class that the infidel, skeptic, prjudiced
in young men will be found, and if these
r. can be reached the church will be greatly
blessed.
We have presented facts that go to
prove that the Young Mems Christian
,s- Association has place in church work,
Ier and have partially pointed out what its
cir place is, but let us take a step or so
sS 1C- further as to the latter. Two difficulties
he presented themselves to us before. One
SITS was to get the young men into the
for churches, and the other was to keep
no them, and of the two difficulties it is a
question which is the greater. When a
young man has been brought to knowl-
edge of a higher life, life hid with
le- Christ i'll God, he at once becomes filled
lin with desire to do something for his
M Master. He is induced to connect him
in self with the church, and having done so,
he awaits with eagerness the moment when
lat he will be made use of. He knows moth
er- ing of such service as is expressed in
it ''they also serve what only stand and
~ wait" and such service would best be
an agreeable to him at that period in any
ed event. What is the pastor to do with
ed him? There are no lines of church work
St that he is adapted to, as he has had no
ad training or experience. He is an unknown
lid quantity as far as such work is concerned.
is What then is to be done with him
* Shall this energy and power, though in
use its crude state, be allowed to 60 to waste,
of the young man allowed to cool off, and
he may be, stray away, from lack of time on
Ise the part of the pastor to find out his ca
rot pabilities, and from lack of facilities fol
of making use of them when discovered
he 1t is here again that the Young Mems
is Christian Association finds its place in
it church work by stepping in and taking
this new and untried material, utilizing
on it by placing it on some one of its numer
in Gus committees, to which it is found best
in adapted, and thus thoroughly develop
lp- ing and preparing it for the more i'm
A portant work of the individual church
per ''Your Young Mems Christian Associa
up ton method of training young men fol
OF service in the church cannot be sur
his passed. | always feel that an inquirer i.
yer in safe hands when an association worker
le- has got hold of him, was a remark made
ok by pastor not long since, and has led III
eof to mention, although we have not time
ON to discuss it, another phase of this train
opt ing work conducted by the Association
she and that is, training young men in tht
snt study of Gods word, and in the practi
gle cal application of it in dealing with thu
ate unconverted. That it is filling a lOnl
~ I L - 4 J.