Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-02-23
THEM In
The Pastors Conference Dis
cusses City EyangeIization.
HOW TO REACH The MASSES
They VIII District the City and Give
Every Minister q Field TOD SPsciSi
wo1k-A SPirst-d Discussion

&c lEH&4. ~ Wv tSAtt44&b~~C IA
church syzpgeliz2tIon showed that the
aE the union meetings held
Ia its cause on sunday were as follows:
At tee Second street NJ. K. church,
SOS; south Congregational. s5l 50; at
tho PARK Congregational, about ttUo.
The money vii Dc applied toward put
ting a secretary ~ the neid, whose work
10 snall be 10 esangeiize the state. Tue
report was adopted aud the COMMITTEES
contnus q.
BY request the Rev. l.. IL. Davis pre-
pentsd a paper on CHARACTERIZATION"
which had been gwen TO MS people in
the form OF sermon some time ago.
Assuming the population OF the city 10
be IS, 600, Mr. Davis sald that OF these
there we're So coo who are not IN the
churches As meGbers, acherents or at
tendanls-about 100 TO each church.
Continuing. ne said: ''Why are these
out of the church, Is Professionalism .
failure. sEd We do not know IT, So we
are told by our Roman Catholic banner.
Time will answer the question. Just AS
st has done Voltaire's prediction, that
Christianity would DC extinct At the
close of this century. Tx the SO. 600
you'd desire salvation, they would have
Christ for the asking. Converting
men Is Gods business" says one. .No
man can convert another soul. It's
mans business TO put the Bible within
the reach OF others and then leave it,"
IL Is the duty OF every Christian man
and woman 10 90 forth and save souls,
not only for the souls sake, but for the
BAke OF the state and nation.
Must Meet Them ~ Men.
IL we reach one OF the $4,000 outside
Of the church We must reach him as
man. We must raise our standard OF
thinking about men and looking at
them. We think OF the adjective be-
fore the man and not the man himself
and we treat him accordingly. We do
not know fractional part OF what
soul Is. We owe to the men and
women out OF Christ 10 raise our stan
dard OF living In urging men to ac-
cept Christ We are always reminded OF
the Inconsistencies of the Christian.
We must raise our standard OF work
ing for others. We must raise our
standard Of methods of work. The
church has sunk so low IN the estima-
ton of those outside that she has many
more TO do than If she were what she
ought 70 be.
Our plan to reach them would be to
have . room contiguous to the church
IN which books, papers, games and IN
nocent recreAtious may be enjoyed BY
the young and old. would have just
- bright. beautiful, wholesome and
slean places for the young people IN
lhe church rs they lind prepared to
keep them out of it. i would have
these rooms open every night, and
Allow all to come into them when they
pleased. Ii 10 tho mouse house, the
heart-to-heart, the hand to hand SYM
pathy that brings mon to God. 1t was
hat love and sympathy that brought
Sod TO man."
DR.. Reed said he couldn't quite agree
Nth Mr.. DAVIS in the game business"
He didn't believe men could be brought
10 God by seeing others stand on their
heads. For his part. he 10 ashamed of
lhe churches-ashamed OF protest
ISM" The churches protest against
Sunday papers, against intemperance,
against Catholicism, against llcentous-
ness, and they 20 on protesting, but it
stops there.
We Ought to Stop Theorixins
And 60 to doing. The churches don't
do work enough to pay for the money
expended in them. | preach in .
t30. 900 church every morning TO only
~ many people as / preach TO IN the
afternoon IN . $1,000 building. Don't
spend money IN building magnificent
structures. but spread II more. The
results will be vastly better"
The Rev. Thomas Smith told of some
81 the objections made by people out
nde the church when urged to come
INTO il. IL was charged that there was
more Recommendations than true
Christianity among church people. He
bought there should be a humble
willingness of the heart TO work for
very one OF Gods people irrespective
VI .nelr business. and that much more
God could be done TO the sinners Il
hey were approached IS men and wo-
men.
DIR. Fair-A great many remarks
ave been passed this afternoon derog-
story TO the CHURCH and dsrogatory 10
he ministers. 1 csnnot JOIN in these
complaints. I bear my unqualified ties.
imouy 10 the spirituality OF the minis
srs Of God that have met. Tho 80,
40 persons SPOKEN of by Mr.. Davis
ssper probably represent $4,000 fami'
les. For sixty churches thst would be
about go families apiece Can't We
each these by psrcelling of the city oil
Srand Rapids and giving $50 famlliet
% each church.
GIVE Ne a District
And say. ''Df. Fair. you visit every
,ns OF these 30 families" and I'll dc
{.
Several others said. ssI'll DO il. too
Or. Cobb--Therc - . xrest deal of
INSTRUMENTATION about the church
which passes current. I think every
shurch member in Grand Rsp'dss.ve uld
Re glad TO see pecple--sllkindsof people
crowding INTO our churches. Kind
Euess and neighborIiness would de
nsnd that all people coming in b
spoken TO. but tss superstition thai
thev must be spoken to. q at
nonsense, and no one should take
sdense Il he 10 not. I'm not going te
arsg the tanner of the church down N
sne nire just to please some enc out oil
he church. The fault Of their not he.
Ing in the church 10 net to be laid al
he aeors of the ministry. One fault
pf the ministers 10 that they have not
sAusht their people to DO pastoral
work.
Mr.. Frye wished that that each min.
rter would give . schedule of IN
weeks work 20 disAbus the pub
he mind Of the idea that ministers dc
not have much to do.
After . prolonged discussion on meth
eds Of getting into the church. the
meeting adjourned.
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