The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-11-25
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.
The Sunday Schools Annual Thank
Offering.


The annual Thanksgiving and Harvest
concert of the Free Baptist SUNDAY school
called together an audience filling the
large vestry to overlooking. The room
was tastefully dressed with flags and
festoons of pink and green bunting. The
national colors forming back ground
for the pulpit platform on which was a
long table loaded with harvest fruits and
thanksgiving supplies. the gifts of mem
bers of the school and parish. 1t having
been the custom of this school for the
past thirteen years to bring this thanks
giving offering Of supplies and also to
make an Offering of money which in the
hands of committee is judiciously dis
tributed, bringing help to many needy
families.
The evening programme consisted of
singing and scripture readings by the
school and primary class, with recitations
appropr ate to the occasion by the
Younger children, all of which were very
nicely given.
Superintendent Field made brief and
pointed address. He said the school had
not received as much money the past
twelve months to do all the work that
should have been done. This is the only
collection taken up in the whole year for
Sunday school work. When you look up
on the contributions you make at this
Thanks gving season and afterwards see
what good they do, you realize what this
thanksgiving offering means
The collection was then taken up and
amounted to $44 05.
Mr.. Field said there were parents of
children in the school who were present
tonight for the first time. He hoped to
see them often, and all others who would
like to come into the school.
A beautiful tenor solo was rendered
by Mr.. A. B. Hail.
The pastor. Rev. Mr.. Ayres, delivered a
short address. He said he never knew
how to talk to the little ones. He never
felt like spending the time he stood be-
fore the children in telling entertaining
stories. He wanted to impress upon them
a truth that, if he had known it when
he was young would have been of in
valuable help to him, and that truth was
that God never meant boy or girl to walk
or stand alone. An engine, no matter
how powerful, can do nothing without
her piston rod. A big steamship left in
mid ocean without her propeller is help
less So human being can do nothing
without Christ's help. Children say l
can't overcome bad habit because there
is something within me that prevents
me. That condition has existed among
men through all ages. God never in
tended man should battle with sin
without the aid of the atoning blood of
Christ You cannot stand alone without
Gods help, and to succeed you must
accept it. ask you boys if you are going
to try to do without it? Conseorate your
selves to God tonight. How much of sin
would be abolished from our lives if as
boys and girls we had consecrated our
selves to God. When boy becomes
fascinated with sin he is on the verge Of
an earthquake. The earthquake is the
warning of God. The speaker then re-
ferred to the thank offerings made this
evening and ask>& if we realized that
God through these blessings is trying to
draw us up to Him? If we do then they
have done us good.
The congregation then sang patriotic
hymn and the benediction was pro-
nounced.
In the morning the rite of baptism was
administered to five children.