St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-07-01
A CHURCH FROST.
Ut ALWAYS COMES IN SUMNER
TINE, SAYS REV. j. w.
C0NLEY,
AND NiPS MANY CHRISTIANS.
INTEREST IN CHURCH MATTERS
IS LOST DURING RECREA-
TION TIRE.
THE OUTSIDE ATTRACTIONS
Prove So Absorbing That It's
Hard to Strike Religious
Gait Again.

On the SUBJECT OF The Church IN
Summer Time" Rev. ]. w. Conley
preached a very vigorous sermon
at the First Baptist church yester-
day morning, the text being selected
from II. Timothy iv., 4: BE in
slant in season, out of season.
In opening the preacher remarked
that the question with most inter
ests is, how to get through the
winter. Weather cold, fuel and
clothing expensive, many industries
closed down, work scarce, the win
ter presents a serious problem to
many; but in religious matters the
case is reversed, and the great ques-
ton with the churches is how to
get through the summer and have
religion enough left to start with in
the fall The hot weather is the
season for camp meetings, where l
have no doubt much good is done,
although l fear the results are
often overestimated. 1t is the sea-
son of the year for meetings of Chau-
tauqua assemblies, and the holding
of summer schools, and 1 have no
doubt very much good is done at
these summer gatherings. 1t is the
time for holding Sunday school pic
MICS and sometimes good is done at
them. 1t is the time for holding
great conventions, especially the con-
ventions of the young people.
But leaving all this, let MS come
back to the local churches, and we
find somehow matters are different,
the wheels drag, in fact to say that
the work is not encouraging in the
local church-and / use the term in
d general sense without particular
reference to any one church-iS to
put it very mildly, and l wish this
morning to point out some of the
very real dangers to our religious
work and life during the summer
months. The first danger is the
spirit of non-eXpectancy on the part
of the church during this warm
season. The fact is, about all the
church expects to do is to keep the
machinery going with as low pres
sure as can be applied, and yet
have it move at all. Many churches
unite in union services with neigh
boring churches at least once a
day, and though the beauty of union
may be often urged as the reason
for such a course, the real reason
may be found in the fact that no one
of them can secure anything of a
congregation, and it is hoped that
between them all enough may be
gathered together to respectfully fill
the house. Some churches go fur
Their in this direction and surrender
one or even both services during a
part, if not the whole, of the heated
term. There is
A GREAT LAYING DOWN
of Christian activity on the part
of most of our churches during the
summer time. 1t is not the season of
aggressive church work, but in all
lines of business it is time of great
activity, and it is because the church
gets in the way of saying, Are there
not four or six months, and then
cometh the harvest?" that this
blight of non-expectancy settles
upon them. l am prepared to con-
cede that the work during the sum-
mer time may be varied somewhat
with profit. 1 think we should go
more into the open air, and, person
ally, 1 should like to preach on our
streets and in our parks during the
summer. / believe in vacations, in
people taking rest from their work
when they need it, but 1 do object
to the whole church taking a vaca-
ton at the same time, and at time
when the forces of darkness do not
take theirs.
Another danger is that of COM
plete absorption in work and bust
ness. These are the busy months
in business circles. This is the time
when the carpenter and painter reap
their harvest, when the mines and
factories are running at full blast
1t is the time when the farmer must
be in the field from break of day
until the sun goes down at night,
when the business man must throw
all his energies into his business.
and as consequence there is a
strong tendency to drop out of
church work. The man says he must
attend to his work and business, and
earn all the money possible while
he has a chance, and then when
evening comes he must rest and get
out for a little fresh air, and on
Sunday he is too tired to get ready
for church. Are we sure that this
is all right? I was brought up on
farm, and know something of
hard work and the pressure of these
things, and have profound SYM
pathy for those who have to toll
early and late during the heat of
summer, but it is on behalf of these