The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-11-28
The THANKSGIVING SERVICE
A Union Meeting in the Primitive
Methodist Church.
iLL THE CONGREGATIONS UNITE !
Rev. Meredith, Pastor of the Methodist
Episcopal Church. Preached the Sermon
and Pointed out Advances Made in
Work of the Gospel.

The Primitive Methodist church. at the
corner of Jardin and Oak streets, was the
scene of a formal and religious observance of
Thanksgiving Day this morning. As has
been the custom for several years, all the
Protestant denominations of the town Joined
in union Thanksgiving service and the at
tendance was very large. OF course, all the
congregations were not represented in their
entirety at the service there is no edifce in
the town that could accommodate such an
assembage and it could not be expected. but
each denomination was represented bya good
sized delegation and the church was well
filed
The service opened at 1890 o'clock with an
organ voluntary and was followed by an in
vocation, after which the congregation joined
in singing the hymn, "The God of harvest
praise" which was rendered with a fcrvency
betitting the occasion. Prayer was then Of
fered by Rev. Seachrist, pastor of the Eng
lish Lutheran church, and was followed by a
sweet anthem effectively rendered by the ex-
cellent choir of the Primitive Methodist
church. After the reading of the scripture
lesson by Rev. Robert O'Boyle, pastor of the
Trinity Reformed church, the congregation
joined in singing the powerful hymn, BE
fore Jehovah's awful throne" The thanks
offering, which will be donated to the aid of
the j. I. of H. and T. public reading room.
was then taken upand the contributions were
very liberal After another anthem by the
| choir Rev. J. F. Meredith, pastor of the Meth.
odist Episcopal church, preached sermon
1t was very able discourse. The text was
from Isaiah XXI, 11-12 "Watchman, what
of the night"
Rev. Meredith opened the discourse by
speaking of the object of the gathering and
then referred to the fact that the people of
the United States are a liberty-loving people,
are in sympathy with the Cubans in their
struggle for liberty and, as christians CON
denim the treatment of the AImenians by the
Turks. As christians the people are learning
that the church is mole than creed or ritual.
1t is searthly-the in-dwelling spirit of Christ.
He said in substance that on such occasions
as the gathering he addressed it is usually ex-
pected of ministers to preach more on secular
matters than on spiritual. He called atten-
tion to some matters connected with the
church that gives some encouragement to
christians In answer to the question
'Watchman, what of the nightP' he an
swered that the morning cometh :" and in
summing facts pointed first to the position
now held by the christian church-the
activity Of the church. He showed that the
christian church to-day is more active and ag-
gressive than at any other time in its history;
more work is being done. The best evidence
of this is in the activity or extension of the
church the vast number of churches being
built all over the land and laid stress upon
the fact that the Methodist Episcopal denom-
ination is building three churches day, and
the Presbyterians, the Baptists and others
are following close behind Rev. Meredith
followed up his discourse by speaking of the
activity in domestic missions, in bands of
christian workers in all the great cities of the
land, and particularly the work of the Home
Missionary Society, which is not only looking
after the cities, but after the workers in the
northwest and southwest where the people
are poor, and the Society is helping to sustain
them. He also spoke of the foreign missions
that are being sustained by all the denOmina-
tions in all lands, and said there are thousands
of people who are being brought into churches
in foreign lands, such as India Japan, China,
Mexico South America and the Islands of
the South Sea. One special point was in
stanced in connection with San Francisco,
California, where lately thousand Japanese
were converted and they have organized a
japanese church. Millions of money are
being raised for missions. Millions are pour
ng into the treasury of the christian church
more than ever before, and that is a matter for
/ thanksgiving,
Rev. Meredith's second point was based ON
the uprising and organization of the young
people of the Protestant churches. He
referred to She Christian Endeavor as the
undenominational and international society
now numbering nearly two million of the
most intelligent and devoted young people in
the world and they are thoroughly
organized and full of enthusiasm for Christ
and his church. They are the crusaders of
the 10th and goth centuries. They are not
cOntending for the Savior's tomb, but for the
enthronement of the living Christ in the
minds of men. Speaking of the influence Of
the last four conventions Of the Christian
Endeavor upon the country, Rev Meredith
said it was made profound by their religious
feryor and work. In the organizations of
these young people are the most prominent
signs of the coming of the morning and not
only in the Christian Endeavor, but in the
young peoples leagues, alliances and unions
The pastor exhorted his listeners to patrouize
and encourage them
Thirdly, Rev Meredith spoke of the
attitude of the secular press toward the
church. Before the late war; say 40 years
ago, the secular press paid but little attention
to church news, or church proceedings How
changed is all this Now the press associa-
tions spend money and labor and spread out