The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-11-08
REV. F. {. CLARK.
Tells of WilIiston Church in Many
Lands.

Rev. F. E. Clark. ID. D.. returned to
the scenes of his early labors and occupied
the pulpit at Williston church yesterday.
ne was welcomed by o congregation
which nlled the spacious church and the
thoughts OF his morning sermon were
suggested by the story of Amaziah, while
IN the evening he dwelt upon 'sWilliston
CHURCH in many lands" taking his text
rom Psalms 10Th chapter; 4th verse,
lhelr line is gone out. through all the
earth, and their words to the end of the
world
Dr. Clark began by saying that a well
known resident of Washington had re-
GENTLY told him that the influence of
Maine in the capital of the nation was
equal to any other two states of the
Union, and leaving out Massachusetts
and Ohio, equal to any other three.
This Is matter of just and generous
pride to every son of Maine and there is
also generous pride not inconsistent
with genuine humility. which every
Christian should feel in his own church,
its history, its growth and its influence.
The preacher said there were many
more costly churches in America and
many far more mangifcent than Willis.
| ton, but none he believed whose outlines
were better known or that was better
loved in other lands.
In fact of all the churches of America,
Williston church was oftener than any
other reproduced in newspapers and
and in scores of books of wide circulation,
the familiar building could be found.
But 1t was notsthe Williston church of
the printed page, but the spirit and
methods of Williston church of which he
wished to speak.
wherever the Christian Endeavor move
ment is known, Williston church is
known, and there is no land beneath the
sun Where it is unknown. In many parts
OF India and China, in Turkey, in Syria
and Madagascar, in the Sandwich Islands
and Samoa, in Burmah, Germany,
France and Spain, in Switzerland and
Scandinavia and especially in the great
English speaking lands, Great Britain,
Australia and South Africa, the move
ment is well established and growing
rapidly and in all these lands Williston
church is known.
By way of visible demonstration of
the influence Of Williston church in far
off countries, Dra Clark exhibited ban
ner, on which was wrought in the Ben
gall language Of Eastern India the
Christian Endeayor pledge, the same
pledge in substance and almost in exact
wording, that originated in Williston
church nearly seventeen years ago. He
said this pledge ahd been translated into
more than fifty languages, that probably
more than twenty millions of copies had
been printed and that it had been ac-
cepted and lived up TO with large degree
of fidelity by five millions of young
people.
The speaker also exhibited "Chain of
Love- made of tissue paper inscribed in
one of the languages of India, with verses
relating to the Son of God, and hung
! about DR.. Clark's neck by one of the
swarthy sons of India at Christian En-
deavor convention. This typifed the fell
lowship of the Christian Endeavor move.
ment and of the many links which bound
| Williston church to many others the world
around.
! The speaker also exhibited tiger S
claw, whose original owner had nearly
killed Andrew Murray of South Africa, a
leader in Christian Endeavor work and a
type of the spirit of Christian Endeavorers
and he topped of Willistun church.
| This man and the family to which he
belonged had transformed the religious
life of South Africa and made parts of it
the Kingdom of God instead of men. a
gold seekers paradise.
\ DR.. Clark also told of Zulu church or
ganized on the Christian Endeayor
principles where every member is I, an
active worker and where twenty-five dis
tinct preaching places are supported every
Sunday in all parts of the city because
every Christian is worker xysgs
DR.. Clark closed by urging that the
spirit OF faithfulness, fellowship and
heroic devotion to the Kingdom of God
might ever characterize the church in
which so many, the world around, had so
deep an interest
Excellent music was rendered by the
Wllliston quartette and an arrangement
by Raft at the morning service is especial
ly worthy of mention