The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-06-25
OPEN AIR PRAYER.
Missionary Bodies Holding
Meetings in the Streets
in Summer.
ST. JOHNS POST ACTIVE
Salvationists and Volunteers
Conduct an Aggressive
Campaign---Among
the Churches.
ST. JOHNS POST ACTIVE


During the hot summer months the
various missions which hold nightly meet
ings in the crowded sections Of the city
find it difficult to get the class of per-
sons they want to reach to enter their
meeting rooms. The reason for this is
plain.
With very few exceptions the missions
are poorly ventilated. Not one in a dozen
is in a building built for the purpose.
When a band Of Christians get together
and start a mission they usually nave to
begin and often continue to the end in a
| small way, with very little cash for ex-
| penses. There is no money to build meet
| ing places. so a store IN the heart of the
district where the work is to be done is
hired. Such places are Ill adapted to The
accommodation of crowds. even in winte-.
| The only Ventilation in many cases is by
means of the front door and rear win
dows.
On a hot summer night such a place il
unbearable and the congregations begin
to dwindle away until there are some
times more workers than outsiders in the
meeting. Such a state Of affairs exists
at the present time. 1t is hard TO get a
decent congregation into any of the meet
ing rooms of the various missions in the
city. The mission workers are. there
persons who will not come to them.
STAFF Captain Ladd, who is in command
of st. Johns Post. of the United States
Church Army, realizing that there was
little use in holding meetings these hot
| nights in the stuffy little room, which
the Post occupies at No. 30 Pacific ave
nue., started over a week ago to take his
little corps of assistants out each night
and hold meetings on the street corners,
in the vicinity of the meeting place.
Many of the young ladies of st. Johns
Episcopal Church volunteered to join with
! them in the open air work. It was a new
| experience for many of them who are
| more at home at a swell social gathering
than kneeling on the cobblestones.
Captain Ladd's work has thus far been
very successful. At the service in st.
Johns Church. Summit avenue, last Sum
day night, he asked for volunteers 70 as
sist in the singing in the open air meet
ings. Several property owners have Of
fered Captain Ladd the use of vacant lots
and open spaces near their homes for
| his meetings. One convert has already
| been made as a result of the meetings.
/ - lit bGkSCIl h<eAC - ~
ventilated hall for its meetings, but il
will probably hold open air meetings tp;s
year as it did last year in Coffin HOUSE
| Square. as the space at the Junction Of
Grand street and Communipaw avenue
is called.
Corps No. 2 of the Salvation Army and
Post No. 2 of the Volunteers of America
both hold open air meetings at Harrison
| and Monticello avenues on the triangular
plot of ground at that point. They TAKE
turns in using the open air stand. the
| Volunteers using it one night and The
Salvation Army the next. The Volunteers
sometimes hold opef DIR meetings at
Aston place and Monticello avenue when
the Salvationists are at Harrison avenue
Corps No. 8 of the Salvation Army has
meetings each night at the Five Corners,
/ or at Newark and Oakland venues. The
I regular meeting place Of Corps No 8 is III
j No. sos Newark avenue. The members OF
Corps No. / of Gregory street pray hight
" at Warren and Montgomery streets.
Each Sunday afternoon when sae
crowds are passing on the Boulevard, TIC
member of Corps No. 2, Salvation Army
hold a protracted open air meeting ai
Belmont avenue and the Boulevard. After
they have gone there an .old man whe
takes his stand in the centre of the cor
ner lot, and ID a lou voice which IS dis
tinctly audible at a distance Of three
/ blocks. exhorts the passing tnrons. y
stop and consider which way It is gong
Few persons stop to listen 10 him, puI he
sticks it out faithfully and is found Al
the same spot each succeeding sunday.