The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-25
THE IPENTECOST BANDS
"RING SERVICE" OBSERVED AT THE
CAMP MEETING YESTERDAY.
superintendent Nelson's Views of the
Church-Men and Women Give
Their Experiences.

The camp meeting of the Pentecost Bands
at Broad Ripple Park was fairly we'll started
yesterday, although not nearly all of those
expected had arrived. Superintendent Thos.
III. Nelson said he expected many to arrive
to-day and tomorrow. Superintendent Nell
son has attended many camp meetings OF
this sect and hopes for one of the best in
its history the next fortnight. He was the
first assistant of the founder of the move
ment, and has been at the front of the
work for several years. Sunday passed
quietly. Owing to the excessive heat there
was not a very large crowd of visitors, and
those who were there did not pay much
attention to the numerous services, with the
exception of the ring services" as they are
called. Between times, while resting from
one service to another in the big tabernacle,
capable of holding two thousand people,
the workers. Bibles under their arms and
songs on their lips, scattered over the park
in groups of ten or fifteen and, standing in
circles, told their religious experiences. The
bands were soon surrounded by crowds, at
tracted by the unique singing of old-fash-
Toned hymns and the no less unique nara
tives of the workers." who told how they
were started on the road" and related their
experiences in beating the DEVIL The
PentecoSterS are a peculiar people. The
men, or most of them, are careless in dress,
but have happy faces. Most of the women
dress very plainly and wear their hair
brushed back smoothly and parted in Sc
we're line. Like the men, their faces beam.
AS a rule their conversation betokens much
intelligence. "Glory to God" and "hallelu-
JAN" are EXPLANATIONS that punctuate their
stories of experimental religion. Just now
the war furnishes them with many SMILES
in telling how they are fighting and defeat
ing Satan.
II may not be Dewey or a Sampson"
said one elderly woman, ito sink the devils
gunboats with gospel shells. but, glory to
God, can be Stonewall Jackson. Halle
lujah! and stand in the front of the fight!
Hallelujah!"
My brother wrote me from Florida that
his company did not get to go to Cuba"
said young girl with a pleasing voice.
He said that as the men stood on the shore
watching the great ships sailing away, many
of them had great big tears in their eyes
because they were being left behind-be-
cause they were not going to get to fight:
That's the way with Christians. Hallelu-
jah! They want to be in the front of the
fight. Glory to God!'
1.-TWO years ago." said young man who
camp meeting. Glory to God! learned
for the first time some people were weeping
for the sins of the world were weeping for
my sins. 1 saw that if / did not repent 1
would be lost boy. Glory to God He con-
verified me. Down on the Ohio river saw
some coal barges filled with water. I won
dered If they would have to lift the boats
out to get the water out of them. They
d10n't They pumped the water out of the
boats back into the river That's what God
did with me. He set the old gospel pump
to work. pumping sin out of me, back into
the river of sim. God don't have to take us
out of the world. He pumps the world out
of us, and we live right on in the world.
Hallelujahl'
Passing their times in meetings, beginning
at $50 in the morning and holding seven of
services" the PentecosterS had a busy day
OF it. The services will continue through the
week. Thursday will be given over to serv-
ices in the German language. Next Sunday
a large class of young men and women will
be ordained ministers of the gospel.
Because we have what we call a love
least, said superintendent Nelson, sSome
people get the idea that we are free lovers.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Our love feasts' are like the old-fashioned
Methodist experience meeting. We are in
fact, old-fashioned or original Methodists.
We are INSTRUMENTATION to a great ex-
tent. We saw that the Protestant churches
were drifting more and more into worldli-
ness, and that there was necessity for a
revival of the simplicity of the early church,
a necessity for leading the simple life of
the early Christians, and out of this neces-
Sity grew the Pentecost movement"
Their manners, their garb and their lam
guage is about as simple and unpretentious
as might be. The pentecostal songs are the
same as the old Methodist circuit riders were
wont to sing, and the Bible and texts from
it form large part of the sermons they
preach.