Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-12-05
Advent.

Advent.
To THE BELOvED-MY DEAR BRETH-
REN:-We are in the advent season.
Advent is a lesser Lent and like it,
calls to action. Surely it is in the
mind of the church when in prepare
tion for it, she bids us ask that 1--WE
may plentifully bring forth the fruit
of good works, and couples, in the
collect for the first Sunday in Advent,
"a putting on of what is essential to
life with putting off what binders
christian effort"
Advent is a time of beginnings. It'll
is the beginning of the christian year.
1t should mark the beginning of new
effort in the christian life, toward the
realization of the purpose for each one
of us of the Advent of our Savior,
Jesus Christ into this world.
Each year the thought comes to us,
and it would seem that this year Cir
cumstanceS gives it added force, was
there ever such time in the history
of the American church as now, when
opportunity stands reckoning endeav-
| or?
The New Year, so near at hand, will
witness the withdrawal of American
troops from Cuba. The future of the
people there will depend largely, on
the measure in which America fulfills
her duty to Cuban schools and missions
in the coming year.
There as in Porto Rico, there are
opportunities that will not recur
again in our generation; and similar
ones are about-yes, are-n now opening
for us in the Philippines.
| The anomalous position of OFT church
/ IN, IIoyr
suspicious for new and vigorous eff
now nerve itself for one of those
struggles which will glorify the an
nails Of missions.
| In the eucumenical mission council,
and the ever increasing cordial CO.
operation of mission boards, we find
Indictment to zeal. Christianity is
not a thing to keep to ourselves. The
more we spread it abroad, the more
we have it at home.
The Advent call, then, is to us indi.
vidually and collectively, pre.eminent-
ly a call to new effort and to new
work, call to constructive respon-
sibility. And while it is a call to con-
| flict, 1t Is equally call to Joy, for the
armor of light, is an armor of hope
and assured victory.
| We are sanguine in the belief that
our American church is better pre-
pared to take up and prosecute this
work than ever before in all her
history.
Stirred with sense of her RESPONSE
bilities and opportunities she has
strengthened her mission staff, and is
looking with increased confidence to
greater gifts of men and money, to
carry on the ever increasing, and
aggressive work of the Master whose
command sends her into all the world
for the glory of God and the good of
men.
The Advent call is a missionary call
at home as well as abroad; and with
us in Iowa is very urgent. Never, we
are quite sure, has there been such
awakening and quickening of church
work as at the present time, under the
leadership of our good bishop who
knows men and how to lead them Sue
cessfully, when single congregation
will subscribe over twelve hundred
dollars at mission meeting as
St. Paul S DeS Moines has done, to be
paid before May 1900, for missions in
the Diocese. We have the evidence of
renewed and new life in the great
work Of, the church at home,
| 1t is sure evidence that unseltsh-
ness makes the forward movement
along missionary lines, and that we
have men and women who are not
lonly ready to pray and labor for the
good of others, but equally willing to
give of their little or abundance that
the aggressive mission work may con-
tinue.
To every man, woman and child
|comeS some echo of the Advent call
which is a mission call, When shall
we harlen to it, if we do not as we
approach the glad day on which our
Divine Lord came in great humility,
as the first missionary of His own
Kingdom.
Beloved, let us seek more and more
the mind of Christ; lett be thorough
ly loyal to our church, to our. bishop,
and to each other. Rest assured that
in trying to lead you to greater
victory in the future than in the past,
| will carry out, not only in the spirit,
but SO far as possible in the letter. the
wishes of my bishop. The Diocese is
the unit, not the parish.
and hope for united effort in the
welfare and strengthening of our
parish here in Cresco, and I look to
every member of the mission for help,
and for everyone to be ready to dc
what they can for the upbuilding Of
the Kingdom of Christ here. 1t is
not'enough to give toward the support
of the mission, your presence at the
services are equally necessary. "As
iron sharpeneth iron. so does the face
, of brother his friend" You are all
my rethren-brothers and sisters
, and | love you all.
Cordially and truly your pastor,
REV. A. Y. GORRELL