Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-12-09
CHURCH COL ONlZATION.
| A Successful Combination Of Eusinrs-, Re.
| lgi n an | Common Sense.

liyi u an Common Sense.
An enterprising minister of Ander-
son, Ind. is making a great sur' ess
of novel pro. ect which an irreverent
critic re!e to as turning the church
of God into real estate o,fice.' The
Ian OF the minister. who is Pastor
w. H. Covert of the denomination
known as the Church OF God, is to lay
ont plots OF ground near the religious
editice and place those members OF
the church who la no homes Of
their own in a position to acquire
them by selling the lald, with any
kind of building the pu chaser wants
oil easy terms an'. the lowest price
posi- lie. In this way he church pas
tor gathers his flo TX all around him
and is su of keeping them, for the
owner of house is not IL Transient
occupant of the fold. but stays there
aud becomes pillar of strength. The
church seeks no profit on the enture,
so that the prices a cepted are re-
markably low. All that is desired is
to keep the members fai h ul tn the
religious organization that puts them
in the way of owning their homie.
The pastur has found this system OF
church colonization to work like a
cha III. Where there was talk of
closing the church on account of lack
OF funds the congregation is now a
large aud increasing one, the pastors
salary is always aid on time, and the
organization is in most iiourishing
condition. When the pastor who had
enterprise enough to carry out his
plan of combining the ideas of
business man with the tervor of a
preacher OF the GOSPEL was asked to
make statement regarding his ex-
perience for the benefit of the moe
timid ministers who prefer to rea h
to empty seats in the old orthodox
way, rather than insure success by
radica, Departure, he wrote the fol-
lowing:
"Our local members being few, and
the town of small population, l hit
upon plan to get church people to
locate here permanently. I began by
aising stock CONF anies for manufac-
turing purposes, and then, to induce
persons to invest AMI 10 make the in
>estment safe 1 gave q deed in fee
simple for certain amount of stock.
Where the stock was sold ut par, with
every $1uO cash 1 gave 500 worth Of
the ,apital stock and deed to lot
worth prscti' ally 500, thus making
the investor absolutely secure.
"rersons OF limited means were at
tracted by this plan to settle here.
They came in from all over the coun.
try and the town soon began to thrive
But 1 wanted the church to thrive
too 1t was found by careful figuring
that houses could be built for from
S40O to $500 of the kind that rent from
81 to $12 . month. put the plan be.
fore some of the church members and
they heartily approved of it. Those
with money enough to build agreed to
put up houses for the poorer members
and sell them on the easy payment
plan without interest. BY this means
it is within the power of almost g, cry
member of the church to acquire
house, and the benefits accruing all
round are all Ii as to make the project
blessing to every ono concerned.
10 be member of the church is to
share in building plan that makes
q man house.owner in time without
any additional economy at all being
ne essary, for the members who help
Their less fortunate brethren to 40 ui.e
houses ask for no profit on the outlay,
while the church sells the land at cost
price.
"The church is satisfied, for it wants
only to so idlfy its membership and
.oot the component parts Of the er-
yanization to the N, ighborh hood. The
richer membe are repaid for their
Eloans by seeing the property in the
vicinity of their residences incrta 9 in
value through the colonization Of
pcaceable, respectable and Industrious
citizens, and those to whom the houses
we sold are. Of cou Sc, happy aud
gra eful to those who enabled them to
own home. The Plan has helped
ne aud pleased the members. 1t is q
mix,nre of business, religion and
pt actical common sense that harms no
one and does many people good. The
same conditions do not exist every
whe g, and hence the plan could not
be made universal. Where similar
conditions do exist the plan will be
found to work admirably"
}. The Church of God is a very old
! organization in the United State. II
as founded in 1928 in Lower Paxton
} township, Dauphin county. Pennsyl'
,ania. There are over 500 ministers
, and betwe fol ty aud fifty thousand
members in the Unite States The
|. hulrh at Anderson. Ind. was estab'
ished IN August. 1886.