The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-15
AN INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH.
"Parson" Goodwin Attends Services
and Is Deeply Impressed.

"P0rsOn" Goodwin Attends SERVICES
and Is Deeply Impressed.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
CHICAGO, May IA wrote last week
Of worshiping with the most aristocratic
congregation in the city and hearing one
of the greatest preachers of the day, and
how / was pleased both with the sermon
and the work that unique church is doing
outside of any congregational affinity with
other churches, yet working with all other
churches in whatever is common to all
churches This time write of worshiping
with the other extreme of social life.
Thirty years ago wabash-avenue Meth
odist Episcopal Church was not only the
most pretentious building in the city, but
the organization contained large por-
ton of the wealth and culture of Chi
cago Methodism, and was ministered TO
by such men as Fowler and Tiffany and
Bristol But the encroachments of bust
ness drove all the families that could az
ford to move into remote residence dis
tricts and the membership was reduced TO
less than 100 with no prospect of any ma
terial increase through the stereotypec
methods of church life. In this dilemma
it was resolved to adopt exceptional meth
DDS to interest the local population in
church work, hence 1t was determined 10
constitute the once popular church an in
stitutional church. keeping 1t open every
day with some device for benefiting all
who needed aid as far as the means avil-
able would allow.
/ was drawn to this church last Sunday,
partly to see the workings of an Institu-
tional Church among the poor and partly
to hear DR.. Elliott, Of Philadelphia. an
excellent preacher, but not of the Con-
saulus pattern. One suggestion of his. in
tended for local application, deserves to
be interviewer into every mans conception
of religion. His theme was the openness
of the church to all types of humanity
to the cultured and the uncultured alike,
to the Hottentott in Africa and the canni-
balls of the South seas, as well as to ed
ucated peoples, and to the poor well as
to the rich, but we must not expect that
1. will at once transform all kinds of peo-
pie into the same type of manhood. When
Bishop Thoburn first began his work In
India his thought was to transform the
Indian into Christians, such as he lad
known in America, but he soon learned 70
make liberal allowance for environments
and customs. So at home we may not ex
pect all to conform to our ideal Men may
Relieve in the Christ and be uplifted In
life and character by that faith without
cur standard. The church is open to all,
and the Christ is for all who would en-
brace Him.
At the moment the contrast between
the congregation with which / had wor-
SHIPPED a week before and this congrega-
ton came up, that reveling in wealth,
this cramped in everything by poverty.
The all-wise Father knows what is ex
pected of each. One of the methods of
this church came upon me quite by sur
prise. While musing. the sound of dis
tant music burst upon me, growing louder
and louder; Ii was the singing of children.
Soon there entered and marched down the
aisle a procession of boys and girls. from
eight to twelve or fourteen years of age,
all singing beautifully, all tastefully
dressed, and most of them prepossessing in
personal appearance. / imagined for a mo-
ment must be IN an Episcopal or Cath
Ole church. They marched down the
aisle and in front of the pulpit, then into
the seats of the choir, singing all the
way. 1 wondered where so many we'll
dressed children could come from in that
business district, where the most of the
inhabitants live in garrets or novels. 1
learned that these were the children of
those poor people, brought into this serv-
ice by the marching of this "Open
Church" The good clothes they wore is
called 1.-THE uniform" 1t is kept in de-
rartment of the church, and worn only
on the occasion. What with the teach
ing of music in the public schools and the
instructions of the devoted woman, who
has charge of this Juvenile choir, the sing
ing was excellent, and none enjoyed it more
than the children themselves. There were
nearly hundred of them. These children
attend the Sunday-school, and many of
their parents have been drawn into the
church through this stratagem, and many
home of poverty has been sweetened
by the religious influences thus introduced
among rags and want. The pastors of the
church, two In number, find that most of
the poverty and want are the result of
the saloons, which abound in the district,
so that the tussle is in fact a tussle be-
tween the church and saloon; the church
slowly but surely gaining on it's adversary.
The services at night consist in sterec D.
ticon views of Bible stories. and especially
in the lift of Christ The house is full at
night, and every night in the week las
some attraction. Thus i'm the opposite ex-
tremes of the social life of the great cities
good men are working to make the world
happier and better. Some day. somehow
this most fruitful source of poverty and
vice will be restrained and these efforts
will be more fruitful.
In the afternoon L heard DR.. Allen, the
fraternal delegate from the British Meth
odists to the General Conference, in the
Auditorium. 1t was a good sermon on the
characteristics of Peter and John, and the
different fields each man had to cultivate,
but after all the lesson l learned and the
Church will abide long after this sermon
is forgotten. 7. A. G..