The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1900-03-03
cHuRcA col oNIzATloE.
a Successful Combination of Rusiness'Ns'
ligion and Common Sense.

A Successful Combination of Business'hs'
ligion and Common Sense.
An enterprising minister OF Ander'
son. Ind. is making great success
of q novel project which an irreveren'
critic refers to as turning the church
of God into real estate Office. The
plan of the minister, who is Pastor
W. 81. Covert of the. denomination
known as the Church OF God, is TO lay
out plots of ground near the religious
editice and place those members Of
the church who have no homes OF
their own in position to acquire
them by selling the land, with any
kind of building the purchaser wants
or easy terms and the lowest price
possible. In this way the church pas
tor gathers his fock all around hlm
and is sure of keeping them. for the
owner of a house is not transient
occupant of the fold, but stays there
and becomes pillar of strength. The
church seeks no profit on the venture,
80 that the prices accepted are re-
markably low. All that is desired IL
to keep the members faithful to the
religious organization that puts them
lin the way of owning their home. !.
The pastor has found this system OF
church. colonization to work like q
charm. Where there was talk OF
closing the church on account OF lack
of funds the congregation is now q
large and increasing one, the pastors
salary is always raid on time, and the
organization is in most fourisning
condition. When the pastor who had
ENTERPRISE enough to carry out MS
Man of combining the ideas OF
business man with the fervor OF Q
, preacher of the gospel was asked 70
!. make a statement regarding has ex-
perience for the benefit OF the more
, timid ministers who prefer to proacn
, to empty seats in the old orthodoa
way. rather than insure success by
radical departure, he wrote the ioi
y lowing:
"Onr local members being few, ant
: the town of small population, III
!, upon o plan to get church people u
: locate here permanently. / began o,
= raising stock companies for manuiac
;. turing purposes, and then, to induc
persons to invest and to make the N
;. yestment safe I gave deed IN ie
- simple for certain amount OF stock
> Where the stock was sold at par, wit
:. eyery 500 cash / gave 500 worth
=. the capital stock and deed to IL
~ worth practically 500, thus maxim
x@n1U
i "Persons OF limited means were a
"a tracted by this plan to settle her
- Thew came in from all over the coul
i, - try and the town soon began to thriv
=. But I wanted the church to thru
- too. It was found by careful fgurii
- that houses could be built for fro
90 $500 to 5000 of the kind thatrent fro
~ SO to s12 month. I put the plan b
~ fore some of the church members al
aa they heartily approved of it Tho
os with money enough to build agreed
~ mt mn houses for the poorer membe
II and sell them on the easy payne
~ nlan without interest. By this mea
- it is within the power OF almost eve
:. member of the church to acquire
~ house, and the benefits accrulng
~, round are such as to make the prof.
IA q blessing to every ono concern'
IL To be a member of the church is
-: share in a building plan that NAL
~ a man a HORSEPOWER in time witht
al any additional economy at all bel
-, necessary, for the members who n
~ their less fortunate brethren to acqu
n houses ask for no profit on the outl
~ while the church sells the land at
az price.
"9 .sThe church is satisfied. for it wa
80 only to so,idify its membership
80 root the component parts OF the
@ ranization to the neighborhood.
- richer members are repaid for tn
30 % loans by seeing the property in
'us vicinity of their residences increase
~, value through the colonization
!, ~ peaceable, respectable and industri
n' citizens, and those to whom the hou
A., are sold are, of course, happy
VIZ grateful to those who enabled then
"n own a home. The plan has hei
,,ss me and pleased the members. 1t
u.s. mixture of business, religion
l 'm' practical common sense that harms
W., ~ one and does many people good.
ny ", same conditions do not exist ev'
n's where, and hence the plan could
light % lau =. ay;st Tho nlsn will
n found to work admirably"
" The Church of God is very
, " organization in the United States
'aos Was founded in 1928 in Lower PA
- 0n, !. township, Dauphin county. Penn
cted wanna no. 49, "a aftv tbon,
/ in anu pos" u~;..1 Ct.te.
80 church at Anderson, Ind, was ei
r.n lished in August, 1885.
hoY