Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1901-05-08
A CHURCH TRUST. \
ELLSWORTH WOULD BE BENZ
FITTED THEREBY.
REV. j. NJ. ADAMS SHOWS SOME OF THE
ADVANTAGES AND SUGGESTS A
PLAN OF A UNION CHURCH.

At the union church service in the Bap- |
fist church Sunday evening, Rev. J. Nj. |
Adams, of the Congregational church,
took for his theme the possibility OF the
amalgsmstion of the religious forces OF
Ellsworth. The subject was ably pre-
scented. After calling attention to the
consolidation of interests in the indus
trial and commercial world as the means
| of economy in management and unity of
control, he asked the question: "Why not
religious trust9" Mr.. Adams thought
| there were sufficient reasons why this
| should be answered in the affirmative.
"First of ALL" he said, sit is the very aim of
the Christian religion, when it fulails its OBJ
ject, to create body of believers associated in
| the most intimate fellowship of faith. There
is one God and Father of us all-such is the
foundation rock upon which all the churches
| rest. The church at large is one great family
| hood and each group of worshipers is relat-
| ed to every other not as one family to another,
| but members together of the same family"
|
We should secure by combination COM
pactness and the additional strength that
| comes from sense of union. We should be
| in a way to do something more than simply to
| keep the organization running. I know there
| is vastly more needed to make a successful
1 church than numbers of adherents. There
should be true. fervent, spiritual life. No
| church can exist truly as a church without it.
But that fervency and spirituality are more
ardent when warmed and inspired by goodly
fellowship of believers. There would be
social attractions that do not now exist, and
the cause in the eyes of the community at
large would be more impressiyely represented
| by the dignity and strength of the organiza-
tion. Many unrefectively get the impression
that religion is altogether a minor considera-
tion-a side issue in the absorbing pursuit of
business and of pleasure This impression
they get indirectly from observation of the
struggling societies that represent it. While
it is true that God often chooses the weak
things of this world to confound the things
that are mighty. and His ways are not our
ways, do not consider that that principle
necessarily applies here. 1t is not essential
to the success of His cause, but. in my
opinion, detrimental to it, that we have so
prevalent a tendency to keep our forces
divided into bands numerically inconsider-
able and weak.
The speaker went briefly into church
history, showing how the divisions were
brought about and of the good that had
resulted therefrom In working out COM
plete spiritual emancipation and in the
enrichment of religious thought and
practice. He thought, however, that this
work was now accomplished; each denom-
ination had made its contribution to
Christian faith and practice, and follow
ing the trend of natural laws and science,
|
true and tested principles and reject the
false. Following this line of argument
down to local conditions, MIR. Adams said:
We have here in Ellsworth five Protestant
church organizations. Each represents some
distinction of faith and practice, but all
stand avowedly upon the great foundation of
truth our text suggests. No one claims to be
an exclusive door into the Kingdom of God.
Each is striving to accomplish the self-same
end that every other one is seeking, and each
is having its measure of success. There is no
monopoly. These five organizations divide
up the Protestant force in this city into mere
handfuls. Each group possesses dominant
sense of weakness, and a large element of its
particular problem is to keep itself alive.
These five organizations run up excess
sive aggregate expense of rents, repairs,
combined seating capacity of our churches
upon Sunday morning will average four if
not five times the demand of actual attend
ance. This condition is not temporary. 1t
| has existed for years. 1t is chronic, and bids
rair to be perpetuated for years to come.
ask, is it necessary for the truest religious
| development of this placer Is it good econ
omy? Is it good religion? In the name of
our common estate as fellow children of God;
, in the name of our common purpose to follow
! the leadership of Christ; in the name of our
common aim to build up the Kingdom of our
Father, why would it be impossible for the
Protestant Christian forces of Ellsworth to
combine their strength?
l aware that such suggestion seems
} like vagary of fancy. The impossibility of
such a union seems as insurmountable as the
gulf between Earth and Mars. Leaving aside
for the moment the matter of desirability, the
mere matter of practcability seems to put the
suggestion beyond discussion. How could
these churches be combined? Would all go
over to any one? Would any considerable
number be content to change their denomina-
tional name in the interest of union? We
must answer most emphatically, No. Human
nature being what it is. such things are i'm
possible; neither would recommend them II
they were possible.
What way, then? This; / would have every
church organization in the city irst dissolved,
and the UNCONVENTIONAL names buried once
and for all and forever out of sight. / would
have the staff of ministers free the field from
all ministerial incumbrance. / would then
have the Christian people OF the city come to-