The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-07-15

wonderful purposes for his church at
this time and measure up to their re-
sponsibility.
Has not the work of the past and
these student movements put tremen-
dous responsibility on our homo
churches, and on those of us who dare
stay at home to guide them in the
things of God?
In view of all this on next Wednes-
day, July 16, delegates from all the
denominations in the United States and
Canada are called to meet at Silver
Bay, Lake George, New York, to spend
ten days in prayer. study and earnest
planning, that our local churches may
meet this enlarged opportunity and re-
sponsibility with zeal aud consecra-
ton that is correspondingly great
A Personal APPEAL.
Now my young friends the question
of greatest concern FOR me TO light is
this-What part will the United Breth-
rem young people have in developing
this movement? One thing is sure IL
the local churches in our denomination
are ever to catch the vision o Gcd's
enlarged purpose for them in the days
Just ahead that vision must first come
20 you, who are privileged to sit in
this convention and to thoss of your CO.
workers at home, who are in training
in the young peoples society. Our local
churches will become just what your
con -ecrated labcrs, in cooperation with
your pastors, mak's ttem. The mis-
sion Of first immpo tance for our socie-
tics, is to stand for the quickening and
all-round developn ent of the whole
of the local church of which the society
Is part. The society ought to be az =
leaven to the local church, catching
the life giving. Transforming germ
| from God and never ceasing its activity
until the whole church is leavened We
are "sent persons" my friends, to
knock at the doors of all our churches
until they open to the complete control
of Christ
But why emphasize missions as an
important factor in the life of a local
church? Well. for one thing the spirit
of Christ, like love. which is the spirit
of missions, coming into this church.
destroys, as nothing else can, the power
of coyetousness and worldliress Many
a church is frozen up the year round
ecause of these things. and no amount
of stormy protests and reasonings
can open them. But like the frozen
rivers which yield only to the power OF
the sun. these churches are thawed
out by the compassionate, self-sacri-
fioing spirit of Christ and by nothing
else. Only when our lives are illumi-
mated by the divine spirit do temporal.
tangible things lose their power over
us.
URGES NEW ENDEAVOR.
Then on the positive side the Joy and
privilege of the ministry of money for
the work of the Lord Is recognized
only where the spirit of missions per-
vades the church. When we are spirit
filed we see that nothing is our own.
and no one can be purse-bound who
has developed this sense Of steward
SHIP. Just here is a work of marvellous
possibilities. Our churches ought to
send five times as many workers
abroad as We are now sending. Our
luxuries ought to give way to the COM
forts OF the neey; our comforts to
their necessities and even our necesst-
ties to their extremities," says John
Howard But we can't get the money
for this large advance by special ap-
peals nor by any surface methods or
measures. We must develop the grace
OF giving until our giving becomes an
act of worship. and thus a fountain
Is opened in the local shurch which
sends forth, without pressure or appeal.
al amount increasing according to the
blessing of God. AS leaders in our
churches we must broaden the horizon
of our work, we must lengthen the
cords and strengthen the stakes, and
above all fear not" Love seeks not
inlets. but outlets, and is jealous of
limits" Too many are satisfied with
the years work when it merely pays
the expenses of operating and barely
maintains itself We must undertake
great things, open up great outlets. put
responsibility on our churches which
they cannot discharge in their own
strength. that they may be driven to
take hold of the mighty resources OF
God by faith and learn to undertake
according to the riches Of his grace.
and not according to the poverty Of
their lives.