The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-31
GOOD PREACHERS COME HIGH.
4 PROBLEH FOR CHURCHES WITH
PASTORS on VACATIONS.
From $50 10 $3.50 Paid for Sermon
And All the Sermons Not New. AZ
That-Onerinss Not Sumcient to
Pay the BilIs--(hurch Fioaters.

A man who is an authority on church
to a SIN reporter.
The big church in city like New York, y
he said, has other things to look after be-
sides the saving OF souls That is the
ultimate end Of course. but various are the
means to accomplish it,
The minister OF big church gets big
salary, and he must have one or more
assistants But the assistants do not take
the place OF the minister in the pulpit until
late in the summer The vacations Of the
big ministers usually begin early in June;
in some cases before II is necessary to AL
the pulpit with pretty good preacher for
Il few weeks until the congregations begin
falling off, and all pews become free.
1T is the part Of the executive members
of the church to arrange for preachers to
fiji in the few weeks with good pulpit talent.
Sometimes these arrangements are made
six months in advance.
"Now and then the supply for one Sum
day is a man who is taking vacation
from his own charge. and he makes pretty
good thing Of it for Sunday or two in the
city. Occasionally we find an excellent
preacher out of a job to speak CONNER
ci;lly and we engage him for one or two
Sundays. But he comes high.
A preacher In this age Of the world is
a bit of flnancier. Any good preacher
would act for his brother II the brother
waro sick, or made personal request, but
when the rector or pastor, as the case may
be-, goes OF to enjoy himself and take Il
rest, and the vestry or the elders or deacons
want somebody TO take his place for one
Sunday, or more, the temporary supply
wants a good sum, and he gets it.
II know one church whose rector goes
away very early on account Of his health.
The congregation likes good preaching.
For about six or seven Sundays after their
rector goes away that congregation has to
pay from $3.50 to 500 for a sermon.
That seems like a pretty high price,
II is a good price for the preacher, but
the congregation is wealthy ono,
The church wanted for one Sunday
certain man who lives at a distance from
New York-three or four days travel
The vestry offered him $3.50 to preach one
sermon. OF course the offer was made
on the basis that the minister would have
to travel some distance.
There was no reply to the offer for about
two weeks. When the reply was made 1t
was mailed in this city. The preacher
was here on his vacation. The letter had
been forwarded to him here. and he accepted
the offer.
-Ho did not understand that the offer
was made on condition that he make the
trip especially, and fol, that matter, what
got the sermon? Did he knock OF anything
because he happened to be on the ground?
Not lac 1t was a business matter with him
Personally | did not blame him. But
one OF the vestry protested, and, when asked
why, he replied:
ii don't blame him for accepting the
offer because he was on the ground but
heard him preach the same sermon two
years ago when was in the city where he
lives
usually met by the men who handle the
, finances of the church. The offerings at
this season q the year are not sufficient
70 pay the bill.
In the case OF the $3.50 sermon happen
to know that the offerinss from six plates
amounted TO sl4co, The Offering was not
for any special purpose and, while the con-
gregation was tolerably large numerically
! those present were what we call fioaters,
! Never heard of church hoaters?
, known that they are identified with big
! church, but cannot afford to pay pew rents,
One example will answer for a number.
! There was a family-that means a man
and wife, or more-who went to certain
minister of a big church and told him they
would like to have pew. There was not
o pew in the church for rent at that time
But the minister asked one Of his ushers
to accommodate this family whenever he
could do 80, until such time as pew could
! be had.
The usher learned that the people whom
he took care of for six months said that they
wepe formerly conr" cd with another big
church in the city. The usher knew the
minister of that church very we'll. and
meeting him one day he remarked In sort
| of joyful way that he, the minister, had
lost one of his families.
1T turned out that the minister never
heard Of the people. This set the ushsl