The Indianapolis journal., 1903-01-12
POLICY FOR THE FUTURE.
DIR. III. w. KELLOGG RAISES AN
IDEAL FOR THE CHURCH.
The Uptown Church Has n Distinct
Mission of Its Own-In
Other Pulpits.

The future policy of the church was the
theme of the Rev. II. w. kellogg at the
Central-avenue NJ. Z. Church yesterday
morning. The policy he pointed out was
an ambitious one. DR.. kellogg said:
God appoints the opportunities of
churches and individuals as well as nations
Opportunity is power. No man should
complain IL le has proper chance, and
chCfch should rejoice 1t is an intimation
CT success II opportunity be provided
Every church has its individual task, TO
Wnlcn Il should apply itself. There are
interests in common with all the churches.
we belong TO the uptown class. This
Is recent movement In church life, and is
yet an experiment The custom has seized
the city churches throughout this country.
Mhat the result will be is yet unknown.
ne purpose Is to accommodate the people
VINO nave bullded homes remote from the
csnters OF the city with church advantages.
Ihese churches become family churches
aEu Ia a measure cease to be, by the very
cnurches. What is their mission and des-
people.
IN general their work is that of any
Christian church-to administer to the re-
llslous needs of the community i'm which
the church may be placed. This is a work
not 10 De despised. There is in the present
Tune, when the cry for the redemption of
the Sums is heard on every hand, a possi-
blllty OF overlooking the needs of the So
called better classes of our people The
temptations and struggles of the poor man
may not be the same as that of the man
IN comfortable circumstances, but they
may be no greater. If sympathy and en-
couragement are needed anywhere to-day
Il Is among those who are carrying great
commercial interests and are perplexed be-
YONG all reason. These men are tempted
too' not as the poor man, fut by as strong
| influences. The church that has to pro-
| vide religious life for these has on hand
great and important task. This may not be
| done in the same manner as the church
tnat works with masses, but it may be
| done as effectively. We doubtless have
made the mistake of trying to run every
Gnurcn Gnu In the same manner. and so have
not provided for many needy men and
women, as needy and worthy of help as
| those toward which we have been labor
ing. Inc result is that among very re-
greater religious neglect and less spiritual
| lie than among the masses Why should
| these be forgotten in our haste to save
! the vicious? 1t must be confessed that
mere is weakness in church work too often
overlooked
PROVIDE FOR THE NEEDY.
"As church it is duty to provide for
splendid class of people, but a very
| needy class. The families are to be cared
| Tor. The boys and girls who are exposed
TO peculiar temptation arising out of So
ciai life and from luxurious living. the
| most difficult of all temptations to with
/ stand-these children are to be saved and
| cultivated in Christian graces and made
| ideal men and women. We are to represent
| through our people the highest type of
| Christian manhood and womanhood, in So
| ciety, in business and everywhere. That
| this may be done we must provide at
| tractive services. L mean such as are agree
able to the purest and most cultivated
| tastes Such as will lead to the noblest
spiritual sentiments and life. The notion
tnat the vulgar and uncouth is more Chris
| tlan and spiritual than the refined we must
| rebuke in the examples of holy men and
| women our public services create.
we must give attention to the study of
| the holy Scriptures. This should not be a
work committed to few and given over
to an hour on Sunday morning. 1t should
be organized around the Sunday-school
| IDEA, but extended to all and exalted to a
thoroughness not yet attained by us. We
are well equipped for such a task and /
know the purpose of our superintendent
| plan. This church may become famous as
center for Bible study, and to be less is
TO refuse to enter door that has evidently
| been opened by divine Providence to us
We are to give greater care to the boys
and young people of our homes and of the
community; work for which we are not
may be in time. This must stand second to
no other enterprise. To do all that have
| mentioned in such general trims, we must
nave money Plenty of 1t. But nowhere
can investments be made that promise such
returns All this is local and for ourselves
but all is necessary. But when we have
zone all this We have not done our duty
Greater responsibilities rest on us.
Il cannot conceive of so low a purpose
dominating the enterprise in the construc-
tion of such plant as this with it's splen-
did buildings and more splendid people. We
are to measure up to twentieth-century
Christians, and selfishness must be ex-
cluded; We are for ourselves, but we are
here for everyone else. We are here for
the masses, for the needy, yea, the mos,
needy in this country and every other
II We cannot. by our local isolation from
the struggling needy, affect them directly
If we do not have them coming to oul
affairs we must take our altars to them ol
erect, through our money, others where
money that our time is too valuable to bt
spent in days and nights of revival, we
may out of this wealth, provide someon,
who has the time and who is betetr adapted
than we are for the task, to go to the need,
ones in our place. The Rescue Mission 1:
just such an opportunity. Such a church
| as this should have attached to IT q mis-
sion just like that supported by it and tn.
workers furnished from it's ranks I d,
not advise that this great work under
Brother Wheeler should be brought undeI
this church; it is better connected with al
the churches, but it furnishes the very
means that is needful to the purpose and
indeed, the very life of such church a.
this.
INTEREST IN CITY
I'VE should be vitally connected witt
: all the well-organized philanthropic or
ganizations of the city. We should hav
representatives who would carry ou
church life to every good thing that i
going on in a city like this. My judgmen
is that as a rule we had better work to
gether through the organizations alread,
effect and that in operation rathe
than attempt to start new ones or run I'm
depencent. Both for economy and for ef
fectiveness this is best.
But still ~e have not fulfilled our mis-
sion as a church until we vitally unite our
selves with the movements for the saliva
ton of the world. We should be a mis-
sionary church. Perhaps the hand O
, God is yet to be seen in this moder1
uptown movement, marshaling reserv
5 forces for this very end The facilities TO
with the worldwide movements are re
markable. Many churches are now form
ing the living link between themselve
and some foreign missionary field and ar
supporting from one to five missionaries
This has proven in every case TO be
2 source of marvellous inspiration to the In
r | dividual church that has undertaken it,
1T may be suggested that such a polio
as l have marked out is an ambitious on
: | is all true. But what 1t needs most is me
of faith. Men OF faith In God are NOR
than all else in any enterprise.
II take you to fourishing cities
g this great country where natural resourc
| and capital were not found at first hut