The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-03-30
A FAREWELL SERMON
REV. DR. RAIL PREACHED AT
 TRINITY 1T. E. CHURCH,

Pastorate-Letters Receivedt n Protest
 From FInnncler Against Sermon on
 s'eaiing
 i Rev. Dr. Ral preached one of his last sermons at Trinity M. E. church on Sunday. This well beloved pastor, who is to leave his church to labor in anoth- CT city soon, will be with his present flock but few more Sundays, and the church was filled yesterday.
 Dr. Rall announced as his text the words of Paul: For it determined not to know anything among you save Je- sus Christ and Him crucifed. He spoke in part as follows:
 In commencing his sermon he referred to his departure feelingly and said: Tt is not my purpose to preach to you a farewell sermon this morning; the thoughts that I have in mind this morn ling are such as I might equally well speak to you if were to return for an- other year of labor in your midst. The prospective change in our relations does not seem for us just what it does for some of our sister churches of other name. Your pastor is first a minis ter, not of one congregation but of the great body known as the Methodist l Episcopal church. Of that same body you are members. For a time we have been associated together in one particu- ] lar parish. When the time comes that minister may serve the interests of this great church better elsewhere, the separation takes place. But, though in tinue in the same one church whose common interests, though separated, we shall alike serve.
 That such a change, always possible 1 in our economy, seems probable this year, makes it natural that I should take this occasion for few words of personal nature before I ask your at- tention to this text. The word that comes first to my thought is one of gratitude that want to express to you. Coming here really to my first parish, I have learned to know from so many of you the patience and kindness and ap- preciation that has helped make heavy burdens bearable. It may surprise some of you to learn that my own pas torate has been the longest in the twenty-two years of the life of this church, during which time it has had in all nine pastors, and yet four years have been long enough for many changes to take place. There are faces absent that we used to welcome in these pews, and whose voice we used to hear in our services of prayer In this time we have lost thirty-four members by death. Letters of dismissal have been given to eighty-five. In the same time there have been received one hundred and seven by letter and forty-nine from probation, while the pastor has admin istered baptism to eighty-six. For any real review of our church life in these years there would hardly be time Some items would be the final payment of one thousand dollars leaving our property entirely free from encum- brance, the gift of an additional amount for the other Methodist church. es of the city, our own financial plan by which this year for the first time our current expenses were assured by pledges at the beginning of the year. a definite increase in our missionary of fering after period of years in which it has been decreasing. Important work | had been done in the Sunday school, land the least of which has been the or ganization of home department with over hundred members and a Cradle Roll of fifty. Its missionary offering in the last four years will average about GHE0 ba preceding being something under $500. l It seems probable that four classes alone will report together over s25O next Sunday as their offering. Despite stormy Sundays the attendance has shown a slight advance, while the finan- eial showing has not been better for years In attendance and interest and faithful work done, the Epworth League has shown an exceptionally good year I cannot tell you how the faithful aid and cooperation of the many was entered into this, nor of oth- CT important aspects of our work What the needs of our work here. I have tried faithfully to set forth. Loy- alty to the church as whole is surely l first. There is danger that with our many organizations we shall give our services to this society or that and fail of our duty to the church as whole. We need a deeper state of unity and responsibility. I fear that it is too much true in our churches in general 1 that the men who assume leadership 1 ip direction are not always most active 1 in the real work of the church, in the personal support of the pastor in his plans and efforts, in the prayer meeting, and the mass of the church are at fault often in not feeling more deeply their responsibility for the church as whole and in not asserting themselves. 1T have found no factions or divisions to stir the life of the church, but the church does need some of whole souled and positive unity, that should make all plan and work together and feel that this is indeed their church" Dr. Hall then returned to his text of | the morning and said that people to- day are not debating whether God ex- ists, but that many of them do not know Him in their heart and life. The pastor startled his congregation by referring to letters of protest against his recent sermon Stealing" that created much comment at the time lit was delivered. He said on this point:
 "A month ago I preached in this
 
 Pr<a m Ey es wE aa