Smyrna times., 1904-03-02
WANTS ASSISTANT PASTOR
STATIONED ASBURY CHURCH
REV. V. S. COLLINS SUGGESTS SOME I'M
PORTANT THINGS TO OFFICIAL BOARD.
Would Have Missions Established at Duck
Creek, Smyrna Landing and SpruanCe
City Under Supervision of Asbury.

The members of the Official Board
of Asbury NJ. E. Church were given
a special sermon last Sunday evening,
IN which Rev. Vaughan S. Collins adj .
vocated some material changes for the /
good and welfare of the church. He |
was impressed with the need of
awakening an interest among the .
members and sugges ed that he be
given an assistant and that Jerman
Chapel, Smyrna Landing and Duck /.
Greek be made missions of Asbury
Church. In this event Smyrna Cir |
cult would consist of Severson's and /
Friendship as a separate and distinct
charge. The assistant pastor when
not doing mission work, could assist
in the work of Asbury Church aud
with the pastor keep more in touch
with the members. Pastor Collins
showed that it was impossible to visit
his congregation as frequently as
should be done, since with a member
ship five times larger than any one
church in Smyrna it was more than
should be required of one man. In
addition to an assistant pastor, he
thought change in the plan of SER
vices might work to an advantage
He was in favor of one sermon on Sun
day, to be delivered on Sunday morn
ing, and the evening service to be en-
tirely in charge of the Epworth
League and the lay members. He
thought the present custom of SIX
| o'clock service and an evening SER
vice was Overtaxing and much better
results could be obtained by combin-
ing the two and meet regularly at
seven o'clock. This he thought would
help toward training the young mem
bers to usefulness in the service of the
church and in stirring up revival of
the old time Methodism.
Reviews History Concerning Smyrna Churches
Pastor Collins was listened to in
tently as he preached from the text
found i'll st. John 4: 35-"Say not ye
there are yet four months and then
cometh harvest? Behold, L say unto
you, lift up your eyes and look on the
fields; for they are white already to
harvest" Starting out with a brief
history, he showed that in 1904 the
Church of England sent her first
missionary to Kent county and the
first chapel was built at Duck Greek
in 1744. The Presbyterians first came
to DUCK Greek in 1925, and the first
chapel was built in 1888. In 177S the
first Methodist itinerant came to Duck
Greek i'll the person of Francis AS
bury. This was "A years after the en-
trance of the Church of England and
SO years after the entrance of the Pres
byterians upon their work Since
these dates the three churches have
grown side by side until to-day Pastor
Collins said that the Methodists were
five times larger than any one church
in Smyrna and three times larger than
the Presbyterians and Episcopalians
combined. Since 1857 there have been
2712 accessions to Asbury Church aud
that during these years the member
ship has swung like a pend alum,
showing that 80 there were 400 mem
bers, which dwindled down during
the Civil War to 29O members and in
'69 advanced again to $50 members,
in 70 to 624 members and falling back
again in 1908 to 537 members.
Asbury Church Practically at StandsliIl.
Pastor Collins noted that the church
had been almost practically to a stand
still for many years, and it was for
the welfare of the church that he
wanted to revive interest. He did
not find fault with the machinery of
the church nor did he lay particular
stress on numbers only. What he
wanted to do was to devise some
means of awakening a spiritual in
terest, especially among the layety
and the younger members. He
showed that the attractive features of
the church was the singing, the simple
services, the help from lay workers,
testimony meetings and the revival
services. To keep this interest alive
in the membership, he suggested the
changes stated above which will be
considered by the last Quarterly Con-
ference, which meets on Friday even
ing next. In case of any definite plans,
Presiding Elder Rooms could bring it
before Conference.