Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-06-24
Ca:nnase
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, d. d.

Los Angeles. tai., June lS.-In every
large city In the Union there is con-
siderable population to whom this ser
voices their plea for the gospel. aud
urges that 1t be no longer rejected.
The text Is Acts xvi. .. Come over
into Macedonia. and help u.s."
Nearby Macedonians. What do you
mean:" says some one. us there any
class Of people living near to me who
have not the gospel preached to them
as II ought to be preached! Why. near
ly all my life have been living In one
OF our large cities. l have sat under
some Of the greatest preachers of the
world. Surely all those who live near
advantages l have?" No, my friend,
you are wrong. There are scores. and
hundreds. and thousands. and tens Of
thousands who have not. Before get
through with my subject ! hope to
prove TO you that my premise is true,
for today ! am going to speak for the
most part to those who have lived near
Where did you go to church when
you first came to town: oh" you
say. Il used to worship in such and
such II street. The great DR. So-and- so
preached there. But l moved away,
and most of my old neighbors moved
away long ago. The boarding house ele-
ment crowded us out. The region where
| \ "a lirxa 10,
ers.'" Indeed. l suppose very few
people are now living In your old
street. "Oh, no; quite the contrary"
you answer. Where there used to be
one family living In a house there are
now sometimes twenty or thirty peo-
pie. Light housekeeping in many in
stances has made each double room
house n whole family" Indeed. Then.
with the increased population swarm
ing there, l suppose your old church
is crowded TO the doors. suppose
your old Sunday school Is five times
larger than il used to be and the
church members have taken every pew
NO." you answer Il only wish that
were true l love that old church now
more than l have ever loved it, But
the trouble is the wealthy people
moved away Then old DIR. So-and so
got call to heaven. Then the people
who remained called fine young man,
but he could not make the church 60
He struggled ON and OH. They could
not pay him salary sufficient to live
upon and he had to leave. Now the
old church has a very ordinary man in
the pulpit. The seats are only a sixth
full. The whole work there seems to
be ut standstill. What is being done
Is done in the quicksands. One month
the people are there and the next they
are gone. | am afraid the old church
is geographically doomed"
Your old church's work geographical
| ly doomed: What! Can such c0ndi-
ton exist ut our very doors? There
are thousands and hundreds Of thou
sands Of IA city's population swarming
| around those old churches. Shall all
our best church strongholds be turned
| to secular uses? Such condition
must not exist. My theme today is a
call for help for what is termed the
deserted church of the boarding house
regions of II large city. l would make
u plea not for the downtown church,
which is situated In the heart of a
! business center of great city, / have
been pastor OF such church as that III
Pittsburg, and / know they can be
made useful and prosperous il right
methods are adopted. l make not a
| plea for the church situated in the
residential region. l have such a
church as that in the beautiful city Of
Los Angeles. II man does his work
there, IL Is not difficult to gather In the
families. But 1 make plea for the
halfway" city church, the church
which Is not downtown nor uptown.
plead for the church which Is surround
ed by rooming houses and by the
boarding house element-the halfway
church." which is in a region longest
ed with multitudes Of people who have
not the gospel preached to them as 1t
ought to be. / make plea for such a
church because i have been pastor Of
one and l know of the almost insur-
mountable obstacles which Ii has to
overcome.
The "TIalfway Church."
The halfway church, of the large
city to be a spiritual success must
have, In the first place. an earnest band
Of strong. ablebodied men and women
who for the church's sake are ready to
help the minister and I'LL the official
positions Of that church. 1t must have
tried gospel veterans I'm its boards Of
elders. deacons and trustees. 1t must
have able leaders in the Sunday school
who know the Bible and are ready to
stay by their classes under all condi-
tons. 1t must have these men and
women, not as visitors. but as mem
bers in good and regular standing.
who are identified with the church be-
cause there they know they can best
serve their Lord and Master and there
they will always be In their places.
Why do ! put such an emphasis upon
this plea for cOnsecrated men and wo-
men In the official boards? A Tue
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