The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-06-20
Caln1a9e
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmafe, D. D.

siderable population to whom this ser
mon peculiarly applies. The preacher
voices their plea for the gospel, and
urges that it be no longer rejected.
The text is Acts xvi, 8, Come over
into Macedonia, and help u.s.
"Nearby Macedonians! What do you
mean!' says some one. lis there any
class Of people living near to me who
have not the gospel preached to them
as it ought to be preached? Why, near
ly all my life I 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
to me have the same kind Of gospel
advantages Eghave" No, my friend,
you are wrong. There are scores, and
hundreds and thousands, and tens OF
thousands who have not. Before l get
through with my subject l 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
ly all their lives in large city.
Where did you 60 to church when
you first came to town? "Oh," you
say, II used to worship in such and
such a street. The great DR.. So-andso
preached there. But I moved away,
and most Of my old neighbors moved
away long ago. The boarding house ele
ment crowded us out. The region where
l used to live is now filled with room
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 whole family" Indeed! Then.
with the increased population swarm
ing there, I suppose your old church
is crowded to the doors. l suppose
your old Sunday school Is five times
larger than it 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 DR.. So-and-so
got a call to heaven. Then the people
who remained called fine young man,
but he could not make the church go.
He struggled ON and on. They could
not pay him salary sufficient to live
upon and he had to leave. Now the
old church has very ordinary man In
the pulpit. The seats are only sixth
full. The whole work there seems to
be at a standstill What is being done
is done in the quicksands. One month
the people are there and the next they
are gone. l am afraid the old church
is geographically doomed"
Your old church's work geographical
" doomed? What! Can such condi-
ton exist at our very doors? There
are thousands and hundreds Of thou
sands Of a city's population swarming
around those old churches. Shall all
our best church strongholds be turned
to secular uses? Such q condition
must not exist. My theme today Is a
call for help for what is termed the
regions of large city. l would make
a plea not for the downtown church,
which is situated In the heart Of
business center Of a great city. l have
been pastor Of such church as that in
Pittsburg, and I know they can be
made useful and prosperous If right
methods ore adopted. l make not
plea for the church situated in the
residential region. I have such a
church as that in the beautiful city Of
Los Angeles. II man does his work
there, it is not difficult to gather In the
families But l make plea for the
'halfway" city church, the church
which Is not downtown nor uptown. l
plead for the church which Is surround
ed by rooming houses and. by the
boarding house element-the halfway
church." which is in region congest-
ed with multitudes of people who have
not the gospel preached to them as 1t
ought to be- make plea for such q
church because I have been pastor of
one and I know Of the almost insur-
mountable obstacles which it has to
overcome.
The "Halfvay 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 fill the official
positions Of that church. 1t must have
tried gospel veterans In 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-
lions. 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 boards2 A true
church leader cannot be created in a
day or a week or a month or year
any more than a lawyer, a doctor. an
~r1froop a r,risno donnn oan no cYn.