The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-05-18
the CHURCH IN BUSINESS
st. Paul Methoaists Establish a
Down Town Office with Rev.
Stevens in Charge.

Stevens in Charge.
The issue of the ST. Paul Pioneer
Press OF the sth contains a three-col-
umn picture OF Rev. a. G. Stevens,
pastor of the First Methodist, and a
description of a new enterprise
which bias just been established in
the business district. MI. Stevens
was a former pastor of the Methodist
church of this city. and is meeting
with fine success in his work in st.
Paul, a fact that his hundreds of
friends in Mitchell will be glad to
learn. The Pioneer-Press article
follows:
The First NJ. E. church has estab-
lished a downtown office for the pas
tor, Rev. Alex. G Stevens, in room
2l3 of the New Century building,
Fifth and Cedar streets. The pri-
mary purpose of the innovation is to
enable the pastor to come in closer
touch with the men OF the church
and with any other men who need
his help
The office is fitted with neat office
furniture. complete in every partic-
ular and With an extra number of
chairs. so that a committee or ardbo
meeting may be accommodated. The
office is used as the meeting place of
the official board, the various COM
mittees of the church and all other
branches of church activity which
can meet down town more conveni-
emily than any other place. The
church d%eaconess, Miss Myrtle Frey.
also has hours at the Office. so that
She may be called on conveniently
whenever lleI services are needed.
Records of the church are kept on file
there, With the membership SO tabu-
lated that the members may be
reached without difficulty for church
work and the pastor may keep i'm
close association with his people and
their needs His regular hours ut the
down town office are from 10 80 g.
m. to | 80 p M, but he is often met
at other times by appointment. The
office is maintained by the Mems
league o. the church, which has u
membership OF more than 700.
1.-The object in having the Office
MIR. Stevens said, sis to furnish a
downtown center for our work. AS
with almost all city churches. the
large majority of the mtn of the
church have their work down town.
The office furnishes them a place to
meet for consultation and for social
intercourse. They bring their
friends with them and we have an
opportunity to help some whom we
would otherwise not be able to reach.
We ministers perhaps live too seclud-
ed lives and do not come in actual
contact with the real problems
and needs of the people. 1t is my
hope that through this and other
agencies I may come to know more
thoroughly the real needs OF my peo-
pie and know how to help them.
Gin this day and age the church
tions and be a social as we'll as relig-
ious force. 1t is only one of the ways
Of trying to solve the problem on
reaching the men for Christ. The
Office will be needed even more when
our new church is built, located as
it will be we'll out on the HILL
Mr.. Stevens cited an instance of a
travelling man who saw the sign on
the window of the office and came up
to see him. The man said that he
made many cities and had often
wished to come III touch with some
of the cnurcl men, but did not know
where TO go Ile said that he in
tended to come back here again soon
and that he would watch with inter-
est the success of the office plan.
Another feature of the Mems
league work is the downtown lunch
con every Wednesday noon, when
from twenty to thirty men of the
church meet and take luncheon to-
getl'er.
The church has been stimulated
to aystrong forward movement in all
its department under the leadership
of MI. Stevens More than 100
members have been added to, the
church since last October. The
church recently purchased three lots,
l05x140 feet, OH the northwest corner
of Victoria street and Portland av-
enue. on which it is intended to
build a large institutional church.
1t was decided that the location
formerly selected, Holly and ST.
Albans, was not far enough west.
The present church on Dayton av-
enue and West Third street will not
be abandoned, but the plan is to re-
tain i'll as a mission church, with a
assistant pastor in charge, at least
until Methodism can see its way clear
to establish a central mission in the
heart Of the business district. 1t
is also probable that the old parsou-
age located on West Third street.
next to the church will be used for a
deaconess headquarters.
L