Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-21
VISIBLE CHURCH DISCUSSED
THEME PROMINENT AT MEETING
OF LUTHERANS.
Views Expressed on Theses Presented
Observation-Disclosures Visit Mount
Vernon This Afternoon.

bodied in the theses presented yesterday
to the members OF the Concordia district
Of Evangelical Lutheran Churches of the
synod of Ohio. in annual session in Grace
Luthern Church. was thoroughly discussed
at the meeting held this morning. Rev. DIR.
c. H. l.. Schuette. general president of the
synod of Ohio: Rev. J. E. A. Doermann.
president of Concorda district and pastor
of Grace Church; Prof. w. l.. Spielman of
Hickory. N. c.; Rev. F. W. Rolling of
Baltimore Rev. A. c. Mees OF Baltimore.
and other ministers and lay delegates 10
the meeting took part In the discussion.
The first. The church in its true sense
Is the communion Of saints: that Is. all
true believers brought into existence and
subsisting by the means of grace. was
taken up. and after extended remarks the
second THE external marks Of the church
are the presence and administration OF the
means Of grace and In this respect 1t may
be called visible was discussed by those
in attendance.
I'm considering the visible church" said
Rev Mr.. Mees. I'VE must consider the
foundati ton of the visible church. We say
that 1t Is spiritual. that 1t Is invisible TINS
does not mean a body Of disembodied sous;
That is not the Idea. We need men ana
women. true human beings. and not dis
embodied souls, to constitute the church
Other Needs.
1T is not only by the word Of God by
which the church must be maintained. We
need church buildings. men and women and
money Therefore We must remember that
when a man comes into the church he
comes with his body. and his body. too.
shares in the benefits of the church.
AS the speaker closed Rev. DR.. Schuette
spoke at length upon the subject he de-
clared that the truth had Indeed been
spoken when it was said that when man
comes into communion with the church as
one of her sons his body also comes within
the loving embrace of the mother
Rev F. w. Rolling of Baltimore pleaded
leadership of the church at the fore In the
progress of the world, amid the stirring
years of the history through which we are
passing. THE history of the church. he
said. Shows that she has always led in
tellectually. In the centuries of the past
kings and queens and others in power have
bowed before the church. and today they
are bowling as In the past
He then declared that the teachers Of
the church should not depart from the ways
of the teachers of old, saying: If she
desires to hold her Intellectual leadership
she must have her leaders teach the old
Gospel. She must teach the old religion
of the Son of Man. If she loses her an
cent treasures she will lose her intellectual
leadership"
In closing. the minister declared that 80
per cent of the men and women in active
Christian work today have received their
training in institutions under the control
of the church. This Is the reason, he de-
clared, why the intellectual church stands
at the fore in the affairs of the world to-
day.
Rev. Mr.. Mees spoke upon the prejudice
said 10 exist in some quarters against the
preaching OF the word of God as expressed
in the sermons of some of the ministers
OF the Lutheran Church. He said the
teaching of the old Word Is not popular,
and declared that Is the reason why many
of the newspapers of the day do not print
no Of = E
the regularity that the sermons of ministers
of other denominations are used in the pub
lie prints.
Non-Church Goers
The discussion as to whether or not a
man can stay away from church and still
be good Christian was taken up by Rev.
J. E. A. Doermann. Some men," he said,
come forward with the statement that they
can be good Christians and go to church
pay their pew rent and attend to other
financial demands of the church and chart
table institutions they are living up to the
standards of the Christian life. They think
they are just as good those who run
to church every Sunday. In the estiniations
of many it is possible for men to be Chris
tians who read and study the Bible. but l
believe men who neglect attendance upon
the public preaching of the Word are in
serious danger.
In my estimation the man who neglects
the means God gives him to come into the
communion of the church and her people
cuts himself off from living Christianity
The meeting was presided over by Rev. j.
NJ. Senter of Dallas. n. c., vice president
OF the district. n. s. Dasher of Hickory.
n. c.. and the treasurer-of the district, read
his annual report. which exhibited a salts
factory condition Of the finances. About
s12J raised over the amount of last
year At the close of the reading Mr. Dash
er was thanked by vote of the meeting. 1t
was decided that a new apportionment
shall be made and published in the minutes
OF this year.
The basis of the apportioninent. 1t was
stated. is to be according to the rate of
the communicate membership of the
churches in the district. The apportonment
is made to defray the expenses of the off,
GERS of the district when travelling about
in the active service Of Concordia district.
committee to arrange for the formal
presentation of the matter to the meeting
was made up of Rev. d. L. Snapp of Hick-
DRY. n. c.: Rev. w. E. Harsch of Abingdon,
Md; S. II. Puffenberger OF Dovesville Va.
and n. S. Dasher. treasurer, of Hickory,
N c..
Shortly after noon the session came to
close after Rev. j. f. A. Doermann had
resumed the chair He made the announces
ment that no meeting will be held this
afternoon. In order to give the ministers
and lay delegates an opportunity Of visiting
the tomb of Washington.
AT 80 o'clock over fifty of the ministers
and other delegates. many accompanied by
their wives. took the boat for Mount YER
non. A special guide was aboard to point
out to the visitors the places of Interest on
the way.
Prof w. L. Spielman of Hickory, N. c..
one OF the young men of the present con-
ference. preached a missionary sermon in
Grace Lutheran Church last evening. He
was greeted by a large audience.