The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-13
Two Prominent Presbyterian
 Ministers Speak Tonight
THE PUBLIC IS INVITED
Greatest Evangelist, j. Wilbur Chap man, Speaks Tomorrow Niqht. His Idea of an Evangelistic
 Campaign.

church:
 7;15 D. m.-song service; soloists and leaders, Robert G. Jolly, G. Preston Smith, Percy J. Boyle.
 TAO D. m.-The Rev. A. A. Little, D. D. subject ''The Definite Aim of the Church."
 s;2O p. m.-The Rev. R. A. Walton. D. D.; subject, The Passion for souls.p
 This will be the beginning of three days full of interesting addresses by some of the noted divines in the church. Local enthusiasm will be aroused and the meet ings will register the feeling of the whole Presbyterian south. It Is proposed to plant here the evangelistie work of the coming twelve months.
 The conference is the forerunner of the general assembly which meets here Thursday. It is expected that the public will take a large interest. Many dele gates to the assembly will arrive early in order to be in attendance
 A choir of more than 100 voices was or ganized yesterday afternoon in the Sun day school room of the First Presoy- terian church by the sololsts and leaders who accompany Evangelist Walton, the secretary of the conference. They will sing at every meeting, and also special solos and musical numbers will be rem dered by the three singers, Robert C.. Jolly, G. Preston Smith and Percy J. Boyle. All three of them have voices of unusual power, and their enunclation is so plain as to be heard and understood.
 Chapman Comlnu.
 As before announced the Rev J. Wilbur Chapman. the greatest evangelist iE the church of the north, will speak here to- morrow night. It is under such men that the field of the gospel is spreading It will be interesting to note in brief form just what plans Dr. Chapman uses in his great evangelistic campaigns, of which this meeting is the beginning. He re- gently said:
 There Is new interest in evangelistic work. It is manifesting itself in many ways. Gifts to benevolences in many in- stances are larger and the general tone of the church is better than for many years. The whole country Is feeling the uplift of the new spiri. of evangelism.
 Not long ago sfte son-in-law of Pres ident Roosevelt. in speaking about the President nfxt to se 9Iecfed. in 1908, said: 'Thd country will demarsd the election of man who believes in the high moral ideals already established by the Presi- dent, and this new moral awakening which is upon us no sensible man In the country will allow for years to come to die out
 Church Must Act.
 '@rhe spirit of the President and the same spirit manifest in the direction of affairs of state by many of the gov ernors of the states today, the temperance agitation which is going on all over the country, are, among other things, tes- tifying to the fact that consciences are awakened, memories are stirred and that the spiritof God Is moving. In the midst of this general awakening the church shall be carried on is a question of great moment. That there Is inestimable value in denominational work, all will agree, but the carrying on of interde- meetings does not in any way hinder the best sort of work within the denomination. My own conviction is that every evangelistic campaign ought to be three-fold in its character:
 "1. The preparation of the field.
 "2. The visit of the evangelist.
 "3 The campaign proper, carried on when the evangelist is gone, by the pastor and his people.
 '"rhe first two departments of the work may be interdenominational and ought to be; the third, which is the important part, may be In the strictest sense denom- national. I think the visit of the evan gelist ought to be primarily for the crea- ton of a new atmosphere so that the pas tors can do their work more easily and the unsaved more readily be approached.
 If the question is asked, why Is in- terdenominational work better than any other form of service, I can mention sev- eral reasons:
 erdenominatlonal Work.
 '1. No single church can secure the att tention of the entire city, and if the work in the Presbyterian church should be blessed. the Baptists might be engaged In some form of church life that would really hurt the work of the sister de- and the same Is true of any other denomination not perfectly inter- ested in the movement.
 "2 The unsaved people are not so much impressed with a denominational move ment They usually feel that there must be sinister motive in the campaign and that the thought Is simply to build up the individual church, but when the whole city Is worked no such criticism is pos sible.
 ''3 The expense of the campaign, which is for the good of the entire community, should be equally shared by all denom- nations.
 A. Interdenominational evangelistic are in part at least realiza- ton of the prayer of Jesus when He asked that we might all be one. Unsel- fishness always pays in an individual, and it always counts in a church. 1 have known of churches where not a single meeting was held, but where the pastor was heartily in line, the officers sympa- thetic, and the members enthusiastic. and the results were gratifying in the ex- treme.
 'This Is an hour of crisis in the church, the time for active service is upon us Woe be unto them that are at ease in Zon!