Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1908-03-26
SECOND ANNUAL ROLL CALL
OF Bethany Church with Some Re-
ports of Church Activities.

ports of Church Activities.
The second annual roll call of Bethan,
church was held Friday evening in tn
Parish house, and the attendance, though
limited to members of the church, thei
husbands, wives or parents, reached
about 200.
An informal reception from $50 t.
7:30 preceded very excellent supper il
the dining room, after which came re
ports of the various church activities Civ
en- as folio ws:-Our Church, f. w
Tewksbury; Our Sunday School. DR.. E
o. Blanchard; Our c. f. Society, L. Fl
Rumrill; Our Guild, Miss G. Kate How
ard; Our Missionary Society, Mrs. j. F
Mead; The Christian Brother hood, e. C
Roundy; The Young Mems Brotherhood
Jackson Vail; The Bethany Girls, Mis-.
Lena Kilburn: The Boys, Fred Goodwin
The Girls, Esther Ham.
/ The pastor, Rev. Fraser Metzger, in his
epistle to the church, said =" NY dear
cO-wOrkers:-I make the announcement
for the second annual roll call with q
deep sense OF gratitude for Gods bless
ings. He has led US by paths which we
have not known, but these paths have
brought US to visions OF fertile fields and
whitened harvest.
''As a church we are more the servant
of the community than ever before. and
are therefore gaining the commentator
and blessing of the Master, who said to
his servants, freely We have received.
freely give Only in the fulfilment of
this command does our church or any
church find its reason for being. The
program for this roll call is more than a
list of societies, for each name represents
a large and prosperous organization work
ing in the interest of the kingdom.
with the opportunities come in
creased responsibilities and expense. You
will find herewith a thank offering en-
velOpe in which it is hoped you will put
your offering and that of your friends for
this larger work, according as God has
blessed you. If these envelopes could
bring in $500 over and above our regular
income from subscriptions, the work
would move on most admirably May |
add this personal word? While all nv
time and strength seem to be needed in
our present church activities, still thank
God for this opportunity of working in
His name. l want to express my appre-
citation of the cordial support that has
been given the work and can only ask
that your prayers and means may contin-
ne to be offered in the name of Jesus for
our home field of service
E. w. Tewksbury, whose New Eng
land conscience held him to the task of a
response that had been forced upon him,
expressed willingness to part with that
fine old conscience and deposit it in
bottle at the sanatOrium along with a lot
of other troublesome organs. More ser-
Ously he continued 81 For more than
three-quarters of century, the old
Christian church and the old Congl
church were educators OF conscience, de
veiOpers OF faith and builders of charac-
ter in this community. And how magni-
hcently they did their work is not for me
to boast lest some irreverent hearer say,
well, what OF the present.
'Now l don't believe that the two
dear old churches were any better than
cur Bethany church of today. They did
their work and did it well, and we, their
children, ought to be just so much the
better for their doing it. These are new
times, and new conditions and new prob
lens confront us. We are meeting daily
destructive, not constructive, criticism.
One of the brightest signs to me is the
great enthusiasm of the men; for | have
never seen so many men actively engaged
in church work as now.
am Rlau tUat the posseSsINe prououn
is used-Our church, Our Sunday School,
Our Christian Endeavor, Our Guild, Our
Missionary Society. Our might almost
equally well be applied as Our Christian
Brotherhood, Onr Young Mems Brother
hood, Our Bethany Girls, Our Boys
Our Girls; for the Bethany brand shows
pretty clearly in all the organizations.
Bethany church never has been. and l
hope never will be, one mans church.
1t is our church, and IT Is not one-day
church, but a seven-day church. There
is so much to do that each and all of us
can find work, and with our splendid
plant perhaps we can solve some OF the
problems which confront almost every