Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-28
GIVES SERMON
ON ASSOCIATION
SPECIAL DAY OBSERVED AT
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL
Y. w. c. A. AND w. M. C. A. GUESTS
OF CHURCH
Rev. William Horace Day breaches on
Value of Work Being Accom-
plshed by the Body as
Unit

Yesterday was Association Sunday"
Mt the First Congregational church.
At the morning service the Young Wo-
mems and the Young Mems Chrlstah
associations were guests of the cnurch.
THE secretaries occupied seats on the
platform and the board members re-
served pews Miss Cora l.. latham
and d. IE. Luther gave short addresses
on what Our Association Does for It's
Members" The pastor, William Hor-
ace Day. preached on the theme, The
Church and the Associations" and
said in part:
.'The church, which Saint Paul calls
the Body of Christ is to win the
world. There are many members but
one body That is variety of work
but unity of life. If we are to succeed
there must be associations, sunday
schools, young peoples socletles-
many members. But only in unity Oh
life, only as all the members of the
body are one body, can the church
evangelize society.
"Men have been saying, we have no
need of the church. The church has
been poorly led, ignobly used, betrayed
and corrupted, but in the thought or
the Master only one organization seems
to have been essential to his plan for
the Kingdom. OF it he said: will
build my church. In the twelfth of
~
T1phesians the apostle magnifies the
church as the body of Christ, and John
glorifies it as the bride of Christ. A
Christian Endeavor worker was to hold
an endeavor meeting on the battleshlp.
The C. e. pennant was run up to the
peak and the flag below it. An officer
ordered it down and the stars and
stripes put at the top. The worker
said: But one flag has a place above
the national ensign, and that is the
church flag. He was right The body
is more than the members which serve
the body.
Our associations are established for
a great task; among other things unto
the building up of the body of Christ
AS I have attended conferences in diff
ferent parts of the country, where the
leaders of this movement gather, l
have been amazed at their answering
loyalty to the church. They work for
Christ and the church. The SAINT
spirit will be found in our own city.
These men and women, while absorbed
night and day in their duties, are 10y
al to their own churches, are ready to
help. Many times as a pastor, 1 have
had occasion to ask an association
worker to do something for my own
church or for the federation of
churches. The hearty responses reveal
how great is their loyalty as members
serving TIE DOuy OL CuTlSI
I'm association classes men and wo-
men are trained to be more effective
workers. We have teachers in our Bible
school who are trained in the associ-
alton. There are skilled personal
workers-fishers of men-who have
been fitted in the association for serv-
ice In the church. The same is true of
every other department. These insti-
tutions are at work 'perfecting the
saints They are seeking to become
the door of the church because it is
only through the church that men gain
the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ
"Our business is not only to convert,
il is to bring to full grown manhood.
The boy who does not pass from the
Sunday school, from the Endeavor So
ciety, or from the Y. M. G. A. into the
church fails to reach his maximum eff
fectiveness for Christ. 1 have never
seen in association work elsewhere a
clearer and more whole-hearted con-
viction of the primacy of the church
than in Los Angeles.
And the eye cannot say to the
hand, I have no need of thee The
church needs the association if it would
reach the whole man, and every kind
of a man. 1t represents variety of
work and unity of life This church
fills its building with activity but we
can do only a tiny part In training
body or mind. The other churches
feel the same limitation. All unite in
erecting the great buildings of which
we are so proud and the association
does the larger institutional work. 1t
represents the unity of service and
actually brings us into new fellow
ship. Compelling men to lie in the same
theological bed always leads to revolt.
The way of ecclesiastical authority
has failed to unite, the unity of COM
mon service is the only adequate way
The association demonstrates that with
all diversity of work we can attain
unity of life.''