Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1909-04-02
NEW PASTORS,

DAYS have been days OF anxious
waiting and expectancy. Guesses
and surmises as to the new preach
er have been freely made, but all
have been waiting some patiently,
others impatiently. There may be
a better system than that OF the
itinerant, but you can never con-
vince a Methodist Of it, and, while
his "fate" is entirely in the hands
of Others, he waits and acquesces'
AS the Bishop pronounces the go
We" to the hundreds of waiting and
consecrated men, one recognizes
the plan as in close keeping with
the divine command of the Master,
when he gave the great commission
The strain of waiting and ex-
pectancy applies to the ministry no
less than to the numerous parish
toner's. With our Highlan q
Methodists, the issue this year has
been watched with unusual inter-
est, because in the case of one CIR
cult, the people have been without
preaching for more than half the
year, while Monterey circuit has
had no pastor for several months
To many, this means much; to all,
it means something. A flock mi
nus pastor is like sheep without
a shepherd, and the resultant splr-
itual loss and wane is no less unfortu-
nate for the church than embarrass-
ing to the new preacher. 1t is IN
our heart to try to say a word that
may be of profit to a waiting peo-
pie and tend to relieve the
embarrassment of the man who
is sent. To the thoughtful and
prayerful such a word is not neces-
sary; some may callit presumption.
but by few, perhaps, it will be
regarded as timely, well-meant ano
suggestive.
Our first impression OF a new
preacher means much to us and te
him, and his reception and our es'
innate depend very much on oul
moral Temperature as church
We refer again to congregations
left without pastor, and the inev'
liable loss of interest and deteriora
tion in church matters. If there
are "waste places" they are sure
to widen, and the anxious eye O
the NEW preacher will detec'
them more readily than we do; TIT
essential "means of grace are oft
en- neglected; the flock may b'
"scattered''- some wand erin 6
some feeding in forbidden pastures
they may have been deprived o
neutrality-suspicious. the work o
death, sometimes Of the evil one
but. in either case, a deplorabl
Estate. for every flock assured.
needs andrecognizes a "bell-sheep,
land the responsibility of such an on
lis commensurate with the need.
These and similar conditions, Q
Ieven pronounced tendency towar
them, endanger the new minister
popularity, because he will partak
largely of the color OF the glas
through which he is viewed:
: AS Sabbath School scholars W
learned quite recently that one {
Peters most important revelation
came to him on a house-tol
| If we could always take our obse
,, vations from the house-top
Christian living, low differel
r would things appear! How mu'
: smaller the deformities, imperfe
5 tons and blemishes we behold
-|others! If we are on a low leVe
: anv or all the senses detect mo
Iouickly anything that may SAVIOR
81 uapleasantness or imperfectlon.
f The point we would make
plainly pointed out by the NOR
n In sizing up a fellow man, get u
l. on the house top. From estlma'
J. J. thus formed, no man can sun
- much. On the contrary, sucn
u course must inevitably result
le good both to the crctic and the CT
IT licised.