Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-10-04
FELLOWSHIP MEETING OF
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES
Largely Attended Sessions Held at
Goshen-Many Pastors Heard.


ing of the six churches of Bozrah, Exc
ter, Franklin, Goshen, Norwich Town
| and Lebanon was held at the church in
Goshen on Saturday. The church dec
orations were of unusual beauty and
consisted of dahlias and asters from
the garden of Mrs. Jacob Mccall.
William II. Geer of Goshen was mod
orator of the morning session. After
words of greeting from the pastor Rev.
Marcus Burr, and an anthem by the
choir, Sing Praise to God. DIR. s H.
Howe of Park church Norwich, preach
ed from the text Where two or three
are gathered together in my name
there am in their midst" Matt. IS
90
He said it is not numbers that
count. Mighty changes are wrought
by few men. God didn't say "Give me
hundred men," but took this one man
Moody and used him. God wishes to
use us.
Who brought in the reformation?
Not thousand men. but a aMrtin Lu-
Their, a John Knox. God sent into Eng
land John Wesley and swept deism out
of existence. He sent a little shoe
maker, Carey by name, from England
into India and he started the forces of
Christianity in that mighty empire.
What is a church? Calvin said "a
church is a society of regenerated
souls" We let a man slide into our
churches. But people do not make a
church; it needs regenerated men who
have been touched by the Spirit of God
I have been looking for these Chris
tians outside the church. 1 don't find
themI
The most dangerous thing in this
world is to go down from faith to I'M
belief The man who tramples the
blood of Christ under his feet never
gets the second chance.
When 1 came to Norwich twenty
six years ago there were two men not
forgotten, who were like mountain
peaks towering above the others. They
had been the most useful at home had
put their best thought into the church,
became widely known in Congregation
al circles, influential in state and ma
ton, were both United States sena-
tors. One from Franklin and one from
Lebanon.
No one can pay these country
churches for their splendid contribu-
ton of men to the world. I stand in
wonder at the work of these churches.
You don't know what this means
keeping the fire of God burning on His
altar, where every other kind of light
would go out. You come here because
Jesus Christ NETS you here with his
promise, Where two or three" He
Will say Ill THAI udN GU kept my
light-burning, enter into the joy of thy
Lord
A most substantial lunch prepared By
the ladies Of the Goshen church was
served.
The afternoon session opened with
singing; there were also two anthems
by the choir, The Lord is My Strength
and Harz, Hark My Soul, which were
pleasingly rendered.
A Do
presentation of the subject Pastoral
Visitation. He said: The pastors two
duties are to save men in Christ and
build them up for Christ. He must
realize the needs of the men and wom-
en- in his parish. Sin is real and the
consequences of sin are real and terri
bic. The pastor should visit the sick;
right word may save a coul.
Rev. E. B. Smith of Lebanon spoke
of Absent Members of Our Churches.
He made the strong point that when
members of churches remove to other
places the pastor of the church they
leave should communicate with the
pastor in their new home and see that
they are identified with that church.
Rev. H. A. Beadle of Franklin fol-
lowed with a talk about the churches
where no additions by confession had
been made in 1908. There are two
churches in this group which received
no additions in 1908. Yet these church
es have been power for good in the
towns in which they were located.
]. H. Mansfield. president of the Con-
necticut Christian Endeavor union,
spoke of his church. the United church
OF New Haven. The Christian Endeav-
or society of that church has furnished
nearly all the members which have
been added in the last twenty years.
The future of the church is in the
hands of your boys and girls of today.
Give them the best that you have.
Rev. G. H. Ewing of Norwich Town
spoke upon the subject of irregular and
non attendants at Sunday school. He
said the teacher should be the friend
of the scholar, should ally himself with
his interests and visit his scholars in
their homes. Different methods of
competition between classes might
cause more constant attendance at
Sunday school
The Mission to Aliens was treated
by the last speaker, George F. Hyde
of Norwich. He spoke first OF the large
number Of Jews. Italians, Armenians
and Bohemians in our midst He de-
mands the treatment of a man. The
religion of Jesus Christ will break
down prejudices and so there is an op-
portunity for the churches to reach the
foreigners.