The Progressive West Virginian. [volume] (Williamson, W. Va.) 1911-1913, 1911-06-15
Report Of Committee Of
Bluefield District.

Your Committee on Ministerial Sup
ply takes this opportunity of commend-
-szg the work Of the ministry Of Blue
field District. The standards Of the
first years Of our history must be main
tanned. The reports from the various
charges certainly indicate that such
will be the case for the present year.
Encouraging as the work of the past
and present may be, we cannot lose
sight Of the future. The opportunities
for work within the bounds Of the Blue
field District are great The percent
age Of church members and church.
going people within the bounds Of the
Bluefield District is far below the
average throughout the country. Ii
must be confessed that the moral and
spiritual standards Of our people are
not what they should be. We are in
great need of more org anizations, more
churches, more Sunday Schools, and a
greater religious life.
With these conditions confronting us,
we must also realize the fact that a
change for the better fnust come large
~ through theawofk Of the ministry.
Men may naturally be inclined to wor-
ship in some form, but few there be
who become Christians except through
the preaching of the, Word. This is
the chosen method Of the Master in
building up His church, this is the
chosen method Of saving the world,
this is Gods method Of bringing ali
men to know Him. To demand, then,
for energetic men in the ministry is
great. If the church is to grow. if men
are to be- saved from their sins, if
Christ's kingdom is to established
among men, recruits to the ranks of
the ministry are imperative.
We recognize the fact that men are
called to the ministry, but we also rec
ognize the fact that men harden their
hearts against this call. In this com
merciai age when other fields of labor
are inviting, there is greater danger
than ever before Of young men getting
immersed in business and losing sight
of the fact that their field Of labor is
naturally elsewhere. The spirit of the
age calls men away from the ministry
rather than to it.
It is q part of the work Of the minis
ter to keep lookout for possible can
didates. Help the young man to know
himself before he presumes to decide on
course in life. Help him first to be a
man with his physical, mental and
spiritual makeup aroused fully, and
then he will bein position to determine,
by Gods help, what his life's work
shall be. Bear in mind that the great
est agency to bring this contamination
about is the Church School. See to it
that every boy who will do so, goes to
our own schools, not for the purpose Of
preparing for the ministry, but for the
purpose Of developing all his faculties.
Whentthis. is done, be will be in po-
sition, to hear the call Of the ministry if
it should come to him, and will have
the heart to obey, when it does come.
Train q boy physically, and he will
become an athlete; develop his intellect
alone, and he becomes a book worm
develop all his faculties he becomes
first, 4 man, and then III choosing life's
avocation, he will usually follow the
strongest impulses. In this respect
our church schools are intended to and
do excel. In this respect they prepare
the ground, and being prepared, God
will seesto it that the ranks are sup-
piled with men who have rightly in
sterpreted the p. E.
In otherswords, our thought is that
the ministers should keep careful
watch over the boys Of their respective
charges. They should take an active
interest In their education and tain
ing. Their thoughts should be di-
rected in the proper way when ii comes
to the selection of life's work. The
spiritual life should be awakened.
This being done, we can depend on the
ranks Of the ministry being supplied
with men who are, by nature, fitted for
the ministry.
(Signed)
d. H. CARR
p. r. CoBB,