The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-09-25
GROWTH OF CHURCH
TEXT FOR SERMON
Rev. McNary Tells Congre.
CATION of Increases in
Presbyterian Church.

The Rev. Thomas McNary. pastor OF
the Second Presbyterian church, Sun
day gave a statistical report OF the
growth OF the Presbyterian church in
this country. His sermon in part fol-
lows:
While Christ was able to gain only
handful of followers during three
years OF his ministry and only had
hundred and twenty that could wait
ten days In prayer in the little upper
troom, that had faith in the promise
sof the father" yet Peter was able TO
add to this following three thousand
souls on the occasion OF his first SER
mon. And later again two thousand
souls in addition to the former and
and so on until all Asia heard the
word of God, wherever this condition
iof faith of the text was complied with.
1T was repeated under the preaching
of other apostles and evangelists from
that day To the present time. Billy
Sunday has held more than one meet
ing where he has eclipsed even the
apostolic statistics and has recorded
more than five thousand conversions
But these are the unusual demonstra-
ltions of grace under extraordinary ef-
forts and conditions.
The Largest Church..
But we wish to present for your con-
ssideration today an example OF a mod
.ern church which is able to accom-
kplish the same result from wise
and energetic working of the ordinary
nlan and system Of an every day
lchurch work. We present the stats
tics of the largest Presbyterian church
in the world, the First Presbyterian
lchurch of Seattle, the Rev. Dr. MARI
IA. Matthews, pastor.
There are q elders and deacons
655 were received on examination and
s226 by letter, 1913 were dismissed by
letter, 80 were suspended and 81 died
the total membership is 4,576. SO ad
ults and 1856 infants were baptized
there are 1855 Sunday school schol
lars, the congregational expenses were
pS61,64O, the gifts to the boards We're
Home Missions, $11,552; Foreign Mis-
psions, $4,625; education, $50; Sabbath
school work, 1868: church erection
1900; relief fund,$225; Freedmen
$40; colleges, $3.50 and temperance
1912.
While the denomination has s.
churches whose enrolment is over
thousand each, she has only 32 church
es that have added one hundred o.
more to her list of membership from
conversions. Three of these churches
are those where Billy Sunday held re
yival services. Two Of these churches
are found In one little city, Ports
mouth, Ohio, where the First Presby
terrain received 453 additions and tn
Second 229, while other churches
other denominations also receives
their proportion. The other church !
at New Castle, Pa, where Billy Sur
day visited and as result 290 wa
added to the Central Presbyterian
church alone, while churches Of al
other denominations received a Xix
proportion Is not this fulfillment
the promise of the text, create
works than these shall we do If y
,Only believe in me. Many sigh 10
the good old times but the church
!purer and stronger and doing more tt
day than in all her past history. l
lSOO there WAS only oHe Cuui I'll hASA'
Der out OF every IA of our citizens III
It'll at the present time one in ever
three Of our citizens are professin
tchristians. Statistics show that tn
proportion of increase of church men
bership has three times the percel
.tage OF growth of the population. Tn
Kingdoms of this world will yet becom
the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Chris
through the power of the Truth ar
Spirit of God, the Father.