Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1911-09-18
REOpENINC OF PARK CHURCH
Extensive Improvements During Summer-Remo delled
To Memory of Major Learned-Three Important
Changes Referred To BY DR. S. HI Howe.

4
ing of Park Congregational church on
Sunday morning was an impressive
| service. There was a large attend
ance to delight in the quiet restfulness
and beauty of the new decorations and
the beautiful tones of the new organ
and the dignified and reverend pastor
N his new robe of office. The central
| thought of the whole service was the
dedication of the temple
Special Music.
The music chosen for the morning
was Flagler's ReVery for the organ
prelude, Lemaigre's Grand Chorus for
the postlude, the anthems EXCEPT the
Lord Build the House, They Labor in
Vain, by Gilchrist, and My Mouth
Shall Speak the Praise of the Lord, by
West, with the alto solo and chorus
Then Shall the Redeemed of the Lord,
from Parkers cantata The Redemption
Hymn, for the offertory. For the scrip
tura lesson, Rev. DR.. Howe chose a
chapter from l Kings describing the
dedication of Solomon's temple and
followed this with a. dedication prayer.
Or. Howes Sermon.
His text for the sermon was I Cor.
Ia: 40, Let all things be done decently
and in order. Our translation does not
catch the apostles fine and more deli
cate thought. He means. let all things
be done with propriety with deeorum,
gracefully, with good appearance, and
nice sense of what is becoming, which
helps US to a conception of what
should be the proprieties and dignities
of Christian worship and service. ST.
Paul was rigorous disciplinarian. The
church was to be no scene of disorder,
no place for the idler or the trifer
He would dismiss the uninterested and
Indifferent as quickly as the scandal
Gus and immoral His ideal was all
hands at the task and always at the
q L h axrfr Ill, H.
proceed along the lines of decorous
methods, with no schisms or discords
and no lacking dignities. 1t is a great
act of the soul when we gather to wor-
ship God, calling into play the soul S
deepest capacity for reverence. it's pro-
should be reverent awed souls if we
worship at ala, for the spirit of wor-
ship vanishesi in the presence of the
frivolous and careless spirit. Then
with the revetrent spirit we must bring
the sacrifieieil spirit.
Great Sacrifices.
1t costs mach to be religious wor-
shipper and win mans way back to his
lost Eden. The heather religions made
the heaviest demands on their votaries,
the Jewish religion demanded heavy
sacrifices, 41ae older Christians would
not offer God that which cost them
nothing. The Christian demand has
.
vast mass tof world work on its hands
in addition. Money. blood, property,
labor life have been freely given. All
classes cksmored for part and share in
the building of the great cathedrals
and the tsacrificial spirit has survived
the cathedral builders and gone into
the mighty charities that have grown
up in fh cir shadow. What has gone
into the churches of the world in art
and architecture and interior deeora-
tions that brought them their specific
glory ajnd what secured for them an
orderly and worthy shrine of worship
and ma Ike this place of the feet of the
Lord glorious can never be reckened,
because of its sheer magnitude.
Refused to Stop Short of Best.
The, church by sort of divine in
stinet has refused to stop short of its
best in sacrifice; the best skill, the
best art, the best in everything. It has
cult Mated and developed and employ
ed itae best art. the best literature, the
best music; it has been the foster
nio ther of education. The training of
thet intellect is a part Of the religious
uiture of the religious man and the
church has had the largest part of
tfHt work to do in the modern world.
* tbs FOUNDED all the greatest universe
We have ourselves been doing some
filings in the interest of deeorous
PrOpT1ely ana n1SI1er eIHclenCy WHICH
we hope will exaIt the dignity of our
religious worship and work It is
Sseemly that We pause and take inven-
tory redefina cur sense of the fitness
Of things and restate the work we hope
to do in the future.
Beginning New Things.
We are beginning some new things
and we hope are to undertake some
new tasks and we hope to make some
new departures and assume some new
beginnings and perhaps we cannot do
better in recounting them than to be-
gin at the pulpit. The desire has be-
come insistent that the pulpit should
conform to these new dignities and
proprieties by the VI caring eff a robe
which empha sizes the functions and