The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-09-19
Benner, Begg & Garvin

schools, and the holding of Sunday
school conventions to discuss the best
Sunday school methods to instruct Of
ficers and teachers; to inspire all to
more acceptable and more faithful
service.
Union is Unique.
There is but one American Sunday
School union. Unique and distinct 1t
stands. Founded upon the principal
of united Christian effort for the un-
reached; able to prosecute it's work
without the limitations necessarily
felt by the UNCONVENTIONAL missionary.
1t goes to the community, into whose
community life there has been gather
ed families more or less closely con-
nected with the many different denom-
nations, and meets each individual on
the broad ground Of evangelical
truth.
Frequently in the schools organic
ed there are officers who are, or who
have been members or adherents of
four or five different denominations.
Into such conditions it would be very
easy to bring discord, but the union
missionary provokes no doctrinal dis
cussions, excites no spirit of rivalry,
arouses no prejudices, but does gath
er the boys and girls and fathers and
mothers into a compact organization
for the study of the essential and
saving truths, upon which evangelical
churches are agreed.
Experience has abundantly demon
tsrated to all that the union Sunday
school can be organized and often Is
organized, where UNCONVENTIONAL
work could not command the united
support Of the community.
Distinctive Features.
I'm view Of this brief statement Of
facts, is 1t not clear that the Ameri-
can Sunday School union occupies a
distinctive field. Is it not working
out distinctive principles? Is it not
because it occupies a distinctive field,
and is living a distinctive life, that it
continues to command the attention
and cooperation of so many Of Gods
people. Listen: These are its dis
tinctive principles: To unite the
people, and to foster among them the
bible school organized upon the broad
principles of INSTRUMENTATION fell
lowship.
There are many rural and remote
where sparse population and
many different religious views, maxi
ing it impossible to support any one
UNCONVENTIONAL church, or Sunday
school. 1t is our distinctive work to
enter and cultivate such fields as rep
re%sentatives Of an INSTRUMENTATION
society. founded upon the Masters
prayers. That they all may be one.
1T is its distinctive work to estab-
lish a Christian center for bible study
and religious service, without includ-
ing the thought of, or endeavoring to
establish a church of any denomina-
ton, leaving the church organization,
If effected, to be a natural outgrowth.
1T is its distinctive work to seek
to build up the kingdom, without
concerning as to the growth of any
church, contributing however to the
growth Of all churches, and leading
the product Of its work into the local
folds Of their own choosing, and then
voluntarily retiring from the field.
Any further connection of it's mission
airy with that field is dependent upon
the fields used. 1t is content to be
a John the Baptist. crying in the will
derness. 'prepare We the way of the
Lord, make His path straight A
John the Baptist by its principles and
by its instructions to its workers, it
declares He must increase while we
must decrease
again: since there are thousands
of small communities without a sufi-
cient number of any one denomina-
ton to establish a church, it is clear
that until the movement toward
church union is nor fully developed,
and the federation of Christian forces
is more clearly completed, it is our
distinctive work to continue as from
the beginning Of our history, to give
the world an object lesson concerning
the effectiveness of united Christian
effort.