Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-05-22
CHURCH WORK
IN COMMUNITY
Rev. Mr.. Yerks' Interesting
Sermon at Report.
pectal to the EVENING NEWS.

Special to the EVENING NEWS.
Keyport, May 22:-The Rev. l.
S. Yerks, pastor of the Calvary NJ.
b. church, is giving a series of Sun
day morning on practical
church ideas. On Sunday morning
he used as his topic, What the
church should do for the communi-
ty.' He said in part as follows:
1t is the mission of the church to
reach men. Man is a creature who
holds commerce with two worlds.
He is related to the world in which
he now lives, and because of the
deathlessness of his spirit, he is re-
lated to the world of the future
life. 1t is the mission of the church
to establish the Kingdom of Heaven
on earth. Every community is made
up of the individual unites who are
to be built into hat kingdom.
Hence the church should reach
every class in the community. And
this is what the church should do
for the community, reach out after
and uplift in the scale of being
every class and each individual.
But the large class Of non-church
goers in every community suggests
the continued need of extending the
influence of the church., that the
last man may be reached and the
community feel the largest effect of
righteousness. Now if every man
has not been reached, what is the
cause of failure? Has every eXpedi-
ent been tried? How should the
church relate itself to the commu-
nifty? The church should be ready
to go in a personal way to every
man in the community and meet
him at every point of need. Wher-
yer a man is met at some point of
need it brings that mar under the
spell of Christian influence. The
Institutional church is a sincere eff
fort to reach men in a variety of
ways, but it is not a complete an
swer to the problem. The church
has a variety of men and women
who can be used in a variety of use
full ways.
The business man in the church
may dedicate to this purpose some
of his business and methods
in helping others, with the purpose
of winning their gratitude, and
finally their glad self-surrender to
Christ, and doing this primarily be-
cause some crying need may be met
and some distress relieved. Then
there IS the opportunity of the so
ciety m Giving her social
grace and charm for the social cul-
ture of those who must otherwise
grow up with uncultivated tastes
and borish manners. And on this
line of attraction. even the artisan
can be put to work. There are boys
and ven girls with more energy
than they know how to direct. 1t
is not a question of suppression but
of direction; carpentry, gardening,
ishoe-making and repairing, type
setting; domestic science and etc.
for the girls. All this is more in
teresting than play; puts their wits
to good account, and give them the
consciousness of self-reliance.
There are many special opportu-
mites which may employ the stu
dent, the artist, the teacher, and
thus reach humanity helpfully In
other ways than that which express
es itself in piety.
Then there is much to be said
about putting every part of a church
building to use. How much of a
church building is practically unoc-
cupied and thus contributing moth
ing specifically to the church society
itself, nothing in general to the
community. Truly there is harmony
in church life where there is activi-
ty. lnaction is what brings decay.
Not until the church is drawing up
on all of its Will it know
the power of spiritual life and
Christian fellowship, and thus merit
the commentator said of the
Master, Going about doing good"