Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1912-08-02
CHURCH SHOULD ADVERTISE
Topeka (kan.) Pastor Favors Public
Ity as a Means of Furtherng the
Gospel.

Does it pay to advertise a church?
That's question which has wrinkled
many a clerical brow. There's at least
one minister Of the gospel in Topeka.
Kan, who has settled the problem in
his own mind and has given the vic
tory to the side Of the newspapers and
handbills. He Is Rev. Robert Gordon,
pastor of the First Baptist church.
"In colonial days." says Rev. Gordon,
when every man who stayed away
from church was fined ton of tobac-
co. it was hardly necessary to adver-
tise services. But we are glad that
sort of pressure cannot be brought to
bear today. Men now go to church be-
cause they choose to CO."
Speaking further on the question Of
publicity as a means of furthering the
gospel, Doctor Gordon says:
Il am convinced the church ought to
advertise today. d. l.. Moody was
great believer in publicity and the
Moody church in Chicago spends about
$50 a week in newspaper advertising.
]. Wilbur Chapman spent $4,000 in
the newspapers during a recent re-
vival campaign in Boston. Everybody
knew what was happening. The
churches were crowded. In Binghamp-
ton, n. Y, the merchants offered all
their contracted space in the papers
TO the churches on Saturday for adyer-
tising. The ministers promptly ac-
cepted the proposition. Next day the
church attendance showed an increase
of 80 per cent. Even conservative old
Trinity Episcopal church, New York,
has just hung out great electric sign.
The word Trinity" in large letters
stands in the center of the sign and
the word Parish" at one end and
House" at the other. The sign is
eight feet long by four feet high,
weighs a ton and is of 1900 candle
power. That church has also employed
a press agent to give out the news of
it's affairs. The trustees Of a church
in Rochester, n. Y, have erected on
top of the 14J-foot tower substantial.
12-foot cross, that is Illuminated every
night there is service. | am tod it
has made a distinct and helpful i'm
preston on the community and has
given the church a civic character it
did not have before.
EARLY to bed and early to rise,
Preach the old gospel and advertise"-
would be good motto for any preach
er. If church attendance is a bene-
fetal thing then the church is under
obligation to do all it can to persuade
people to attend. To my mind the
church Is as essential to the best indi-
vidual and social life as bread and wa
ter are to physical life. She not only
has splendid ideal to exalt, but can
put men in contact with the power
which will enable them to arrive. Hav-
ing this conviction, it becomes a duty
to me a very delightful duty-to per-
suade non-churchgoers to change their
ways.
IL met a man recently who had not
been inside church for twenty years
Fe said he had no confidence in the
church and no desire to attend, and he
swore that positively the last church
which, under any circumstances, he
ever would attend would be a Baptist
church. Now he is not a hopeless
case. He, like great many others,
has mistaken notion of what the
church stands for and he is not at
all acquainted with what the church
is doing. All he needs is light. 1t is
our business to give him the facts.
There are many people in this city
who do not know even where the First
Baptist church Is located. A while ago
couple got off train here one Sun
day morning and asked a hack driver
to take them to the First Baptist
church. The driver was sure he knew
the place, but he set them down at
the First Presbyterian church.
"In these busy days the church Is in
danger Of being crowded out. There
are so many other attractions clamor-
ing for attention. Almost unconscious
ly many yield to that which most fire.
quently appeals to them. Our psychol-
ogists are telling us the idea held up
permost in the mind tends to work it.
self out in action. That explains the
success so many business men have
won by advertising. And that is why
we must keep the church attendance
idea in mems minds.
Some claim advertising cheapens
religion, but there is nothing so cheap
ems religion as an empty. rutty church.
Advertising gets results and we must
do the kings business in a business
like way. The old prophets, in Bible
times. went through the streets blow.
ing trumpets to get the crowd. The
apostles wrote letters and scattered
them broadcast. In your childhood
days the old village church sent out a
beautiful and effective advertisement
every time her bell broke the Sabbath
morning stiffness. Today we must get
our invitations to the people and