Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-02-20
RULE OF BUSINESS
REEVES OLD FIRST
Cllurch's Pastor, DR.. Dawson,
and His Assistant, DR.. Hills,
Refill PeWs.
SOCIAL SIDE EXPANDS
WITH RELIGIOUS LIFE
Labor Bureau for Men. Clubs
for Boys and Restaurant
for Girls.

In the last three years the congre-
CATION of the odd First" Presbyte-
rlan Church. at Broad and Mechanic
streets. have increased from 200 to
SEQ
Why?
Ask the Rev. DIR. ". J. Dawson
Rfd he'll tell you It's because of the
business administration"
The Incubation Of business prinei-
piles into the daily church routine Is
responsible for the greatest member
ship the church has ever known, and
more than that, It has a business man
no push things along-the ever-aetiye
Rev DIR. L. 3. Hills, assistant to the
Rev. DIR. Dawson.
Dr. Hills is marvel of energy
and perseverance. Working with the
pastor. he has Installed a system of
records. flingf and accounts that
proba bly, no other church in the State
can duplicate. At a moments notice
1ne can tell you any detail Of the
church or its work. even to why
certain Sunday school pupil was alb
sent on a certain Sunday year ago.
The work reached such proportions
last month that Ray Sdllman, a
young member of the church, was
permanently engaged as church clerk.
Church Business.
The Rev. DR.. Dawson has always
considered a church just like any
ordinary business, as far as the bust
ness end of it goes When he was
pastor of the Highbury Quadrant
congregational Church, in London, he
applied the principles that he is now
using here and the congregation in
creased from about 500 to 1900.
Before he came to the First Pres
bvterian Church DIR. Dawson was
travelling and lecturlng. One Sunday
h. filed the pulpit here, and was sur
prised at the opportunity The pulpit
was vacant because the Rev. DR.
j. Fraser, who had been pastor for more
than q score of years, had retired two
years before. In the interregnum the
congregation had fallen off until the
morning services We're only attended
by about 200 worshipers and scarcely
half that number came to the evening
aefvices.
As soon as DIR. Dawson came here
as pastor he began to apply his prin-
ciples He tabulated the finances,
made a record of the attendances, in
dexed data on prospective members
OF the congrega ton. put the Sunday
school in working condition and
belstered up things in general. Then
he began to readiust the social side
of the church. He organized mems
and women's societies, helped them
by instilling interest, and now the
ehurch boasts no less than seven
anch organizations, all prosperous.
Restaurant for Girls.
Then with DR.. Hilliss aid he es-
kabllshed a restaurant for girls who
work in shops and stores near the
church. 1t is self-supporting and is
managed by Mrs. NJ. A. Smith with
Abe assistance of two volunteers from
the congregation every day. The
wimple menu is appetizing or else the
number of customers wouldn't keep
on increasing. Yesterday there were
elghty-one luncheons served. This
WAS the menu and prices:
Beef casserole, five cents; vegetable
soup, three cents: bread and butter,
two cents; molasses cake, two cents,
and tea, coffee or milk, two cents;
total twelve cents.
1t occurred to DR.. Dawson and DR..
Hills recently that the church should
do something for men and women
out of work. So they established an
employment bureau which takes up
a desk in the church office and the
whole day of J. D. Orton. Mr. Or
ton keeps a standing list of applica-
tons. and as soon as the. positions
present themselves they are filled
from the list. The church bureau is
one of the most active employment
bureaus in the city
The congregation appreciates DR..
Dawson and Dr. Hills, and DR.. Daw-
son and DR.. Hills appreciate the con-
/. gregation. An example of this is
shown in a little room in the base
ment of the church. where the
Knights of the Holy Grail, a boys
organiza tion. hold their meetings
This is a new club and some of the
rooms furnishings were improvised
but every lad did his share in making
things comfortable. One youth, Tom
Wood. took home all the pictures
and there are some twenty or twenty
five OF them, and brought them back
in stain ed wood frames The youth
srent several days putting the frames
on
Piano for the Boys.
And the appointments of the
knights headquarters are by no
means lacking They have a grand
piano there. even if it is a bit worn,
Hnd a cueroque table similar to a
billiard table: a Switchboard and
iother such things.