The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-03-03
ACTIVE PREPARATION FOR
EVERY MEMBER CANVASS

March Sth and 18th are to be days
be remembered by many as two OF
the greatest days in the history OF
church>activfti IN this city.
Many of the Protestant churches
have appointed their committees. to
be known as the canvassing commits
tee: these community men are pre-
pairing themselves for next Sunday,
when they viii go out in pairs TO
visit members Of their churches. TO
enl.s these members as systematic
contributors to the benevolent work
Of the church.
The recent train ng conference. held
in this city under he splendid leader
ship of j. Campbell White, proved
10 be most beneficial: ministers and
laymeu were greatly inspired and In
structed by Mr.. White, who is a man
of remarkable ability.
The churches that are now planning
for the canvass, are doing educational
work in order that the people of the
church may he fully informed regard
ing weekly and systematic giving. The
whole plan Is being fostered along
missionary lines; people are being
taught that the church of today must
he missionary in spirit, and not com
fine its work and gifts 10 merely it's
own self Some churches are moth
ing more than machinery, consisting OF
,nany wheels, but all turning in diff
ferent directions
What il needed today. in order to
show results. is efficiency. and until
the church begins to study church
finance we'll as spirituality. she Will
accomplish little a church that con-
sists of five or six hundred members.
n
third are giving to the benevolent
causes of the church, proves only
too clearly that there Is something
aacking, either in the spirituality of
the people or the method of giving.
When two-thirds Of a congregation
go to church Sunday after Sunday
and listen to the earnest plea OF the
pastor. and still continue to let he
one-third do the giving. something il
radically wrong. These people either
fail to interpret the teachings Oh
Christ, or they go to church to get
all they can get out of it, hut give
very little Z It. It Is sad eon ID
this fact exist in one church or de-
nomination. but in most al--not in
Richmond afone--it Is a deplorabfe
condition throughout the country.
The simultaneous effort. on behalf
Of so many churches. for the one pur-
pose of enlistng all church members
as regular contributors. is undouht-
eddy the method which shall change
conditio1ns and when church going
people realize that being a church
member means being church giyer,
then. and then only, will the propor-
ton of contributors increase.
This every-rnember canvass Is not
merely to secure material gifts. this
Is the last thought, to conduct the
canvass men are needed--this means
service. to make the canvass success
fol, men need TO prepare-this mems
study; to arouse an interest and sym
pathy. one must naturally by sympa-
thetic himself first, therefore for one
to go into the every member canvass.
without spiritual intercourse with the
heavenly Father first. is the greatest
mistake a canvasser can make. The
whole work is for the Kingdom, and
can not be done without first making
the Great Leader a partner. and in
whom faith must abide throughout
the whole undertaking. by those that
endeavor to do something for Him.
d. III, b.
Richmond, Va, March i. 1914,