Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1915-11-26
RELIGIOUS DEMONSTRATION
WORK.

At the conference of Methodist pas
tors held here last week some instruc-
tive and suggestive speeches were de-
lvered, some of which, if lived up to,
will change the usual character and
work of the churches. One address,
in particular, only part of which
the writer had the pleasure of hear
ing, was delivered by one of the new
ministers on this field, on the subject
of REVEALS.
Among other things the speaker
declared that there should be re-
vival in the churches, Tor at least the
revival spirit), all the time. There
should be conversions every Sunday,
wherever and whenever the gospel is
preached. An invitation should be
given and conversions expected. The
"mourner's bench" if you please to
call it such, said the speaker, should
be accessible at every service. The SER
mon and entire service should be such
as to promote the revival spirit. Not
only on Sunday, but during the week
there should be cottage prayer meet
ings, and in every home family al
tar, and all together and all the way
through, religion should mean some
thing, and the preaching o. the Cos
pei should count for something. The
speaker made an enthusiastic state
ment and gave what seemed to be an
outline of his theory and plans by
which he expected to direct his efforts
on his field of labor.
1t occurred readily and easily that
the minister was marking out for
himself in the religious work of the
community the same work which
farm demonstration proposes to try
to do in agriculture-to give practi-
cal andtangible demonstrations of how
the work of the churches should be and
can be, conducted. Why net a relig-
lous Demonstration for each communi-
ty, and who better equipped to do the
work than the pastor?
Like the farm demonstrator now re-
garded as an almost indispensable adj
Junct, the pastor has been through
the schools and colleges where he
was supposed to be taught how to
successfully prosecute his work, and
to know by heart, the best means
and methods necessary to be used in
all church work every day, every
where. The work of demonstration
is sadly needed in agriculture. The
farmer needs to be assured first that
the thing can be done, and then shown
how it can be done and how he can do
1t. So in the religious world. Church
work, like our farm work, has been
allowed to drag along at poor dy-
ing rate, going backward rather than
forward, accessions and additions not
keeping pace with the growth of pop
ulation The churches, like MANY
farmers, are in rut, attempting to
do twentieth century work by back
century methods, and, like the farms,
have been producing negligible results
II not actually becoming poorer each
succeeding year. A few years ago
somebody woke up, and now, under
improved methods, taught by the
schools and put into active actual OPP
GRAFTON by demonstrators sent out all
over the country, the farms are be-
coming more and more productive.
farm life more desirable and pleasant
and the actual results, seen in great
crops, have astonished the world.
Preachers and people will wake IN
to the fact-already waking up that
time is being lost, (Which means
wasted), in neary every church. If
people are not being converted and
brought into the church, the main OBJ
Ject is not attained, and it wont do to
say that preachers and churches are
not responsible for results. The pub
lie will hail with delight the advent
Of prudent, active, successful, dem
onstrator of successful church worl:
"A work that will show results.