New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-06
Rededicate Churches TO
Religion, Evangelize Lay
men, Campaign Plan.
ORGANIZATION PLAN
WAITS ON MAYOR
His Approval of Day of Prayer
Idea Likely to Start Machin-
cry of Religious Effort.


wrong with religious conditions in New
/ York City except in persons who call
/ themselves Christians is to be the key
note OF great revival of religion that
will unite all Protestant denominations
| here.
The awakening must come, first,
within church walls. After the churches
/ have rededicated themselves TO the
simple. old-fashioned fundamentals of
religion. there will be sound basis for
efforts to eYangelize the unchurched
masses.
/ This note rang out clearly at yester-
/ day afternoons prayer raseting in the
Park Avenue Presbyterian Church, at
/ tended By more than one hundred cler-
gymen and church officials. Ministers
in charge of large churches stood up
7 and admitted that they themselves
needed n revival more than the down
and outs who arc always associated
with eyangelistic work.
No plan of organization was present
ed by the steering committee, because
there is to be no organization Just yet.
But he Rev. Charles Whitehead Welch
and his colleagues. who took the initia-
tive in this movement, did submit two
recommendations which met with favor
To Preach from Malachi.
Sunday morning every clergyman
will be asked to take for text Nal
achi iii. 10, which reads:
Bring Sc the whole 1.-THE into the
storehonsc, that there may be food IN
nv house and prove me now herewith,
saith Jehovah of hosts. il I will not
omen YOU the windows of heaven and
pour YOU out blessing that there
shall not be room enough 70 receive II.
Monday afternoon at 4 O'Clock clergy
men and church officials will meet m
the Madison Avenue Baptist Church,
Madison Avenue and Thirty-hrst Street,
on invitation of the pastor, the Rev.
Charles A. Eaton, to observe union
communion sacrament and pray for
guidance. Some changes may be made
i'm these plans if Mayor Mitchell grants
the steering committees petition Tor
citywide day of prayer
"Friends. we have come here to-day
to finally decide whether we can so
further with expectations for a revival
Of religion" said DR.. WEIGH, IN opening
the meeting yesterday. lie asked the
Rev. William II. Morgan, of Calvary
Methodist Church, to lead in prayer
II was DR.. Eaton who impressed the
meeting with the attitude of the steer
in committee. "If We preachers keep
holding these Monday afternoon meet
ings long enough perhaps some OF US
will get religion, and / imagine that
Is what We are here Tor.
II have been pastor in downtown
church for seven years. came mere
wit an open mind, believing that hu-
man beings on Manhattan Island are
the same as they are everywhere, but
! found a general belief that religion
work in New York differs from other
communities.
"My experience has taught me this,
and do not hesitate to say it-there IS
nothing wrong with religious condi-
lions here except in Us who confess the
name Of Jesus Christ. We have the
same God. the same Bible and the same
! Gospel and one command; that is, TO
! 20 forth and preach that Gospel to the
people around US. who come from the
/ four corners Of the world. We have
unlimited financial equipment, and
there is not a finer group OF men III
( the world than the New York MN
1 listers as / have learned to know them
| Yet we find church people ready TO run
away when they arc put face to face
with great problems.
g.UT 20
| it dies like a physical organ which has
| ceased to function. When church IN
New York City has to shut its doors
| and move away from its opportunities,
| then the people in that church nave
lost hold OF the truth.
Revival Is In Air.
"Our newspapers, with their keen in
/ stinct of foreseeing events, expect a
great religious revival here. why, l
/ have seen more talk about religion IN
/ the New York newspapers during the
| last six months than in the last SIX
years, We feel it in our churches ana
/ we find that our fellow ministers want
| to heed the same call. But 1t Is so
much easier to preach about the Gospel
| than to preach the Gospel; so much
/ easier TO talk with a man about alb
I
down on YOUR knees to pray with him.
/ 81 don't think we need any add
| tional machinery for this revival which
| is sure TO come. As matter OF fsct'
| we've got too much machinery now, and
/ I sometimes wish that VIC could have an
| auction and unload some of II on the
devil. We must get together some real
people who will get down on their
/ knees and ask themselves why 1t IS
that with this great New York church
mill, splendidly equipped IN the heart
/ Of world centre, We grind such
small amount of grist. I'm not salts
/ fed with the results. ] want my peo-
ple and myself to get ready for re-
yiyal. We can't create the movement;
God must do that, but we can get
ready"
/ DR. Morgan gave "reminiscences OF
/ three REVEALS which he had seen IN
his twenty-five years experience AS
nreacher. "Revivals come out, they are
never pumped up" he said, TO show the
/ difference between a political campaign
and a real revival. 1--WE have machinery
/ enough now. The danger is that we
} will have more harness than horses.
pastor and his people must have a long
/ Pentecostal time of IT before revival
/ springs forth. That is what they are
irving to have in Calvary Methodist
Church"
We've been giving ourselves too ex-
clusively to ecclesiastical and intellec-
tuaI considerations in our denomlna-
tional meetings" said the Rev. DR.. Will
bert Webster White, president OF the
Bible Teachers Training School
The Rev. James II. Philputt, OF the
Church of the Disciples and member
of the steering committee, said that
I'VE want as little organization as pos
. .;hln The work must begin IN the