The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-10-25
DIX|ELAND METHODIST
CHURCH DEDICATED BY
REV. |. c. JENKINS

Last night the DiXieland Metho-
dist church was dedicated by Rev. |.
9. Jenkins, former pastor of the First
Methodist church of this city, bat
now pastor of the Tampa Heights
Methodist church, Tampa.
The pastor, Rev w. II. Stein
meyer, is to be congratulated on
bnilding such a monument as he has
in the Dixieland and Myrtle street
churches. and last night was happy
occasion for him as well as for the
membership of this church.
The church was prettilyI decorated
for the occasion. special music was
rendered, and the building was filled
to overfiowing. many having to stand
outside to hear the excellent sermon
delivered by Rev. Jenkins on "The
Church." extracts from which splen
did discourse we take pleasure IN
giving below:
The church is the greatest con-
tributor to civic righteousness.
Wealth and knowledge and culture
are not free from cumming with
vice; laws often lie like braid Of gold
about the clothing of the lawless:
officers of law are not always terror
to evil doers, but sometimes turn to
be partakers with them. Even
counterfeit churches combine their
power to promote the interests Of
evil; but the church of God, accord
ing to the definition. striving after
the Christian ideal, Is incompatible,
out of all harmony with evil, hostile
to sin, cannot look with any counte'
nance upon crime. While the
church has been often perverted, the
history of the Christian church has
been to show 1t a great friend to
civic righteousness This is shown
by the condition where the live
church is and where it is not. There
Is not an unchristian country, or
village, or rural district in all the
world, where the church is unknown.
but there prevails strife and fighting,
and lying and stealing, and impurity.
Where the influence of the church is
wanting every law of the decalogue
IL broken All true church people
stand for civic righteousness; there
| h1. f.,t, -ab abprph nn0nIa Uhn
do, but the great bulk of the law
breakers are out of the church, and
ii is also true that the great bulk of
the people out of the church are
lawbreakers. Many of those who,
, though not church people, stand for
law and order, where taught by
: Christian parents. or in Christian
schools, or in other ways. have come
) uni der the influence of the church.
In unchristian countries protection
is secured by walls, and iron bars,
I and moats filled with water, and
rickets placed with weapons OF de-
t fence; but where the church pre-
!. walls the moats are filled, the walls
= taken away, the windows unbarred,
o and even doors are often left un-
e locked; and men have nothing 70
fear. If certain protection is nee
4. cssary in certain church communi-
q ties. it is in spite of the churches,
= and because of the anti-chureh ele
d ment. Christian people make for
a law and order.
: Again the church stands for JUS
i tice tempered with mercy The
n church stands for punishment with
e mercy, and for reward with mod
: psty. The church opposes cruelty In
n executions, and teaches compassioni
n quality of its Lord Civic digit
eousness. then. is proportional to two
things, the prevalence of the church
and the purity of the church ideal
The Church and Economics
2 The church is great economical
4 agency. Every great revival brings
an era of debt paying The church
5 teaches Righteousness, and righteous
! ness quickens energy. The church
q is q great saver: 1t opposes prodigal-