The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-06-19
COMMUNITY CHURCH BUSY,
EXCELLENT PLANT WORKED OUT
IN MISSOURI.
Religious Cooperation Has Reduced
Crime and Improved the Morals of
the Community.


stood in the pulpit of the Rush Hill
christian church at q small country
town In Audrian county. Missouri. and
said some blunt things that had lain
long In his heart.
THE doors Of your church are
blocked" he declared. "You have here
a weak church, unattractive to non
members. unable to pay it's preacher
much of the time. and gradually losing
Its influence. The rival churches of
this place are I'm the same fix, and l
want to say to you that the country
church is doomed unless some remedy
Is found.
THAT remedy, In my opinion, is
not in union. will not ask you to Join
these rural churches: their members
Will not join you; but IL you will
drop your church name and ask these
other denominations to Cooperate
with you In u church, and all work
together for the good Of the commu-
nifty and common cause of God. you
will succeed and this community will
thrive beyond your greatest expecta-
ton"
The answer to this invitation chal-
lenge. says the Star. is a handsome
new. modern $1,000 church building,
dedicated and starting without a cent
Of debt. Side by side in its pews at
the dedication sat former members of
various denominations and of no de-
nomination who somehow have caught
the spirit Of the motto Of the church:
i want to know you: I want
you to know me. that we may
love one another and thus make
cooperation possible.
II Is a strange sort of church, this,
but those connected with IL have faith
that 1t Will succeed. as also do the
business men Of Princeton, Mo-, who
are building u $4,000 church based
on the same idea. At any rate. both
places testify that the idea of love and
brotherhood has already reduced
crime and kindred civic wastes, and
they expect religious cooperation to
prove as efficient as business co-opera-
tion has.
No Joining the Church.
One odd thing. there is no Joining"
the church. The individual who comes
forward and gives his hand to the
minister merely enlists for service,
and his name is entered on the church
rolls as volunteer. not as a mem
ber."
Here is the formula for enlistment
In the Rush Hill church,
Are you a Christian?
Have you been q member of any
church before?
rs II your wish and desire to CO.
operate with this people toward solv-
ing the problem Of the life of God I'm
this community?
That is the whole creed. There Is
no sacrifice of opinions asked. No one
Is urged to give up cherished doc
trines. but emphasis is laid on the
fact that all are brothers and when
they divide all shut God out. The
substitution OF love and charity for
division and intolerance is all that Is
demanded.
For ten years the Rev. p. G.. Reavis
OF Mexico. Mo-. who Is the man back
OF the cooperative idea. has been see
Ing the necessity for some sort of
unity. AS an evangelist, working
principally with country churches, he
has watched their decay. fastened by
constantly growing divisions. by motor
cars and better roads. which put tho
people In touch with the churches of
the bigger towns. and by spirit
among the young people. who find lit
tie to interest them in the church or
doctrinal differences OF their parents.
In Rush Hill he saw the typical con-
dition. Here were four Protestant
church bodies three OF whom had lit
tie. iradequate buildings. paying pas
tors a meagre sum for part OF their
time.
There were times" commented Mr.
Reavis. when church member of
that town falling sick would have TO
send $50 miles to get his pastor"
The evangelist had gone there to
conduct a revival meeting. He found
churchianity clouding. Christianity.
Then he made his cooperation propo-
sitiOn. The results were bigger than
even he had hoped for.
4 The rppmhpro nf Cbct.ti a., -