South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-09-29
MOTIVES DOMINATE
METHODS SAYS BISHOP
Final Session of Religious
Workers Institute Here
Closes With Address.

Tonight think a good time to re-
call again that which / preached
about in my first conference years
ago on the subject, The Motive Of
Evangelism applying it 10 the mo-
tive in Sunday school teaching" said
Bishop William Mcdowell of Chicago
Tuesday evening in the last session Of
the Religious Workers institute at the
Methodist Memorial church
And that is that the missionary
method must not dominate the mis-
siOnary motive In other words. the
motive must dominate and always
control the method. Otherwise the
method becomes the mythical thing
1t becomes mechanical.
The motive must be clearly trans
parent and pure. But many a motive
is pure and transparent and yet il be-
comes exhausted. So another factor
enters in. ii must be large-large
enough TO move In. 1t must be al
most inexhaust.ble, and ! might say
that the motive Of the Sunday school
is 8 large one-keeping the individual
in the school is also a large one. So
then every Sunday school teacher and
Christian worker and all those who
work for the betterment Of mankind
must have for their motive the life
of Jesus.
1--WE can base our life. our work.
on that of Jesus Christ If you werc
10 ask me If Jesus Christ worked
mirac IS I would say yes. But if you
were 90 ask me what 1 loved best of
His work, I would not say the occa-
sional miracle, but the constant good
that He did. I would not want the
power TO work miracles as He did un-
less L had the character and the
strength that He had
Jesus Christ went about dOing
good. lie didn't work miracles all
the time. He did not do great things
but occasionally. but He did do good
constantly. And 50 L don't ask to
work miracles, but 1 do ask to do
good all the time. So relegate your
lives TO the life of Jesus.
in estimating the forces with
which You will work. those teachings
that you will teach, look at the forces
Jesus used. follow the teachings that
He did and the things that He did.
Jesus believed that il is good TO do
good, that the Heavenly Father could
be trusted and that other men were
His Fathers children strayed away
from home and He believed that He
should bring them back. He believ-
ed tn Z He could change that shift
ing, sWerVing soul and steady it, and
transform His object.
study what Jesus believed what
He did and what He tried to do He
had that great motive. 1t dOmi-
mated His methods He based His life
with that which He desired TO do and
IL was good We must think and do
things, not in the small, but in the
large and the broad. We must follow
the life of Christ and His philosophy.
Because He was and is the factor IN
the production Of good"
Adopt Resolutions.
Previous to the address Of Bishop
Mcdowell, several resolutions were
read and adopted The resolutions
especially thanked the board of sun
day schools for the services of Rev
Harry G. Wilson, Rev. James Y.
Thompson. Rev William S. BOvard
Rev. J. NJ. AVIAN. Rev. Kirk W. Rob
bins and Rev. John G.. Benson. ResO-
lutions were also adopted thanking
the committee in charge OF the pro
gram. the local people who have en-
tertained the delegates and the of
ficials Of the Methodist Memorial
church.
The evening session opened with a
short organ recital by Mrs. George j.
williams OF this city. This was fol
lowed by several fine song selections
by the mems chorus of 40 voices
from the Trinity Methodist Episcopa
church Of Elkhart
Three addresses were delivered
during the afternoon by Rev. Harry
G. Wilson on Missions and the sun.
day SCHOOL," Rev. William :. BovarC
of Chicago on Men and Evangelism,
and Rev. James Y. Thompson on The
Teen Age and the Sunday School.
At 5:45 a splendid banquet was serv