Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-10-06
CHRISTIAN REVIVAL
Evangelist stancil in Old First Pres
byterian Church Opens Campaign
and Pays Tribute to Gypsy Smith.
an ,o,, romember me?"

"Do you remember me ;!
The silver-haired, ruggedtooaleo
Evangelist held the hand OF thf
sweet-faced woman while he closely
scrutinised her face; but at lengtf
he was forced to shake his heaa.
owe been preaching SO many
wears" he said. 81 have met so man!
people" ao.
The woman smiled brightly. "O1
conrse" /" she said. "And l was only
little girl when you saw me last.
| You converted me, Oh" she blusheo
little, "quite a good many years
aeo in Ashland, Kentucky. My name
+bon was-- and I was only
twelve years Old"
But even though it was good
manv wears ago Evangelist Robert
W stancill, remembered the womans
name-he knows many friends of hers
Last night during the course OF
his first sermon of the campaign to
bc waged in the Old First Presby-
terian Church on South Fairfax street
Mr., Stancill had said that man VIII
have done a great life's work II ne
will have converted but one soul. HIS
tonic was "Winning souls" He must
therefore, have been cheered and
o.laddened, in the very beginning OF
his work. which is to endure
until a church of the disciples
of Christ, the denomination to which
he belongs, is established in Alex
andria. Present at the meeting last
night were number of people OF
that faith, who have been attending
other churches, and who declared that
they would become charter mem
hers of the new church.
Prior to his sermon Mr.. Stanclll
explained the texts of his faith. Ihe
Disciples" he said, @find authority
for their beliefs in the Book of Acts,
Thev believe in Baptism because IN
every case of conversion mentioned
in Acts the converts were straitway
baptised-even the 5000 converted by
Peters Pentecostal Sermon"
Mr.. stancill illustrated his en-
position of the Disciples creed by the
aid of a huge chart which showed the
progress cf the Christian character.
During his sermon he paid high tn
butte to the work of Gypsy Smith, Jr.,
and the laymen and clergy who help
ed him to make the revival a success.
He said that the reason so many
people in Alexandria were so happy
lust now was because they had been
helping to win souls-a work greater
than that of king or of an Emperor.
"He that is wise winneth soul" ne
quoted and then went on 70 say
"Wisdom wins wealth and the other
rewards of the world but only through
Christ can you win your way into
Heaven. It took God 4,00O years 70
complete the plan of Salvation. Ano
only through your acceptance OF this
plan over which he exercised sucr
care can you be saved.
"Just now a great many people
connected with the revival are ask
ing: How can we keep the converts
saved? There is only one sure way
and that is to put them at work
saving others. And every saved sou
is under an obligation to save some
one else. Every christian is debtor
to every lost soul. In Jesus opinion
soul was worth more than all the
whole world. He asked: What shall
it profit a man if he gains the whole
world and lose his own soul?"
"Our idea in trying to establish
a church here is to help harvest the
lost souls of Alexandria and to hell
those who want to work for the sal
vaee of souls in Alexandria to fint
place to work in. We know tha'
there are a good many people whr
have as yet no church home who vii
like our simple form cf worship an'
who will be glad to join with us.
During his preliminary address
Mr.. Stancill stated that the member
ship of the Disciples, sometimes call
ed Christian, church, has grown mor'
rapidly in the past generation thar
any other Protestant denomination
The revival here is backed by tn