Evening journal., 1917-03-27
DR.. COLLINS reviews
WORK At ST. PAUL 5
All Debts Paid and 26S New
Members Added in Last
Four Years
SEES GREAT FUTURE
FOR THE CHURCH

With Sundays services the confer
ence year closed az St. Paul's NJ. Z.
Church. Large congregations we're
present both morning and evening.
At the morning service DR.. Vaughan
S. Collins, the retiring pastor, chose
his text from I Samuel, XII, 1924,
part Of Samuel's farewell address TO
Israel. After noting the facts Of the
Biblical story, and dwelling at length
on the "Rasons for and Advantages
Of the Methodist ltinerancy" Dr.. Col
Inns gave a resume of the last four
years work at st. PauPs. saying in
"On coming to ST. Pauls four years
ago ! found that St Paul's was man
aged by a board of nine trustees,
which was virtually the sole authority
In all church matters This being
neither Methodistic nor modern we
set ourselves to change the manage
ment TO a Methodist official board, 30
as to utilize as far as possible every
man of ability that was willing to
work for God and st. Paul's. Through
this change in organization we now
have lined up for active work "a men
and four devoted women, a total Of
3S officials as against nine four years
ago.
-Four years ago I found the active
work Of the church not equally dis
tributed even among the nine trus-
tees: but a finance committee Of
three, one Of whom was doing most Of
Of the work, was supposed to fnd oil
the cash necessary to run this great
plant. One other man was supposed to
do all the work Of handling all re-
ceipts for current expenses and the
whole burden Of collecting the thous-
ands pledged on building fund was
piled upon the treasurer, who was al
ready an overworked man. In other
words, the entire work, with It's mani
fold details of financing St. Paul's, was
laid on the shoulders Of three men, two
of whom we're already overburdened
with the work Of daily life, and the
third a frail man of willing heart, al
ready nearing his three score years
and ten.
80 I pied for division Of labor and
business methods in management. un-
I'll at last you allowed me to name
four great standing committees, on
finance. church debt, benevolent
funds. and members aid. Such radical
change could not be made without
some friction. and readjustment Of
personnel to find the fittest men for
the particular work; but after three
years Of trial what do we find? Let
the simple figures tell their own
| story:
"A -Four years ago total current
receipts amounted to S2,634.97, lack
| ing SLASH of meeting current need
This year current receipts exceed
s4,4OO all bills paid, insurance pait
1--we years in advance, pastors salarl
augmented by special gift Of 500, anC
! a comfortable balance still in the
treasury.
"B. Four years ago, notwithstand
ing So 500 had been paid in on debt &C
count the debt actually increased tina
wear from $4,000 announced on the da,
of dedication. to Sl4,547-an increase o
ss547. This wear all interest charge
have been paid bonded debt reduced
5000 and enough cash on hand AM
pledges in sight TO pay all interes
charges and reduce the principal anothe
| $1,000 in August next.
"Nor is the advance simply IN fnanc
for the local plant. but equally grea
along all lines of spiritual activity.
Il. -Four years ago i found the
pastors Bible class consisted OF foui
men and an equal number OF wo
men. / gave the women 10 another
teacher and started to work will
men alone. Today we have an enroll
ment of seventy men. We have pai'
as a class S175 on church debt, hav
furnished four teachers and the sup
eriztendent for the Sunday school
land trained and put into the Officia
board nineteen of the present mem
bers of the board during the fou
years, who were not in official relation
four years ago"
DR.. Collins here asked How man.
members of the Berean Bible Clas
are present this morning. Thirty
two men arose-eight times as man
men as were enrolled in the clas
four years.
"2. Four years ago the Woman
Home Missionary Society numbere
A members and gave S146. This yea
the society has so members and ha
contributed 1913 for home missions.