The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-07-24
co TO FRANKFORT
Three-Fingered Jack Goodwin
Ready To Leave Topeka.
His Labor Church, However,
VIII Continue Here.

Topeka is to have a permanent
workingman's church, according to
Jack Goodwin. labor evangelist who
has been conducting a series of meet
ings in North Topeka for the last
three months. 1t will be organized
without creed" and without any
of the frills of the "beggar-aristo-
cratic' church of the Usual type.
Overalls. blue shirts and Bingham
aprons will make up the congregation
or the new church. Contributions will
be made by athe congregation OF their
own free will and the church will be
religious meeting place of the labor
ers of Topeka.
The new church will receive the
support of the industrial council of
Topeka, according to articles recently
appearing in the Trade Unionists -
its official organ, and will be patron
lied by every laborer in the city. A
permanent leader for the church has
not yet been selected.
Jack Goodwin, with a happy smile
on his face, stated today that he was
leaving Topeka. He has accepted a
challenge sent out by a resident of
frankfort, Kansas, who took a slap
at his church. He will open a church
there August II and will conduct a
special series of lectures for the citi-
zens and will not leave until he has
won the whole town, he stated this
morning.
In the meantime, until August IL,
he will hold services at Bonner
Springs.
Last Sermon Here.
The church in Topeka, which he
founded, organized and has perma-
nently established, has grown from
mere handful of tired work.
ingmen to houseful of ardent fol-
!owers-not of Goodwin but of his
freer belief. He will give his last SER
mon in Topeka tonight and will leave
immediately for Bonner Springs.
AS parting shot at the hated
aristocrats, who are pampered by the
wonderfully costly church and
bled by thousand foreign mission
airy societies. and hundreds of para
site ministers, who jingle other mems
shekels in their creased jeans he
told Of his standing on the state house
steps and looking at six costly
churches all within a radius of a half
mile.
Think of it, a pastor, janitor
matron and maybe others supported
by the congregations of each of these
churches" he opened fire. And here
the government is preaching con-
serVation of resources, financial and
natural. Here the happy Topekans
are supporting six minister's keeping
up six expensive buildings, paying six
electric light bills and paying for va
cations of their pastors. 1t is con-
Hits plug Hat Ministers.
Every single person of these six
churches could be housed in the Iarg-
est building and five other buildings
could be thrown over to the home
less that are suffering right under the
aristrocrats turned-up noses. 1t is
fine to send money to India and to
China and to Africa, but when it
comes to help the home people, that's
up to someone else. The local church
has nothing to do with local affairs
They have bigger field than mere
Topeka"
Then he continued on a slaughter
of these plug hat" ministers of the
gospel who go on costly vacations on
money donated for church work. He
declared that ministers who in the
summer go to a northern resort where
cool lake breezes blow thru the cur
tanned windows of a costly summer
cottage, are about as sincere in
their religious work as the devil is at
converting souls to Christianity-and
about as effective. too.
With this attack on the modern
version of "Churchanity' as a parody
on Christianity Goodwin walked
away towards the nearest soda foun-
tain.