New Britain herald., 1918-04-19

DIR. ELMER a. DEM.
concerned because some Of our
| churches have failed to see the i'm
| perative necessity of making more
| ample provision for our underpaid
| men.
! ''Our hospital with it's war work,
| we are sure is receiving Increased
| and well-deserved support. The
| Brooklyn and Long Island church So
| ciety should have a larger place in
our generosity in order to make it
equal to it's great and increasing
| tasks. We are pleased to report that
! the Old Peoples Home, st. Christo-
| piers Home and the Deaconess
Home have an increasing number Of
| friends in our churches
I About $..:..... has been ex-
| pended this year in improvements
| and $4,000 Of this was for the erec-
| ton Of a beautiful parsonage at West
! Hampton, where Brother M. O. Olsen
is probably bringing to a close an
j exceedingly successful passionate. If
the department Of rural work desires
| to find out how to do things in a
| country parish they should visit West
Hampton
And 1T would pay US all to make
a visit to Good Ground and learn
from the pastor the too-much forgot
ten art Of hunting up people who do
not think of attending church. Down
by the bay, among the Hfe-saving
stations, in out of-Way places he
breaches and prays and gets people
converted and then leads them into
the church. AS a by-product, no
wonder bills are all paid and benevo-
lences Increased.
The district is not with out her
problems and the church is not with
out those who would solve them all
off-hand in short order If their wis
dom were equal to their courage. In
deed, / am so we'll satisfied with
my own judgment that I think
could furnish a perfect solution, but
the trouble is, other people think
they have some rights in the prem
ises, too, and I half believe they are
correct.
II am quite sure there should be
some readjustm ents, but the way such
matters have been handled in the
past does not encourage trustees to
hastily sell out and unite with other
churches. Old churches have gone,
but what is left to tell the story of
their splendid records? L ask this
question, but I cannot answer 1t. This
fact makes me reluctant to cr1tlc1se
men who are trying as best they may
to conserve the interests OF Metho-
disn, and who, in some instances,
deserve credit rather than blame for
not being stampeded into immature
plans for the supposed development
Of the church.
II have but one solution to offer
for the present. Let every church
and church official remember what
someone has said: I'VE are never
defeated until we own defeat We
have had some great resurrectlons IN
the past. There is a fine chance for
some more. Downright devotion is
not easy to defeat Let us try 1t.
"a noteworthy thing has hap
pened. Federal, state and city gov
ernments are turning to the church
in their hour of need, and not a few
public men, contrary to their custom,
are recognizing her power. On the
part Of many this may be a belated
recognition, but, thank God, it Is rec
IGNITION. and 1t gives the church the
largest opportunity for a service |
which will win the respect Of men.
as 1t won the respect and praise of
Abraham Lincoln when he said: God
bless the Methodist church. Bless |
all the churches and blessed be God
who in this our great trial giveth us
the churches'
'In these days of stress our resi- |
dent bishop, with pen and voice and
prayer, has pointed the way to pa
triotism and to God, did Asbury
and Ames and Simpson in their day |
The churches have looked to their |
ministers for example and inspiration |
and they have not looked in vain, |
for the pulpits of Methodism are Civ |
ing forth no uncertain sound. l am |
happy to say. This is most en- |
pnatically on the Brooklyn South !
District, where suspicion as to a |
mans loyalty would brand him as a |
traitor.
'In defense of our country. in sup |
rort of our president, in loyalty to |
cur flag, laymen expect their minis !
t"rs TO lead rather than follow.
NEARLY year before the National !
War Council of our Church decided !
upor its program for the coming |
month of May, our district anticipate