Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1918-12-07

He said he had lived in Edgewater
and had known much OF Palisade; had
often come here and knew something.
/ of the men who had come here to
preach. He did not desire to dig into
past troubles. But you have in Pali-
SADIE, said he, wonderful opportunity
as a church. You have a clean sweep
in this community. You have no COM
petition, no rivals. You are entirely
alone. Out in Ohio l know COM
munity of only LOO people with nine
churches. You have the only church
in this poisoning community. You
should do a piece of work here that
should make even staid old New York
stand up and take notice. That is
sermon in itself. But are you meeting
the opportunity-facing the facts?
Are you allowing your boys and girls
in their gym clubs and societies to go
ahead, looking back with glee and
happiness at the childhood days in
Palisade as the happiest Of their lives!
Will the future of your children be
bright with "reminiscences of their Sun
day School days in Palisade? Are you
going to allow them to say that you
neglected the opportunity that would
give them this happiest of all priv
ileges? Will they say that you neg
lected the opportunity? Are you fac
ing the facts? If you don't, why should
other communities do it? So this
morning the obligation rests on you.
In work of this character where two
or three get together they can move
a world Let us remember that every
great movement is by two or three.
The number here this morning is
enough to meet the emergency of Pail
SADIE. / say to you that Jesus Christ
will never appeal to you with more
force than in this great opportunity
which you have.
What is the lesson of this war?
asked the young minister. All the ed
ucational forces and the arts and sci
ences are saying knock all the doors
off the hinges This place is too
small. We must build lions edifice
greater. am thrilled at one evidence
of the Methodists that they are going
forward with the new religious force
that is conquering the world. 1t thrill
ed General Foch and General Pershing
at the program they have started out
J, to carry on. General Pershing said of
it, II marvel at your attempts" He
meant the worldwide attempts of
evangelism. With eight million dol
lars to be raised for the purpose
think of it!
The facts are all in your favor here,
but you must face the facts and re-
member that the burden of the obi
CATION is on you and that you have
here a tremendous responsibility. Why
go somewhere else to spend your
money? Why not make your church
the great community center of the vii
lage and make everybody happy in it?
This thought is overshadowing. 1t
seems to me that any people of God
would cherish this opportunity before
you. learn that Palisade invested
over 100000 in the last Liberty bond
sale and 100000 in another and great
sums in the other two. Yet you tell
4 me that this church's annual budget is
OILY DZ,COO vi spCyOOOs II ohOuiu "
your pleasure and simple duty to raise
at least $1,000 for this little church
with all of it's glorious opportunities
before it. This wars progress rested
on gold foundation as much as it did
on man power. There are too many
who think that the world is to be run
by prayer. But prayer is useless with
afh gNhnrn G n Unnd
without backing 1t is the most &C.
cursed thing in the world, this fool
ing away with Gods work. l am as
tonished at your ability to do things
here in financial way, yet how little
do you contribute to the institution
that is too make for the future spir-
itual welfare of your children growing
up around you. They will have the
least of the happy things that all peo-
pie should recall of their home church
affiliations. / am appalled, at the con-
trast of what you can do here and
what you really do for this church of
your village. Link up these figures
you yourselves have made up for me
and sleep over them tonight. If
Christ were here today he would say ::
go you, every one of you, and do
these righteous things in my name for
the good of this community and God.
Go, every one of you, and minister"
There is a challenge in this new life
that is coming to the world. What
does it mean? / feel that somehow
you will put yourselves at the dis
pOsal of your leaders. l have seen
your troubles of the past. But take
new courage and bind up your wounds
and be the help that God wants you to
be so that it will stand out to your
glory in this communicable COM
munity of such fine ideals. You are
too big to let anything stand in your
way. Instead of having handful out
here Sunday mornings you Should
have so many that you would have to
! x,,v Nv