Weekly Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1919-1920, 1919-08-27
RECREATION BLDG
FOR ST. JOHNSBURY
Professor Kent Outlines the
Community Program of
Jesus Christ

Jesus Chrlst's program for cOmmun-
ity work was given at the union SER
vice at the South church Sunday eve
ming by Prof. Charles +. Kent of
Yale University. The devotional ex-
ercises were conducted by Rev. F. B..
Richards and Rev. George A. Mar
tin and the church was we'll filled.
Prof. Kent said in part:
"The day of shams is over. The
mask is now off and we talk with
men face to face. Our civilization is
plastic and the church should not be
exempted from this REIMBURSEMENT.
We appreciate today more than ever
the message of the old prophets and
Jesus.
In Jesus community program
every act was guided by the larger
purpose and the larger plan. His
early life taught him to be builder
and from building houses he built
characters. The temptations that
came to him were those of luxury,
covetousness and compromise. They
are the same kind that come to each
one of US and we ought to conquer
them as Jesus did.
ale first joined himself with John
the Baptist, thus coming in contact
with that wonderful group, and when
the mantel fell on him Jesus did not
go into the wilderness, but into the
great city. He went to Capernaum
because it was large city and the
strateglcal center of the then known
world. PauPs plan as Il christian
statesman covered a greater geograp-
hical area, but Christ's plan started
with the great city. He went there
to found the corner stone of demo-
cracy, to establish typical COM
munity and the principles that should
govern them.
"How did he go about to realize
this? He first talked with Peter and
Andrew and established a basis of
friendship. Then he went into the
family and healed the sick. There
are many miracles in healing today
under the guise of christianity. The
miracles of healing are not confined
to our Christian Science friends.
Meeting Levi, the publican, He
makes himself tis guest and wins him
to his support. Why not talk things
over with the people you don't like
and get them into your way of
thinking. "The lost man is the un-
tasked man." said Prof. Royce. Jesus
saved men by giving them a task.
Simon, the zealot, was the modern
Bolshevist. He enlisted him in his
cause and told him that together they
would build up a fraternity of BROTH
erhood that would make Rome
tremble.
"In Judas Iscariot he found a
shrewd business man that would have
made a good Connecticut Yankee to-
day-always within the law, though
he might sometimes cut under the
moral law. Judas made his one great
when he transferred his ac-
count from the bank of Heaven to
the bank of Jerusalem.
"Jesus preached the joyous life.
Mediaevalism perverted our idea of |
Christ. The Goth century will see
greater results than have ever been
seen since the spread of christianity |
in the first century. Before it closes |
the world will become one great de-
mocracy of God, but the church !.
makes the mistake in leaving it all to
the minister. Christ gave every man
and woman and child task. No
church will prosper until it gives
everybody something to do.
"St. Johnsbury is a city set on a
hill. Few towns in America stand for
higher leadership. What you do goes
forth in great circles. yearn to see
st. Johnsbury churches face the
problem anew as this is one of the :
great vantage points. The commun-
ity church should carry on the re-
creational life, which is the true ex-
preston of the Christian life. Be a
leader in the play life of this COM
st. Johnsbury ought to
have a great recreation building.
Your churches ought to be open prac-
tically every day and almost every
hour of the day. Don't neglect the
young people, but remember if you
do your churches will soon be with
out leaders. On your shoulders rests
the leadership as great as was ever
entrusted to any follower of Jesus
Christ"