Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1919-11-22
REV. MONTGOMERY IN SUR
PASSING SERMON, THE
CHURCH"

In launching the Nation Wide Cam
paign of the Episcopal Church on the
crest of the wave of endeavor last
Sunday the Rev. Marshall F. Mont
gomery, rector OF Trinity American
Church in Grantwood, at Morning
Prayer, delivered one of the most elo-
quent and forceful sermons it has ever
been the privilege of the parish to
hear, and that, in the light of his well
known powers of oratory, Is saying
great deal
1t was a special day for the Nation
Wide Campaign, their part of which
Episcopalians in Grantwood entered
into some two weeks ago. and, with
duly organized committees of vista.
ton, are now carrying to its climax,
set for Dec Z.
AS Is emphasized In the Every Mem
Der canvass, the Nation Wide Cam.
paign is primarily a spiritual cam.
paign, a re-awakening OF all church
men and church women to service, to
some line of work and activity for the
church and its mission. Five-minute
speakers have been appointed all
through the diocese to urge the enlist
are not active, to enlist the nom
churchgoers, and to point the way for
renewed activities in even the small
est mission.
Trinity was visited Sunday by Mr..
Stewart A. Trench, jealous church
man from Jersey City, who outlined
the plan and scope of the campaign
in forceful manner
Mr.. Montgomery, in his sermon.
which was delivered to a congrega.
tion that filled the church, began by
picturing an itinerary that would take
traveller through Washington, Chi
cago, Seattle, other Western cities,
Boston and even New York, where the
bloodiest of riots, racial and indus
trial. have taken place, and called on
his hearers to know why such terrible
unrest as this was dominating this
country and threatening to ruin It. It
was because, he said, the work that
was so unselfishly and 80 periodically
begun by our brave soldier boys in the
great war was not being carried on
by those to whom had been passed the
torch of liberty.
We were all fighting our own mis-
cradle little battles In selflshness,
greed, malice and hate, he declared,
and there was too much "Churchian-
ity" and too little Christianity, too
little of the Fatherhood of God and
the brotherhood of man
Our schools give US mental training
and bodily exercise, but what about
the exercise of that divine attribute
of man that far outlasts> the mind and
the body-the soul? That, he said,
was where the church offered man his
only chance of contact with God in
the God-given sacraments, the chance
to bring the God-life down here and
make earth heaven instead of hell
Church people, he declared. have besp
too prone to consider their duty done
| when they attend what they call "di-
vine service" on Sunday and hear
| someone preach.
That" declared the rector, us not
divine service You don't come to
church to hear some preacher to get
divine service Divine service is out
there in the world, where the poor,
the hungry. the naked, the miserable
are. Divine service is helping them.
You come to church to pray and to
partake of the blessed sacrament to
get strength to perform that divine
service outside"
He told OF how the State of New
| Jersey has no adequate place to care
for boys who are hayward, or home
! less, or BOTH for unfortunate girls,
and how poor insane patients have
to be sent to county jails to be cared
for till the state acts to send them to
| institutions.
He scored the politicians ana public
officials for these shameful conditions
and told how the Nation Wide Cam
| paign of the church was to help these
helpless ones, to reach out and bring
the mercy, the justice, the truth and
the love of the mission of Jesus Christ
on earth before all mankind. till the
torch of real freedom, lighted by the
gallant boys who now sleep beneath
the lilies OF France, will fame afresh
in our hands and blaze the way to a
new United States of America.
Mass meetings in furtherance of the
Campaign will be held in Trinity
Church in Grantwood on Nov. 20 and
| Nov. 21 in the evening.