The theocrat. [volume] (Zion City [i.e. Zion], Ill.) 1914-1949, 1919-01-11
ALL NIGHT WITH GOD in ZION
1918 1919
Service Lasting from ISIS p. m. Until Sunrise, One
of Deep Interest Throughout
&C. B. W.


main floor and galleries, assembled in Shiloh Tab
ernacle on the evening of December 3d. for the
All Night Meeting, marking the close of the old
year and the ushering in of the new.
From 7:l5 to OO p. NJ, music was furnished
by ZION SENIOR BAND, while the people came
into the building.
Promptly at s o'clock the ZION WHITE RoBED
CHOIR of several hundred voices marched in,
singing in Professional, "Ten thousand Times
Ten Thousand" Heading the procession was
the Junior Choir, followed by the Senior Choir;
next came the Robed Officers and finally the Uni
formed Guard. When all had reached their
places, the choir gallery, with seating capacity
of five hundred, was nearly filled.
Seated on the platform with the General
Overseer were sixteen apostles, elders and evan
gelists, most of whom spoke during the latter
part of the night.
After the Invocation, the first two and last
Stanzas of the Hymn Nearer Ny God to Thee
were sung by the congregation.
The One Hundred and Forty-Fifth Psalm was
read by Apostle Peckham, after which the musi-
cal selection, Cali Men, All Things, Sing to the
Lord" from MendelSsohms Hymn of Praise
rendered by the Senior Choir with pipe
organ and full orchestral accompaniment
Prayer was then offered by Apostle Darms,
after which duet was sung by Conductor and
Mrs. ]. D. Thomas.
and beautiful service in ZION, was then conduc-
ted by the General Overseer
The CLOSING OF THE YEAR. A SOLEMN TIME
At it's close, the General Overseer turned to
the audience and said:
In few moments we will extend the Right
Hand of Fellowship to new members I do not
know how many there are, but | want to give
this opportunity to any persons who have filled
III the original application form and have not had
the Right Hand Of Fellowship also to any who
at one time were members, and for time have
not been connected with the church, and have
filed in the renewal application form - to come
forward and receive the Right Hand of Fellow
ship.
1t certainly not only seems sad, but it is sad
that anyone here who has had the teaching, the
exhortations and the pleadings, - those with
whom the Spirit of God has striven,- that any
such one should fail to come forward tonight and
and give himself or herself up to the pleadings of
the Holy Spirit.
The closing of year is very serious matter
to me- | do not know how it impresses you. It
seems to me that each one here, sometime in his
rher quiet meditation should go back to January
|, 1918, and review the year. Is there one here
tonight who would stand up and say before God,
My life throughout the year has been what it
ought to be. |! No, you can see many, many things
that, if you had the record book before YOU and
had an eraser in your hand, you would not wait
many minutes without erasing, if not whole pages
of your record many parts of it. In thought, in
word and in deed, each one of us has fallen
short Perhaps not all, but some would have to
admit: By my attitude and conduct, I have been
hlndrance. Perhaps some would have to confess
that they have lived very far away from God
when [ say that this is a solemn occasion, I
want you to understand that it is also very
happy occasion. 1t is another milestone in your
life and in my life
AS to whether you and | shall be here taking
part one year from tonight, no one but God
knows. We are here tonight
We have come through the year 1918. We
have health and strength. We live and we have
the disposition to wend our way to His house,
to acknowledge Him and to worship Him.
We have never lived through any other year
like the present one. 1t has been year Of war.
of violence, with unrest such as this world never
knew before.
Only yesterday, in the French Chamber of
Deputies, amidst storm, one member shouted,
You talk about peace. Tell me where there is
any peace
president Wilson, in his response to the
Church of England dignitares said If one did
not believe in Providence, he would 90 insane,
for we would then be entering into a maze from
which apparently there seems no clue of escape
The year 1918 will go down in history as
the most momentous of any year in the history of
the world. We ought to be impressed with these
things.
Great changes are impending
A senator, on the floor of the United States
Senate, ridiculing the league of nations, said: I
would suggest that, when they form it, they
would adopt the Sermon on the Mount as their
constitution
Thank God, the day is coming when the Ser
mon on the Mo1nt will he the Maon, Cb,r+, +ha