South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-02-03
METHOD|STS HAVE
SPECIAL SERVICE
Observe Annual Thank Offer
ing of Woman'S Foreign
Missionary Society.

Public services for the Comen's
I Foreign Missionary society were held
at the Methodist Episcopal church
Sunday morning on the occasion OF
the annual thank Offering Of the So
ciety. A collection Of 1929 taken up
at these services was turned over TO
the society. which will from other
sources contribute between $500 and
$500 TO the mission field.
Rev. DR. Parker, the pastor. gave
the sermon. his theme being "he
New America for a New World" In
the course Of which DR.. Parker said,
The responsibility for world evan
gelism rested largely upon the shout
der Of American Professionalism as
il would be decades before the Ger
man missionaries would be permit
ted to resume their work in the
British colonies and England was
bled white in men and money. The
British societies have carried on de-
spite the drain of war and would
share in the work of kingdom ex-
tension but America, whose re-
sources have scarcely been scratc ned
and whose man power suffered little
from the drain OF war, must bear
the lions share of the work. He
spoke of the recent actions Of the
home and foreign missions boards
by which the spiritual financial and
personal resources of over 1000
Protestant churches and 25.0O0,000
communicates would be united in a
- In
urging the need Of mobilizing the
Protestant forces of America for
their supreme test, he said, I'm this
great crusade we must enlist not
only the intelligent interest Of our
people and secure their financial
support. but we must find dedicated
lives as channels through which 10
pour out our strength for the heal
ing and uplifting OF the world. The
job can not be put across with so
per cent OF us at work Wesley's
slogan was, "All at it and always at
it," With that sort Of a spirit in the
church il is small wonder that early
Methodism lifted the English life of
the 18th century to new levels. The
hour calls loudly for men and wom-
T
Christ put over His program. If the
mem bers of this or any other church
are too busy TO go to prayer meet
ing 10 back the pastor TO the limit
in his evangelistic campaign, to
serve on the centenary unit Organi
cations with the same spirit of will
ingness and sacrifice that they gave
10 the Red Cross and United War
Work campaigns then we may In
deed have on paper a beautiful or
ganization that will look we'll in the
annual report but we shall be far
short OF the mobilization necessary
for victory. The hour calls for per-
sonal service more exacting than
these things I have mentioned. A
prominent missionary worker spoke
the other evening in one of our great
city churches and made a call for
volunteers for life service. At the
1 close of the service she sat down 10
'alk with a beautiful young woman
who had been deeply moved by her
appeal and found that she was
teacher OF chemistry in the city
high school and had that night heard
the call of God 10 employ her talents
in foreign mission school. While
they were talking about the matter.
I the girls mother. president Of the
Z local missionary society and a gen
erous contributor TO send other
mothers daughters 10 far distant
fields. came up with blazing eye and
told the missionary to mind her own
business and not try TO influence her
daughter to do a rash thing like that
Friends so long as the prosperous
people OF our churches send their
checks TO the church and their sons
and daughters TO Wall ST and the
country club we shall never win this
war We need the old fashioned
parents who dedicated their children
TO the Lord and found more pride in
seeing a daughter lead a poor ig-
norant Chinese girl TO Christ than
the modern mother finds in seeing
her daughter at the head OF the co
tillion in the four hundred. The cen
tenary calls for at least $4,000 train
ed workers 10 enlist for life service
in the next five years Have we no
/ quota here? In the little DAYS OF
puny service that please God will
never come again. this church
mounted TO first place In the con-
I ference in its missionary contribu-
/ tons but how many missionaries
and ministers have gone out from
I your affairs in the past % years? II
l others had done no better than YOU
have done our pulpits and mission
stations would be as empty as the
Z thrones OF royalty in the central
empires. There are young people in
our church who Will become king
+ dom builders when our church is
modified.
tIyurSTEUN nU~~r