Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-07-19

Int lOllOWl1lS oSIAlOu On OuuTCU
Attendance" was delivered yester-
day at the Presbyterian church by
the pastor, Rev. Frank P. Ander-
son, containing message which he
considered of special Importance TO
every. member of his congregation {:
The most casual observer is
aware that church attendance is not
so good as it was only few years
ago, and far from what it was a
generation ago. Which fact must
lead every thinking person, especial
" those who believe the church has
had a large place in shaping the
opinions in our country, to ask why
this change has been wrought; has
the need of regular attendance, up
on divine worship ceased, or have
the people ceased to realize the
need?
There was time in the history Of
the Christian religion when there
were no synagogue or cnurcn ser
vices, when household worship was
the largest gathering of this kind
Those were the days before the close
social relations existing today. Long
before Christ, however, the syna-
gogue service was in use, and when
the Christian church was organized
God saw fit to establish the weekly
church services. The matter was
not left to mans wisdom, but in the
words of Paul the command went
out to the whole church: Neglect
not the assembling of yourselves to-
gether for worship"
In these latter days men are at
tributing various reasons for the
falling off of church attendance
One man claiming to be good
Christian, writing in one of our pop
ular magazines, makes this un-
founded statement: Jesus some
times went to the Synagogue on the
Sabbath but not always! On other
Sabbaths he walked with his disci-
piles, taking the only form of physi-
cal exercise then in vogue" Then
he adds: "The church should cease
to mCropolize Sunday What a
shameful, implication to make that
Chrlst neglected the church on Sum
day! And as for the church's mOnop-
olizjrg Sunday, thank God, it is, for
i. was so Intended.
Another takes a much more reas-
enable excuse, which he makes for
others, while he himself, good lay
man, continues to attend the SER
vices regularly. He says: ''The av-
erage minister's sermons are boring,
and very often the services as a
whole are the same" Now | VIII
admit that in this day when the best
81 hn toll
had from the papers it must be
little boring and tiresome to hear
unbroken sentences, and poorly ex-
pressed thought from us ministers,
who are not unmindful of our weak
nesses in these lines.
There is something in the nreced-
ing excuse, but the real reason for
poor church attendance today, in
nv opinion, is in the mind of the
age. For generations we have been
growing a type of man whose inter
ests are on the outside of life, he is
neither interested in the mental or
spiritual. Furthermore, the major
ity are not seeking first the Kingdom
of God and his righteousness, and
therefore the worship in the service
has no appeal to them. 1t IS mat
ter of little consequence that they
appear regularly in Gods house for
worship and confession of sins: So
they continue appearing at church
so spasmodically that if they were
to attend their meals with the same
regularity they would soon starve to
Turning from these re-sons and
excuses and a thousand others less
convincing often offered to a pastor,
as if it were comforting favor up
on him to attend, let us see if we can
find some real solid ground on which
to stand in appealing to all profess
ing Christians to be as regular in at
tendance as health and home clrcum-
stances possibly permit.
~ Regardless of how much you
study your Bible and pray at home,
you need something only to be got
ten in the house of prayer, or you
are fit subject for our national mu-
scum at Washington as rare speci-
men of mankind, for have yet to
see q man or woman who is a lover