Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-04-19
7-DAY PLANPUT
Up TO CHURCH
Trusts Committees To
Do Duty, He Says In
Statement

That he will be content to remain
in Americas the remainder of his life,
if his church does things, was the
statement from the pulpit of the Lee
Street Methodist church Sunday
morning by the pastor, Rev. Silas
johnson. If it does not, draw your
own conclusions. He Informed the
congregation that he had recently
been waited upon by committee of
men from another church and pressed
to accept a call. at is rather I'M
usual for Methodist preacher to re-
ceive a call, said he, but that is ex-
actly what happened.
Rev. Mr. Johnson was telling the
congregation about his seven-day-a-
week program of church activity
which he had worked out, backed by
the board of stewards, details of
which were outlined in Sunday
Times-Recorder. He told of the
things the church had not done, how
the young people were getting away
from the church, and how a need for
doing real things in new way was
so apparent as to demand action. He
told of the motion picture outfit
which had just been installed in the
church, and of the advantages it
would offer in connection with the
church work.
81 know I'm going to be criti-
cized," said he. only this morning
q little boy came up to me and asked
me when | was going to start my
show. Well, expected to be criti-
cized. | weighed all that. But | am
willing to stand that and go thorugh
with the experiment. | want every
member of the congregation to feel
free at all times and on all occasions
to tell me just what they think about
the idea. If they like it tell me so;
if there is word of criticism, let me
have that, too.
"Our program will start on May IL
and 13 with the showing of that
great motion picture of the Metho-
dist centenary, The World at Column
bus. That will be tire beginning.
If. after this initial showing, the
congregation feels that it would not
be to the best interests of the church
to go through with the experiment,
let them say so, and that will be the
end of it, so far as | am concerned.
If the plan appeals to them, we'll fol-
low II ILlOuSh'
'In this world things are divided
into good and bad classification. In
every great thing there must De
something Of good to make 1t great
or make it go. Motion pictures have
come to stay; they are recognized
now as a great force for education
as we'll as entertainment. They nave
their appeal to all classes; that IS why
the picture theaters are filled While
the church pews are empty OF young
neople so often. Since there is in
human nature this demand that must
be supplied, it seems to me that 1t is
IN to the church to supply 1t so as
to insure the young folks gettlng
what they should have in the educa-
tional or amusement line.
at is my belief that that which IS
GOOD is religious. If education is
good, EDUCATION is religious; II pook
IS good it is religious; II a picture Is
good it is religious. Therefore the
presentation of educational features,
good pictures and good reading are
properly part of religious work.
Il feel that we have been standing
still. doing things in the old way
without much result, while the world
has been moving along and changing.
The Gospel has not changed; it is the
same old Gospel, and it will be the
same throughout the ages. But we
need new ways of teaching it, and
that is what we are STRIVING to do
spread the old-time Gospel of Jesus
Christ"