Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1921-11-26
HOW A PASTOR WINS.

hOW w IA 40 Ion :" LNS
From an Egin, Illinois, Daily under
date of Nov. llth, handed to the Pulpit
committee of the Community Church
by A. l.. Harrison, We get bran new
idea OF modern mid-week Prayer
Meeting.
The church is the First Baptist, OF
Eigin, Ill. The Pastor is the Rev. A d.
McGlashan. The plan is called The
Elgin Plan. There seems to be nothing
just like it in the United States Two
series Of meetings have been held with
the result that the attendance has been
tripled. The pastor stoutly denies that
the mid-week meeting has lost its use.
fulness, but he admits and emphasizes
that the old fashioned prayer meeting
fails to fill the mission for which it was
instituted. But to quote Mr. Nicolas
han, II do insist that people of all ages
will attend devotional exercises devised
with a view to meeting modern de-
msnds
One of the remarkable results Of the
plan is that young people leave the
modern jazz and the seusuous dance to
attend the meetings. The plan which
we give below has been tried out in tw o
series OF meetings, an eight weeks last
spring and six weeks this spring.
Here is the Program
The meeting is made up of activities
designed to appeal to the physical, spir-
itual, intellectual, recreational and dra-
matte Interests of persons of all ages,
add these activities are arranged in such
sequence as to produce the most impress
siye effect. The meeting opens with a
supper in the church parlors at 8 o'clock
served to adults for 25c each and to
children at l5c each Nobody gets in
free. If you bring visitor you pay for
your visitors supper, Through this
plan the committee has been able to
serve a supper consisting of choice
meats, vegetables, bread and butter,
coffee and deserts, and profit has been
realized from the suppers. The food is
purchased by the committee, so that
there is no soliciting, no donations and
no superhuity Of one kind of food and a
shortage of another. Al cooking is
done at the church kitchen. At the
conclusion of supper, while the tables
and chairs are being cleared away by
the men, everybody sings popular songs
and folks are encouraged to write songs,
and especially humorous songs to max g
the occasion as mirthful as possible.
AT $40 games are played, games being
arranged to produce the most fun posi-
BILE. At recent meeting the chief at
| traction was d kddicar race between a
school officer and lawyer. During
these games by adults, the children are
taken to another room where games are
played and stories told. One of the
most distinctive features of the games
period is a Grand March, participated in
by all grown ups, and very much en-
joyed
After the games every body gets his or
her chairs and sits around curtained
platform upon which is presented what
is called The Missionary Dramatic Half
Hour. This consists of a play dealing
with missionary work in the home or
foreign field.
At 7:45 while the children are being
entertained upstairs, hymn is sung in
the church parors, which is the begin
ming of what might he called the prayer
hour. This part of the meeting usually
consists OF a discussion by Rev. Mr.. Nc
Glashan of chapter of one of the books
of the Bible. The meeting closes at
about $50 o'clock.