Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-03-12
DR.. Lee Gives Keynote
For Baptist Crusade
To Audience Of 4,100

I The keynote of the Forthcoming
1945 Baptist spiritual crusade was
struck last night at Constitution
Hall by the Rev. Dr. Robert G. Lee
pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church
Memphis, Tenn, when he called
on the capacity crowd to make a
covenant with God pledging them
selves each to win at least one
person to Christ.
The SO Baptist churches in the
District will begin their drive to
enlist 5000 persons to Christ, with
meetings in each church on March
18. The crusade, national in scope
runs from that date through Easter
Sunday, April l.. The Rev. James
P. Rodgers, pastor of Petworth Bap-
fist Church, is chairman of the
District Evangelistic Committee for
the Washington division of the
crusade.
An overflow crowd estimated at
more than a 1000 persons was I'M
able to gain admission to the mass
meeting last night. Many Senators
and Representative as we'll as bust
ness, civic and Government leaders
were among the 4,l00 persons in
the hall. The Rev. DR.. E. H. Pruden,
pastor of First Baptist Church and
| president of the District Baptist
Convention, presided at the meeting.
Representative Priest, Democrat,
of Tennessee, a deacon and chair
man of the Music Committee of the
First Baptist Church, introduced
DR.. Lee.
| Would Preach Bible Hell.
Declaring the spiritual thermo-
meter in the country had fallen to
its lowest level, DR. Lee asserted that
to change conditions we must have
some correct conceptions of sin,
hell and the Bible. People have
come to regard sin lightly and fail
to see it through the crimson lenses
of the cross of Christ" The Bible
Ipicture of hell has also been cast
aside until many do not believe the
abode of hopelessness" Christ pic
tured any longer exists. He called
on leaders to preach more of the
Bible hell, as belief in it would les
sen the hell in many places in the
world today"
The Memphis pastor lashed at the
lip service rendered to religion by
many ministers and officers in their
churches. He declared the great
est sitdoWn strike this country
has ever known is in the churches,
where leaders make no effort to
win persons to love of Christ"
Likening these churches "as streams
of formal observance" to religion,
DR.. Lee called on the pastors and
congregations in them to perform
the essential function of churches
by becoming places of evangelistic
endeavor aiming to save souls.
The word concern" has been al
lowed to vanish from our vocabu-
larry and we disregard the failure
of others to become attached to
Christ, the Southern preacher said.
America has learned to laugh. 1t
must learn to weep" he declared,
pointing out we ARE concerned
about our boys in war, but have no
concern for their welfare beyond
their flesh and blood" He asked
that Christ and His cross be made
the center of evangelism, as it is
through Him that the sons of men
are forgiven"
Chorus of 100 Voices.
Mr.. Rodgers announced the off,
cial opening of the 1945 Baptist
spiritual crusade in the District will
take place next Sunday in the 80
Baptist churches in Washington. He
said the large turnout last night at
Constitution Hall probably will re-
suit in the next crusade mass meet
ing being held outdoors, where all
seeking to come may be accommo-
dated.
A combined mens and women's
chorus of 160 voices from Petworth,
First Baptist and Calvary Baptist
Churches was led by DR.. John F.
Williams, founder and president of
Westminster Choir College of Prince
ton, N. j. The chorus was equally
divided with 80 men and 80 women
the women being dressed in red with
flowing white smocks worn over the
dress down to the waist. Many
lservicemen were in chorus, which
lsang "All in the April Evening"" by
Hugh Robertson, and the "Hallelujah
Chorus" from Handel's Messiah"
| The invocation was said by DR..
John F. Fraser, interim pastor OF
National Baptist Memorial Church,
land the Scripture was read by the
Rev. DR.. Clarence w. Crawford, pas