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I
2 (626) THE;
or of a noisy city street corner, and asked Him
to show the way for such an effort if it be God's
will. In another moment, he was on his way to
the depot and I was left thinking and wondering
if any way could be devised to arouse our
Church at large to the possibilities which lay in
this idea of an organized evangelistic effort to attjiin
to H flofinitp innrl: wi+Viin tlio hnnnda nf nn?
own church.
IS IT PRACTICAL AND PRACTICABLE?
Why not? Should we not ask God for definite
things to come to pass in the Southern States as
well as in Korea? Shall we say that Pentacostal
seasons are forever closed to our Home Church?
Our Assembly has enjoined upon the Presbyteries
the observance of a day of "Confession,
Humiliation and Prayer." Is it a mere coincidence
that the great outpouring of the Spirit in
Korea has been accompanied by "confession of
sin and humbling themselves before Almighty
God?" May we not employ this great leverage
to invoke God's power, and undertake a definite
thing larger than our Church has ever done before
in one year?
HOW?
Any Chu:ch-wide plan should be promulgated
from its appropriate Department. By direction
of the General Assembly, the general evangelistic
work of the Church has been put under the
charge of the Assembly's Home Mission Commit
tee, with Dr. Thacker as General Evangelist.
MINISTERS.
It is suggested that communication be taken
up between the Evangelistic Department and
the Presbyterial Chairman of Home Missions, to
the end that each Presbytery be organized at
once along evangelistic lines, and that the summer
work start now, ministers giving several
weeks, or as much time as possible, to distinctly
evangelistic work. Det each minister so working
report at the close of each engagement to his
Presbyterial Chairman, on a form provided, as
follows:
Number taken into the Church on Confession
;
Number taken into the Church by Letter;
Number of Christian workers actively employed
during the meeting.
The Presbyterial Chairman will tabulate these
returns and report the totals by the 25th of each
month to the General Evangelist, who in turn
will publish on the 1st day of each month a Bulletin
showing the total results to date reported
from all over the Assembly. The Bulletin can
show the record by Synods or by Presbyteries.
This information going out in special communications
to the Presbyterial Chairmen, and to the
Church at large through our various periodicals,
will prove an inspiration to greater and continued
effort, especially if the reports indicate successful
work being accomplished.
The dissemination of such information is of
high inspirational value, and it is the writer's belief
that the movement would gain in momentum
as it is shown through these reports to be
increasing in volume.
A Presbyterial evangelistic campaign such as
referred to, was actually organized and carried
out u?Hi year m one rresoyiery unaer tne writer's
observation, the results tabulated and presented
to the following meeting of the Presbyterytery,
proving to be an inspiration to renewed
and redoubled effort along the same line as this
year.
Why can the plan not be put in universal operation
and cause our whole Church to glow with
the spirit of soul saving t
But this is not all:
LAYMEN.
The laymen should take a hand in this work.
Laymen, as a rn^e? are business men, and when
- .?h.. ...?
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE S
ever they see that' the ehureh through its ministry
"means business" they are going to give
substantial cooperation. All over our Church
there is a growing sense of the utility of the lay.
man?not only as demonstrated in the remarkable
success of the Laymen's Missionary Movement,
but that he is ready to be used in all the
departments of the Church's great work. His
aroused sense of his own responsibility to give
the message of the cross to the heathen world
can be easily yoked also in an evangelistic movenipnt
fni> flio PUhmIi ; -l?: i.i_
... ....v, uiiuivu ai iiuimr, involving ins preson
al efforts in a very personal way.
Elders, deacons, laymen can be enlisted in
personal work in every evangelistic meeting. It
should be the first work of the Evangelistic Minister
to enlist and organize this force?one of the
most beneficial results of a well conducted meeting?the
employment of God's professed followers
in the work of saving souls. The third item
in the form of report suggested above, viz:
"Number of Christian workers actively employed"
is designed especially to promote that feature
of growth.
THE SABBATH SCHOOL.
The Sabbath school, perhaps, furnishes the
must iruitiui oi all fields for evangelistic effort.
Let the officers and teachers of every Sabbath
school be invited to join in this great movement,
reporting through their pastor or superintendent
each month the number of pupils unfolded
into the New Life.
The writer knows of a Sabbath school which
has been without a pastor more than a year?a
small country Sabbath school. The superintendent
called together his teachers in a conference
for the purpose of laying plans to bring the unconverted
members of the school into the Kingdom.
Of the 48 members of the school, 10 were
known to be out of Christ, of ncrp ranofincf fi-nm
- - J ? -o~ & "&
10 to 21 years. A "Decision Day" was fixed for
three weeks thence; each teacher proposed to
work personally in the meantime with the members
of his class. Two more conferences were held
in earnect prayer, and wiien the appointed day
came the superintendent, in the closing exercises,
invited all who were ready to acknowledge
Christ as their Savior and Lord to come forward
and stand near the desk. Eight out of the ten
pupils came came forward, including two grown
young men and two women. It was a day of great
rejoicing in that Sabbath school. Two weeks later,
a pastor from a neighboring town came and
received the pupils into church membership.
That is Sunday school evangelism. It can be
done in the Sunday school, with or without a
pastor. It will furnish purpose and aim of the
highest, grandest type for organized class work,
Brotherhoods and Young People's Societies?to
bring to safety within the fold of Christ every
person within the reach of these sub-organizations.
It will deeply spiritualize.all their meet
ines and activities. It. will raisa a rlaaH nn/t Ufa
less Sabbath school, like Lazarus, from the grave,
and convert it into a living, breathing, moving
force for God and the Church.
The evangelistic, feature would of course be extended
to Mission Sabbath Schools, a wonderfully
fruitful field under such treatment.
COLLEGES.
The movement should extend to the student
body of every college and university that can be
reached within our bounds. Thousands of young
men and young women who are necessarily away
from home influences and training at perhaps
the most impressionable periods of their lives can
be touched by the spirit through this organized
luwvt'int'ii l auu savea ior service in tne larger
life.
RESULT8.
Aside from the glorious achievement of the ina
I _ li m,tm .Ht;.
OD .TH [ July 5, 1911
gathering ol' 50,000 souls into the Kingdom
through the simple exercise of faith and effort
on the part of God's people, what would such a
movement do for the four beneficent departments
of our Church?
It would need no argument to show that a
church membership increased from 280,000 to
330,000 in a year would be a greater force for
the support of all branches of the Church's benevolent
work. More potent still would be the
fact that such an increase had come about
through a great spiritual upheaval such as must
necessarily attend a movement like this.
FOREIGN MISSIONS.
It would put the whole church in (to say the
least) a receptive frame of mind with regard to
its responsibility to the great world abroad, and
our Foreign Missions Committee would no doubt
experience a very substantial advance through
increased offerings of both workers and funds.
HOME MISSIONS.
The movement, being at heart a Home Mission
one, it is needless to say that our wonderful opportunity
on the frontier and within the bounds
would be grasped with firmer hold and deepening
purpose and responsibility for dying neighbors
would be more keenlv f?lt
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION AND MINISTERIAL. RELIEF.
Perhaps the greatest advance of all would be
made in the visions of privilege which would
manifest itself in increased recruits to the ranks
of the ministry, and in sympathy and aid for
the veterans on "God's Firing Line," and for
their orphans and widows.
PUBLICATION AND SABBATH SCHOOLS.
Spiritual and numerical growth is bound to
be attended by more spontaneous and consistent
support of the Church's Extension work through
the publication department, and the employment
of forces to promote the very ground work of reliable
growth?the Sabbath school. The Richmond
committee would undoubtedly rejoice in u
rreater voluntary support and a widened field of
operation through a vastly increased and inspirited
Sunday school army.
IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK?
"And prove me now herewith, saith the Lord
of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of
Heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there
shall not be room enough to receive it!"
SUGGESTIONS.
After such an excellent article, I may be allowed
to make the following practical suggestions:
(1) That each minister try to hold at least one
evangelistic services during the year.
(2) That the Presbyterial Chairman of Home
Missions, with the help of the minister in charge,
strive to arrange a meeting for each Home Mission
field during the summer.
(3) That "Decision Day" be held in each
Sunday school this coming fall, or at such a time
as may be most convenient.
(4) That, in addition to the above suggested
form of reporting results, each person holding
such meetings, report the number of professions
of faitL in Christ, because a saved soul is just
as precious in God's sight whether joining the
Presbyterian, or some other Church.
(5) It would be greatly appreciated if every
person holding an evangelistic service within the
bounds of our Assembly between April 1, 191],
and April 1, 1912, would send a brief report,
stating by whom conducted, where, when and
results.
Norfolk, Va.
By the way some people give of their subSt.RTlPP
ATIA mnnlJ V"> 1"^
, wo icu 10 me conclusion that
they considered it their privilege to give God
the scraps they have left; as though their Master
was a dealer in remnants. What a return to God
for the gift of his Son !?Sel.