Newspapers / Africo-American Presbyterian (Wilmington, N.C.) / March 19, 1925, edition 1 / Page 1
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CHARLOTTE, N. C, MARCSH19, 1925/ —— VOL. XLVIL A STANDARD CHURCH By Rev. W. L. Metz, D. D. > ■ m ■' ■ • (Paper read at- the Workers' Conference at Anniston, Ala.) A few days ago on my return from Charleston, I found on my desk a letter from our good friend, Dr, Gaston, asking me to prepare a paper thirty minutes long oh a “Standard Church.” l naraiy Knew wnere to Degrn Ministering to a people primitive in customs and manners, on ac count of the nature of the place—being far removed from those of culture, Christian edu cation and civilization—I have hitherto wondered what I might say about a standard church— my own church being on a lit tle spot of earth hardby the At lantic Ocean on the East, and hemmed in by the Edisto River forming a half circle. To make it clear to all: I am pastoring on one of the islands of South Carolina, which is forty-five miles from ancient Charleston, my nearest trading point. It is in this isolated place where a railroad or a telephone wire would look as strange as an air plane would have appeared to Hannibal’s soldiers scaling the heights or to Washington’s sol diers in Valley Forge. There fore, being so narrowly and an ciently circumscribed, toes it seem possible for such a rural pastor to give out any informa tion that would stand out as es sential elements or even a frill of a standard church? Is it not equivalent to asking a farmer or a village blacksmith to write a treatise on the Greek aorist or a standard college? But there are times when the sick and sometimes the dying can give the physician a good point by the beat of tte vwby thrusting out tnlr tbngti# That is why we call them practicing physicians. They are practicing; on you. A standard church, or a church by which other churches are measured, because of its well organized and irecognized articulated auxiliaries, function ing in all their departments, may or may not have a stand ard minister. Carlyle says the trouble is we have too many men in the wrong places. A standard church is not like ly to keep its standard very long in the absence of a standard minister. A standard church and a standard minister are not correlative terms. It is not a case of either the one or the other in a standard church’s ef forts or in the efforts of a stand ard minister—both working separately—that will be effec tive to the growth and progress of the local and general churchy And while they'are not correla tive terms, there must be * cqi relation between a standard minister and a standard church just, as there, is correlation be tween matter and energy. Be tween a standard church and a standard minister, there must be reciprocal or mutual re lations that those essential ele ments that constitute the warp and woof of a standard church may, be outstanding. Since the day of pentecost, the Christian Church has made marked progress in a material way and in gathering in souls for the kingdom by lifting up a standard for. the people and casting up tne nignway. in cast ing up the highway of right eousness and in lifting up a standard which proclaims tjhe Man of Nazareth King, in our efforts to build up a standard church, we have enlarged the Church and solved many diffi cult problems by addition, sub traction, and by substitution. This enlargement in the trying days of the Apostles of Christ would have been ecclesiastical frills, something that could be left out without changing re sults. But they are essential elements now in the aim and scope of a standard church. They are not unnecessary frills and gaudy plumage. But they constitute the one seamless garment that makes a standard church with aim and scope. The local church that knows the aim and scope of the gen eral church in its activities: ses sion, Sunday school, Y. P. S. C. ,E., Woman’s Missionary Society, and Men’s Work, and is deter mined .to keep these activities functioning for the spiritual life and growth within its pale, and to the. glorious end of keep ing in amicable touch with the needs of the general Church, that it may be able to accom plish its aim and range of ac tion, can, without question, take a place among standard church es. ;r in connection witn sucn an organization there should be a well defined and workable pro gramme within the pale of this well organized church. To at tempt to run a church from year to year in the absence Of a definite and worthwhile pro gramme is to pursue the direct course of decadence. A congre gation, coming to church from Sabbath to Sabbath, not know ing the next step for the tem poral, moral, and spiritual growth of the church—other than to be chloroformed by an effort better not uttered, and by some of the discarded hymns of Cowper and Watts, and only to. be aroused by a feeble call for a liberal collection by a dis gruntled deacon, from one cent up; a congregation that has fallen a victim to such dry-as dust and matter-of-fact treat ment so deadly in its continuity, is surely rehearsing its funeral amidst weird dirges. A programme with new and well organized ideas that will fit into the aim and scope of a well organized church, willing to carry out the programme, is a standard church. A church that brings together her young people and organizes them into willing and working factors ac cording to a programme that touches the activities of the lo cal and general Church, is a standard 'church. : ~ Years ago in a side show I saw a number of colored boys hunting an opossum with a bull dog, sticks, axe helves, case knives and other crude imple ments, of a harmless war. That act in the show was called “’Pos sum Hunt in Dark Town.” Un fortunately for the boys, they found an opossum sitting on a limb of a tall oak tree. The lu dicrous war began: one of the excited hunters climbed the tree and suspended himself to a limb by his ragged trousers in the neighborhood of his hip pocket. Being thus suspended, he took aim at the ’possum with an old-time revolver, fired, and, of course, missed the ’possum; and in the meantime one of his fel lows threw a stone at the ’pos sum, missed him, and struck his suspended friend and knocked him speechless to the ground. Another hunter decided to push the bull dog up the tree, And, of course, no dog can climb a tree any higher than you can push him. But the thought came to another of the “dark town” hunters to take the axe and cut the tree down; and as he drew backwards with his dull axe he struck his onlooking companion speechless. But this did not stop his mad fling of his axe. He stuck his axe in the leg of the fellow trying to push the bull dog up the tree; and amidst his determination to fell the tree and get the ’possum, a chip flew from the tree and knocked the tree-chopper in the eye. And the next scene was the ambulance conveying them away to the hos pnai wnne ine possum re mained in the tree, with the fol lowing inscription written over his head: “Do I Look Uneasy?” The reason in this case for such self-destruction with no desired results was a lack of or ganization. They had not even a leader. Each excited dunce thought he was the hero of the occasion; and the result was what wise men expected: confu sion and destruction, which are the real fruits of disorganiza tion minus a programme. When the Pilgrims and Puri tans came to this country about three hundred years ago in quest of religious freedom and money, they came very much disorganized and with selfish programmes. No doubt this was because each group had its reli gious persuasion and allowed it to enter into the affairs that were civic with too much of the spirit of a clan. Quakers were despised, mistreated, hanged, and buried at the foot of the hangman's post. Roger Williams and Mrs. Hutchison were driven out of Massachusetts because of their opposition to taxation to support the Church of England; Lord Baltimore, the American Catholic, had trouble with the Puritans beyond measure and with the Church of England. At that period of this country's his-, tory it was the pitiful scene of disorganization amidst selfish, programmes; for when the Spanish came to this country they came in quest of. a new Spain; France, a new France; The Netherlands, a new Neth erlands ; and England, a new England. w ■ But when the colonies came to gether and organized and signed a programme of indepen dence, they paved the way for the greatest commonwealth on the globe, if she will just hold it and not get drunk with power and lose her . place in the sun like Babylon and Rome. Disor ganization is the forerunner of every kind of deterioration. But organization with a pro gramme worthwhile changes the face of the globe; sends explor ers more alert to gather mate rial for a new geography; makes a new encyclopedia and a Zeit Geist prevails with astounding firmness. A church that is willing to organize itself into these essen tial groups, and then is willing to accept and work according to a worthwhile programme, means that you have touched the vital and responsive spot and got rich results. If we go and catch men and organize them into working groups, with a far-reaching, il luminating, and a most attract tive programme, we touch a re sponsive chord that , out no mnior note; ana men, women and children will spring from a state of spiritual indif ference and lethargy and ripen into fruits worthy of the name of a standard church. In speaking of a standard church, many of us dwell at length and with much emphasis upon the things that are evident, things that stand out as a sine qua non, an indispensable as set. That a standard church should have a minister in his preparation, Christian piety, and activity goes without .say ing ; that' much is evident. That a standard church should have a minister upon whom the Holy Ghost has descended is evident. It is superfluous to say that a professor of < mathematics should have a clear, knowledge of the principles of arithmetic. His profession presupposes the pos session of such knowledge. It is assumed in advance that a standard minister would live so as to reflect the attributes of the Man of Galilee—though he may miss the jpark—and so apply himself tftat he may be able to divide th£ word of truth rightly and defrad the faith on Mar’s Hill. A standard Church is a church that is willing to rise in its standard in giving to support the church both local and gen eral. No church can be rated among standard churches, even though its preacher rival St. Paul in boldness and doctrine, and John the Baptist in evange lism, whose members act on the basis that the min ister is purchasing his dry goods and groceries in some celestial region where accounts are balanced with only a smile of good will. No church is a standard church whose members will allow their con tribution in the aggregate to frighten them away from their contribution per capita for fifty two Sabbaths each year. A standard church will set a high financial standard, and the indi vidual members of a standard church will measure their ability, by what they will give per cap ita with no regard to the height to which the aggregate leaps. I had a poor little dried-up half-living soul with means to say to me when. I was a Sab bath school missionary that he could not afford to pay ten cents for fifty-two Sabbaths, “for that,” said he, “would be five dollars and twenty cents a yeai*2fj He was fully able to pay it,! bUt it was too much, as he thought, when he calculated how much it would foot at the end of the year. §uch members axe in the way of a standard the head of division in tic, we have the divisor, quotient, and some remainder. A standard ter making up its have something left le emergencies that arise. When you to help you in these budgets, tithiiig, quota, and c&her fixed things, he will likely tell you: "Our budget is fixed |fdr the year; perhaps we able to help you next you are not dead.” A a poor tither who has left after giving the tenth. In fact, that is not according to the tithing •Id economy. A trufe tith remainder in his divis in. the days of the old ti^n, men reaped their ave the Lord his tenth, some in the field for the gleaners. We read grai and poor m -3 where Ruth said to er-m-law: ,*Xet me go elds, and glean ears of fiim,,r Boa?. Arid through her mother-in-law's per missio , “She went and came and gl uoed in the field after the reapei By us rule the members of a stan ard church will tithe and f the • budget. But as it stands now w, h many of our influential men a d women and strongest churls, the budget plan and the mi hod of tithing have been reduce to a thus far and no. faiithef shall your hand get into my pulse. Tha sum budgei i: gleaned ;ch that has a neat remainder, after the made up, and whose members tithe like ' 'Whose field Ruthr porn, is a financially standard church. Such a church with well organized forces, working according to a well worked-out and clearly defined program, and with its financial standard raised to meet the present day demands of a pro gressive . general Church; a churdh determined in its aim' and scope in gathering daily such as should be saved'; a church that puts forth'' 6very laudable effort to develop the acivities within its sebpe that the kingdom of Christ may come, His will be done in earth as it is in heaven to the glorious end that men the world over shall brothers be, is a standard church. LINCOLN UNIVERSITY BUYS HISTORIC PROPERTY. A wealth of memories are awakened with the announce ment of the purchase by Lincoln University of the property owned by the late Mrs. Sarah Amos, adjoining the home of the late President, Dr. John B. Ren dalh Mrs. Amos was the wife of Thbmas H. Amos, one of the first students of Lincoln Uni versity. Thomas and his brother, James R. Amos, were both grad uates in the class of 1859. They went to Liberia in . that year. Thomas died there in 1870, and his wife returned to the states and lived in the house which the university has purchased; until her death, November 12, 1924, at the age of nmety-two. An interesting story is toM concerning the erection of the first building at Lincoln, in the erection of which both James and Thomas assisted the Rev. John Miller Dickey, founder of Ashmun Institute, later known as Lincoln University. The vil lagers tell this story that has been handed down for genera tions. It is said that prior to the founding of Ashmun Institute James Amos had been in the habit of walking twenty-eight miles from his father’s farm near West Chester to Oxford, Pa., for instruction under Dr. Dickey. At a secluded spot near the present site of Lincoln, Amos used to stop and pray at a certain stone. Tradition says that this very sairie stone was used in the foundation of th< first building in 1854. M. A. YONGfUE, ’27. m.w.k By Dri W. B. Carr. William Alexander Yancey was born a slave at Caswell1 Court House, N. C., March 15. 1850, and died March 7, 1025, aged 74 years, 11 months, 23 days. When only 8 years old, he was sold from his mother and carried to Arkansas, and aid not see her again until after the close of the Civil War when he came back to Pittsylvania Coiunty, Va. He received most of his early, education, with the ex ception of one month, in the night school taught by some Northern white women. He wdrked dating the day and walked one matNto school each night. He has beli^eard to, re mark that the one tanontli- In which he had the privilegeof at tending school was the bright est period of his school life. Everything was like bright sun shine and a new world opened up to him. After this month of day school, he taught a school in Goldsboro, N. C., studying at night during the while. He entered Hampton Institute in 1871 to be trained as a teach er and graduated in 1873. After teaching four years, he re turned again to Hampton for h post-graduate course. During his life at Hampton, in the spring of 1872, he was converted and from :t(h|ajt day until hie death—a period of 53 years— he served God faithfully and well. Upon returning to his home, he erected the family al tar, and, in answer to his pray ers, his mother found Jesus, and they rejoiced together. He organized and taught the first public ■ free school ever taught by a colored teacher in Pittsylvania County, Va., and taught the first public ffree school ever held at Wfcifme Va. He v$s appointed the first colored principal of the Holbrook Street Public School, Danville, Va., and taught in that school nine years and three months, re signing in 1890 to become al Sunday School Missionary in the Presbytery of Southern Vir ginia. He united with the Holbrook Street Presbyterian Qhurch, Danville, in 1882; was an elder in the church and superinten dent of the Sunday School for more than six years. He was ap pointed Sunday School Mission ary, November 15, 1890, and held this position for nearly 27 years, resigning in June, 1917, because of failing health. He has been an instrument in God’s hands to instruct and inspire thousands of young people and lead them to a higher plane of Christian service, and has car ried the Gospel light into dark comers of the rural districts of Virginia. The work was diffi cult owing to bad roads which had to be traversed on foot; he was often without food and a place to rest at night, and often his presence was not welcome in a community owing to a mis understanding of his work and mission. But he never became discouraged, and through sun shine, rain or snow, day or night, looked up to God and thanked him for an opportunity of serving his people. He organized during this twenty-seven years, 275 Sunday schools, from which have grown 51 churches and a large num ber of preaching stations of va rious denominations. He tray eled-209,040 miles, visited 30, 442 families, and established more than one thousand, family altars. As long as his health per^ mitted, he took an active part in the literary and civic life of Danville. He was a charter member of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, Indepen dent Lodge, 1870. He became a member of the United Order of Tnie Reformers In 1882, and did much in helping to shape the policy of that organization. He was a member of the Golden Rod Council, No. 346. St. Luke’s and held the position of financial secretary of this order until he was unable any longer to attend the meetings. He was married August 28, 1878, to ^ Florence Elizabeth Stewart, of Petersburg, Va. To, this union were bom children , of whom . 8 survive. He had been in mg health for several and boie all of his with patience and Christian for titude. He was confined to his bed for seven days and passed peacefully away' on Saturday night at 8:15. He leaves a wife, eight children and two grand children. The children are: . D'Arcey Cecil—Pharmacist— Wilson, N. C. Lemuel Alexander—Pharma cist—Charlotte, N. C. Mrs. Lucinda Yancey Sanders —Stenographer—State Depart ment of Education—Charleston, W; Va. Clinton Earnest—Dentist— NTdrthfork, W. Va. Northfolk, W. Va. William Plummer—Physician —Mercy Hospital—Philadelphia, Pal ' v Jamse Worden—Tailor—*-Dan ville, Va. Edwin Carr— Mechanic — Plainfield, N. J. RoSe Creath— Teacher — Nnrthfprk, W. Va. Through God’s providence, he was spared $6 see ah of his children educated and engaged in their life’s work, which Was the desire of his heart. FAITH CHURCH, ABER DEEN. Our pastor, Rev. P. W. Toney, preached an excellent sermon Sunday A. M., text: “Go,wash and thou shalt be clean.” If Kings 5:10. We were glad to have Mr. and Miss Lowery, of Mayesville, S. C., among the vis iting friends. We had with us in our Sunday school Mr. G. R. Marsh, our mis sionary, who gave us an inter esting talk and also planned with us the Sunday School In stitute which convened Tur “ District Superintendent of the Synod of Catawba. The In stitute was well attended by members; as well as visiting friends each night. Rev. Shirley introduced on each night some special social feature which was very inter esting. He outlined to us the church school and its different organized branches. We feel wonderfully benefited by this Institute conducted by such am inspiring leader as Rev. Mr. Shirley.. Our Sunday school is working nicely. We are cooperating with our faithful superintendent, Mr. W. H. Byrd, to make it a model school^ Too much cannot be said of our Superintendent. As much, as he has done, he is endeavor ing to do more. He makes our Sunday school lessons more im pressive by having some one ap pointed who is thoroughly pre pared to give a review and dis cussion of the lesson each Sab bath. This has proven very help ful and interesting. The C. E. meetings are being well attended. The Young people are actually working. The Missionary Society held its regular meeting Friday P. M. This society is doing a great work in Faith church. . Miss Atlanta Byrd, who is teaching in Sanford, spent the week-end here with relatives. MRS. G. M. LASHLEY. LINCOLN PRESBYTERY. The Presbytery of Lincoln will .convene in the newly erect er administration building of Fee Memorial Institute,. Nichoi asvalle, Ky., April W, at 7:45 P. M. All who desireto attend ify us immediately. Du plicate cardajmve been sent to each minister and each session, and if promptly filled but and returned it will greatly assist us in securing homes for all. Nich olasviHe is situated on the main lines of the Southern and Lou isville and Nashville and the interurbdn< line of and T. Cb., which connect it with all Central Kentucky towns and cities. Also mote than 15 ehtbf and leave each for /ajyfcHvnr in Ahe State. H. W. McNAIR, s. c. Fee Memorial Institute, ;; &L.TZ
Africo-American Presbyterian (Wilmington, N.C.)
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March 19, 1925, edition 1
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