Newspapers / Africo-American Presbyterian (Wilmington, N.C.) / Jan. 21, 1932, edition 1 / Page 1
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• - - ' J “AND YE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH, if ® THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE.” —John viii. 82. ~z:T^T-TT-;, ——," v' VOL. Lin. CHARLOTpa R: & THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 1932. NO. 3. HAS THE MODERN PULPIT LOST SOME OF ITS POWER? By Rev. H. C* Miller, D. D. (Special address delivered in connection with the Fellowship Dinner at the mid-winter meet iv.g of Catawba Presbytery.) Mr. Moderator, Brethren of Catawba Presbytery, Ladies and Gentlemen: I consider it quite an honor to be with you today and to be your guest speaker upon this occasion. The introduction of your pre siding officer reminds me of the fatal honors of a young life guard. A woman visiting, one of the beaches, missed a . young guard who had been Xuhere many years and had won - Mnany medals for life-saving. Khe asked an old salt what had become of him. { ‘.‘Well, Miss,” he replied, “one day when off duty, poor Bill fell into the water and the weight of his medals carried him down.” It may prove true in this case while I discuss with you the selected subject A well informed man of wide experience recently said he had spent several weeks at tending Summer Training School for young preachers and that he had heard no word spoken to them about becom ing great preachers- They were instructed in Religious Educa tion, Social Service, Communi ty Work and many other things, but the pulpit, the preacher’s throne, was left out, and the preaching hour, the greatest hour of the preacher’s life, was not mentioned. The same man then said: “We are having a poorer type of preaching than we had ten years ago.” Hence our sub -v.ern Pulpit jwernrsor Lost’Some of Its What May Be Some Contribut ing Factors to This Danger?” We are all familiar with this two-sided question. We have read the pros and cons- Per haps many have formed an opinion. The one side contends ♦he pulpit is as strong, as pow erful today as during by-gone days; that it is even stronger because of superior advantages possessed by the modern men of the cloth The other side is as loud and insistent, declaring that the pulpit has lost much of its compelling force; that it does not exert the same influence upon the hearts and lives of men; that in by-gone days, even kings and emperors re treated, quaked and trembled before the Gospel bugle and bu g Now, if and when the church is crowded, it is either emo tionalism or so called modern ism; e. g-, you may take either side and get results as the man in the Missoufi-Kanshs case, ^However, leaving the first part of the question as being too wide for any general decis ion, we may profitably face facts and consider some factors contributory to this danger, the curtailment of pulpit-pow ' First: Multiplying machinery of the modem church, along with modern life. Take our own A few Boards greater critical yet we of ma details. branch, for instance years ago the many were consolidated for efficiency- We are not of the efficiency side, know the multiplying chinery entails more This in turn means either more men to operate or an extra load upon those at the wheels. The program of the church is ever expanding; more order blanks, special days and various activi ties, etc. In so many cases the preacher is depended upon en tirely to carry out these orders, net only to plan the work as indicated, but to work the plan. Certainly this should mean a cutting down of his energy in a definite direction. Especially is this true of great preaching, whch requires much time, med :ration and prayer. It takes more energy to do real preaching than almost anything besides. The multiplying of machinery may, then, be a factor contribu tory to the lessening of pulpit power. Second: Economic strain— The Bread and Butter question. This is no myth. It is real, practical' and has become in creasingly acute with the new order of things- We use the term bread in its widest mean ing. iwusi necessities or Hie nave advanced a hundred fold. Twenty years ago you could have sent three children through college for the price of one nowaday. While we have no quarrel with the advanced cost of education, we are try ing to stress the fact, viz:, these conditions weigh heavily upon the hearts and shoulders of the preacher as upon other men, sapping his energy and dampening his spiritual zeal. Then, too, the Dead Line Problem is ever before us. It gives much concern to many. It certainly concerns us at this stage of the game. But you say, the Pension Plan takes care of that. It has not imme d ately rendered this problem harmlesss especially for our group. It will take many more years for the churches i to enter in 'a thorough, business-like manner, this laudable scheme. M . church, forin-., stance, paying $1,800.00 per year. This plus 15 per cent for manse gives $2,007.00. Ten per cent of this equals $207; 7V& per cent of this brings to the church $155. Now the church, self-sustaining—and until this happens to a larger number of our churches we are not going far, nor are we going to re ceive as much recognition as we deserve—will hot so readily add $155 for the preacher’s in surance as they now see it. We do not say it will not come, but facing the facts as they are now, this has not gen erally come to pass. The num ber of churches and ministers whose insurance is not only signed up for, but paid, would be much smaller if the Board did not assume the 3 per cent of the say. $600.00 stipend. Such does not pay 7*4 per cent on $1200 but 3 per cent on $600, etc. Because of economic condi tions faced not by the fathers, because of the dead line prob lem not wholly solved, the ten dency is to take on side lines, which in many cases become the main line, cutting pulpit ef ficiency. It is a super-man that can man a school five days in a week and do great and glowing preaching two times on Sun day. Take it or leave it. Facts stand. For example, an expert in, say, Ford’s factory depends upon concentration upon the job in hand to get efficiency. Gives entire energy to the one thing and gets results Why? Not bothered about his pay check, etc. The minister prepares his sermon; Sunday comes but it is stormy, or if it is a country church, perhaps some big wan has died and certainly the fun eral will be kept over for Sun day. Only a few are out to ser vice. Monday’s bills are facing the preacher. He knows it is a rare case where his officers will go out and collect from the ab sent members so that he might get his money for the coming morrow. You tell me he can drive home his message with full steam, and I raise a reas (Continued on page 4) M1D-W1NT TAWBA Permanent The s: Catawba with the byterian Rev. R. P.} Wednesday at ten o’cloc] mg .sermon Yorke Jones, the Modern Acts 20:26 you to reci am pure f] men.” The this discou; Pure of the After the s< tery was coi er by the was called, es were re] ciders session of convened fcreet Pres Charlotte, D., pastor, 6, 1932, M. The open preached by the text Rev. Dr ref ore I take day, that I blood of all il theme of ssed “Paul, of All men.” pn the Presby ;u|ed with pray ttor. The roll ■ church mted by ruling tiller, of Yadkin av. W. H. Thom Dee Baptist As Rev. W. F. Ma iwba Baptist were accorded Hiding mem Dr. H. C. Presbytery, as, of the P* sociation, son, of the. Association, seats as bers. A period fiom 11:45 to 1:30 was givbn oi§ir to study and discussion offthe book, “The Ruling Elderjj” (McAfee) by Dr. Charles II. Shute, Profes sor of English Bible, Johnson C. Smith University, and “The Every Member Canvass;-.Why and How?” 1 y ,Rev. M? Wilson, D. D., pastor! 0f Westminster church. Cone Each of claimed the and seeming^ s .'deration Presbyters.jj characterisi the discussions closest attention tessful con jg|f4§§ the ihtstanding the? impor ts; greatly emphasized and mag n.fied by the conductor. The every member canvass received no less consideration with an earnest appeal for each church to enlist its constituen cies to share with a deep spir itual consciousness this divine obligation. The Fellowship Period The period from 1:30 to 3:30 was spent in fellowship in the Sunday school auditorium of the church, presided over by Rev. F C. Shirley. A delight ful and appetizing dinner was served by the ladies of the Seventh Street church. The Revs. Thomas A. Jenkins and A. H. Prince kept the Presby tery jubilant with pep songs and hearty yells Guest speaker for this period was the Rev. H. C. Miller, D. D., pastor of the St. James Presbyterian church, Greens boro N. C. Dr. Miller delivered a well thought out and syste matic address on the question, “Has the Modern Pulpit Lost Some of its Power? If So, What May Be Some of the Con tributing Factors to This Dan gerdeclaring that with the multiplicity of temporal things and machinery in our churches together with pulpit appear ances and the lack of a burn ing message of Christ, the power of the pulpit has been greatly lessened. Dr. Miller made earnest appeal to “Loose the Minister and Let Him Go.” Business Period From 3:30 to 5:00 o’clock P. M. the business and reports from several special commit tees were had. Dr. Pinckney W. Russell made report on Bills and Overtures, and also on revision of the Book of D'scipline. Dr. L. B- West, Chairman of the Committee on National Missions, submitted a report touching upon evangel ism among the churches in the Presbytery. This report called for an extensive and intensive evangelistic campaign begin ning in March and closing at Easter. A goodly number of the churches in the Presbytery paid their General Assembly apportionment at this meeting. Popular Meeting The evening session was giv en over to the laymen of the Presbytery. Elder R. L. Doug lass presided. Music was fur nished by a male chorus from the Presbytery, with Mr. W. H. Brown, a theological student at Johnson C- Smith Universi ty assisting. Elder W- H. Stin son, of the Biddleville church, Charlotte, was the main speak er. He spoke on “Why Neglect Church Property?” The ad dress was pointed and forceful ly presented. An appeal was made for ministers to move to their fields that they may do the effective work which is so much needed in building and upkeep. Tn the absence of Elder Jun ius Fox, of the Woodland church, who was to speak on “The Christian’s Personal Liv ing.” Mr. Thomas Bullock, a young man in Smith Universi ty, greatly impressed the audi ence with a short message on the theme. The Presbytery was. well at tended considering the inclem ent weather. The enthusiasm was far above that of any pre vious meeting. Indications were prevalent that “Catawba’f' is making progress and only time is required, for the full reali zation of the things to make for a Utopia in the Church. The Presbytery adjourned to meet the first Wednesday in April with the Black’s Memo rial Presbyterian church, Mon roe, N. C EAST TENNESSEE HAS ANOTHER YOUNG PEO PLE’S LEAGUE By Ethel E. Goines The first Young People’s League in the Presbytery ot ■&irtfm>ffharru was org«rigedliiL Hie Alabama and Middle Ten nessee Section, Saturday after noon. December 19th, 1931 This initial meeting was held at the Miller Memorial Presby terian church, . Birmingham, Alabama. Despite the inclem ent weather and the fact that the meeting was held just one week prior to Christmas the re sponse from the young people was almost one hundred per cent There were twenty-three delegates. They represented four of the five churches which this section comprises. The first hour of the session was given over to indoor games conducted by the Director. The period of recreation was fol lowed by a very beautiful and effective service of worship. The theme was: “Joy to the World! The Lord Is Come,” led by Miss Frankie Nichols, Bir mingham, Ala. A helpful and inspiring message was brought by Rev. W. M. Sample, pastor of Miller Memorial church. The house was then called to order and a discussion of. the possibilities of a Presbyterial organization among young peo ple followed. In the course of thia discussion Rov. W. M. Sam pie spoke from the subject, “The Purpose of the Young People’s League-” The Presby terian Program for Young People was presented by Miss S. E. Goines. The fact that the young people wanted the League was signified by & unanimous vote. Organization was then in order. The follow ing officers were then elected from the floor: President, Mr. Harold Ed ward Kerr, Birmingham, Ala bama. Vice-President, Mr. Elijah J. Marburry, Anniston, Ala. Secretary, Miss Vivian Hen derson, Birmingham, Ala. Assistant Secretary, Miss Elizabeth Parker, Birmingham, Ala. Treasurer, Miss Price Doby, Shiloh, Alabama. That the decisions of youth are usually fair and construc tive was thoroughly demon strated at this meeting when the young people themselves chose so prolaising a group of officers. Thtf installation ser vice was conducted by Rev. A W. Rice, of ; Calvary church, Anniston, All; after which the President-elect took the chair and proceed# with the busi ness The topiC. “Our Local Church.” wa| introduced by the President Mr. Harold E. Kerr, who gave a very thor ough discussion of the point, “What Constitutes a Presbyte rian Chflhrch ?” Then Miss Vi vian Henderson in a pleasing manner spoke from the point, “How May : One Become a Member of {the Presbyterian Church?” During the discus sion which followed, Miss Price Doby, Representing Rock Springs church, Shiloh, Alaba ma, and Mr- Elijah J. Marbur ry, of Calvary church, Annis ton. Alabama, gave brief, orig inal and satisfactory answers to the following questions, re spectively: (l) What is your idea of a good church member with regards^ to family life? (2) What is Vour idea of a good church member with regards to business life? Another meeting w Dinner. The suggested i: taste and young peopl church. The :h point of the the Fellowship lining room itself lediately the fine stie ability of the if Miller Memorial colors were red ni geen, Symbolizing blood and life, renSinding us at once cf the great meaning of Christ mas. During the dinner hour there were numerous outbursts cf laughter and applause fol lowing brief expressions ma le by those who had met the re quest. “Speech! Speech!” There was every ^indication . of the fact that the youth of Birming ham Presbytery had at. once found in the League and oppor tunity for fellowship and joy. - Vi/' conducted by Rev. Sample, as sisted by Rev. L. R. Taylor, Sabbath School Missionary of Birmingham Presbytery, closed the meeting. MARY ALLEN GIVEN “A” RATING BY THE SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION OF COL LEGES President B. R. Smith re ceived notice a few days ago from Mr. Arthur D. Wright, of the Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools of the Southern States, that at its re cent meeting Mary Allen Semi nary was granted full rating Ms an “A” Class Junior Cols lege. This rating is a result of a visit to the institution in the early Fall by a committee ap pointed to make a survey of Negro colleges of the South. The Southern Association of Colleges is the chief rating agency of the South and one of the leading rating agencies of the country- Thus far it has given only three Negro colleg es “A” rating: Fisk and Talla riega as senior coueges, »uu Mary Allen Seminary as a jun ior college. Of the three, Mary Allen Semniary has the dis tinction of being the only one having a Negro President. It is also the only “A” class Ne gro college west of the Missis sippi as rated by the Southern Association of Colleges. Mary Allen Seminary is a junior college for women locat ed at Crockett, Texas, and op erated by the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. It has a long history of distinctive service in Texas and the South and is now looking forward to the celebration of its forty fourth anniversary. Until eight years ago the President and faculty were white. Since then Dr. B- R Smith has been its able and aggressive executive. At his coming Mary Allen was an unaccredited high school in Texas. Under his leadership it has advanced to an accredited high school, an “A” class jun ior college of Texas, and finally to one of the three “A” class junior colleges of the South, ac cording to the rating of the Southern Association of Col leges Mary Allen Seminary has achieved this place of distinc tion among Negro colleges against great odds. It serves in a unique way the Negro wom anhood of Texas and the wider South. Its program is one of limited enrollment* personal; attention to the students, and Christian education, together with the highest in academic training as evinced by its pres ent rating. Maliiy Allen looks forward to a wider field of more useful service under the lead ership of its President and his associates. A. O- STEELE. LIBERTY CHURCH AT TSOY, N. Y., TO CELEBRATE NINETY-SECOND ANNI VERSARY The following paragraph from “Troy's One Hundred Years—1789-1889," by Arthur .Tomes Weise, M. A., page 180, is of especial interest at this time when the Liberty. Street Presbyterian church is plan ning to celebrate the ninety second Anniversary of the or ganization of the work as a Presbyterian church: “The site of the Liberty St. Presbyterian church was pur chased by the city on June 80, 1834. A few months later the session-house of the First Presbyterian church, having been removed to it, was fitted for a church for a congrega tion of colored people. On its dedication on Thursday, No vember 27th, Rev. Theodore S. Wright officiated. In the fol lowing week, a day school for colored children and an eve ning school for adult colored people were opened in the basement by William Lively. No distinct. church organize .that year, the Common Coun cil appointed Thaddeus Bigelow, William Rich and Alexander Thuey trustees to take charge of the property until an incor porated society of colored peo ple should purchase it. Thirty three members of the First Presbyterian church, having received letters of dismission from it, and having been or ganized into a Presbyterian church on January 17, 1840, bv a committee of the Presby tery of Troy, consisting of Dr. N. S- S. Beeman, pastor of the First Presbyterian church, and Rev. Fayette Shepherd, were on February 3, 1840, organized into the Liberty Street Presby terian church of Troy, N. Y., electing William Rich, Alexan der Thuey and Peter Jackson its trustees, and, on February 6th, purchased the property for $1,000 The Rev. Henry Highland Garnett was called to the pastorate of the church, •rnd 'served the congregation I from 1841 to 1848 with marked ability. The events connected with the observance of the adver sary will include worship ser vices, with historic reference and emphasis, on Sunday, Jan uary 17; public meeting and reception, Monday? January 18, 8 P M., and an afternoon ses sion of the Presbytery of T'roy in the improved building of the Liberty Sfireet church on Tuesday, January 19, from 2 to 4 P- M-, when the building will be inspected, reports con cerning the improvements will Ve received, and a conference on the Missions Among Col ored People phase of the work of the Board of National Mis sions will be conducted by the Presbytery’s Committee on Na tional Missions, Rev. Seth N. Genung, chairman. The chief address of this conference will be given by Dr. John W. Lee, D. D., Field Representative of the Division of Missions for Colored People for Work n the North, and his theme will be “Church Extension Among Colored People in the Presby teries of the North and West.”
Africo-American Presbyterian (Wilmington, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 21, 1932, edition 1
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