The united American : a magazine of good citizenchip., January 01, 1925, Page 23, Image 23

JANUARY, 1925
THE UNITED AMERICAN
Page Twenty-three
A Practical Application of Sound Gospel
A Country Community in Virginia Exemplifies a bit of Spiritually Inspired Co-operative Work, Based
Upon the Precepts of the Golden Rule, with one of their Successful Compatriots, a Farmer, Stockraiser
and Banker also Serving as Parson of one of the Most Successful Rural Churches in this Country
By George M. Rommel, in “The Country Gentleman”
IS a story of applied Chris­ than twenty-two years for each man
tianity. It is the story of a church who has preached there.
T HIS
conceived in the country, developed in The first pastor served forty years
where, but it is about a normal budget,
and of this amount over $7000 went into
benevolences, part of which was the
the country and flourishing today in the and retired to Kentucky; the second and entire support of a missionary in the
country after nearly two centuries third died in service, one after twenty- foreign field. The people evidently be­
of growth, aged and traditioned, but two years, the other after thirty-eight lieve in paying for their church work
alive, vigorous, strong and Wholesome. years, and both are buried in the church­ even if times, are hard. That’s part of
the reason why the pastors stay.
If you motor south into the upper yard.
The present pastor assumed charge on
reaches of the Shenandoah beyond
But there is more, much more. The
Staunton, Virginia, you will be struck October 1, 1909, and he has resisted congregation pulls together. The people
with the appearance of many large more than one effort to call him else­ are careful in selecting their pastors
churches, not in town only but out where where.
and, when pastor and congregation once
farmers live and work.. They are not
The allurements of the city do not unite, ties are formed that it takes more
so numerous as to give
•than money to break.
an impression of denomi­ Jiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiniixii'jiiiiiiiniiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiii imiimiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiimniiiiiiiiiiiiriiiiiiimiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiL
Not long ago the people
national rivalry with a
began to talk about a
AS AN EXAMPLE of what may be accomplished in any Amer- | house for the Sunday-
surplus of weak struggling |
ican rural district or community, where thrifty people are | school and for other activi­
congregations
incompe­ 1
tently shepherded. Some­ s tilling the soil or raising livestock, to make life in the country . | ties 'than those of worship.
how
these
Virginia | the Utopia of human desire for happiness, the following story | It was planned to erect a
country people have focus­
building to meet the -needs
ed their religious life and | by George Rommel, in a recent issue of “The Country Gentle- | of the church for the next
have adjusted their church | man,” serves the purpose as an excellent illustration. In | one hundred years. It
resources to the needs of 1 nearly every locality may be found men physically and | would cost about $30,000.
their communities.
| mentally equipped to assume the leadership that is necessary |
Of course, some mem­
These churches have a 1 to develop that state of solidarity that is the pivot to the | bers of the congrega­
solid, substantial, digni­ | successful community, where the well-being of all is con-
= tion felt that this was
fied, with an air of com­ | sidered essential 'to the well-being of the individual. The
| a newfangled idea, that
fort and prosperity like
the old church building
that of the farm homes | formula is not patented, but the specifications in the plan call | with a pre-Revolutionary
g date ’on its cornerstone
around them. They are | for honesty and integrity arid a full measure of faith. It may
usually of brick and are | be possible to make these ingredients sufficiently strong to
| had answered the purpose
surrounded with the graves | react perfectly against what is generally described as human | for more than a century,
of those whose work is
and so on.
done, with a Sunday­ | frailties, without religious attachments in some form, but |
But the people harked
|
-school house near by and | where these elements of correct living are spiritually inspired
back
to the time sixty
|
not far away a manse for I there is an added insurance that the mutual obligations will
the pastor and his family. 1 be carried out. The Rockbridge county community in Virginia | years ago when the sug­
gestion was first made to
| put an organ in the church.
These churches hawe a I that squares its relations according to the religious precepts
traditional and historical | of the community church proves this contention and is an
| A minority led by one of
¡background. As America I argument in favor of injecting more religious qualifications
| the elders, Major Mc-
I goes, they
are old.
Kamie, violently opposed
| putting into the church
The communities which 1 in our American practices in citizenship. — The Editor.
they serve are
not niiiimimmmmimmmmmmmmmmmmmmiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiliummuiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiimiiihimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiihmiiiiuiiiiiHiiniinnmiiintui^ what old Scotchmen called
composed
of
shifting
“a kist o’ whustles.”
populations. They have sent their sons seem to attract New Providence pastors. The major carried his fight as far as his
and daughter forth to conquer, but the They have been scholars, orators, leaders discretion permitted and then rose in
seed stock has remained, strong and of men — the kind of ministers rich city his place with this valiant acknowledg­
vigorous. Here Sam Houston was born congregations are continually bidding for. ment of surrender:
I and grew to early manhood before he set They have 'all been imbued with a love
“If you people are determined to
forth to Tennessee and later to Texas of the country, but that alone does not
where he seized an empire for Anglo- account for such a remarkable record of worship the Lord with machinery,’ I
want you to get a good one, and I will
I Saxon civilization. Here stands the little congregational service.
Why do these men stay on the job? be the first to make a donation toward
blacksmithshop where Cyrus McCormick
I worked out his model of the reaper which A preacher is human. He must earn ■its purchase.”
was to change farming methods the his daily bread and save. The present
I have known elders to leave the
world over. Yet the names of Houston pastor of New Providence Church and church for less reason, but such has al­
.and McCormick persist there today, his good wife are raising nine children ways been the spirit of New Providence.
and giving them all college educations
¡respected and honored.
as fast as they 'grow up. He couldn’t do There has never been a split in the con­
* * ♦
that on the usual salary of a country gregation. The Sunday-school house is
being built. If the majority believes
The largest of these open-country preacher.
•that the innovation is for the best in­
churches in Virginia, the parent of
New Providence occupies a territory terests of the congregation, and that it
¡others, is the New Providence Presby­ about ten miles square. The church will make for more effective church
terian Church in Rockbridge County. has 640 members and last year its budget work, the minority acquiesces.
Founded in 1746, it has had but eight was $10,000. That was not the banner
¡pastors in its 178 years of existence — year, because the farmers were hard
That looks like practical Chistianity,
an average period of service of more pressed, as farmers were most every­ doesn’t it? That’s another reason why