April 1931
183
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
SNotes on (Christian ßndeavor’ j
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The Committee In Charge P UBLIC praise and testimony have ev er been considered vital elements in the life of the Christian church. Chris tians are enjoined to “consider one anoth er, to provoke unto love and good works: not forsaking the assembling of your selves together, as the manner of some is ; but exhorting one another.” Paul, in 1 Thess. 5:11 says: “Wherefore, exhort one another and build each other up” (Weymouth). Again, in Col. 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spirit ual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” An organization is judged first by its members and then by its meetings. The committee in charge of the Christian En deavor meetings should strive to set and to maintain a high standard of expres- sional service. These meetings should be more or less informal in nature. Too much emphasis placed upon formality, rit ual, and ceremonial programs tends to make the society a place to be shunned rather than a place where the spontane ous enthusiasm of the group will result in eagerness to attend. The real power of a church can be measured, to a large extent, by the character of its meetings. If there is that Spirit-filled, supernatural joy and zeal, which comes from study ing God’s Word and honoring God’s Son, young people will soon be attracted. Where there is lethargy, “vain repetition such as the heathen use,” and dull monot ony, real victorious, life-giving energy cannot be expected. The Committe Chairman Natural ability and executive genius should be combined with deep spirituality in the one who serves as chairman of the Christian Endeavor committee. He must have a clear understanding of the work of the committee, being responsible for all activities. Upon the chairman rests a special bur den of responsibility, in that he must be ready at any time to step in and occupy the place of those who may fail in the meetings. A worthy motto for this com mittee and its chairman is : “Every meet ing an event.” The deadly perils of medi ocrity and monotony should be avoided like poison. The chairman of the commit tee should be resourceful—able to invent new ways of doing old things. He should have a goodly supply of tact and the knack of securing cooperation from oth ers. The chairman of the committee should have qualities of real inspirational lead ership. He should be able not'only to di rect the activities of his committee' and- to plan meetings that will be effective, but he should also be able to lead those meet
inary conference, general plans should be discussed and a tentative program made out. Certain principles should be kept in mind in the planning of the meeting. The first step is to decide upon the central theme or key-note. A chief characteris tic of most Christian Endeavor meetings is the shotgun method; and because they scatter the shot, they have no range. Any one can pepper a barn door with a shotgun; every one cannot hit a bull’s-eye with a rifle. What is needed is more “rifle” meetings that carry their thought far and “hit true.” Each meeting should have a definite aim, and everything in that meet ing should lead un to that aim. One meeting will be of a quiet or de votional nature, leading up to a consecra tion service. Everything on the program should be planned with that idea in mind. The lights should be dimmed, the music quiet and prayerful, the talks and discus sions thought-provoking," and the devo tional atmosphere emphasized throughout. Another meeting will have a highly in spirational aim, with plenty of light, color, lively music, and enthusiastic testimonies. In still another meeting, the purpose may center around some subject which is to be discussed, and most of the time will be spent ih the interchange of ^deas among members. Some meetings com bine the various elements. But there should always be a unified plan around which all will revolve. It will be the duty of the committee in charge of the meetings to work with those who are leading, in order that they may keep continually in mind this guid ing principle of unity. Variety in Meeting Plans After the general aim and theme of the meeting has been decided upon, its form should then be considered. An almost unlimited number of types of meetings might be suggested. The following, while not new or original, may prove stim ulating. The ingenious leader will think of many others. 1. Introduction Evening. Each person stands, gives his .name, place of birth, and one reason why he is a Christian. This service is especially val uable following a communion service when new members have been received into the church. It is also a valuable meeting for the opening of the term in a college community, or at any time when there is need for introducing newcomers in the department. 2. Machine Gun Meeting. This is a “rapid-fire” service. No one should be allowed to take more than one minute of the meeting time. Missionary “bullets” (quotations from famous mis sionaries), sure-shot Scripture verses, and single choruses sung one after another will lend to the atmosphere of the meet-
ings in an inspiring manner. He must expect occasional disappointments and should be able to step into a disorganized meeting and lift it out of its chaos, carry ing it successfully to an inspirational con clusion. Above all else, he must have a deep spirit of consecration and devotion to his Lord and Master. He must bear in mind that each meeting should in some way present Jesus Christ as Saviour to those who know Him not, as well as strengthen and give spiritual aid to every member. In meetings where the discussion turns to mere argument, he must be able to in terrupt tactfully with a few appropriate words, drawing the thought back to the theme of themes, which is Jesus Christ. He should be able to give suggestions in such a way that they will be taken'kindly and will be acted upon. He should seek to make the meetings better each week, filling each one with that spirit of de votion, reverence, and real worship that builds up strong Christian lives. Only in this way can he hope to accomplish that for which he has been chosen. Planning a Unified Meeting No good Christian Endeavor meeting is possible without preparation. It is the business of the Christian Endeavor com mittee to supervise the plans for each meeting. Leaders should be selected and subjects announced at least two months in advance, and a conference should be held by the committee; with the group or-lead- ers to be in charge, at least one month previous to the meeting. At this prelim
G eth sem ane Can I Forget? Gethsemane can I forget? Or there Thy conflict see , Thine agony and bloody sweat, And not remember Thee? When to the cross I turn, mine eyes, And rest on Calvary, 0 Lamb of God, my Sacrifice, I must remember Thee! Remember Thee, and all Thy pains, And all Thy love to me; Yea, while a breath, a pulse, remains, Will I remember Thee! And when these failing lips grow dumb, And mind and memory flee, When Thou shalt in Thy king dom come, Jesus, remember me! —James Montgomery.
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