DOES GOD ANSWER PRAYER?
Memphis Noonday Meeting
By Rev. Benjamin Gox Pastor of Central Baptist Church Memphis, Tenn.
Note.—We met, at the October Bible Conference in Chattanooga, the Rev. Benjamin Cox, P astor of Central Baptist Church, Memphis, Tenn. At the Conference he told the story of the Memphis Noon P rayer Meeting. Not only we, but others, were greatly stirred by it. He^ was requested to w rite an article describing this meeting for the readers of “The King’s Business,” and we take great pleasure in presenting it, in the hope th at it may stir up others to faith and good works. Mr. Cox has not mentioned the fact th at when he took the Central Baptist Church it was in a p art of the city from which church-going people had moved away, and the outlook of the: church was not hopeful, but through the prayer meeting, and through the general work of the pastor, a new day seems to have dawned for the church. Doubtless there was opposition from many persons in the staid and conservative church against the new methods th at were introduced, but as the methods were of God, and along biblical lines, they were honored of God. Perhaps it ought to be added th at a free lunch is given at the close of the prayer meeting for the poor and hungry. This doubtless draws many to the meeting, but it has been a source of great blessing, not merely to the hungry ones who have been fed, but to the rich who have been brought into con tact w ith the poor, and whose hearts have been opened and who have been led to give largely to the work. A t the Bible Conference in Chattanooga Mr. Cox gave a great many striking instances of conversions and blessings of many kinds, and of answers^ to prayer th at went up in the noon prayer meeting, th at are not recorded in this article.r-Editor.
^111 T IS with pleasure that I f j j JMJJ w k accept the invitation of Dr. Torrey to write an article \ip5nBe'. about our noon prayer meet- ing, which started with eight present in the pastor’s office, January 19, 1914. Many people have asked me: “How, came the movement to start?” The answer is found in the fact that a few of us who realized that we were spending all day down town, felt that it would be advan tageous to set apart thirty minutes (12:30 to 1) for a praj^er meeting. Pretty soon the papers had something to say about it, and it was not long before requests for prayer commenced coming in. Some would
write, “I have decided to join your prayer league,” At first we had no thought of forming a league at all, but since so much interest had been taken we prepared cards with the following pledge to be signed by those who wished to do sot THE PLEDGE “Believing in the powier of united prayer, I desire to become a member of the Noon Prayer League. I will endeavor to be in prayer some time between 12:30 and 1 p. m., daily, if possible, for the requests presented at the meeting.” Since that time this pledge has been signed by a great host of people in thirty different States, and hardly a day passes
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